Twelve Little Pockets, Twelve Days to Go
Halloween is exactly twelve days away, and that gives you just enough time for one of my favourite October traditions: a countdown garland. Not a garland of finished decorations strung on a cord (we already made one of those on October 13 — and it can keep guard while you work), but something more fun: twelve tiny crochet pockets hanging in a row, each one waiting to be filled. One pocket a day, from October 20 right up to Halloween night. A little treat, a joke, a mini make — whatever you tuck inside, the garland turns the run-up to October 31 into a daily ritual.
The best part? Every pocket is the same simple shape: one flat rectangle, folded and joined at the sides, with a pointed flap in a contrast colour. If you can single crochet, you can make all twelve in an evening or two. This is Lolo's own original pattern, written step by step below.
What You'll Need
- Yarn: worsted-weight (Category 4) acrylic or cotton in four Halloween colours — black, orange, purple, and cream. You need about 15 g of each colour, so scraps work perfectly.
- Hook: 4.0 mm (G-6) crochet hook.
- Cord: about 1.6 m of sturdy cotton cord, ribbon, or twine to string the garland — or simply crochet a long chain cord with the same yarn.
- Clips (optional): 12 mini wooden clothespins to clip the pockets onto the cord, or slip-stitch loops worked directly on the cord — whichever you prefer.
- Notions: stitch marker, tapestry needle, scissors, and a ruler or tape measure.
- To fill: small treats, wrapped sweets, jokes, or tiny notes. One per pocket. (With young children, choose age-appropriate treats and supervise.)
Stitches Used
Chain (ch), single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc) for the optional edging, increase (2 sc in one stitch), slip stitch (sl st). That's the whole vocabulary — genuinely beginner friendly.
The Mini Pocket (Make 12)
Finished size: about 6 x 7 cm (roughly 2.5 x 2.75 in) with the flap. Alternate the four colours so the finished garland reads black, orange, purple, cream, black, orange…
Optional first: if you want numbers 1-12, embroider them on the front panel now, before joining the sides — it's much easier on the flat rectangle than on a closed pocket.
- Rectangle: Ch 13. Row 1: sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across — 12 sc. Rows 2-20: ch 1, turn, sc in each st across — 12 sc per row. You now have a rectangle 12 stitches wide and 20 rows tall. Fasten off.
- Fold: bring the bottom edge up to meet the top edge, so the rectangle folds into a pocket 12 stitches wide and 10 rows tall. Keep the wrong sides facing each other.
- Join the sides: using the tapestry needle and a matching yarn tail, whipstitch up each side edge through both layers, catching every row end. Pull snug so the sides don't gape. (If your pockets gape open later, join the sides a touch tighter — or tuck the flap in behind the front panel to line them.)
- Flap: join a contrast colour at the top-right corner of the back panel. Row 1: sc evenly across the top edge — 12 sc. Row 2: ch 1, turn, sc across — 12 sc. Row 3: ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in next 8 sts, sc2tog — 10 sts. Row 4: ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in next 6 sts, sc2tog — 8 sts. Row 5: ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog — 6 sts. Row 6: ch 1, turn, sc2tog twice — 2 sts. Fasten off and weave in the ends. The flap points neatly over the pocket opening.
- Repeat until you have twelve pockets, alternating black, orange, purple, and cream.
Stringing and Filling the Garland
Lay out your twelve pockets in colour order and space them about 6 cm apart along the cord — 12 pockets at roughly 12 cm each (6 cm pocket + 6 cm gap) fits comfortably on about 1.5-1.6 m of cord, with a little extra at each end for hanging loops. Thread a tapestry needle with the cord and weave it through the top back edge of each pocket, or simply clip each pocket to the cord with a mini clothespin.
Hang the garland tonight — a doorway, a mantel, a classroom wall. Starting October 20, fill one pocket a day: a wrapped sweet, a silly joke, a mini crochet make, a little note. Pocket 12 opens on Halloween night itself. Twelve days, twelve tiny surprises, one very good October.
Three Variations
Started late? Make the 7-pocket one-week version instead. Same pocket, seven times, colours of your choice — start filling on October 25 and you still land on Halloween night.
Classroom version: skip the sweets entirely and fill the pockets with jokes, spelling words, or kindness prompts. Teachers, this one is for you.
After Halloween: don't take it down — the pockets are the perfect size for gift cards and money gifts, ready for the holiday season.
Troubleshooting
Pockets gaping open? Join the sides tighter, or tuck the flap inside the pocket mouth to line it.
Garland sagging? Shorten the spacing between pockets or switch to a firmer cord.
Embroidered numbers look wonky? Embroider them on the flat rectangle before folding and joining the sides — problem solved before it starts.
Hang It Tonight
That is the whole project: one rectangle, folded, joined, flapped — twelve times over. Hang the garland this evening, fill pocket number one tomorrow morning, and let the October 13 garland's amigurumi guard the string while the countdown runs. Happy almost-Halloween, and happy hooking.