Mar
Making the Actual Candy Cane Thing
So I made these candy cane decorations back in summer 2023 which was weird timing honestly because who thinks about Christmas in July but I was trying to get ahead for once. Used Red Heart Super Saver in white and this really bright red that I think was called Cherry Red? The white was definitely just White because they’re not creative with that one.
The basic idea is you’re making a long tube and then bending it into the cane shape. Some patterns tell you to make two separate strands and twist them together which sounds like a nightmare so I didn’t do that. I just made one tube with stripes.
What You Actually Need
You need worsted weight yarn in red and white. I used Red Heart like I said but honestly any acrylic works fine for this. Maybe 50 yards of each color for a medium-sized cane? I never measure anything properly so that’s a guess. A size G hook works, or H if you crochet really tight. I use H because my tension is all over the place.
You also need something to stuff it with – I used polyfil stuffing, the cheap kind from Walmart. And you’re gonna need a wire or pipe cleaner or something stiff to help it keep the cane shape. This is important because without it the thing just flops around like a sad snake.
Starting the Tube
Chain like 6 or 8 stitches with your white yarn. Join it into a circle with a slip stitch. Then you’re working in a spiral doing single crochet in each stitch. Don’t join rounds, just keep going around and around. I hate counting rounds so I just eyeball the stripes but if you’re more organized than me you could do like 4 rounds white, 4 rounds red, whatever.
The annoying thing about this whole project was changing colors constantly. Every few rounds you gotta switch and you end up with all these yarn tails hanging off and my cat kept trying to attack them while I was working. She’s obsessed with yarn ends. I was watching some cooking show at the time and barely paying attention which probably explains why my stripes are uneven.
When you change colors, just drop the old color and pick up the new one. Pull it through to complete the stitch. Don’t cut the yarn you’re not using, just carry it along inside the tube. This creates a little bulk but honestly it helps with the stuffing situation later so it works out.
Getting the Length Right
Keep crocheting until your tube is maybe 8-10 inches long. That’s for a decoration that’s gonna hang on a tree. If you want a bigger one for like a door decoration or whatever, make it longer but then you need thicker wire inside or it won’t hold the shape properly.
The tube should be pretty firm. If it’s too loose and floppy, go down a hook size. If it’s too tight and puckering, go up. Mine was slightly loose because I wasn’t paying attention to tension but it worked fine once stuffed.
Stuffing and Wire Situation
Before you close up the tube completely you need to deal with the structural support thing. I used a white pipe cleaner because that’s what I had lying around. Cut it slightly shorter than your tube length. You could use floral wire probably, or even a wire hanger cut to size if you’re making a really big one.
Start stuffing polyfil into the tube as you go. Don’t wait until the end or you’ll regret it because it’s impossible to stuff a long closed tube evenly. Push little bits of stuffing in every few rounds. Shove the wire or pipe cleaner down the middle as you stuff. The stuffing should hold it in place centered in the tube.
This part is tedious and I almost gave up because my fingers got tired from pushing stuffing into a small opening. Take breaks or whatever.
Closing It Off and Shaping
When you get to your desired length, finish with whatever color you’re on. Decrease by skipping every other stitch around until you have just a few stitches left. Cut the yarn leaving a tail and pull it through the remaining stitches, then pull tight to close the hole. Weave the end in.
Now you have a striped tube with wire inside. Bend it into a candy cane shape – the classic J shape with the curved hook at the top. The wire lets you adjust the curve until it looks right. The hook part should be maybe a quarter of the total length? I just bent it until it looked like a candy cane, there’s no exact science.
One thing that annoyed me so much was that the stripes don’t line up perfectly on the curve. Like when you bend it, the stripes on the inside of the curve bunch up and the outside stretches and it just doesn’t look as clean as those twisted rope versions. But also those take twice as long so whatever.
Making It Actually Hang
You need something to hang it with. I just used the same yarn and made a small loop at the top of the hook part. Thread a yarn needle with white yarn, go through the top of the cane, make a loop, tie it off. Done. Some people get fancy with ribbon or whatever but yarn works fine and you already have it out.
If the cane seems floppy even with the wire, you probably didn’t stuff it tight enough. You can try to add more stuffing through the hanging loop area but it’s a pain. Better to just stuff it really well the first time.
Different Versions I Tried
The first one I made was pretty small, maybe 6 inches, and I used a thinner yarn – I think it was Caron Simply Soft? It was too floppy even with wire. Looked kind of sad. The worsted weight acrylic is really the way to go for this.
I also tried making one with more stripes, like switching colors every 2 rounds instead of every 4. Way too much color changing and the effect wasn’t even that different. Not worth it. Stick with wider stripes.
