Advent tree + pattern

I finally finished the Advent tree! It's over a week into December, so we are starting late. But I am *so* happy with how it came out. The picture doesn't really do it justice (bad lighting, sorry!) and I'm going to hopefully get another picture tomorrow. It stands about 39" tall. I sewed 25 buttons on (one for the star) and we can now hang an ornament on for each day.

This was my first time doing a "foundation half-double crochet." But once I watched  YouTube video (linked) and tried it out - it wasn't hard at all!

Now to start putting our Advent ornaments up :) Need some? Remember Snappy-Tots had a crochet-along with lots of great patterns!

The pattern is just a quick write-up, I'll hopefully have it tested for accuracy and make it look better soon, but I figured I will get it up now for any others still thinking or working on their Advent trees :)

Pattern:

1.5 skeins Red Heart "Dark Hunter."

1.5 skeins Caron Simply Soft Dark Teal Heather

(or whichever colors you'd prefer)

Some scraps of 3 different brown colors  (mine had lost their sleeves so I'm not sure their specific color names, but they were Caron Pound, Caron Simply Soft, and a Sugar n Cream cotton)

N hook

Yarn is held TRIPLE throughout the pattern.  

I held two strands Red heart, one strand Simply Soft.

Gauge is not important.

Tree:

ch. 56

Row 1. hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in each across, turn

Row 2 - 9. ch 2, hdctog, hdc across to last two, hdctog in last two sts, turn

Row 10. ch6, hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc across, after last stitch of the row do 4 foundation hdc’s 

(for information how to do a foundation half-double crochet, see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tp7mgnV7fs  You will be working in the bottom left “loop” of the previous stitch for each foundation half-double crochet), turn

Row 11 - 20. ch2, hdctog, hdc across to last two, hdctog in last two sts, turn

Row 21. ch6, hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc across, after last stitch of the row do 4 foundation hdc’s, turn

Row 22 - 29. ch2, hdctog, hdc across to last two, hdctog in last two sts, turn

Row 30. ch6, hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc across, after last stitch of the row  do 4 foundation hdc’s, turn

Row 31-38. ch2, hdctog, hdc across to last two, hdctog in last two sts, turn

Row 39. ch6, hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc across, after last stitch of the row  do 4 foundation hdc’s, turn

Row 40+. ch2, hdctog, hdc across to last two, hdctog in last two sts, turn

When only one stitch remains, fasten off, weave in ends.

Trunk

turn tree over so it is upside down

starting at base of tree, count 21 stitches over from the right and attach yarn in 22nd, ch2

Row1. 11 hdc, turn

Row 2-5. ch 2, hdc across

Fasten off, weave in ends.