Crochet Leg Lamp Wall Hanging
I am absolutely stoked to share my latest tapestry crochet creation that's bound to kick your Christmas decor up a nostalgic notch - and not gonna lie, your year-round decor too. Remember the iconic leg lamp from the classic holiday movie "A Christmas Story"? Well, brace yourselves because I've turned that quirky piece into a crocheted wall hanging! 🎄🪟
Picture this: The instantly recognizable leg lamp, meticulously stitched with tapestry crochet, radiating that warm, nostalgic glow from the movie. And the pièce de résistance? The stitched letters spelling out "FRA GEE LAY," just like how the dad says it in the movie when he reads the word "FRAGILE" on the crate containing the lamp. It's like a piece of holiday movie magic hanging right there on your wall.
But first, let's back up a bit! Before I dive into the delightful details of this crocheted masterpiece, let me share a bit about the technique I used — tapestry crochet. If you're not familiar, tapestry crochet is like painting with yarn. It's a technique that allows you to create designs by carrying multiple colors of yarn across your stitches. And trust me, it's an absolute game-changer when it comes to detailed patterns like this leg lamp.
The key to nailing tapestry crochet is in your yarn color changes and maintaining tension, which if you look closely you can see where my tension started to go off track. 😅
With this project, I found that using floats instead of carrying the strands the entire way across gave me a more consistent fabric. Take your time with color changes and don't let the yarn strands at the back get tangled. It'll make the whole process a lot smoother. 😉
I've included the crochet graph for this leg lamp wall hanging so you can dive right into making your very own nostalgic masterpiece. Trust me, there's something utterly satisfying about watching this lamp take shape stitch by stitch.
To add the fishnet stocking look to the leg I used black embroidery thread and a needle to stitch lines across. I freehanded the letters using surface stitches, which is where you keep the yarn under the fabric and with a hook make slip stitches on the top or right side of the fabric.
For the finishing touches, I made sure to block the entire piece with my garment steamer so the edges would uncurl. And finally I used a wooden rod and worked single crochet stitches around it. Unfortunately the rod was a little shorter than the width of the hanging so the tops are little smushed but it’s not a huge deal. If I can find a larger rod I’ll swap it out but for now I think this hanging is going to look so awesome. I just love that I can use this during the holidays and throughout the year. It’s such a great decor for movie nerds especially those nostalgic movies from the 80s.
Crochet Leg Lamp Wall Hanging Graph
Finished Size: Approx. 26” x 13”
Materials
Worsted weight acrylic yarn
4.50mm crochet hook
3.50mm crochet hook
Wooden rod or dowel, approx.
Black embroidery thread and needle
Gauge
4”x 4” = 14 sc sts / 16 rows
Notes
The wall hanging is worked using single crochet stitches (US terminology) throughout and a 4.50mm hook.
The letters are done using surface slip stitches with the smaller 3.50mm hook. Because I didn’t want to cut the yarn and start a new strand with each letter stroke, I worked a series of chains on the underside of the fabric, just enough to reach the next space where I wanted to start stitching again.
The gold line details on the lamp are done using surface slip stitches and the smaller 3.50mm hook but from the reverse. Unlike the letters where the slip stitches are from the right side up, the lamp stitches are worked from the wrong side up. Alternately you can use a tapestry needle to stitch the details on.
Depending on your tension and the yarn you use you may end up with a smaller or larger piece. If you are adding letters you might want to add more solid color rows to the top of the hanging to give you more room. Feel free to play around the size of the piece. You can add more rows to the bottom before you start incorporating color changes or even work less and get straight to color changes.
I cannot wait to see your renditions of this iconic holiday treasure. Don't forget to share your creations! And if you're feeling adventurous, maybe pair it with some other "A Christmas Story" decor pieces. Let's make this season a nostalgic blast from the past. Tag me on my socials @popsdemilk_crochet
Happy crocheting and Merry Christmas!
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This pattern is for personal use only. The pattern and its photos may not be reproduced, distributed or resold, translated, published, altered, shared or posted in any way over the internet or offline.
You may sell finished items made from this pattern as long as it is handmade by you, not mass produced, giving the credit to Pops de Milk / Patricia Castillo as the designer. If you have any questions, you can email me at patricia@popsdemilk.com
