Happy “almost” Easter everyone! This year is flying by and I’m having a hard time comprehending just how fast it’s going. This time last year I was in utter chaos trying to replan our wedding in under four weeks. #ThanksCovid
This year looks A LOT different. My hubby and I are settled in. We are looking forward to get to go on an actual honeymoon (now one year anniversary trip). We have a niece and nephew. And we get to spend each day together instead of just seeing each other on the weekends. Life is good.
With Easter right around the corner, I was so excited to decorate our home for Easter. But while doing so, I realized the amount of faith based decorations for Easter is very lacking. Sure, it’s there, but it seems that bunnies and eggs are the more prominent decoration. I’m not saying I don’t love some Easter eggs and bunny decorations, but to me, Easter is about the resurrection of our King! I think our Savior rising from the dead, to save us from all of our numerous sins, is for sure something to celebrate. That, my friends, is how the He Is Risen Wall Hanging came to be.
I wanted an Easter decoration that was simple enough that anyone could make it, but more importantly I wanted the cross to be simple in design. Nothing about the cross is glamorous, so I didn’t want a bunch of detail in it. However, I wanted it to have the purple swag to show that someone royal was willing to die on that cross for US. He did that for people who hate Him, ignore Him, and don’t even want to give Him the time of day. That amount of love that Jesus has for us is literally overwhelming to think about.
This pattern uses simple, basic materials and can be made very quickly. I used Caron Simply Soft yarn because I had some of the brown yarn left over from some baby projects I had made back in the summer which you can see here. (I’m still on my journey of trying to clean out some of my yarn stash for both my husband and myself’s sake.) I love working with this yarn though, especially for projects like this. This yarn has the perfect amount of shine to it while still being thin and lightweight for a weight four yarn. I think the stitches look so defined and lovely with this yarn which is why it’s a top pick for me when I need to work on a project. Also, the color selection for this yarn is awesome. There is so many different color options to choose from.
The hardest part for me was probably finding dowel rods when I am not in my home town in West Virginia. My family owns a lumber yard where I could get dowel rods a dime a dozen whenever I need it. But finding them in the middle of a small-ish town was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I ended up getting the last one that the nearest Hobby Lobby had, and it was even broken almost in half so they gave it to me for a discounted price. I did come across some though at Dollar General in a package of multiple different sizes (after I searched and drove 45 minutes one way and found it finally at Hobby Lobby of course) that are about ten or twelve inches long. This would work perfectly for this project, because you don’t need too long of a dowel rod. So if you’re struggling with finding one too, give Dollar General a try.
The next hardest part for me was finding a way to get the horizontal arms to stay out straight, especially after adding the swag. I originally had the thought of adding fishing line to the edges, even though that didn’t sound too good in my head. I was throwing some ideas around with another crochet friend (thank you Stephanie!) and she suggested trying to put a frame inside it. There’s multiple different ways you can do this. I think the easiest and most common thing to use, since most of us have these lying around, is paper clips. My husband and I are still coming up with random things that most households have that we still don’t have since we are still in our first year of marriage. So I had to go buy some. Hahaha. But I got the extra large paper clips and just unbent them to straighten them out as much as possible. All you have to do is weave the paper clips through the back loops of the double crochet stitches across the horizontal arms of the cross. I’ll show and explain that more further down in this blog. It might seem silly, but it actually is super effective.
I also wanted to mention, that once again I used the lemon peel stitch for this pattern, just like I did in the Switchin’ It Up Nintendo Switch pattern. I love this stitch so much! I wanted a simple stitch but something a bit more than just the regular half double crochet or single crochet. When I started working this up with the lemon peel stitch, I fell in love! The detail from the stitches with this yarn and this stitch was EXACTLY what I had in mind for this cross. This stitch is so versatile. I highly suggest trying it out. It is so much fun to work up and so easy to do. It’s an all around win win with this stitch.
Now that we have chatted enough about this pattern, let’s get into the actual pattern.
What you will need to make this pattern:
- 68 yards Caron Simply Soft in Taupe
- 50 yards of Caron Simply Soft in Iris
- 2 yards of scrap white acrylic yarn
- 5.0 mm crochet hook
- 3/8” dowel rod (12” to 14.5” long)
- 3 or 4 large silver paper clips
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
- Stitch markers (optional)
Some abbreviations you will see in this pattern:
- Ch = Chain
- St = Stitch
- Sts = Stitches
- Sc = Single Crochet
- Dc = Double Crochet
- * * = Repeat instructions inside the asterisk across until otherwise noted
Gauge:
- Gauge isn’t a necessity in this pattern, it will just slightly alter your final dimensions which will not alter the look of the finished project
- My finished dimensions are 13 inches tall, 9.5 inches wide at the horizontal bar, and the vertical bar is about 3.5 inches wide.
- The purple swag is about 22 inches long and 1.75 inches wide.
Notes:
- This pattern uses the lemon peel stitch (sc, dc)
- To give this pattern the lemon peel stitch, ensure that each sc is put above a dc st and that each dc is put above a sc st.
