PNC Christmas Price Index® Campaign
I’m so excited to share this super fun and easy DIY with all of you today!
For the past 35 years, PNC has been calculating the cost of the gifts from the holiday classic “12 Days of Christmas”. If you’ve ever wondered what it would cost to purchase three French hens or ten lords-a-leaping, well that’s where the Christmas Price Index comes in! Each year the index will show the price changes for the gifts based on spending and trends in the economy. It’s a fun way to see how their prices increase or decrease over time. Now I’m sure most of you don’t need twelve drummers drumming in your living room so this is where I come in!
This year PNC is partnering with twelve makers to create the twelve gifts with a unique and fun DIY. The gift I received is twelve drummers drumming.
This little cutie is complete with a set of drumsticks and the gold sequins make him sparkle when the light hits just right! This drum would look absolutely adorable as an ornament or even sitting with all your holiday decor! Follow along below to see how to make your very own mini drum!
Here’s what you’ll need:
-
Yarn- For the red drum I used:
Loops & Threads Impeccable in the colors Cherry and Heather (Blue Moon) Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in the color Silver Heather (Kelly Green)
The colors in parentheses are for the other drums featured in the photo within this post. - Size F/3.75mm crochet hook
- 1 pair of 9mm black safety eyes
- Black embroidery floss and an embroidery needle
- Fiberfill
- Gold sequins in the size 5mm
- Gold Floss (I used DMC Light Effects Floss in the color Light Gold E3821)
- 1 pipe cleaner (cut into 2 pieces measuring 2.25 inches long)
- Small piece of cardboard (enough to cut out 2 small circles)
- Hot Glue
- Scissors
- Yarn Needle
- Straight pins
Abbreviations and techniques used:
Mr- Magic Ring
R- Round
Sc- Single Crochet
St/s- Stitch/es
Inv Dec- Invisible Decrease
BLO- Back Loops Only
Ch- Chain
Fasten off
*See “KEY” at the end of pattern for more detailed instructions on how complete these stitches and techniques.
Let’s get started!
Drum
Using tan yarn,
Round 1: 6 sc in magic ring. (6 sts)
R2: 2 sc in each st around. (12 sts)
R3: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next st,* 6 times. (18 sts)
R4: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next st,* 6 times. (24 sts)
R5: *Sc 3, 2 sc in next st,* 6 times. (30 sts)
Change to red yarn,
R6: In BLO, sc 30.
R7-10: Sc 30.
Change back to tan yarn,
R11: Sc 30.
Add safety eyes, placing them between rounds 8&9, about 4 stitches apart. Sew on mouth with black embroidery floss. 
With the cardboard, trace 2 small circles the same size as the top of the drum. Place one circle into the drum to create a more structured top.
R12: In BLO, *Sc 3, inv dec 1,* 6 times. (24 sts)
Add fiberfill, making sure to not over stuff the drum. Insert the second piece of cardboard.
R13: *Sc 2, inv dec 1,* 6 times. (18 sts)
R14: *Sc 1, inv dec 1,* 6 times. (12 sts)
R15: Inv dec around 6 times. (6 sts)
Fasten off and leave a tail to close piece.
Gray Border- Make 2
Using gray yarn, Ch 38. Fasten off.
*This part may vary depending on how big your drum is. Before fastening off, wrap gray piece around drum to see if it fits around evenly. Add or take away chains depending on fit.
To Assemble
Taking one gray strand and a straight pin, place it on the back of the drum, right by the rim. With hot glue, begin by placing a VERY small line of glue right near the rim. Be sure to only add a small bit of glue at a time as you go around the rim. Press the gray strand into place. Remove the pin and with the yarn needle, weave the tail into the drum. Continue adding glue and placing the strand into place. Once you reach the end, weave the tail into the drum and secure with a knot. Repeat these steps for the bottom strand.
For the gold details-
With the straight pins, place them evenly along the top and bottom gray pieces. For the gold floss, cut a piece about 12-14 inches long and separate it into 6 strands. Using just one strand of the 6 and the embroidery needle, bring the floss through to one of the straight pins. Now go down to the next pin and insert the needle again. We’ll be creating slanted lines along the outside of the drum all going in one direction. Continue going from the top to the bottom until you reach the end. With another strand of floss, begin making slanted lines in the opposite direction, making a triangle design.
With the hot glue gun, place a VERY small dot of glue on the gray piece, right where the gold floss meets at a point and place a gold sequin in place. Do this around the entire drum. 
Drumsticks- Make 2
Using tan yarn,
Round 1: 4 sc in magic ring. (4 sts)
R2-11: Sc 4.
