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!

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!