A smiling gingerbread cookie stands on a sky blue background, with a red bow tie, three red buttons, rosy cheeks and a line of cream icing all the way around it. Zigzags of icing cross its wrists and ankles, and dark brown shading down one side gives the cookie some depth. The icing outline is only a stitch or two wide, so on most rows you change to cream briefly at each edge of the cookie, and the zigzag rows are among the busiest in this Christmas set, with up to 21 color changes. Take those rows slowly, and the rest goes quickly in wide blocks of brown and blue.

The free pattern has the full color chart (64 stitches by 74 rows, 6 colors), every row written out with its colors in the order you work them, a printable pattern, and the chart as a picture to download. It explains how to read the chart, carry the colors, make the back (crocheted or fabric) and put the pillow together.

You need: worsted weight yarn (medium, 4) in 6 colors (Sky Blue, Brown, Cream, Dark brown, Red, Graphite), a 4 mm (US G-6) or 4.5 mm (US 7) hook, and a 16 inch (40 cm) pillow insert. For the back, more yarn in one color, or fabric.

Gauge: 16 stitches and about 18.5 rows in 4 inches (10 cm) in single crochet, carrying the colors. US terms.

We drew this design stitch by stitch. No image AI was used.