Whit's Knits: Snowflower Ornaments
Last weekend, with the feeling of having eaten way too much pumpkin pie still in my belly, I got busy decorating my Christmas tree. Actually, I would have done it even sooner if it had been at all seemly. The fact is I love Christmas trees, Christmas lights and Christmas ornaments more than any other part of any other holiday.
I love it all so much that I grow my Christmas tree inside my apartment all year long. I have an old potted Norfolk Pine that, at about ten feet tall and almost as wide, takes up way more than its fair share of New York City real estate, but when this time of year rolls around, it's totally worth the loss of square footage!
Like my tree, my ornament collection keeps growing every year! This season I am so excited to add these sweet crocheted ornaments to my crowd of sequined owls, vintage glass balls and painted tin donkeys. Simultaneously evocative of fluffy snowflakes and plump dahlias, I call them Snowflowers.
Rich in texture and elegant in spirit, these pretty little ornaments look wonderful on my Norfolk Pine and also on this spare winter branch. They'll bring lots of cheer to more traditional choices of timber too!
Because ornaments are forever, I made these with Blue Sky's very special new yarn, Metalico. Fifty percent baby alpaca and fifty percent mulberry silk, Metalico combines naturally occurring shades of each for a wonderfully pure and gorgeously earthy yarn. And each Snowflower starts off with a bright splash of gorgeous Koigu hand dyed color. Thank goodness for mini KPM Needlepoint Skeins who make spots of color actually affordable!
Pretty ornaments made with your own two hands seem to me to embody the very spirit of Christmas! -Whitney
The Materials
- 1-2 skeins of Blue Sky's Metalico, 50% baby alapaca and 50% mulberry silk. This color is Opal. (Each ornament uses 15-16 yards of the Main Yarn, so with one skein of Metalico you can make 9 ornaments and with two you can make 18. I made an even dozen!)
- Koigu Premium Merino Needlepoint Yarn, 100% merino wool. These colors are, from the left: 1155, 2229, 1265, 2100, 1520, and 1041. (This is enough Contrast Yarn for at least 18 ornaments.)
- A size D crochet hook.
The Pattern
Gauge
7 single crochets = 1 inch
Finished Size
3 inches in diameter
Pattern Notes
HOW TO MAKE A BEGINNING POPCORN
Chain 3 and make 3 double crochets into same space.
Remove the working stitch from the hook and insert the hook into the 3rd stitch of the beginning chain.
Put the hook back through the working stitch.
And pull the working stitch through the 2nd stitch on the hook, cinching closed the group of double crochets.
HOW TO MAKE A POPCORN
Make 4 double crochets into space and remove the working stitch from the hook. Insert the hook into the top of the 1st double crochet.
Re-insert the hook into the working stitch.
And pull that stitch through the 2nd stitch on the hook, folding the double crochets together.
Begin
Round 1: With the Contrast Yarn, chain (ch) 4 into an adjustable loop, [make 1 double crochet (dc), ch 1] 11 times into loop. Join to 3rd stitch of beginning chain with a slip stitch. Cut Contrast Yarn. (24 stitches)
Round 2: Joining Main Yarn into any ch 1 space, make a beginning popcorn (see Pattern Notes above), ch 3, *into next ch 1 space, make a popcorn, ch 3, repeat from * to end of round. Join to top of beginning popcorn with a slip stitch. (48 stitches)
Round 3: Slip stitch into next ch 3 space, make a beginning popcorn into space, ch 3, make a popcorn in to same space, ch 3, *into next space [make a popcorn, ch 3, make a popcorn, ch 3], repeat from * to end of round. Join to top of beginning popcorn with a slip stitch. (96 stitches)
Round 4: Ch 1, *make 2 single crochets (sc) into next space, make 1 sc into top of next popcorn, repeat from * to last space, make 2 sc into last space, join to beginning ch 1 with a slip stitch. (72 stitches)
The Loop
Ch 30. Insert hook into same space, being careful the chain isn't twisted.
Slip stitch, cut yarn and pull it through the remaining stitch. Weave in your ends.
Ta da!
December 1, 2012
Reader Comments (20)
I've made some for my Christmas tree either (diferent from these ones and they also look great). It's an easy and affordable way to decorate our Christmas tree and make it unique!
http://www.tricotaria.com/2012/12/first-sunday-of-advent.html
Mary Ann
We will certainly be ordering them soon and if you would like us to email you when we get they come back in stock please drop us a line at customerservice AT purlsoho DOT com.
Thank you!
Molly
Thank you :*
I'm also NOT getting the 24 stitiches after I am done
Please let me know what I am doing wrong. Am I missing a step? I have been at this for a week.
Thank you.
It sounds like you maybe chained 4 around the loop. Instead, you should put your hook through the loop, pull a stitch through and then just continue to chain 4 from that beginning stitch. Hard to explain! A picture may speak a thousand words in this case. Check out our Adjustable Loop Tutorial here: http://www.purlbee.com/adjustable-loop-tutorial/
All of this may be the reason you're not getting to 24 stitches. Please let me know if you continue to have problems and we'll sort them out!
Thanks for your questions!
Whitney
I'm just not understanding the first part of this row, i think once i get that, the rest will be obvious.
thanks so much! they are so beautiful, so excited to be crocheting them! :)
warmly,
rebecca
For the first step you just make one slip stitch into the next space created by the previous round's chain 3. Then you make a beginning popcorn into that same space, chain 3, and make a popcorn. Then you chain 3 again and make a popcorn into the next space created by the previous round's chain 3.
A big picture way of looking at it is that you want two popcorns in every chain 3 space, and between every popcorn, you chain 3.
I hope this helps! Crochet patterns are sometimes tricky to write, to interpret and to explain! Please let me know if you're still confused!
Whitney
We will be! If you'd like to be informed when the yarn comes back in stock please drop us a line at customerservice AT purlsoho DOT com.
Thank you!
Molly