3 Free Crochet Christmas Snowflake Patterns (Linked to Each Designer)

Each of these free Christmas crochet patterns is a real published pattern with written round instructions, linked to the designer who wrote it. All three are snowflakes — one designed as a garland, one six-pointed and chunky, one fine and lacy.

Snowflakes are the best possible use of leftover cotton: a flake takes minutes and a garland takes an evening. The one step nobody should skip is blocking.

What you will need

Cotton in 4-ply, DK or thread, a 4 to 5.5 mm hook, and somewhere to pin the finished flakes out to dry. Acrylic will not hold a block, so it is the one fibre to avoid.

1. Crystal Snow Snowflake Garland

One round per snowflake. Raji works a magic circle with chain-and-picot points — five per flake — at 4 inches across, in 4-ply cotton on a 4 mm hook, then strings them with chain-20 gaps in a contrasting red or green. Because each flake is a single round, a full garland is an evening rather than a project. Free pattern: Crystal Snow Crochet Snowflake Garland.

2. Crochet Snowflake Star

Sarah Anderson’s version is six-pointed, crossing a Star of David with a snowflake, built from treble crochet with chain-2 spaces in the last round to throw the points out. Worsted weight — Red Heart Shimmer — on a 5.5 mm hook, which makes these noticeably chunkier than thread snowflakes and easier to see from across a room. Free pattern: Crochet Snowflake Star.

3. Learn How to Crochet a Snowflake

Four rounds rather than one, so the detail is finer. Sarah-Jayne Fragola uses a metallic cotton DK on a 4 mm hook, and — the important part — she tells you to block it. An unblocked crochet snowflake is a curled blob; pinned out wet, the points sharpen and it becomes recognisable. Rated intermediate. Free pattern: Learn How to Crochet a Snowflake.

The 3 patterns compared

Frequently Asked Questions

Do crochet snowflakes need to be stiffened?

Blocking is essential; stiffening is optional. Wet the finished flake, pin the points out flat and let it dry — that alone transforms it. For ornaments that must hold their shape on a tree year after year, a dip in sugar water or commercial stiffener sets them hard.

What yarn makes the best snowflakes?

Cotton, because it blocks and holds the block. Crochet thread gives the finest, most lace-like result; 4-ply and DK cotton are quicker and easier to see. Acrylic will not hold a block at all, which is the one fibre to avoid here.

How many snowflakes make a garland?

Ten to fifteen for a mantelpiece, spaced about 20 chains apart — which is exactly how the Crystal Snow garland is strung. Vary the size if you make two different patterns; a garland of identical flakes looks manufactured.

How long does one snowflake take?

A single-round flake takes minutes. A four-round one takes perhaps half an hour including the blocking. They are the definition of a scrap project — a full garland uses metres of yarn rather than a skein.

For a garland this weekend, the one-round Crystal Snow flake. For something finer to hang on the tree, the four-round lace version — and block it, which is what turns a curled blob into a snowflake. Each link goes to the designer’s own page.