The Berry Frost Snowflake is a small, lacy Christmas ornament built around a puff-stitch flower. Six raised magenta petals sit around a lilac center. An open star frame of magenta chains reaches out to six points, and each point ends in a soft lilac shell fan.
It uses two colors, deep magenta and pale lilac, which gives a sweet, sugared-berry look that stands out against green branches and warm tree lights. The style is light and airy rather than solid. You can see through the frame, so the ornament looks delicate even when made in sturdy cotton.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished ornament measures 4 in (10.2 cm) from fan tip to opposite fan tip. The hanging loop adds about 1.25 in (3.2 cm), for a total hanging length of about 5.25 in (13.3 cm).
Construction is simple. You work a lilac center ring, a round of magenta puff petals, a round of lilac picot loops, and one round of magenta chain spokes that forms the star points. Then you add lilac shell fans to the tips one point at a time and finish with a magenta hanging loop. It is one piece with no sewing.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 4 in (10.2 cm) point to point, excluding the hanging loop
- Hanging loop: 1.25 in (3.2 cm) tall
- Skill level: Easy+ (puff stitches and chain spaces)
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK / light (#3), cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 1
- Layout: single six-pointed snowflake worked in the round
- Piece size before fans: 3.25 in (8.3 cm) from tip ring to opposite tip ring
- Fan edging depth: 0.375 in (1.0 cm) per point, adding 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across the full width
Materials
Yarn: Use a smooth DK-weight cotton or cotton blend. Cotton holds the star points crisply and shows the puff petals clearly. Avoid fuzzy yarns, which blur the open chain frame.
- Color A – Magenta: 6 g, about 14 m (15 yd)
- Color B – Lilac: 4 g, about 9 m (10 yd)
These amounts are for one ornament and include a safety margin for joins, a test swatch, and weaving in ends.
Tools:
– 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– Stitch marker
– Blocking mat or folded towel and rust-proof pins
– Spray starch or a fabric stiffener (optional)
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- MR – magic ring
- rep – repeat
Special stitch – Puff stitch (puff): (Yarn over, insert hook in the stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop to about 0.375 in / 1.0 cm) 4 times. You now have 9 loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull through all 9 loops, then ch 1 to close. The closing ch 1 is part of the puff and is not counted as a separate stitch.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Exact gauge isn’t critical for an ornament, but size and shape depend on it. Make one ornament first and check it at each stage below.
- After Round 1: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across
- After Round 2: 1.75 in (4.4 cm) across the puff flower
- After Round 3: 2 in (5.1 cm) across, measured over the lilac picot loops
- After Round 4: 3.25 in (8.3 cm) from tip ring to opposite tip ring
- After fans: 4 in (10.2 cm) from fan tip to opposite fan tip
If your piece is too big: go down to a 3.25 mm (D-3) hook, or pull up the puff loops a little shorter.
If your piece is too small: go up to a 3.75 mm (F-5) hook. If only the star looks cramped, check that you are making the full chain counts in Round 4.
If the flower cups: the ch-2 spaces in Round 3 are too tight. Chain more loosely.
If the flower ruffles: your puffs are too tall. Pull the loops up shorter.
Pattern
Round 1 – Center (Color B, Lilac)
Make a MR with Color B. Ch 1 (does not count as a st), then work 12 sc into the ring. Pull the ring closed tightly. Sl st to the first sc to join.
Stitch count: 12 sc.
Fasten off Color B, leaving a 4 in (10.2 cm) tail.
Checkpoint: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across.
Round 2 – Puff Petals (Color A, Magenta)
Join Color A with a sl st in any sc. Ch 2 (does not count as a st).
Puff in the same or next sc as set, ch 2, skip next sc. Work the first puff in the joining sc, then rep from * 5 more times, working each puff into the next unused sc after the skipped one.
Sl st to the top of the first puff to join.
Stitch count: 6 puffs and 6 ch-2 sps.
Check: 6 puffs × 2 sc used each (1 worked into, 1 skipped) = 12 sc, which matches Round 1.