- Each row’s stitch count will be in parenthesis at the end of the row’s instructions.
Pattern:
Ch 15
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, dc, *sc, dc*, repeat across, ch 1, turn (14)
Row 2: *Sc, dc*, repeat across, ch 1, turn (14)
Rows 3-23: Repeat row 2
Row 24: *Sc, dc* across, ch 13, turn (27) **Feel free to place a st marker at the beginning and end of this row**
Row 25: Sc in 2nd ch from the hook, dc, *sc, dc*, repeat across, ch 1, turn (26)
Row 26: *Sc, dc*, repeat across, ch 1, turn (26)
Rows 27-33: Repeat row 26
Row 34: *Sc, dc*, repeat for the first 14 sts, ch 1, turn (14) **Feel free to place a st marker on the 1st and 14th st of this row**
Row 35: *Sc, dc*, repeat across, ch 1, turn (14)
Rows 36-44: Repeat row 35
Tie off and weave in ends
Now we are going to start the last piece of the actual cross:
Ch 13
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from the hook, dc, *sc, dc*, repeat across, ch 1, turn (12)
Row 2: *Sc, dc*, repeat across, ch 1, turn (12)
Rows 3-9: Repeat row 2
Tie off and leave a long tail for sewing when you cut the yarn from the skein.
Line up with either to the st markers if you used them, or what I do which is just eye ball it.
Using the long tail and the yarn needle, sew the small piece of the cross directly onto the tall, vertical portion of the cross. Ensuring that it is lined up with the other horizontal arm of the cross. Sew one row of the small piece to one row of the vertical piece.
Try to only gather parts of the sts in each row from the back of the sts.
Once it is secured all the way down, tie off and weave in all ends.
Now we are going to start the purple swag portion of the wall hanging:
Ch 9
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from the hook, ch 1, turn (8)
Row 2: Sc in each st across (8)
Rows 3-110: Repeat row 2
Assembly:
- We first need to reinforce the horizontal bars of the cross. This is where the paper clips come in.
- Bend out the paper clips so they are as straight as you can get them. When they are straight, weave the paperclips, starting at the edge of the cross to the inside, vertical bar of the cross. Only picking up the back of the double crochet stitches. You do not want to see the paper clip from the front. I used at least one in each horizontal bar.
- Now is when we will stitch the purple swag onto the cross. You want to loop the purple behind the horizontal bars but in front of the middle, vertical part of the cross. Place it where you think it should be and make sure both of the ends are even distance down the vertical part of the cross.
- Once you have it where you like it, take the purple yarn and your yarn needle. I did one quick little stitch at the top of the purple part and secured it to the back of the vertical bar. I also did a couple more holding it to the horizontal bar and the vertical bar. Secure the end and weave in any loose ends you may have.
- Do this to both sides of the swag. Make sure it is secure and that you have hidden all the purple ends where you cannot see them from the front of the cross.
- Now we will single crochet the cross onto the dowel rod.
- I found DeBrosse had a helpful video on how to do this titled “Attach crochet wall hanging to dowel rod” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdimDpjnMX8).
- Follow this video to help you to single crochet it onto the dowel rod.
- Cut one end of the dowel rod so that it ends up being about 14.5 inches long.
- Take your white yarn, and chain about 50 or 55 stitches.
- Tie off then tie the ends of this short chain, one end to each end of the dowel rod.
- Once secured, weave in the ends into the chain. You can hang it from a nail on the wall of even on a door.
That’s it my friends! There seems like a lot of pieces and parts, but trust me. You can make this in just a few short hours. It all works up super fast and it is quick and easy to put together once you have all the supplies you need. I hope you have enjoyed this pattern. I know for me, this is a pattern that I got the idea for and I became super passionate about it. I think it’s a message that comes with the pattern and to me, it’s the message that means so much. I felt I needed to share it ASAP.
I hope you all have a blessed Easter season and that you will always remember the true reason for this beautiful spring holiday. I pray that this wall hanging will serve as a constant reminder that when you see it you are reminded of just how much Jesus loves you and what He is willing and has already done for you.
If you would like to purchase a print out copy of this pattern, you can find it on my Etsy shop by clicking here or on LoveCrafts by clicking here. If you want to pin this to your Pinterest board, you can find the pin here. And if you make one of these, I would LOVE to see it! Feel free to share it on Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #HeIsRisenWallHanging and tag me using @madisons_makings. If you have any questions about this pattern, or any of my patterns, please feel free to reach out to me at any of my social medias or by email at [email protected].
I have a very exciting pattern coming out in May, so please subscribe to my website so you will be one of the first people to get the update about that new pattern, and all my future patterns. You can subscribe by scrolling to the bottom of this page, or any of my blog pages, and simply just sharing your name and email. You will just be notified when I post new blog posts. Until then, have a wonderful couple weeks my friends and happy crocheting.
Mark 16:6 “’Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”
Feel free to make as many of these as you would like and feel free to sell them. I just ask that you please acknowledge Madison’s Makings when you do. Please do not steal or copy this pattern and/or my pictures and credit them as your own work. Thank you!
