Nordic Waffle Bat Crochet Ornament Free Pattern

Nordic Waffle Bat Crochet Ornament – Free Beginner Pattern

Introduction

This little Nordic Waffle Bat is the perfect very first crochet project for anyone who has never held a hook before. It is a flat, round circle worked in soft baby-blue t-shirt yarn, covered in a raised waffle-stitch grid that looks like tiny squares, and finished with two sweet cotton-candy-pink triangle ears. Because it hangs point-down, the bottom of the circle becomes the bat's pointed body — clever and simple at the same time. The finished ornament is about 3.25 inches (8.5 cm) across, soft and squishy in the hand, lightweight, and full of cozy Scandinavian Halloween charm. If you can make a slip knot and a chain, you can make this bat today.

Materials Needed

• Yarn (main body): T-shirt yarn (ribbon yarn approx. 3–5 mm wide) in baby blue — approx. 15 yd / 14 m. T-shirt yarn is a thick, stretchy ribbon-like yarn, which makes it very forgiving for beginners.
• Yarn (ears): T-shirt yarn in cotton candy pink — approx. 3 yd / 2.7 m.
• Hook: 6.0 mm (US size J-10) crochet hook.
• Stitch marker (or a scrap of contrasting yarn) — to mark the first stitch of each round.
• Tapestry needle — a big blunt needle with a large eye, for sewing the ears and weaving in ends.
• Scissors.
• Hanging loop: a 3 in (7.5 cm) length of blue yarn or thin ribbon.
• Finished size: Circle approx. 3.25 in (8.5 cm) diameter; ears approx. 0.75 in (2 cm) tall; total hanging height including loop approx. 4.5 in (11.5 cm).

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• ch – chain. Make a loop (slip knot) on your hook, wrap the yarn over the hook, and pull it through the loop on the hook. That is one chain.
• sc – single crochet. Insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through both loops. One loop remains.
• dc – double crochet. Yarn over, insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through last 2 loops.
• fpdc – front post double crochet. Work a double crochet, but instead of going into the top of the stitch below, insert your hook from front to back around the post (the vertical body) of the stitch below, then complete the double crochet as usual. This pushes the stitch forward and creates the raised waffle grid.
• sc2tog – single crochet two together (a decrease). Insert hook into first stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop; insert hook into next stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook); yarn over, pull through all 3 loops. Two stitches become one.
• sl st – slip stitch. Insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull through both the stitch and the loop on your hook at once. Used here to join rounds.
• st(s) – stitch(es).
• magic ring – an adjustable loop of yarn you crochet into, then pull tight so no hole remains in the center.
• yarn over – wrap the working yarn over your hook from back to front.
• fasten off – cut the yarn leaving a tail, then pull the tail all the way through the last loop to lock it.
• weave in ends – thread a yarn tail onto the tapestry needle and sew it back and forth through the back of the work so it disappears.
• whip stitch – a simple sewing stitch: bring the needle up through both pieces, over the edge, and down again in small even stitches.

Gauge

Gauge: 4 rounds of waffle-stitch circle = 2 in (5 cm) diameter. The finished circle should measure approx. 3.25 in (8.5 cm) across after Round 8.

Why gauge matters: Gauge is simply how big your stitches turn out. If your stitches are looser than the pattern expects, your bat will be bigger than 3.25 in; if tighter, it will be smaller. For an ornament, a small difference is fine — but checking keeps the shape neat and the ears in proportion.

How to make a gauge swatch: Work Rounds 1–4 of the Body exactly as written below. Lay the piece flat and measure straight across the middle. If it measures about 2 in (5 cm), you are on track. If it is much bigger, try a slightly smaller hook; if much smaller, try a slightly larger hook. T-shirt yarn is stretchy, so measure gently without pulling.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use a stitch marker. Place it in the first stitch of each round so you always know where the round begins and ends. Move it up each round.
• Do not pull the yarn too tight. T-shirt yarn has no stretch to spare — keep your loops relaxed and even, or the circle will curl and stiffen.
• Count out loud. Count your stitches at the end of every round and compare with the number in parentheses. Fixing one round early is far easier than fixing five rounds later.
• Keep the magic ring loose until the end. Work Round 1 into the ring, then pull the tail gently to close the center hole.
• Watch the fpdc. The hook goes around the post of the stitch below, not into the top of it. If your waffle grid is not appearing, this is almost always the reason.
• Work in good light. The raised waffle texture is easier to see (and count) in bright, even light.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Body (baby blue) — worked in joined rounds

All rounds are joined with a slip stitch to the top of the beginning chain. The beginning ch 2 counts as your first double crochet.

