Candy Cane Pattern & Printable

I’ve got a two-for-one here for you today – a crochet candy cane pattern and an adorable printable to go with it! The candy cane and the printable are the perfect pair when you need a small gift this Christmas season, and they are easy to make in multiples. Then you can add them to the top of a wrapped gift or Christmas card, or even leave them behind to bless someone as you’re hustling and bustling around this season.

The Legend of the Candy Cane

Have you ever heard of the Legend of the Candy Cane? I remember hearing about it when I was a kid, and then last year I came across it again. As the story goes, a 17th century German choirmaster wanted to keep his choir boys well-behaved during church services. So to keep them quiet in the pews, he gave them sugar sticks, but bent them into crooks to resemble shepherds’ staffs (apparently this made giving them a sweet more acceptable).

The red and white stripes came later, once peppermint grew in popularity. As it did, more was added to candy cane lore about what the red and white colors represented. Today, the poem in our printable connects all these ideas to the real reason for the season – Jesus!

Now, as to whether this is actual legend or more sentimental, I’ll let you be the judge. But either way, the meaning is sweet and brings us back to the truth of Christmas and the ultimate Truth of salvation in Jesus. I wasn’t able to find an author to credit, but no doubt he or she would be pleased that so many smile at this poem’s words.

This post contains affiliate links to products I recommend to my readers. If you click on one of these links and decide you’d like to make a purchase, I will make a small commission (at no extra cost to you).

Crochet Candy Cane Pattern

Materials Used:

• Yarn – Paintbox Cotton Aran in Red Wine and Paper White
• Size E/3.5mm crochet hook
• Stitch marker
• Yarn needle (for weaving in ends)
• Pipe cleaner

Stitches/Abbreviations Used:

• magic ring
• R – round or row
• st/sts – stitch/stitches
• sc – single crochet
• sl st – slip stitch

Finished Size:

Using the Paintbox Cotton Aran yarn listed above and a size E/3.5mm crochet hook, my candy cane measures about 5″/12.5cm tall.

Pattern Notes:

The candy cane pattern is worked in continuous rounds, so use a stitch marker at the beginning of each new round to mark your place.

The pattern alternates between red and white yarn. You’ll switch colors every two rounds, but there’s no need to cut the yarn each time. Instead, just switch back and forth and carry the yarn on the inside of the candy cane.

For the smoothest color changes, finish each round by pulling up the last loop of the last stitch using the color for the next round. Then continue working into the next round with the new color. If this technique is new to you, check out this video by the Crochet Guru.

Since our personal tension while crocheting may be different, you may find that your candy cane looks larger or smaller than mine when attaching it to the printable. You can adjust your candy cane in a few ways to make it fit the printable better. If it’s too short, continue adding rounds in the red and white pattern until you reach your desired length. If it’s too long, remove some rounds. And if you find your candy cane is too thick, you can reduce the number of stitches per round.

Candy Cane Pattern:

R1: Using white, sc 6 into a magic ring. (6)
R2: Sc in each st around.
R3-R4: Using red, sc in each st around.
R5-R6: Using white, sc in each st around.
R7-R8: Using red, sc in each st around.
R9-R10: Using white, sc in each st around.
R11-R12: Using red, sc in each st around.
R13-R14: Using white, sc in each st around.
R15-R16: Using red, sc in each st around.
R17-R18: Using white, sc in each st around.
R19-R20: Using red, sc in each st around.
R21-R22: Using white, sc in each st around.
R23-R24: Using red, sc in each st around.
R25-R26: Using white, sc in each st around.
R27-R28: Using red, sc in each st around.
R29-R30: Using white, sc in each st around.
R31-R32: Using red, sc in each st around.
R33-R34: Using white, sc in each st around.

Slip stitch to fasten off, leaving long tail (you’ll fasten off with white, but cut and secure red yarn inside). Cut pipe cleaner just under the length of the candy cane (when straight).

Insert the pipe cleaner into the candy cane. Then use your final yarn tail (in white) and yarn needle to pull the final stitches completely shut. Weave in your ends, and now you can bend your candy cane into the familiar curved shape.

Candy Cane Printable

Now that you’ve got your candy cane made, it’s time to print the poem to go with it. The printable opens as a PDF with four copies of the poem on one page.

I printed mine in color on cardstock, then used these laminating sheets to make them even sturdier. I cut each of the four poem cards out, inserted them into the laminating sheet, and cut around the edges again.

Then, I added the candy cane by making two small holes with my yarn needle. I used some red yarn and the yarn needle to bring it through the holes from the back to the front. Then, I secured the candy cane with a bow. If you want to make it extra sturdy, you could weave the yarn once or twice through the middle of the candy cane as well.

And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy crochet candy cane pattern and the “Legend of the Candy Cane” printable. Merry Christmas! And if you’d like to check out more of my free Christmas patterns, click here.

No time to make your candy canes today?
Save this post on Pinterest for later!

© 2024 Crochet to Play
All rights reserved. Designed and written by Jennifer Percival.  This pattern is property of Crochet to Play.  The written pattern and images are for personal use only.  Please do not redistribute, transfer, or sell the pattern or images, in part or in whole. Thank you.