There’s also patterns where you make a flat candy cane instead of a tube. You just crochet back and forth in rows with stripes and it lays flat. That’s easier honestly and uses less yarn but it doesn’t look as three-dimensional. Depends what you want.
The Weaving In Ends Nightmare
This is the worst part. Every color change creates two ends and if you’re doing like 8-10 stripes that’s 16-20 ends to weave in. I usually get lazy and just trim them short and hope they don’t work their way out but for something that’s gonna be handled and hung up every year you probably should actually weave them properly.
Thread a yarn needle and weave each end through the stitches on the inside of the tube. Go through like 4-5 stitches in one direction, then back through a few stitches in another direction. This locks it in. Then trim close to the work. It takes forever and I hate it.
I did most of the end-weaving while watching TV because it’s mindless once you know what you’re doing. Just tedious.
Sizing and Yarn Amount
For a 8-inch candy cane with medium thickness I used probably like 40 yards total? Maybe 20-25 yards of each color. That’s a complete guess because I never measure. I just work from the skein until it looks right.
If you want a tiny one for like a mini tree or to attach to a gift, you could use sport weight yarn and a smaller hook. Make the tube shorter and thinner. Use a thin wire or even just heavy thread instead of pipe cleaner. Would probably only need like 15 yards total.
For a giant door-hanging size you’d need a lot more. Maybe 100+ yards and you’d want to double up the wire or use something really stiff. I haven’t tried this because it seems like a lot of work.
Variations With Color
Traditional is red and white but you could do other colors. Green and white would work for a different Christmas look. I saw someone do pink and white which was cute in a weird way. You could even do like… blue and silver for a Hanukkah thing? Though I don’t know if candy canes are really appropriate for that, might be too Christmas-specific.
You could also add sparkle yarn as one of the colors. Like white sparkle and regular red. I haven’t tried this but it would probably look nice under Christmas lights. Sparkle yarn is annoying to work with though because it sheds everywhere and gets in your eyes.
What To Actually Do With Them
Obviously you can hang them on a Christmas tree. They’re pretty light so they work on any branch. I made like 5 of them that summer and gave them to family members. My mom put hers on her tree, my sister used one as a gift topper which actually looked really good.
You could also attach them to wreaths or garland. Use wire or hot glue to attach them. They’d work on a mantle decoration too.
Some people make them into a garland by connecting multiple candy canes with ribbon or chain stitches between them. I didn’t do this because it seems excessive but if you’re really into candy canes I guess go for it.
How Long It Takes
Each candy cane took me maybe an hour and a half? That’s for the crocheting part. The stuffing and wire insertion adds another 20 minutes probably. Then weaving in ends is another 15-20 minutes if you do it properly. So figure like 2-2.5 hours total per candy cane if you’re working at a normal pace.
If you’re faster than me or crochet really tight you might take longer because you’ll have more rounds. If you’re looser it’ll be faster but might look messy.
You could definitely make one in an evening while watching a movie or something. It’s not a complicated pattern so you don’t need to focus that hard except during color changes.
Problems I Ran Into
Besides the color changing annoyance I mentioned, the other issue was getting the curve even. My first attempt the hook part was too short and stubby looking. It didn’t look like a proper candy cane, more like a J. You want the hook to be gradual and smooth, not a sharp angle.
If your wire is too thin it won’t hold the shape and the cane will droop. If it’s too thick you can’t bend it smoothly. Pipe cleaners are actually perfect for this because they’re bendable but hold their shape. Regular wire can be too stiff.
Also if you don’t stuff it evenly you get lumpy spots. I had one that was really stuffed at one end and barely stuffed at the other and it looked weird. You gotta pay attention while stuffing even though it’s boring.
Pattern Modifications
You could make the tube thicker by starting with more chains – like 10 or 12 instead of 6-8. This gives you a chunkier candy cane. You’d need more stuffing and probably double wire to support it.
Or go thinner with like 4-5 chains for a delicate version. Would need less stuffing and could probably skip the wire if it’s short enough.
Some patterns tell you to add a border around the ends in white to make them look cleaner. You’d single crochet around the opening before closing it up. I didn’t bother because it’s extra work and you can’t really see the ends once it’s hanging anyway.
You could also add a little loop or bow at the top for decoration. Use ribbon or crochet a small bow from yarn. Attach it where the cane curves. This is cute but also optional.
The basic tube method works for other shapes too. You could make straight peppermint sticks by just not bending the wire. Or make letters or other shapes if you use long enough wire and plan it out. Haven’t tried this but it would probably work.
