Free Crochet Cross Bible Bookmark Pattern

These make great gifts for your church family or Sunday School class! If you can make a granny square, you can make this cute bookmark!

Introduction: Hello! My name is Rebecca and I am a United Methodist pastor and author serving in Central Pennsylvania. For 2022, I challenged the two congregations that I serve to read the entire Bible in a year. I encouraged them to make this their New Year’s Resolution for 2022. I told my church family that if they managed to hold fast to their New Resolution and read the entire Bible in a year that I would give them a surprise.

Well, it’s amazing how fast time flies! At the time of this writing, tomorrow will be the first Sunday of the New Year. It also just happens to be New Year’s Day. I am excited to see how many people were able to complete the task of reading the entire Bible in a year. We used this Bible plan which broke the Bible into small sections that could be read five days a week. I think this may have helped to make it a more manageable challenge.

For those who completed the challenge, I decided to give them the gift of a handmade Bible bookmark in the shape of a cross. I wanted to give them something that was handmade with love and prayer. I put the pattern together by combining a pattern I remembered from when I was younger (I learned to crochet as a teenager from my mom) and a whole bunch of trial and error. I decided to write down what I came up with so that I could remember if I decide I ever want to make these crosses again!

As an added bonus, this cross bookmarks work up really quickly (I’m able to do one in about fifteen or twenty minutes, but I think I’m getting faster). I’m not sure how many people completed the Bible in a year challenge, but if I don’t have enough on Sunday, it won’t take me long this week to make some more Bible bookmarks.

See these bookmarks in the following short YouTube Video:

Here is the pattern I created for anyone who is interested.

Granny Stitch Crochet Cross Bible Bookmark

Materials:

 5mm crochet hook (but you could also use a 5.5mm or even a 4.5 mm, depending on your tension)

Cotton worsted weight yarn (I used Lily Sugar and Cream in lime green. I like the stiffness that it gave the bookmark and I’ve found their yarn to be very durable. I use it when I make dishcloths)

Notes on this pattern:  Using ch.3 to act as a double crochet in certain sections of this patterns seems to give the cross more of a pretty pointy look, almost like a picot. When I originally worked on this pattern, I used all double crochet instead of chain three for the second round of the cross. This worked, but it didn’t make the cross quite as pointy as I wanted it to be.

Through trial and error, I discovered that clusters in this pattern that are made by using a chain three to count as one of the double crochet gives this pattern more of a pointy look than a regular granny cluster.

I also discovered that I liked the look of the stiffer cotton yarn. I first tried making this pattern in a very soft cotton because I liked the color, but it wasn’t quite stiff enough for a bookmark. I ordered some spray from amazon to stiffen the fabric, but I haven’t had the chance to try it yet. The Lilly cotton was already stiff enough to hold it’s shape and didn’t need to be blocked.

I also think this pattern would be pretty with a tassel on the end.

To Make the cross;

First Round: The first round is simply a granny square.

Begin by making a granny square. To do this, ch. 4. Slip stitch together. Then chain three (counts as one double crochet)

Give your granny square four corners. Each corner is created with two granny clusters separated by three chains.

To do this:  Into the small circle you have created with the chain four, make two more double crochet (the first ch. 3 you made counts as the first double crochet, so together with these other two double crochet you have your first cluster). Ch. 3 (this is  your first corner), make  a cluster (three double crochet), chain 3 (your second corner), make a cluster (three double crochet), chain three (this is your third corner), make a cluster, chain three (this is your four corner. Slip stitch this chain three into the top of the first chain three. This closes the granny square.

Second Round:

Each of the corners of your granny square becomes a side of the cross. So, when the bookmark is completed, the granny square is the center of the cross BUT it is tilted on it’s side, like a diamond.

Slip stitch across until you reach the chain three space (corner). Chain three (this makes the equivalent of a double crochet that also kind of looks like a pretty point). Two double crochet into the corner. Ch. 3. (makes a pretty point), double crochet two, chain three (makes a pointy side), slip stitch. This makes the first short arm of the cross. It should look

Slip stitch across until you get to the center of the next chain three space (second corner of the granny square). Do the same thing: chain three, two double crochet, chain three, two double crochet, slip stitch

Slip stitch across until you get to the center of the next chain three space (third corner of the granny square). Do the same thing: chain three, two double crochet, chain three, two double crochet, slip stitch.

Slip stitch across until you reach the center of the  fourth chain three space. Now we are at the final corner. This will become the base of the cross. Begin in the same way: chain three, two double crochet, chain three, but then make THREE double crochet. Chain one to turn.

Third section: Base of the Cross

The base of the cross is comprised of a total of three rows of two granny clusters. We have already completed the first of these three rows.

We are now making the base of the cross longer by making another two granny clusters. Slip stitch across the three double crochet and into the ch. 3 space work two clusters by doing 3 double crochet, ch. 3, three double crochet. Ch.1 to trun

We are now at the very base of the cross. Slip stitch across the three double crochet and work into the ch. 3 space. 3 double, chain three, three double crochet. Ch. 1 to turn

To Make the tail

Slip stitch across the three double crochet until you reach the ch. 3 space. Slip stitch one into the ch. 3 space so you are working directly into the center of the space. Ch. 33 (or however long you want the tail to be).

Once the tail has reached the desired length, finish with half a granny square, this will make a little diamond. To do this: ch. 4 more, slip stitch those four chains to the base of the tail. Now work into that circle you have created. Ch. Three (gives it kind of a pointy side and acts like a double crochet), 2 double crochet to complete the cluster. Ch. 3, two double crochet, ch. 3, slip stitch to finish.

Cut yarn. Use a yarn needle to weave in ends.

God Bless and Happy New Year!

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution? Is your church doing something fun to commemorate New Year? I would love to hear about it in the comments below!