Free Crochet Santa Pencil topper pattern from Crochet Kid Stuff

Are you looking to whip up some fun little gifts or decorations?

Well I've got a cute one for you!

It's from:

Crochet Kid Stuff:
20 easy crochet projects for girl and boy apparel and accessories
By
Sharon Mann and Phyllis Sandford

Crochet is cool in elementary school. The kids love the beanies, the retro sweaters, the chunky scarves, the backpack dangles. Moms, grandmothers, and aunts are furiously crocheting for this age group, but they're having trouble finding current patterns, especially for boys.

Here are the quick, colorful, fun projects they're looking for. While there are more and more books of hip knitting and crochet for women, this book offers a unique collection of crochet patterns for this special underserved age group.

Girls will love the cute hats, sweaters, mini-bags, and hair flair; boys will actually wear the hoody, rugged sweater, skateboarder beanie, and fingerless gloves; and everybody will show off backpack danglies, pencil buddies, and hacky sacks.

All the projects featured use the latest yarns, including popular and fun super-soft and very textural yarns in bright in energetic colors. Patterns, with simple stitches, mostly single and double crochet, provide three levels of sizing and classic styles perfect for this age range. Each project includes creative touches that kids will love.

Sharon Mann's designs have been published in several knitting and crochet books, Bead Unique magazine and Clotilde's Sewing Savvy. Sharon has a B.A. degree in Art from California State University, Northridge. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Phyllis Sandford, a freelance designer and author, owns Totally Tole and teaches classes in her studio. Her designs have been featured in Crafts, Crafts'n Things, Quick and Easy Crafts, Kalmbach Publishing, and Create and Decorate. She has done project sheets for Delta Technical Coatings, Inc., Plaid, and Beacon Adhesives. Phyllis lives in Beacon, New York.

Other Books of Interest:
Ready, Set, Crochet
BabyKnits Hats & Booties
Hooked Throws
Hooked for Toddlers

Isn't this Santa just plain fun?

(Click on images to enlarge)

Now that you have a little smile on your face on to day 3 of our:

15 days of Holiday Goodness Giveaways!

Simply leave your answer to each day's question in each day's comment section and we will randomly pick a winner of a book from each day's commenter. You can enter every day but you are only eligible to win 2 times! (You can go back and answer previous day's questions. We will be drawing the winners after the first of the year.)

Today's question:

2.  Are you decorating/crafting according to a theme and/or color scheme this holiday season? If so, do you change your theme each year?

My Answer: I change my theme every year. A few things stay in but new elements get added. I always have bunnies and plaid but I am adding reindeer in a big way this year. I have collect quite a few new ones to add to my vintage ones. I have a fun project planned that I will be sure to share with you in the coming days on this theme! My color theme always changes. This year it is red and black. I know black is a bit untraditional but last year my Mom sent me a tiny little black tree and tiny penguin ornaments and it was just so cute!

I think it is just so fun to do things a little different but still stick to some things the same.

Be sure to read the comments of others, maybe you can pick one up a good idea that will add a new spin on your holiday decorating!

Comments

[Brenda M]

Those little pencil toppers are so cute. I don't decorate or craft to a theme - we recycle the same decorations, though I do try and make some new things each year. This year I will make a new Christmas applique.

[JulieZS]

So cute, wish I could crochet well enough to attempt them.

We use the same decorations every year, some must be used, some are optional. Not a real theme, just stuff I like, emphasis on stars I suppose. For the past 5 years I've been ornaments that have the word PEACE on them somewhere. So we almost have an entire Peace Tree going.

[Sherelyn Nichol]

Theme? We don't need no stinking theme! LOL I am kind of a hap-hazard kind of Christmas Decorator. I have includes lots of jumping jacks on my tree this year. Almost every year though, the underlying theme is dolls! I just do something different almost every year.

[Casey]

This year I really changed the style. We bought a white tree and have a very bright, modern vibe going. Lots of red and white and graphic prints. The house looks so happy:) I think I'll stick with this for awhile, because it really matches with the style of the whole house.

[Julia]

No theme at our house, we just have a collection of misc. items from the years; each year the kids add to it and we can't forget certain things that must be on the tree. I'm trying to crochet something special for the family and kids friends and keep it a low budget Christmas.

[MEME]

For our recent years in FL, from which we travel to the frozen tundra of CT to be with g'kids for the holiday, we have taken to having a live, potted Norfolk pine tree, which we then plant in our yard. The first one of these trees (about 8 yrs old) is now tooooooo tall for us to reach the top of, even with any rational ladder we have in our garage. In the past few years -- when we could reach the top -- we had strung it with lights for our more traditional looking Christmas tree. One of the downsides of the potted Norfolk pine is that it can only hold VERY lightweight ornaments, so my best ornaments remain in their nests year after year. One of these years -- I am promising myself -- I will have one last blast of a humungous live Christmas tree, and I will hang every ornament I own on it, some of which go back to my childhood, some of which go back to my husband's childhood -- now that is officially back to the Stone Age!

[Julie Kawano]

I dont really have a theme. This year, my 3 year old son, decorated the christmas tree! It looks interesting for sure. Maybe when they are a bit older, we will have themes that suit our weather out here in Australia...HOT!

[wendy]

Decorating always includes snowmen - I have quite a collection and add to it every year. Last year my best friend made me a knitted a pair for my birthday and they are now the focal point of my holiday decorations.

[Marjorie]

No theme, no color scheme, just things collected over the years and new ornaments from whatever whim hits and what gifts I receive from stitching friends.

[Josie]

If only I had the time to create a theme...so many come to mind. But as usual we will decorate with items collected over the years. I do make an ornament for each family member that represents them. This year will be a butterfly for my step-daughter, a pokemon for my son and something food oriented for my chef/husband.