This little candy cane is the fastest crochet Christmas ornament you will make all year. You crochet two short curly spirals, one red and one white, then twist them around a piece of wire and bend the top into a hook. No sewing, no stuffing, no counting rounds. The pattern comes from Ally Newbry on her YouTube channel, Ally Newbry, as part of her Christmas garland series.
Crochet candy cane ornament: what you are making
Each spiral is a chain with two single crochets worked into every chain. All those extra stitches have nowhere to go, so the strip curls up like a corkscrew on its own. Wrap a red one and a white one around a wire and you get the striped twist of a real candy cane. The wire lets you bend the crook and keeps the shape on the tree.
New to the basics? See how to make a slip knot and how to single crochet before you start.
Yarn weight and hook size
Ally uses worsted (weight 4) acrylic in a deep red and a soft white with a 4.5 mm hook. Acrylic curls tighter than cotton, so the twist looks crisper. Cotton still works. If your spiral stays a bit flat, the wire will hold it in place anyway.
Any worsted yarn from your stash will do. With a DK yarn, drop to a 4 mm hook. With chunky yarn, go up to 5.5 or 6 mm and you get a fatter cane.
Finished size, time and yarn
Twenty four chains give a mini cane about 3 to 4 inches tall. Want it bigger? Chain more. Smaller? Chain fewer. Use the same count for both colors. A beginner can make one in 20 to 30 minutes, plus drying time if you use tacky glue. Each spiral takes only a few yards, so one skein of each color makes dozens.
Hanging it on the tree
The crook hooks right over a branch, which is the charm of a candy cane. For a heavier tree or a gift tag, tie a loop of thin gold cord or yarn around the top of the crook before you bend it, or slip an ornament hook through the stitches.
Gift ideas and variations
- Gift toppers. Tie one onto a wrapped present with the ribbon.
- Garland. String several along a yarn chain with stars and snowflakes. Our Christmas garland guide shows ways to hang it.
- A set. Make six in a box with a crochet snowflake or two.
- Colors. Try green and white, or red and green.
- Tiny canes. Use fingering yarn and a 2.5 mm hook for card toppers.
For more ideas, browse how to make Christmas ornaments.
Troubleshooting
- The spiral will not curl. Check that you put two stitches in every chain. Tighter tension helps too.
- Gaps between the stripes. Twist the spirals snug against each other as you go and press them together.
- Wire poking out. Fold the wire end back on itself, or cover it with a dot of glue and a yarn tail.
- A lopsided crook. Bend it slowly around a marker or pencil for an even curve.
