The Ghost of Christmas Present hand puppet was a bit of a challenge! He is the only spirit that is absolutely described as masculine in nature. However, the long curly hair on this puppet, with the holly berry crown, and a soft face, gave him a very feminine vibe as a puppet. I stared at him for days while my husband and I joked that he had a very JLo look, with his plunging neckline.
BUT he’s actually a man in a partially opened bathrobe! So, last minute rather, my testers helped me out a great deal, and we added a chin to give him a more masculine look, and now he looks more like a muppet too. 🙂 I love him, and I hope you do too!
If you’re interested in a printer-friendly PDF of the Ghost of Christmas Hand Puppet Pattern, you can find the design in my Ravelry or Etsy shops! If you prefer to use the free blog copy below, I still appreciate you being here! And another great way to support my blog is simply by sharing! Thank you for supporting my business!
Materials:
Worsted Weight (4) Yarn – colors you feel are best suited! Below is what I used, and some alternate yarns that may work!
Big Twist Value – Cream (A) – approximately 32 yds
Red Heart Super Saver Yarn – Spring Green (B) – approximately 50 yds
OR Caron One Pound – Grass Green
Lion Brand Homespun Thick & Quick – Dove (C) – approximately 20 yds (this is the trimmings of his robe, you can just use a worsted white yarn if you don’t have Thick & Quick on hand)
OR a thinner Faux Fur yarn might also work!
Caron One Pound – Espresso (D) – approximately 104 yds
OR Red Heart Super Saver – Coffee
Red Heart Super Saver Yarns in Cherry Red, Cafe, and Gold, in small amounts for the berries and torch
Small amount of black worsted yarn for the eyes.
Crochet Hook, H-5mm
Scissors
Terms and abbreviations to know:
magic ring
rnd, rnds – round, rounds
st, sts – stitch, stitches
sl st – slip stitch
sk – skip
sc – single crochet
hdc – half double crochet
inc – increase, 2 sc sts in same st
invsc2tog – invisible single crochet 2 together; this is essentially a decrease, but done in such a way as to make the continuous stitching smoother, and the decrease not as noticeable.
- Insert hook into front loop only of next stitch, DO NOT yarn over.
- Insert hook into front loop of second stitch.
- Yarn over. Pull through 2 loops.
- Yarn over and pull through last 2 loops.
Dc bobble – double crochet bobble
- Yarn over, and insert hook into designated st.
- Pull up a loop.
- Yarn over, and pull through 2 loops, leaving 2 loops on hook.
- Yarn over, and insert hook into same st.
- Pull up a loop.
- Yarn over, and pull through 2 loops, leaving 3 loops on hook.
- Yarn over, and insert hook into same st.
- Pull up a loop.
- Yarn over, and pull through 2 loops, leaving 4 loops on hook.
- Yarn over, and insert hook into same st.
- Pull up a loop.
- Yarn over and pull through 2 loops, leaving 5 loops on hook.
- Yarn over and pull through all 5 loops.
picot –
- Ch 3
- Sk 2nd ch from hook
- Sl st into 3rd ch from hook
Notes:
The body of the Ghost of Christmas Present Hand Puppet is worked from the top down, in the rnd, with no joining. The arms, hair, holly, and torch are made separately and sewn on. The trim along the front of the robe is attached with a surface slip stitch.
Size: This is one size, fitting child through adult, but if you wish to make it smaller for a smaller child to play with, simply tighten the gauge or go down a hook size.
Gauge: 6 sts across and 7 rnds down = approximately 2 inches
Ghost of Christmas Present Hand Puppet
Body – beginning at the head, with A
Begin with a magic ring.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in magic ring; 6 sts
Rnd 2: inc in each st around; 12 sts
Rnd 3: (inc, sc in next st)6x; 18 sts
Rnd 4: (inc, sc in next 2 sts)6x; 24 sts
Rnd 5: (3 inc, sc in next 9 sts)2x; 30 sts
Rnds 6-14: sc in each st around; 30 sts
Rnd 15: (3 invsc2tog, sc in next 9 sts)2x; 24 sts
Rnd 16: sc in each st around; 24 sts
Pull green through to complete the last st of rnd 16. Fasten off the skin color here.
*Note that rnds 17-24 will contain color changes. When crocheting the skin color, carry the green behind the st as pictured. When crocheting with the green, drop skin color, but pick back up in the next rnd when advised. This is to represent the bare chest at the top of his robe.
