Jumbo Lunar New Year Lantern – Crochet Pattern

Hi everyone! I’m Julia from Little World of Whimsy, and I’m here to share a cute Lunar New Year pattern!

This jumbo lantern is an oversized way to celebrate Lunar New Year if you really love the jumbo velvet trend. It’s a pretty quick make and a great way to get into the spirit of family gatherings!

You can get the inexpensive, beautifully formatted, printable PDF on Etsy here.

Celebrate Lunar New Year with this traditional lantern that can be commonly found in China during this festival. It’s a cute and friendly alternative to the traditional medium of paper, and can be a fun and striking decoration during Lunar New Year. This project is quick to make, perfect for a last minute craft.

Materials

• Clover Amour Crochet Hook I (5.00 mm) – Art. No 1048/I
• Chenille Home (jumbo):
  • (2 skeins) Burgundy 
  • Sweet Snuggles (jumbo)
  • (<1 skein) Yellow
• Mini Patchworks Scissors – Art. No 493/CW
• Quick Locking Stitch Marker (Small) – Art. No 3030
• Darning Needle Set (Bent Tip) – Art. No 3121
• Fiberfill stuffing

Abbreviations

CC: contrast color

ch: chain

dec: decrease

inc: increase (2 scs in the same stitch)

MC: main color

MR: magic ring

rnd: round

sc: single crochet

slst: slip stitch

st(s): stitch(es)

x sc: sc x number of times

(x sts): x total stitches in round/row

(…) x: repeat stitches within brackets x times

Technical Notes

1.Crochet in continuous spiral rounds, unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker or piece of yarn to keep track of the last stitch in each round.
2.Jumbo velvet yarn sheds very easily, so keep that in mind while working.
3.When creating the magic ring at the beginning, pull the circle as tight as possible before working into it. Otherwise, sometimes the circle gets stuck and it’s difficult to cinch tight.
4.When filling with polyester stuffing, pull apart each large chunk into many smaller chunks. This ensures an even distribution of firmness within the amigurumi.
5.To avoid large holes in the crochet fabric, increase tension until the holes cannot be seen, or choose a crochet hook a size down.
6.Use sewing pins to secure limbs of the amigurumi before you sew them.

Color Coding

For this pattern, the MC is burgundy, and the CC is yellow.

Final Size

11″ wide by 33″ tall (including tassel)

PATTERN

LANTERN (in MC)

Round 1: 8 sc, in MR (8 sts)
Round 2: inc x8 (16 sts)
Round 3: (sc, inc) x8 (24 sts)
Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x8 (32 sts)
Round 5: (3 sc, inc) x8 (40 sts)
Round 6: (4 sc, inc) x8 (48 sts)
Round 7: 2 sc, (5 sc, inc) x7, 3 sc, inc (56 sts) 

Round 8: (6 sc, inc) x8 (64 sts)
Round 9: 3 sc, (7 sc, inc) x7, 4 sc, inc (72 sts) 

Round 10: (8 sc, inc) x8 (80 sts)
Round 11-17 (7 rnds): sc around (80 sts) 

Round 18: (8 sc, dec) x8 (72 sts)
Round 19: (7 sc, dec) x8 (64 sts) 

Round 20: (6 sc, dec) x8 (56 sts) 

Round 21: (5 sc, dec) x8 (48 sts) 

Round 22: (4 sc, dec) x8 (40 sts) 

Round 23: (3 sc, dec) x8 (32 sts) 

Round 24: (2 sc, dec) x8 (24 sts) 

Stuff.
Round 25: (sc, dec) x8 (16 sts) 

Round 26: dec x8 (8 sts) 

Finish off and weave in end.

CAP (in CC)

Round 1: 8 sc in MR (8 sts)
Round 2: inc x8 (16 sts)
Round 3: (sc, inc) x8 (24 sts)
Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x8 (32 sts)
Round 5: BLO, sc around, slst (40 sts)
Invisible finish off, stuff lightly using the tail end of the yarn.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Cut a length of CC yarn about 60 inches long, and then tie a knot on one end. Sew it under the middle of the top of the lantern (fig. 1).
2. Flip the lantern over and thread the needle under the last round of the bottom (fig. 2).
3. Flip the lantern back over and thread the needle under the top again. You should now have a full round of yellow yarn around the lantern.

4. Repeat until there are 8 rounds of yellow yarn total, then tie a knot to secure (fig. 3).

5. Make a tassel. Wrap yarn around a 14″ long flat surface 20 times, and cut the tail (fig. 4). Pull the yarn off the surface and wrap golden yellow yarn around the hank about half an inch from the top. Cut the bottom loops of the hank and steam block to straighten. Thread a 12″ long piece of MC through the top loops of the tassel (fig. 5). Tie a knot close to the top of the tassel, and then thread it through one of the caps and tie it to the bottom of the lantern.
6. For the top strap, cut a 24″ long piece of MC, fold in half, and tie a knot. Thread the strap through the top of the second cap, with the knot on the inside of the cap.
7. Sew the yellow caps to the top and bottom of the lantern, covering all the ends and knots.

Your Jumbo Lunar New Year Lantern is all done!

I hope you enjoyed crocheting it and found the pattern helpful. I would love to see your finished amigurumi, so share a picture on Instagram with me by using the #littleworldofwhimsy and tagging me @littleworldofwhimsy.

This pattern is free but if you’d like to purchase a low-cost PDF, you can find it here.

Once again, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out to me with a direct message on Instagram @littleworldofwhimsy or through email at littleworldofwhimsy@gmail.com.

Happy crocheting!