Ruffled Crochet Christmas Tree Pattern: A Free Amigurumi Tree with Eight Frilly Tiers

Picture a plump little tree wrapped in eight frilly tiers, each one a little narrower than the one below, with a few beads or buttons tucked in as ornaments. This ruffled crochet Christmas tree pattern turns rounds of single crochet into a cheerful holiday piece for a shelf, a windowsill or a gift table.

What makes it work is the order of construction. You crochet the whole tree body first as one stuffed, tapering shape, working some rounds in the back loop only so a ring of free front loops is left behind at each level. Once the body is closed, you come back to those rings and crochet the ruffles straight into them, so there are no separate tiers to sew on and every frill sits exactly where the pattern places it.

Materials · Abbreviations · Tree Base · Ruffles · Finishing · FAQ

Before your first stitch: The tree base is worked in continuous spiral rounds, so you keep going from one round into the next without joining. A stitch marker in the first stitch of each round makes the counts much easier to check. If spirals are new to you, see working in continuous rounds vs. joined rounds.

Know where the ruffles will go: Base Rounds 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28 and 31 become the foundations for the eight ruffles. Each one is followed by a round worked in the back loop only, which leaves its front loops free. As an optional shortcut, slip a removable marker into each of those rounds as you finish it so the rings are easy to find later.

Materials

• Yarn and a crochet hook: the pattern does not name a yarn or hook size, so choose a pairing that gives you firm, close stitches. Our guide to the best yarn for amigurumi can help you choose.
• Plastic circle of a suitable diameter, for shaping the bottom of the tree.
• Stuffing
• Beads or buttons (optional), for decoration.
• Yarn needle for cinching the top closed and weaving in ends.
• Stitch marker (optional), helpful for keeping track of the spiral rounds.

Abbreviations

This pattern is written in US crochet terms.

Coming from UK-terms patterns? The Craft Yarn Council’s standard crochet abbreviations list includes a US/UK stitch-name comparison.

Tree Base

Work in continuous spiral rounds. Rounds 1–7 build the flat bottom of the tree; Round 8 is worked in the back loops only, which marks the edge of the bottom before the sides begin.

Rnd 1: 8 sc in MR (8)

Rnd 2: Inc in each st around (16)

Rnd 3: [1 sc, inc] 8 times (24)

Rnd 4: [2 sc, inc] 8 times (32)

Rnd 5: [3 sc, inc] 8 times (40)

Rnd 6: [4 sc, inc] 8 times (48)

Rnd 7: [5 sc, inc] 8 times (56)

Rnd 8: Working in BLO, sc in each st around (56)

Rnds 9–10 (2 rnds): Sc in each st around (56)

Rnd 11: Working in BLO, sc in each st around (56)

Your first ruffle ring: Because Round 11 is worked in the back loops, the front loops of Round 10 stay free on the outside of the tree. That ring is where Ruffle 1 will be worked. Every BLO round from here up leaves the same kind of ring on the round below it.

Rnd 12: Sc in each st around (56)

Shape the bottom: Insert a plastic circle of a suitable diameter to shape the bottom of the tree. It should sit flat against the bottom you made in Rounds 1–7.

Rnd 13: [5 sc, dec] 8 times (48)

Rnd 14: Working in BLO, sc in each st around (48)

Rnd 15: Sc in each st around (48)

Rnd 16: [6 sc, dec] 6 times (42)

Rnd 17: Working in BLO, sc in each st around (42)

Rnd 18: Sc in each st around (42)

Rnd 19: [5 sc, dec] 6 times (36)

Rnd 20: Working in BLO, sc in each st around (36)

Rnd 21: Sc in each st around (36)

Rnd 22: [4 sc, dec] 6 times (30)

Stuff as you go: From here on, stuff the tree as you crochet, adding a little at a time while the opening is still wide enough to shape the filling evenly. For tips on avoiding lumps, see how to stuff amigurumi properly.

Rnd 23: Working in BLO, sc in each st around (30)

Rnd 24: Sc in each st around (30)

Rnd 25: [3 sc, dec] 6 times (24)

Rnd 26: Working in BLO, sc in each st around (24)

Rnd 27: Sc in each st around (24)

Rnd 28: [2 sc, dec] 6 times (18)

Rnd 29: Working in BLO, sc in each st around (18)

Rnd 30: Sc in each st around (18)

Rnd 31: [1 sc, dec] 6 times (12)

Rnd 32: Working in BLO, sc in each st around (12)

Rnd 33: Sc in each st around (12)

Rnd 34: Dec 6 times (6)

Close the top: Fasten off. Cinch the opening closed and weave in the end.