Rnd 17: in green ch 7, sk next 4 sts, sc in next, in skin color carrying green behind the st, sc in next 6 sts, drop skin color, in green sc in next st, ch 7, sk next 4 sts, sc in next 8 sts; 30 sts, counting the chs
Rnd 18: in green sc into each of the 7 chs, sc in next st, in skin color carrying green behind the sts, sc in next 6 sts, drop skin color, in green sc in next st, sc in next 7 chs, sc in next 8 sts ; 30 sts
Rnds 19-20: in green sc in next 8 sts, in skin color carrying green behind the sts, sc in next 5 sts, drop skin color and in green sc in next 17 sts; 30 sts
Rnds 21-22: in green sc in next 9 sts, in skin color carrying green behind the sts, sc in next 4 sts, drop skin color, in green sc in next 17 sts; 30 sts
Rnd 23: in green sc in next 9 sts, in skin color carrying green behind the sts, sc in next 3 sts, drop skin color, in green sc in next 18 sts; 30 sts
Rnd 24: in green sc in next 10 sts, in skin color sc in next st, in green sc in next 19 sts; 30 sts
Drop skin color now for the rest of the puppet, and fasten off. Continue in green.
Rnd 25: (3 invsc2tog, sc in next 9 sts)2x; 24 sts
Pull C (white fur) through to complete the last st of rnd 25, but do not fasten off green.
Row 26: loosely sl st in each st around; 24 sts
Fasten off C.
For rnd 26a, continue with green, and work underneath the sl sts back into the sts of rnd 25.
Rnd 26a: sc in each st around; 24 sts
Rnd 27: (3 inc, sc in next 9 sts)2x; 30 sts
Rnds 28-34: sc in each st around; 30 sts
Fasten off green, and complete last rnd in C (white fur)
Rnd 35: sc in next 11 sts, sc next st into rnd 33 over top of the next st in rnd 34, sc next st into rnd 32 over top both rnds 33 and 34, sc next st over rnd 33 again, continue with sc in the next 16 sts of rnd 34; 30 sts
Fasten off and weave in all ends.
Bathrobe Trim, in C (white fur)
The bathrobe trim is attached as a surface sl st. Insert hook into the same st of the 13th st of rnd 35, and pull yarn through from the inside of the puppet, surface sl st up the body of the puppet, crossing over rnd 26, and following the line of skin/green to the left. Pull the yarn in through the arm hole as you get higher up, to have it closer. Fasten off that side. Reattach the yarn into the same st at the bottom of the robe again, and surface sl st to the left, but in the same sts as the first half of your previous sl sts until you cross rnd 26, then continue up the other side of the robe, fastening off at the arm holes. Weave in all ends.
Arms, Make 2 – begin with skin color
In skin color.
Begin with magic ring.
Rnd 1: 6 st in magic ring; 6 sts
Rnd 2: (inc, sc in next st)3x; 9 sts
Rnds 3-4: sc in each st around; 9 sts
Rnd 5: dc bobble, sc in next 8 sts; 9 sts
Rnd 6: sc in each st around; 9 sts
Pull B (green) through to complete the last st of rnd 6, and fasten off skin color.
In green
Rnd 7: sc in each st around; 9 sts
Attach C (white fur), but do NOT fasten off green. You will pick that back up for rnd 9.
Rnd 8: in white loosely sl st into each st around; 9 sts
Fasten off C, and pick up green. Continue in green.
Rnd 9: work this rnd back into the top of the sts of rnd 7, behind the white yarn, (inc, sc in next 2 sts)3x; 12 sts
Rnds 10-14: sc in each st around; 12 sts
Fasten off green, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Rnd 15: attach C and loosely sl st into each st around; 12 sts
Weave in all the ends inside the arm, and then use the long green tail to sew onto the arm holes of the body, sewing rnd 14 to the puppet, under rnd 15. Weave in ends.
Nose, in A (skin color)
Using about 6 inches of your skin color, sew the nose over about 3 sts in rnd 12, center of the face, wrapping the yarn around about 5 times. Weave ends in inside the puppet.
Eyes, in black
Using about 6-8 inches of black worsted yarn, sew the eyes down to about rnd 9, starting above the rnd, and pulling the needle through just below the rnd to create the upward curve of the eye. Weave ends in inside the puppet.
Chin in A (skin color)
Begin with magic ring.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in magic ring; 6 sts
Rnd 2: inc in each st around; 12 sts
Rnd 3: (inc, sc in next 2 sts)4x; 16 sts
Rnd 4: sc in next 8 sts, sl st in next st and leave the rest unworked; 8 sts
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Sew the chin onto the face, with rnd 4 of the chin about 3 to 4 rnds below the nose. Weave in ends inside the puppet.