Set-up: With baby blue, make a magic ring.

Round 1: ch 2 (counts as first dc), work 11 dc into the ring, join with sl st to top of ch-2. (12 dc) Pull the tail to close the ring.

Round 2: ch 2, dc in same st, 2 dc in each st around, join with sl st to top of ch-2. (24 dc)

Round 3: ch 2, dc in same st, dc in next st, *2 dc in next st, dc in next st; repeat from * around, join with sl st. (36 dc)

Round 4 (waffle begins): ch 2, dc in same st, fpdc around next st, *dc in next st, fpdc around next st; repeat from * around, join with sl st. (36 sts: 18 dc, 18 fpdc)

Round 5: ch 2, dc in same st, dc in next st, fpdc around next fpdc, *dc in next 2 sts, fpdc around next fpdc; repeat from * around, join with sl st. (36 sts)

Round 6: ch 2, dc in same st, fpdc around next fpdc, dc in next st, fpdc around next fpdc, *dc in next st, fpdc around next fpdc, dc in next st, fpdc around next fpdc; repeat from * around, join with sl st. (36 sts)

Round 7 (final waffle round): repeat Round 5 once more. (36 sts)

Round 8 (edging): ch 1, sc in each st around, join with sl st to first sc. Fasten off, weave in ends. (36 sc)

The circle now measures approx. 3.25 in (8.5 cm) across. The point-down bat shape comes from hanging the circle from its top edge — the bottom of the circle forms the bat's pointed body.

Ears (cotton candy pink) — make 2

These are worked flat in rows, turning at the end of each row.

Set-up: With pink, ch 2.

Row 1: 2 sc in 2nd ch from hook. (2 sc)

Row 2: ch 1, turn, 2 sc in each sc. (4 sc)

Row 3: ch 1, turn, sc in each sc. (4 sc)

Row 4: ch 1, turn, sc2tog twice. (2 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15 cm) tail for sewing. Each ear is a small pink triangle approx. 0.75 in (2 cm) tall.

Assembly

See the Assembly and Finishing section below for exactly how to attach the ears and hanging loop.

Assembly and Finishing

1. Position the ears. Lay the blue circle flat with the right side facing up. Place each pink triangle along the top edge, about 1 in (2.5 cm) apart, with the triangle points facing up and angled slightly outward. Pin them in place if you like.
2. Sew the ears. Thread the pink tail onto the tapestry needle. Using small whip stitches along the base of each ear, sew through the ear base and the blue edge, going over the edge and back through in even little stitches. Sew all the way across the base, then run the needle through the back of the work to hide the tail. Repeat for the second ear.
3. Make the hanging loop. Cut a 3 in (7.5 cm) length of blue yarn or ribbon. Fold it in half to make a loop. Sew both loose ends securely to the top center of the circle, right between the ears. (Alternatively, attach a small yarn loop with a slip stitch.) Knot firmly and trim the ends.
4. Weave in all ends. Thread every remaining tail onto the tapestry needle and sew it back and forth through the back of the work for about 1 in (2.5 cm), then trim close. Never knot and cut right at the surface — the ends can work loose.
5. Block lightly. Mist the ornament with clean water until slightly damp (do not soak). Lay it flat on a towel and press gently under a cloth, shaping the circle round and the ears straight. Let it dry completely — t-shirt yarn dries fairly quickly.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors. Try charcoal grey with orange ears for classic Halloween, or cream with dusty pink for a soft Nordic look. Any two t-shirt yarn colors work beautifully together.
• Make it bigger or smaller. To enlarge the bat, add one more increase round before the waffle rounds (Round 4 becomes: ch 2, dc in same st, dc in next 2 sts, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 sts; repeat from * around — 48 sts), then work the waffle rounds over 48 sts. To make a mini version, stop after Round 2 and go straight to the edging.
• Substitute the yarn. If you cannot find t-shirt yarn, use two strands of worsted-weight (category 4) cotton held together with the same 6.0 mm hook, and check your gauge again.
• Add a hanging detail. Swap the yarn loop for a thin ribbon, a small wooden bead, or a tiny brass ring for a more finished, giftable ornament.