Tree Crown: The Ruffles

The crown is made of separate ruffles that are not connected to each other. At the end of each ruffle, fasten off and weave in the end.

Hold the base with the top toward you and start with the bottom ruffle. Each ruffle is worked into the free front loops of the base round named in its heading; attach the yarn in one of those free loops to begin.

Reading Round 2: In every ruffle, Round 1 places one sc in each free front loop, and Round 2 doubles that count. Ruffles 1 and 2 repeat over 4 stitches (2 sc in each of the next 3 sts, then 2 dc in the next st); Ruffles 3–8 repeat over 3 stitches (2 sc in each of the next 2 sts, then 2 dc in the next st). The double crochets are taller than the single crochets around them, so they add height at regular points along the frill.

Ruffle 1: in the front loops of Rnd 10

Ruffle 1, Rnd 1: Sc in each free front loop around (56)

Ruffle 1, Rnd 2: [2 sc in each of the next 3 sts, 2 dc in the next st] 14 times (112). Fasten off and weave in the end.

Ruffle 2: in the front loops of Rnd 13

Ruffle 2, Rnd 1: Sc in each free front loop around (48)

Ruffle 2, Rnd 2: [2 sc in each of the next 3 sts, 2 dc in the next st] 12 times (96). Fasten off and weave in the end.

Ruffle 3: in the front loops of Rnd 16

Ruffle 3, Rnd 1: Sc in each free front loop around (42)

Ruffle 3, Rnd 2: [2 sc in each of the next 2 sts, 2 dc in the next st] 14 times (84). Fasten off and weave in the end.

Ruffle 4: in the front loops of Rnd 19

Ruffle 4, Rnd 1: Sc in each free front loop around (36)

Ruffle 4, Rnd 2: [2 sc in each of the next 2 sts, 2 dc in the next st] 12 times (72). Fasten off and weave in the end.

Ruffle 5: in the front loops of Rnd 22

Ruffle 5, Rnd 1: Sc in each free front loop around (30)

Ruffle 5, Rnd 2: [2 sc in each of the next 2 sts, 2 dc in the next st] 10 times (60). Fasten off and weave in the end.

Ruffle 6: in the front loops of Rnd 25

Ruffle 6, Rnd 1: Sc in each free front loop around (24)

Ruffle 6, Rnd 2: [2 sc in each of the next 2 sts, 2 dc in the next st] 8 times (48). Fasten off and weave in the end.

Ruffle 7: in the front loops of Rnd 28

Ruffle 7, Rnd 1: Sc in each free front loop around (18)

Ruffle 7, Rnd 2: [2 sc in each of the next 2 sts, 2 dc in the next st] 6 times (36). Fasten off and weave in the end.

Ruffle 8: in the front loops of Rnd 31

Ruffle 8, Rnd 1: Sc in each free front loop around (12)

Ruffle 8, Rnd 2: [2 sc in each of the next 2 sts, 2 dc in the next st] 4 times (24). Fasten off and weave in the end.

Finishing

You can decorate the tree with beads or buttons.

A note on decorations: Beads and buttons can be small enough to be a choking concern. If the tree may be handled by young children, review the U.S. CPSC’s small parts guidance before adding them, or simply leave the decorations off.

More holiday crochet

Keep the festive table growing with this top hat crochet snowman pattern or a Christmas reindeer amigurumi pattern.

Questions about this Christmas tree

Why are some rounds of the tree base worked in the back loop only?

Each BLO round leaves the front loops of the round below it unworked. The free front loops on Rounds 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28 and 31 are the foundations for the eight ruffles. Round 8 is also worked in BLO, but no ruffle goes into the loops it leaves on Round 7.

How big should the plastic circle be?

It should fit the flat bottom formed by Rounds 1–7. The pattern asks for a circle of a suitable diameter rather than a set measurement, since the size of the bottom depends on the yarn and hook you use. Insert it after Round 12, before the decreases begin.

How can I check my ruffle stitch counts?

Round 1 of each ruffle matches the stitch count of the base round it is worked into, and Round 2 doubles it. Ruffles 1 and 2 repeat over 4 stitches, while Ruffles 3–8 repeat over 3 stitches. The Round 2 totals from the bottom ruffle up are 112, 96, 84, 72, 60, 48, 36 and 24.

Are the ruffles connected to each other?

No. Each ruffle is worked directly into the base and finished on its own. Fasten off and weave in the end after each one, starting with the bottom ruffle and moving up the tree.

Which yarn and hook should I use?

No specific yarn weight, color or hook size is named, so choose a yarn and hook that give you firm, close stitches so the stuffing stays hidden. Then pick a plastic circle that fits the bottom you crochet.

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