A Hook Full of Snowmen — Getting Ready for the Christmas Markets

It has been a very snowy scene on my crochet table lately — which, as I write this in September, always makes me smile. Red and white cotton yarn has slowly taken over, and this week the little hook finally produced a proper troop of handmade snowmen tree decorations, all lined up and ready for the Christmas markets that are coming up very shortly.

These little fellows are one of my favourite things to make. Each one starts with a circle of cotton yarn crocheted into that lovely fluffy white beard, then a bright red hat with a white pom-pom on top, two little eyes and one sparkly red nose. A loop of red yarn goes on at the end so each decoration is ready to hang straight on the tree the moment it arrives home. Because every face is made by hand, no two are ever quite the same — one might raise an eyebrow (with my help), another might have a nose a fraction to one side. I like to think that's not a fault, it's character.

Cotton yarn is my yarn of choice for these; it holds its shape well, gives the beard a lovely crisp fluff when it's finished, and means the decorations will last year after year. Like everything I make, they're designed to be brought out every December rather than enjoyed once — the snowmen never melt, and the tree never has to share them with anybody.

With the markets so close now, my dining room has turned into a staging area: baskets of finished snowmen sit beside the wreath bases and the fabric Christmas trees, all waiting to be packed carefully into boxes for market day. If you're anywhere near Devon this festive season, do come and say hello — you can find out where I'll be, with dates and times, on my events page.

Of course, if you can't make it to a market, there's no need to worry: these little hanging snowmen are also available in the online shop, along with the rest of the handmade Christmas collection. Everything is made and dispatched from my craft room here in Devon and can be shipped across the UK and worldwide. Just like all my makes, once the Christmas batch has found its people, it tends to be gone for the season.

Thank you as always for reading and for supporting my little craft business. The next journal entry will hopefully be written in a whole lot of festive chaos — with, fingers crossed, a few empty peg spots where the snowmen used to be.