Hair, in (dark brown)
Ch 7
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and next 5 chs; 6 sts
Row 2: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 4 sts, inc; 8 sts
Row 3: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 6 sts, inc; 10 sts
Rows 4-12: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 10 sts
Row 13: ch 1 and turn, dec, sc in next 6 sts, dec; 8 sts
Row 14: ch 1 and turn, dec, sc in next 4 sts, dec; 6 sts
Do not turn
Rnd 1: continue to work 38 sc evenly around the hair until you get back to where you started. This amounts to 13 sc down each side, and 6 sc across the bottom and the top, sl st into the first st of the rnd, but do not fasten off or turn.
Continue working curls around the head.
Rnd 2: (ch 21, inc in 2nd ch from hook, inc in next 19 chs, sl st into the FLO of next 2 sts of rnd 1)6x, (ch 25, inc in 2nd ch from hook, inc in next 23 sts, sl st into the FLO of next 2 sts of rnd 1)13x; 19 total curls.
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Sew down to the head, using the unused back loops of rnd 1 of the hair, allowing the top curls to drape over the back/side freely, but not obstructing the face. I did not sew mine down. The holly berry leaves will help keep them in place after the next section.
Holly Branch, in green (adapted from my Holly Christmas Stocking Ties Pattern)
Make 2 sets
Beginning with the first leaf, working 2 rnds around the chain.
Ch 8, turn, and use the back loop (bump) behind the ch, for the first part
Rnd 1: 2 sc in 1st loop, hdc in next 2 loops, sc in next 2 loops, sl st in last 2 loops, turn work to work the bottom side of the ch (this will now have 2 loops like the top of a sc, if you used the back loop for the first part), work through both loops like the top of a st, sl st into the same spot as last sl st, sl st into next st, sc in next 2 sts, hdc in next 2 sts, sc in last st (same space as the first 2 sc), do NOT join or fasten off, but continue to next rnd; 15 sts
Rnd 2: 2 sc in each of the next 2 sts, hdc in next st, ch 2, sl st into the side of the hdc, sc in next 2 sts, ch 2, sl st into the side of the last sc, sl st into the next 5 sts, sc in next 2 sts, ch 2, sl st into the side of the last sc, sc in next st, hdc in next st, ch 2, sl st into the side of the hdc, sl st in the last st on the leaf, do NOT fasten off, but continue to make the length of the branch.
Ch 7, turn and beginning in the 2nd ch from hook, sc in each ch across; 6 sts
When you get back to the first leaf, sl st into the next st on the leaf where you’d left off to create the ch, and begin work on the 2nd leaf. Again, you will be working two rnds around the chain.
Ch 8 (again, use the back loop or bump, behind the ch for the first part of the rnd.
Rnd 1: sl st into first 2 loops, sc in next 2 loops, hdc in next 2 loops, 3 sc in the last ch, turn to work the underside of the ch, hdc in next 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts, sl st in next 2 sts
Rnd 2: sl st in next 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts, ch 2, sl st into the side of the last sc, sc in next st, hdc in next st, ch 2, sl st into the side of the hdc, 2 sc in each of the next 3 sts, hdc in next st, ch 2, sl st into the side of the last hdc, sc in next 2 sts, ch 2, sl st into the side of the last sc, sc in next st, sl st in next 2 sts and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Weave in the beginning tail. Save the last tail for assembly, after making the berries.
Berries, in red, make 2 sets
Ch 3
Turn and dc bobble into the 1st ch, ch 5, turn and dc bobble into the 3rd ch from the hook. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Sew the berries onto the center of the two leaves, clustered together, and weave in ends.
Sew the holly berry leaves onto the head, so that they aren’t covering the eyes. Knot and weave in ends.
Torch
Begin in light brown, with a magic ring.
Rnd 1: 4 sc in magic ring; 4 sts
Rnd 2: (inc, sc in next st)2x; 6 sts
Rnd 3: (inc, sc in next 2 sts)2x; 8 sts
Rnd 4: sc in each st around; 8 sts
Rnd 5: (inc, sc in next 3 sts)2x; 10 sts
Fasten off brown and attach yellow or orange for the flame, working BLO next rnd only.
Continue in yellow.
Rnd 6: BLO (inc, sc in next 4 sts)2x; 12 sts
Rnd 7: sc in each st around; 12 sts
Rnd 8: (invsc2tog, sc in next 4 sts)2x; 10 sts
To close, work this next part through both sts when rnd 8 is folded closed: sc in next st, hdc in next st, (hdc, picot, hdc) in next st, hdc in next st, sc in last sts, fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing, and sew onto one of the hands. Weave in ends.
I hope you have enjoyed making the Ghost of Christmas Present Hand Puppet! If you love this design, be sure to check out some of my other free patterns on the blog! Follow me along on Instagram for more sneak peeks and new pattern releases! If you loved making any of my patterns, and show them off on Instagram, please be sure to tag @ekaygdesigns to let me know, and I will share in my stories!