Crochet Candy Cottage Gingerbread House Tutorial Part 2

I’m having cuteness overload here! How sweet is this little crochet pink and white trimmed gingerbread house? I loved designing and making it. In contrast to my previous gingerbread house designs, I’ve chosen a yummy pink and white color scheme for the frosting and candy. The whole thing is mostly single crochet and chains, and crocodile stitch for the roof.

I’ve divided the tutorials into three posts. Here are the links:

Part 1: Gathering materials and making the chipboard support structure

Part 2: Crocheting and affixing the gingerbread parts

Part 3: Frosting and candy decorations

Are you ready for the next installment of the Candy Cottage Gingerbread House? I know you are! Today we will crochet the tan gingerbread pieces to cover the little cardboard house that we made in Tutorial part 1. Front and back, sides/bottom piece, and roof halves. Then we will glue them in place to be all ready for the last installment with the most fun part—the frosting and candies! Love it. And I can’t wait to see your creations!

Crochet Candy Cottage Gingerbread House Tutorial Part 2

By Carolyn Christmas

Notes

Finished house size: 9” tall x 10” wide x 8” deep

Yarn: I used I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby in toasted almond, pink, soft pink, white.

Gauge (gauge is important with this project to make your crocheted pieces properly fit the cardboard structure): 4 sc and 4 rows = 1″.

Crochet terminology: This pattern is written in American crochet terminology.

Special Stitches

Crocodile stitch: To make the crocodile stitch roof pieces, I have written the instructions but have not shown how-to photos. My friend Tamara Kelly at Moogly has a most excellent stitch video and tutorial and I highly recommend you take a look at it.

How to crochet 2 sc together: Pull up a loop in each of next 2 sc, yo and pull through all 3 lps on hook.

Instructions

Sides/bottom

Row 1: With tan, ch 25, sc in second ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (24)

Rows 2-61 or until piece is about 14” long: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (24)

At end of last row, fasten off.

Front and back (make 2)

Row 1: With tan, ch 26, sc in second ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (25)

Rows 2-3: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (25)

Row 4: Ch 1, 2 sc in first sc, sc in each st across to last st, 2 sc in last st, turn. (27)

Rows 5-8: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (27)

Row 9: Ch 1, 2 sc in first sc, sc in each st across to last st, 2 sc in last st, turn. (29)

Rows 10-16: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (29)

Rows 17-23 (decrease rows): Ch 1, skip first st, sc in each st across to last 2 sts, sc last 2 sts together, turn. (27, 25, 23, 21, 19, 17, 15 sts)

Row 24: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (15)

Rows 25-26: Ch 1, skip first st, sc in each st across to last 2 sts, sc last 2 sts together, turn. (13, 11 sts)

Row 27: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (11)

Rows 28-29: Ch 1, skip first st, sc in each st across to last 2 sts, sc last 2 sts together, turn. (9, 7 sts)

Row 30: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (7)

Row 31: Ch 1, skip first st, sc in each st across to last 2 sts, sc last 2 sts together, turn. (5 sts)

Row 32: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (5)

Row 33: Ch 1, skip first st, sc in next 2 sts, sc last 2 sts together, turn. (3)

Row 34: Ch 1, sc in each of 3 sts across, turn. (3)

Row 35: Ch 1, skip first st, sc last 2 sts together. Fasten off. (1)

Roof half (make 2) (I highly recommend Moogly’s crocodile stitch tutorial and video)

Row 1: Ch 33, 2 dc in sixth ch from hook, (ch 1, skip 2 ch, dc in next ch*, ch 1, skip 2 ch, 2 dc in next ch) across ending last repeat at *, turn. (5 pairs of dc)

Row 2: Ch 1, working around the post of the first dc of the first dc pair, 5 dc around post of st working from the top of st toward the foundation ch; then 5 dc around the post of the next dc, working from bottom to top of st (first crocodile st made). Sl st in next single dc, (work next crocodile st around posts of next pair of dcs as before, sl st in next single dc) across, turn. (5 crocodile st scallops)

Row 3: Ch 3, dc in same st, ch 1, dc in st at center of next crocodile st, (ch 1, 2 dc in next sl st, crocodile stitch around posts of next pair of dcs) across, turn. (6 pairs of dc)

Row 4: Ch 1, working around the post of the first dc of the first dc pair, 5 dc around post of st working from the top of st toward the foundation ch; then 5 dc around the post of the next dc, working from bottom to top of st (first crocodile st made). (Sl st in next single dc, work next crocodile st around posts of next pair of dcs) across, turn. (6 crocodile st scallops)

Row 5: Ch 1, sl st in st at center of first crocodile st, ch 4 (counts as dc and ch 1), 2 dc in next sl st, ch 1, dc in st at center of next crocodile st (ch 1, 2 dc in st at center of next crocodile st, ch 1, 2 dc in next sl st) across, turn. (5 pairs of dc)

Row 6: Repeat row 2.

Repeat rows 3-6 until you have 11 rows of scallops or until piece fits nicely on roof half.

Fasten off. Weave in ends on all pieces.

Assembly

Note: Allow glue a moment to cool and set after each bit of gluing.

Step 1: Using hot glue gun and glue sticks, stretching crochet piece slightly if needed to make it go to the very edges, glue one short end of the side/bottom piece to one side of house up under the eave overhang. Then with long piece going under bottom of house and up remaining side, glue remaining short end of the piece to remaining side of the house under the eave overhang. Now smooth edges on both sides to fit along edges of house. Use straight pins if desired to make sure crochet rows are straight across each place where bottom of house meets side of house. Lift crochet slightly and insert glue working a small length at a time, until one side is glued in place. Repeat for other side.

Step 2: Stretching crochet slightly if needed, and using a chopstick or some kind of other narrow object to flatten the crochet up into the corner, glue top point of house front up under the point of roof overhang. Then smooth and glue pieces along slope of roof, one side at a time. It’s ok if there is a little space left at top of crochet piece because icicles will be glued over this area. Then smooth and glue sides in place, one side at a time. Lift crochet slightly and insert glue to bottom of front. Repeat for gluing back piece in place.

Step 3: Stretching roof piece slightly if needed, glue top along roof peak. Then glue bottom in place with scallops hanging off. Then lift crochet as before to glue front and back of roof half in place along curved slope, stretching if needed to make half the scallops on the rows with 6 scallops extend past the cardboard.