How to Crochet a Snowflake

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 3, 2021

If you love crafts and want to spruce up your holiday season with homemade decorations, a crocheted snowflake can be a lot of fun. Although you should have at least a basic understanding of crocheting before attempting a snowflake, the process of making them is quite relaxing once you get the hang of it. Once you figure out the process, making these snowflake decorations can be done fairly quickly, so you can make multiple to gift to friends and family.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Creating the Snowflake's Center

1
Gather your materials. Before you get started, make sure that you have everything you will need to crochet a snowflake. You will need:^{[1]
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- White or cream colored lightweight yarn.
- A size 0 crochet hook.
- A darning needle.
- Scissors.
- Pins.
- A piece of cardboard.
- A bowl.
- Water.
- White glue (optional).
2
Crochet your first loop.^{[2]
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Research source} Wrap a piece of yarn around your finger three times. Slide your crochet hook under the first two loops and use it to pull the third loop under the first two. This will result in your first two loops. You will use that as the foundation to base the rest of your snowflake around.
- Make sure that you keep these loops loose. Do not tighten them after you slip them off your finger.
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3
Chain five stitches extending from the loop. When you’re done, double crochet through your central loops to attach the end. To do this, insert the crochet hook into the center of the loops and loop the yarn over the crochet hook on the other side. Then, pull the yarn through with the hook to secure it to the central loops.
- You should now have a chain loop extending from the loops that you made with your fingers.
Next, chain two and then double crochet into the central loop again. Continue to follow this pattern of chaining two and double crocheting until you have five chain loops extending from your central loops. Then, finish by chaining two.^{[3]
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Once you have five chain loops around your central loops, you will need to tighten the central loops. Doing so will create the center for your snowflake. Gently tug on the yarn, pulling the chain loops closer together. Then, pull on the tail of the yarn to finish tightening the center.
6
Slipstitch into the first chain of five loops. After you have tightened the center, insert your crochet hook into the top stitch of the chain of five and crochet through it. This is called a slipstitch and it will secure the last two stitches you chained and complete your first round. You should have six spaces in the round you just crocheted. It should look a bit like a pie cut into slices.
- Slip stitching is also known as joining in some crochet patterns.^{[4]
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7
Begin the second round by chaining three. Chain three loops and then double crochet through the first chain two space that you made in your first round. Double crochet three stitches into this space. Then repeat this process on the next chain two space, but only chain two stitches and double crochet four stitches into the next chain two space.^{[5]
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- Continue to chain two and double crochet four times into the chain 2 space until you complete the round.
After going around the first layer and double crocheting every four loops together, slipstitch into the space in the chain of three you made at the beginning of the round. This will secure your second round.^{[6]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Creating the Snowflake's Edges

To start adding your snowflake’s edges, you will need to move over to one of the chain two spaces. You can get to one of these spaces, by slip stitching into the outer edges of your snowflake. Insert the needle into each stitch and pull the yarn through until you have reached the chain two space.^{[7]
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^{[8]
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^{[9]
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Research source} Staying in the same area, chain five stitches and then slipstitch these stitches into the chain two space.
Next, chain seven stitches and then slipstitch these stitches into the same chain two space as you worked the last stitches into. This will be the central point of this spoke on your snowflake.
After the chain of seven, you will need to gradually go back down in size. First, chain five and then slipstitch these stitches into the same chain two space as you worked the last ones into.^{[10]
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For your last chain in this spoke of your snowflake, chain three and then slipstitch back into the chain two space. This will complete one spoke of your snowflake.^{[11]
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7
Repeat the process until you have completed your edges. You will need to repeat this process over each of the chain two spaces. To get to your next chain two space, slipstitch over to it as you did with the first space. Repeat your steps until you have edges on all sides of your snowflake.^{[12]
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- Follow the pattern of ch 3, slip, ch 5, slip, ch 7, slip, ch 5, slip, ch 3 slip for each chain two space.
Take a pair of scissors and cut the yarn off near the point you ended with. Take care not to cut too close however, as you may risk unravelling the final part of the snowflake.
9
Hide the thread end with a darning needle.^{[13]
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Research source} Take the end of your yarn that you cut off and fix it to a darning needle. Next, weave the yarn in with the existing pattern of the snowflake. This will hide any loose ends and prevent the snowflake from unravelling.
- To create a loop to hang the ornament from, weave the yarn up through one of the spokes of the snowflake. Do the same with the other end as well and then tie the two pieces into a knot to form a loop.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Finishing the Snowflake

1
Soak your snowflake in water. If you want your snowflake to hold its form, then you will need to use water or water and glue to get this effect. Start by soaking your snowflake in water or in a 50/50 mixture of white glue and water for an even stiffer snowflake.^{[14]
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Research source} Allow the snowflake to become fully saturated, then remove it from the water or water/glue solution. Gently squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Fabric stiffener (available from crafts stores) is a perfect alternative to water for this purpose.^{[15]
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2
Stretch and pin the edges of your snowflake to cardboard.^{[16]
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Research source} After soaking the snowflake, place it on the piece of cardboard and start stretching it out. To do this, pull on the outer edges and pin each of the snowflake's outer points to the cardboard.
- You will probably need to place the pins at an angle to ensure a tight hold.
You can add glitter if you want your snowflake to be sparkly, or leave it glitter-free for a more vintage look.^{[17]
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Research source} If you want to apply glitter, apply it while the snowflake is still wet. You can simply sprinkle some glitter over the top of your snowflake.
Allow your snowflake to dry overnight, or at least for a couple of hours before you hang it up. Once the snowflake is completely dry, hang it on your tree, on the wall, from the ceiling, or wherever you want to display it.

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Once you get the hang of snowflakes, you can make quite a few in a short amount of time. This is very helpful if you want to decorate your tree with a homemade theme.^{[18]
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Crochet snowflakes are perfect as a seasonal gift. Because they can be made in sequence, you can make a number and distribute them to your friends and family.

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