Nutcracker Hand Puppet

Day 10 of the 12 Days of Christmas Crochet-a-Long is none other than The Nutcracker hand puppet! I have to admit, up until recent years, I was largely unfamiliar with the story of the Nutcracker. I began doing more research while creating these patterns, and discovered that the book, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King book, and The Nutcracker Ballet, tell different stories! There are similarities of course, both revolving around the story of the Nutcracker and the Mouse King, but the characters are slightly altered, and there’s not Sugar Plum Fairy in the book! Don’t you worry though! We will have one here!

If you’re interested in a printer-friendly PDF of the nutcracker 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

Red Heart Super Saver Yarns

1. Buff (skin color) (A) 4. White (D)
2. Cherry Red (B) 5. Yellow (E)
3. Black (C)

THE HOOK NOOK CROCHET HOOK, size H – 5mm (I LOVE the hooks from the Designer Interchangeable Hook Set)

Stitch marker

Tapestry needle

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. 

1. Insert hook into front loop only of next stitch, DO NOT yarn over.
2. Insert hook into front loop of second stitch. 
3. Yarn over. Pull through 2 loops. 
4. Yarn over and pull through last 2 loops.

puff st – puff stitch

1. Yarn over and insert hook into next st.
2. Yarn over and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook).
3. Yarn over and insert hook back into same st.
4. Yarn over and pull up a loop (5 loops on hook).
5. Yarn over and insert hook back into same st.
6. Yarn over and pull up a loop (7 loops on hook).
7. Yarn over and pull through all 7 loops. 

picot – 

1. Ch 3
2. Sk 2nd ch from hook
3. Sl st into 3rd ch from hook

Dc bobble – double crochet bobble

1. Yarn over, and insert hook into designated st.
2. Pull up a loop. 
3. Yarn over, and pull through 2 loops, leaving 2 loops on hook.
4. Yarn over, and insert hook into same st.
5. Pull up a loop.
6. Yarn over, and pull through 2 loops, leaving 3 loops on hook.
7. Yarn over, and insert hook into same st.
8. Pull up a loop. 
9. Yarn over, and pull through 2 loops, leaving 4 loops on hook.
10. Yarn over, and insert hook into same st.
11. Pull up a loop.
12. ​Yarn over and pull through 2 loops, leaving 5 loops on hook.
13. Yarn over and pull through all 5 loops.

Notes: The body of the Nutcracker Hand Puppet is worked from the top down, beginning at the hat, with a chain to work around first, to give the flat top. The arms, beard, mustache, and hair are made separately and sewn on. Features such as the eyes, nose, and embellishments, are stitched on with a tapestry needle, and the belt buckle is done with a surface slip stitch. Pages 2-6 are printer-friendly, with just the written pattern. Pages 7-9 contain process pictures to better help with the steps.

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

Nutcracker Hand Puppet

Body – beginning at the hat, with C

Begin with a ch, and work the first rnd around both side of the ch.

Ch 12

Rnd 1: turn and inc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next 9 chs, 3 sc in last ch and turn work work on the underside of the ch, sc in next 10 chs, do not join, but continue in continuous rnds; 24 sts

Rnds 2-4: sc in each st around; 24 sts

Rnd 5: sc in next st, invsc2tog, sc in next 10 sts, invsc2tog, sc in next 9 sts; 22 sts

Rnd 6: sc in each st around; 22 sts

Rnd 7: (invsc2tog, sc in next 9 sts)2x; 20 sts

Rnd 8: sc in each st around; 20 sts

Rnd 9: (invsc2tog, sc in next 8 sts)2x; 18 sts

Rnd 10: sc in each st around; 18 sts

Pull Red (B) through to complete the last st of rnd 10, and fasten off black. Weave black ends in. Continue in red.

Rnd 11: in red, puff st in each st around; 18 sts

Pull skin color (A) through to complete the last st of rnd 11, and fasten off red. Weave red ends in. Continue in skin color.

Rnd 12: (3 inc, sc in next 6 sts)2x; 24 sts

Rnd 13: sc in next 2 sts, 3 inc, sc in next 9 sts, 3 inc, sc in next 7 sts; 30 sts

Rnds 14-20: sc in each st around; 30 sts

Rnd 21: sc in next 2 sts, 3 invsc2tog, sc in next 9 sts, 3 invsc2tog, sc in next 7 sts; 24 sts

Pull red through to complete the last st of rnd 21, and fasten off skin color. Continue in red.

Rnd 22: sc in next 2 sts, ch 7, sk next 4 sts, sc in next 8 sts, ch 7, sk next 4 sts, st in next 6 sts; 30 sts, counting the chs

Rnd 23: sc in next 2 sts, sc in each of the 7 chs, sc in next 8 sts, sc in each of the 7 chs, sc in next 6 sts; 30 sts

Rnds 24-32: sc in each st around; 30 sts

Pull black through to complete the last st of rnd 32, but do NOT fasten off red

Rnds 33-35: sc in each st around; 30 sts

Pull red through to complete the last st of rnd 35, and fasten off black. Weave in black ends. Continue in red.

