When I was a child, the Christmas tree was always full of wooden decorations beautifully painted. My favorites were the sleds, loaded with small wooden cubes-packages. Then the rocking horses, I was fascinated by the brush strokes on the saddle and the stiff mane. The heaviest were the balloons, painted in white and blue, I found the more robust branches to hang them without making them slip away. And even the angels, the small Santa Claus, the houses and the strange soldiers that actually I have never been too sympathetic. Until now.
Among the book Amigurumi Winter Wonderland and other patterns made in these years, I did not know what to propose for the christmas issue of Simply Crochet magazine. The idea of the Nutcracker soldier came to Sarah (the editor of the magazine) and I’ll never stop to thank her because she made me discover the world of the Nutcracker, their tradition and millions of forms that artists and craftsmen make around the world.
Mine is obviously an amigurumi and why not, even a teddy bear.
With my trusty crochet and soft cotton balls of DMC Natura I realized, stitch by stitch, all the pieces and details. The inevitable blacks boots, the hat, the fringed epaulettes and after finishing everything seemed that something was missing… certainly, the drum.

photo by Simply Crochet

You can find the pattern in Simply Crochet magazine, issue 38, the same with my illustrated calendar!