As you get to round 4, insert one pipe cleaner and crochet around until you reach round 11.
Fasten off and leave a tail to close piece. 
To attach the sticks to the drum, place about a half inch of glue onto one of the sticks and place near the rim. For the second stick, place a dot of glue in the middle of the first stick and attach. Place another dot of glue on the tip of the second stick and press onto the top of the drum.
And there you have it! A cute drum to display during this festive season! To see all of the other DIYs for the other gifts, be sure to check out the hashtag, #ChristmasPriceIndex and follow PNC on Instagram. To find out more about the PNC Christmas Price Index go check out the website here- Christmas Price Index
XO, Lauren
Key
Yarn Over:
To yarn over, this simply means to grab hold of the yarn with your hook and then pull through the loops or stitch.
Magic Ring (Mr):
To make a magic ring follow these steps:
- Holding the working yarn in your left hand, make a loop and place the working yarn (this is the yarn coming from the ball) on top of the shorter tail. With thumb and middle finger, hold where the two strands meet.
- Insert hook into the loop, grab the working yarn with the hook and pull through the loop.
- Yarn over and pull through the loop on the hook.
This is the point where we will start making single crochets into the magic ring. - Insert the hook back into the loop, making sure to go under both strands of yarn. Yarn over and pull hook through loop. 2 loops will be on the hook.
- Yarn over and pull through both loops on hook. This completes your first single crochet.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have as many single crochet stitches in the magic ring as the pattern states.
- To finish magic ring, grab the shorter tail and pull until the loop closed.
Single Crochet (Sc):
- Insert hook into stitch and yarn over. Pull hook through stitch, there will be 2 loops on the hook.
- Yarn over again and pull through both loops. 1 loop will remain on the hook.
Invisible Decrease (Inv Dec):
- Insert the hook into the FRONT loops only of the next 2 stitches. There will be 3 loops on the hook.
- Yarn over and pull through the 2 front loops. 2 loops will be on the hook.
- Yarn over again and pull through the 2 remaining loops. 1 loop will remain on the hook.
Chain (Ch):
To make a chain, begin by creating a slip knot on your hook. To do so, follow these steps:
- Make a loop, holding the shorter tail in your left hand. Place the shorter tail on top of the working yarn (the yarn coming from the ball).
- Insert the hook into the loop and grab the shorter tail. Bring the tail through the loop. Pull the tails to tighten the slip knot onto the hook.
- To begin a chain, simply take the working yarn and yarn over.
- Pull the hook through the slip knot. This is your first chain stitch. Repeat as many times as pattern states.
- To fasten off, trim working yarn and pull tail through the loop.
Back Loops Only (BLO):
To figure out which stitches are the front and back, hold your work in front of you and look at the stitches. You will see a row of of V’s. The loops closest are going to be the front loops and the ones in the back are the back loops. When crocheting in the back loops only, insert your hook in the middle of the V and go under the back loop. Continue the stitch as normal.
Stitch/Stitches (St/Sts):
Each round will be made up of a certain number of stitches. It’s important to make sure you have the correct number of stitches after completing each round. Being off by just one stitch can cause your animal look a little wonky. Stitches look like a sideways “V”. The one closest to you is the front loop and the furthest one away is the back loop. When crocheting, always insert your hook underneath both loops unless stated otherwise.
Round (R):
Amigurumi is made up of continuous rounds. That means we do not join them at the end of each one and it continues in a spiral all the way around. Placing a stitch marker at the end of each round helps determine where they start and stop.
Fasten Off:
To fasten off, simply cut the working yarn and pull hook so that the tail comes all the way through the last stitch we just completed.
How To Close Your Piece:
- When you reach the end, cut the yarn and leave a tail for sewing. Make sure to leave enough yarn to work with. Pull the yarn tail through the loop and pull to secure.
- Thread the yarn tail onto the yarn needle. Insert the needle into the FRONT loops only of the first stitch, working from the center to the outside. Pull needle through.
- Continue going through the front loops of the remaining stitches. Once you reach the end, pull the yarn tail and the hole will close.
- Insert the needle into the center of the hole and bring it through one of the stitches on the side. Secure with a knot and trim yarn. Hide the knot inside the piece.
Clean Color Changing:
- When working the last stitch of the old color, single crochet until there are 2 loops left on the hook. Pick up the new color, yarn over and pull through the 2 loops to complete single crochet.
- Slip Stitch into the next stitch with the new color. To slip stitch, insert the hook into the stitch and yarn over. Pull through the stitch and continue pulling through the 1st loop that was on the hook.
Continue to crochet as normal with the new color. Make sure to trim the tail of the old color and secure with a knot.