Apricot Tulip Bell Ornament Free Crochet Pattern: Tapestry Colorwork in Recycled Cotton

Apricot Tulip Bell Ornament: A Free Beginner-Friendly Crochet Pattern

Introduction

If you have ever wanted to try colorwork but felt a little nervous, this little bell ornament is the perfect first step. It is a small, forgiving project that works up in a few cozy evenings and teaches you the joy of carrying two colors at once. The finished bell is a tidy, preppy tube about 4 inches tall, cinched at the bottom and topped with a simple yarn loop, with soft apricot and peach bands and a stepped tulip motif wrapping around the middle. It feels smooth and matte in recycled cotton, light enough to hang from a tree branch or a kitchen hook, and sturdy enough to keep for years. Whether you are making your very first ornament or your fiftieth, this pattern walks you through every single stitch.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Recycled cotton worsted-weight yarn (approximately 85–100 yd / 78–91 m per 50 g skein). You need small amounts: Color A (apricot) about 25 yd / 23 m, and Color B (peach) about 20 yd / 18 m. The sample uses a smooth 4-ply recycled cotton.
• Hook: Size G-6 / 4.0 mm crochet hook (or the size you need to match gauge).
• Stitch marker: 1 removable stitch marker (or a scrap of contrasting yarn) to mark the start of each round.
• Tapestry needle: A blunt-tipped needle with an eye large enough for worsted yarn, for weaving in ends.
• Scissors: Any small sharp pair for cutting yarn.
• Optional: A small amount of polyester fiberfill if you want the bell to hold its shape, and a pressing cloth for steam blocking.
• Finished size: Height (excluding hanging loop) 4 in / 10 cm. Circumference at widest point 6.5 in / 16.5 cm. Flat base about 3.5 in / 9 cm across. Hanging loop about 2 in / 5 cm long.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

Every abbreviation used in this pattern is listed below in plain English. Read through this list once before you begin and you will never be lost.

• ch – chain: wrap the yarn over your hook and pull it through the loop already on your hook. This makes one chain stitch.
• sc – single crochet: insert your hook into the next stitch, wrap the yarn over the hook, pull up a loop (you now have 2 loops on the hook), wrap the yarn over again, and pull through both loops. One single crochet made.
• sl st – slip stitch: insert your hook into the stitch, wrap the yarn over, and pull it through both the stitch and the loop on your hook in one motion. It makes a tiny, flat joining stitch.
• st(s) – stitch(es): one completed stitch, or several.
• sc2tog – single crochet 2 stitches together (a decrease): insert your hook into the next stitch, pull up a loop, insert your hook into the following stitch, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), wrap the yarn over and pull through all 3 loops. Two stitches become one.
• BLO – back loop only: when you look at the top of a stitch you see two little loops like a sideways V. The back loop is the one farther from you. Working in the back loop only means you insert your hook under just that one loop.
• Color A – apricot yarn.
• Color B – peach yarn.
• Magic ring – an adjustable loop of yarn that you crochet into and then pull closed, so there is no hole in the center.
• Round – one complete circle of stitches worked in the round (in a spiral, one round follows the next without joining).
• Tapestry crochet – colorwork where you carry the unused color along the inside of the tube and crochet over it, so the wrong side hides the carried strand.

Gauge

Gauge: 18 sc x 20 rounds = 4 in / 10 cm in single crochet worked in the round with tapestry colorwork.

Gauge simply means how big your stitches turn out. If your stitches are bigger than the pattern expects, your bell will be too large; if they are smaller, it will be too small. To check, crochet a small swatch: make a magic ring, work 6 sc into it, then increase evenly (2 sc in each stitch, then [2 sc, 1 sc] around, and so on) until your swatch is at least 4 in / 10 cm wide. Work a few plain rounds, then measure across the middle. If you get 18 stitches across 4 inches and 20 rounds up 4 inches, you are spot on. If you have more stitches, go up a hook size; if you have fewer, go down a hook size. It is worth the ten minutes — it is the difference between a perfect little bell and a wobbly one.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Mark your first stitch. Because this bell is worked in a continuous spiral, there is no seam to tell you where a round begins. Place your stitch marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go.
• Keep the carried yarn relaxed. When you carry the unused color inside the tube, do not pull it tight. A loose, relaxed strand keeps the tube from puckering. If it feels snug, stretch the tube gently as you work.
• Change color on the last stitch. To switch colors, work the final yarn-over of the last single crochet of the round with the new color. This keeps the color change crisp and invisible.
• Count every round. The stitch count is written in parentheses at the end of each round. Pause and count — it takes seconds and saves frogging later.
• Do not stress the tulips. The tulip motif is just single crochet in two colors. Read the chart from the bottom up and right to left, and repeat the 12-stitch motif five times per round.
• Keep your tension even. Do not pull the yarn too tight, especially on the colorwork rounds. Even, relaxed tension is what makes the bell smooth and preppy.