Rnd 36: sc in each st around, join to first st with a sl st, and fasten off red. 

With the puppet upside down, laying flat, make sure that the arm holes are lined up with stitches matching to best find the center of your last rnd. With the front side of the puppet facing you (the fastened off yarn in the back), insert your hook into the first st just left of center. This should be the 7th st from the left.

Rnd 37: join red in the above mentioned st, with a sc, and sc in next 28 sts around, leaving that center st unworked; 29 sts

Rnd 38: ch 1 and turn, sk first st, sc in next 27 sts, sl st in last st; 28 sts

Rnd 39: ch 1 and turn, sk sl st and first sc, sc in next 25 sts, sl st in last st, and fasten off; 26 sts 

Weave in ends. 

Belt buckle – using yellow, work a surface sl st around the black stripe at the center of the body, about 3 sts up and 5 sts across. Again, fasten off, knot, and weave in ends inside the puppet. 

Hat Embellishments, in yellow

With yellow yarn and your tapestry needle, insert the needle through the center two sts of rnd 8 of the hat. Sew over top of those stitches about 4 or 5 times. Then sew a yellow line across the front of the hat, loosely so it doesn’t fold the hat over, but firm to the stitches. Knot inside the hat, and weave in ends. 

Shirt Embellishments, in yellow 

With yellow yarn and your tapestry needle, begin just above the belt buckle, row 31, 2 sts to the right of the belt. Wrap yarn around the two stitches through the middle of the stitches as pictured, wrapping around about 3 to 4 times, then carry the yarn over the next 5 sts, and wrap around the 2 sts above and to the left of the belt buckle. Knot inside the puppet and weave in ends. 

Repeat this two more times, up the chest of the puppet, at rnds 29 and 27.

Eyes and Nose 

Using black yarn, place the eyes in an upward curve over rnd 15. The bottom of the eyes will be below rnd 15, and the top peek will be above rnd 15. To help maintain that curve, I also wrap the yarn around itself, after bringing the needle through at the peak, underneath the curve, and then send the needle back through into the head, through the beginning st. Using about 8 inches of your skin color yarn, sew the nose, through and over about 3-4 sts, at the center of the face, about rnd 17. Go over them about 5 to 6 times. Nose should be about rnd 17. Knot off inside the head, and weave in ends.

Arms, Make 2 – Beginning 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 yellow through to complete the last st of rnd 6, and fasten off skin color.

In yellow.

Rnd 7: puff st into each st around; 9 sts 

Pull red through to complete the last puff st of rnd 7, and fasten off yellow.

In red

Rnd 8: sc in each st around; 9 sts

Rnd 9: (inc, sc in next 2 sts)3x; 12 sts

Rnds 10-13: sc in each st around; 12 sts

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Weave in all the ends inside the arm, and then use the long tail to sew onto the arm holes of the body. Weave in ends. 

Beard, in D 

Ch 4

Row 1: turn and dc bobble in 3rd ch from hook, sc in next ch; 2 sts

Row 2: ch 1 and turn, inc into both sts; 4 sts

Row 3: ch 1 and turn, work this row over top of the sts from row 2, (dc bobble, sc) over each of the 2 increases; 4 sts

Row 4: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 2 sts, inc; 6 sts

Row 5: ch 1 and turn, work this row over top of the sts from row 4, (dc bobble, sc) over the inc, dc bobble over next st, sc over next st, (dc bobble, sc) over the last inc; 6 sts

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Sew the beard between the arms, centered, with the top at rnd 21. Weave in ends. 

Mustache in white

Ch 14

Turn and sl st into the 3rd ch from hook, sc in next ch, hdc in next 2 chs, sl st in next 3 chs, hdc in next 2 chs, sc in next ch, sk next ch, and sl st into the last ch; 11 sts

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Sew mustache with the sl sts just below the nose, about 1 or 2 rnds between the mustache and the beard.

Side hairs in white, make 2

Ch 10

Turn and beginning in 3rd ch from hook, [(hdc, picot, hdc) in next ch, sl st in next ch]4x

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Sew onto the sides of the head, below the hat. Weave in ends.

I hope you have enjoyed making the nutcracker hand puppet! If you love this design concept, be sure to check out some of my other hand puppets, always free on the blog! This design is part of our 12 Days of Christmas Crochet-a-Long! A clickable list of all the free patterns will be compiled after the event ends! Follow me along on Instagram for more Christmas themed puppets to come!  If you loved making any of these patterns, and show them off on Instagram, please be sure to tag @ekaygdesigns to let me know, and I will share in my stories!