Let It Snow With These Cozy Knit Snowflakes

Warm, cozy snowflakes may sound like a contradiction, but trust us: wool snowflakes are worth the effort. These lacy beauties look equally good hanging from a tree or framed in a window. Why not knit up a few and create your own winter wonderland?

Snowflake Ornaments

Level: Intermediate

Pattern by Sunne Meyer

What You Need

Gauge

Finished Measurement: 5.75 wide x 5.75 long (at the widest points for both)

Abbreviations

Good to Know

The size of your stitches will determine the size of the ornament. Knitting with the recommended needle size, will not guarantee the ornament will be the size of the sample. Only matching gauge (stitch size), will create the same size ornament.

Gauge is listed in stockinette st washed. Ornaments were aggressively blocked to achieve the open look. Yarn in one mini hank is enough for both ornaments and a 30st x 35 row swatch.

The 8-Point Snowflake has fewer rows but blocks out more openly to the same size as the Leafy Snowflake.

Bind off for both patterns is the same and found at the bottom of both patterns.

Leafy Snowflake

CO 8 sts with your favorite cast on, join to work in the round. Mark the BOR. (Hint: use a coil-less pin to mark the first st in the round, moving it up every row.)

Round 1: k8

Round 2 and all even rounds: k

Round 3: (yo, k1, yo, k1) 4 times total

Round 5: (yo, k3, yo, k1) 4 times total

Round 7: (yo, k5, yo, k1) 4 times total

Round 9: (yo, k7, yo, k1) 4 times total

Rounds 11-19: Every odd round going forward, the BOR moves one st to the right. K first st of round then replace BOR marker to create new BOR.

Round 11: (yo, k3, ccd, k3, yo, k1) 4 times total

Round 13: (yo, k2, cdd, k2, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1) 4 times total

Round 15: (yo, k1, cdd, k1, yo, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk) 4 times total

Round 17: (yo, cdd, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, yo, ssk) 4 times total

Round 19: (k1, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, ssk, yo, ssk, yo) 4 times total. Skip to bind off.

8-Point Snowflake

CO 8 st with your favorite cast on, join to work in the round. Mark the BOR. (Hint: use a coil-less pin to mark the first st in the round, moving it up every row.)

Round 1: k8

Round 2 and all even rounds: k

Round 3: (yo, k1) 8 times total

Round 5: (yo, k1, yo, k1) 8 times total

Round 7: (yo, k3, yo, k1) 8 times total

Rounds 9-15: Every odd round going forward, the BOR moves one st to the right. K first st of round then replace BOR marker to create new BOR.

Round 9: (yo, k3, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1) 8 times total

Round 11: (yo, ccd, yo, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk) 8 times total

Round 13: (k1, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, yo, ssk, yo) 8 times total

Round 15: (yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k, yo, k, yo, k, yo, ssk, yo, ssk, yo, k)

Bind Off

Note: For the bind off, it is sometimes helpful to use a needle 2-3 sizes larger to make sure the edge stays loose. A loose bind off is crucial to keeping the pointed look of the edge. This bind off method will work each yo twice – one k and one p – pulling the previously worked st over the top, to keep the edge loose.

Bind Off Round: k1, *k1 (in yo – do not remove yo from left needle) pull 1st k over second k as with traditional bind off, p1 (in yo – then dropping from left needle), pull previous k over p, k1, pull back st over front st. Repeat from * all the way around until 1 st remains. Cut yarn leaving 4” tail, pull tail through live stitch and pull until snug. Weave ends loosely, so there is room to stretch during blocking.

Blocking

Snowflake will need to be aggressively blocked: Off the needles it is a crumply mess. Use T pins and a blocking board to stretch the ornament. Measure from the inner most ring to the outside edge to make sure it stays even.

Leafy Snowflake – 4 points are 2.5” from center, all other points are 2.25” from center. I spaced the edge pieces evenly using a ruler.

8-Point Snowflake – All 8 longer points are 2.5” from center, while smaller points are 2.33” from center. Again using a ruler to space points evenly.

Once snowflakes are dry, use fabric stiffener or spray starch to keep ornament flat and in shape. Generally, you want to use stiffener or starch while the snowflake is still pinned. Once it feels moderately stiff, pull off and do one strong coat on the back side. Do no use too much stiffener after unpinning the snowflake, the moisture could cause it to warp or blocking to soften.

Hanging Loop

Cast on 2 st, create 2 st i-cord for 20 rows, k2tog, cut yarn with long tail and pull tail through live st. Once ornament is blocked and stiffener is complete, tie ends of icord in a square knot, thread one tail through knot on the top of one of the longest points, tie another square knot, weave two tails into ornament. Clip all tail ends.