Step-by-Step Instructions

All instructions are in US terms. The bell is worked in the round in a continuous spiral; do not join rounds unless instructed. Carry the unused color along the inside of the tube, crocheting over it so it is hidden.

Set-Up and Base

With Color A, make a magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc into the ring. Pull the ring closed. (6 sc)

Round 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12 sc)

Round 3: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next st] around. (18 sc)

Round 4: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts] around. (24 sc)

Round 5: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 3 sts] around. (30 sc)

Round 6: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 4 sts] around. (36 sc)

Round 7: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 5 sts] around. (42 sc)

Round 8: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 6 sts] around. (48 sc)

Round 9: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 7 sts] around. (54 sc)

Round 10: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 8 sts] around. (60 sc)

The base now measures approximately 3.5 in / 9 cm across and the tube circumference is 6.5 in / 16.5 cm.

Body (Tapestry Colorwork)

Work Rounds 11–30 following the color sequence below. Each round has 60 sc (five repeats of the 12-stitch motif).

Rounds 11–12 (Color A): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Rounds 13–14 (Color B): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Rounds 15–16 (Color A): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Rounds 17–18 (Color B): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Rounds 19–20 (Color A): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Rounds 21–22 (Color B): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Rounds 23–24 (Color A): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Rounds 25–26 (Color B): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Rounds 27–28 (Color A): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Rounds 29–30 (Color B): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Tulip Motif Bands

Work Rounds 31–34 as the tulip band, repeating the 12-stitch motif five times per round. The motif is worked in Color A on a Color B ground.

Round 31 (Color B ground): sc in each st around, changing to Color A for the motif stitches as follows: [sc 4 in B, sc 4 in A, sc 4 in B] five times. (60 sc)

Round 32 (Color B ground): [sc 3 in B, sc 6 in A, sc 3 in B] five times. (60 sc)

Round 33 (Color B ground): [sc 2 in B, sc 8 in A, sc 2 in B] five times. (60 sc)

Round 34 (Color B ground): [sc 1 in B, sc 10 in A, sc 1 in B] five times. (60 sc)

Rounds 35–36 (Color A): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Rounds 37–38 (Color B): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Rounds 39–40 (Color A): sc in each st around. (60 sc)

Cinched Bottom

Work Rounds 41–49 in Color A.

Round 41: [sc2tog, sc in next 8 sts] around. (54 sc)

Round 42: [sc2tog, sc in next 7 sts] around. (48 sc)

Round 43: [sc2tog, sc in next 6 sts] around. (42 sc)

Round 44: [sc2tog, sc in next 5 sts] around. (36 sc)

Round 45: [sc2tog, sc in next 4 sts] around. (30 sc)

Round 46: [sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts] around. (24 sc)

Round 47: [sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts] around. (18 sc)

Round 48: [sc2tog, sc in next 1 st] around. (12 sc)

Round 49: [sc2tog] around. (6 sc)

Cut yarn leaving a 6 in / 15 cm tail. Thread the tail through the remaining 6 sts, pull tight to close the bottom, and weave in on the inside.

Hanging Loop

Join Color A with a sl st to the top edge at the center back. Ch 20, sl st back into the same stitch to form a loop, then sl st once more to secure. Fasten off and weave in the ends. The loop measures approximately 2 in / 5 cm when hanging.

Assembly and Finishing

This little bell has no separate pieces to sew, so assembly is quick and satisfying.

• Weave in all ends. Thread each yarn tail onto your tapestry needle and run it through the inside of the bell for about 1 inch, then back through a few stitches to lock it. Trim close to the fabric. Weave in on the inside so the outside stays tidy.
• Shape the bell. If you would like the bell to hold its shape, insert a small amount of polyester fiberfill through the bottom opening before the final cinch, then close as instructed. Do not overstuff — a light pinch is plenty.
• Steam block gently. Hold a steam iron a few inches above the bell with a pressing cloth between the iron and the yarn. Steam from the inside to settle the stitches. Do not press or flatten the tube; you want it to keep its rounded bell shape.
• Check the loop. Give the hanging loop a gentle tug to make sure it is secure, and adjust it so it sits at the center back.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the palette. Swap apricot and peach for sage and cream, or dusty blue and white, for a different preppy look. Keep one color light and one mid-tone so the tulip motif stands out.
• Adjust the size. To make a larger bell, add one more increase round to the base (Round 11: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 9 sts] around, 66 sc) and add extra plain rounds before the cinch. To make a smaller bell, stop the base at Round 9 (54 sc) and work fewer body rounds.
• Try a different yarn. Any smooth worsted-weight yarn works beautifully. Cotton gives a matte, sturdy finish; acrylic gives a softer, slightly shinier look. Always check your gauge if you change yarn.
• Add a bead or tassel. Thread a small wooden bead onto the hanging loop, or add a tiny yarn tassel at the bottom for a festive touch. Keep embellishments small so the bell stays light enough to hang.