Santa’s face fills this Christmas pillow cover on a green background: a red hat with a cream pom-pom, a wide cream brim, rosy cheeks and a big cream beard. Silver shading under the brim, along the mustache and down one side of the beard keeps the cream shapes apart; check its few single stitches against the chart. It is a classic Christmas pillow that works up quickly, since the hat, the face and the beard are wide blocks of one color. Slow down at the eyes, each with a one-stitch cream highlight, and at the small dark smile under the mustache.

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 (Green, Cream, Red, Peach, Silver, 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.