Fasten off Color A.
Checkpoint: 1.75 in (4.4 cm) across. The petals should lie flat and look rounded.
Round 3 – Picot Loops (Color B, Lilac)
Join Color B with a sc in any ch-2 sp. Ch 3, then sc in the same ch-2 sp. This makes the first picot group.
Ch 2 (this passes over the top of the next puff), (sc, ch 3, sc) in the next ch-2 sp. Rep from * 4 more times.
Ch 2, then sl st to the first sc to join.
Stitch count: 12 sc, 6 ch-3 loops, and 6 ch-2 sps.
The 6 ch-3 loops are the small lilac points that sit between the petals. The ch-2 spans should rest across the top of each puff and frame it without pulling.
Fasten off Color B.
Checkpoint: 2 in (5.1 cm) across over the picot loops.
Round 4 – Star Frame (Color A, Magenta)
This round makes the open magenta frame. Each point sits directly above a petal, between two lilac picot loops.
Join Color A with a sc in any ch-3 loop.
Ch 9, then sl st in the 5th ch from the hook. This makes the tip ring. Ch 4, then sc in the next ch-3 loop. Rep from * 4 more times.
For the last repeat: ch 9, sl st in the 5th ch from the hook, ch 4, then sl st to the first sc to join. Do not work a new sc.
How each point is built:
– 4 ch outward leg (chs 1–4 of the ch 9)
– 1 base ch, where the sl st goes (ch 5)
– 4 ch tip ring (chs 6–9)
– 4 ch return leg
– 1 sc in the next lilac loop (the first sc on the final repeat)
Stitch count: 6 sc, 6 sl sts, and 78 ch (13 ch per point × 6 points). That gives 6 tip rings and 12 legs.
The legs from neighboring points meet at each lilac loop, so the outline zigzags between the inner lilac loops and the outer tip rings. This is what forms the six-pointed star.
Do not fasten off yet if you want to adjust tension. Lay the piece flat first. Each tip ring should sit straight out from the center of a petal. When the points look even, fasten off Color A.
Checkpoint: 3.25 in (8.3 cm) from tip ring to opposite tip ring.
Border: Lilac Shell Fans
The fans make the edging. They are worked into the 6 tip rings, one point at a time, so the lilac yarn never crosses the magenta legs.
Border gauge: 7 dc in a 4-ch tip ring makes a fan about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) wide and 0.375 in (1.0 cm) deep.
Fan (Color B, Lilac) – make 6
Join Color B with a sl st in a tip ring. Ch 3 (counts as the first dc). Work 6 dc in the same ring.
Stitch count: 7 dc per point (beginning ch-3 + 6 dc).
Sl st into the tip ring at the base of the last dc to anchor it. Fasten off, leaving a 4 in (10.2 cm) tail.
Repeat on all 6 tip rings.
Total for the border: 6 points × 7 dc = 42 dc.
Why the math works: A 4-ch ring has about half its circumference facing outward once the legs pull on it. Seven dc fill that outer half in a smooth half-circle fan. Fewer stitches leave a gap, and more stitches make the fan ruffle. The fan adds 0.375 in (1.0 cm) at each end of the piece:
3.25 in + 0.375 in + 0.375 in = 4 in (8.3 cm → 10.2 cm overall)
That matches the target finished size.
Hanging Loop (Color A, Magenta)
Choose the top point. Join Color A with a sl st in the center (4th) dc of that fan. Ch 12, then sl st again in the same dc. Fasten off and weave the tail back through the chains for strength.
Stitch count: 12 ch. The loop stands 1.25 in (3.2 cm) tall.
Finishing ends: Weave each lilac fan tail into the back of its own fan, and weave the magenta tails into the chain legs. Sew through the yarn plies so the ends don’t slip out. You will have 12 fan tails, 4 round tails, and 1 loop tail.
Final Blocking
- Lightly dampen the ornament with water, or mist it with spray starch.
- Lay it face up on a blocking mat or folded towel.
- Pin the center at the lilac ring.
- Pin each fan tip outward so all six points are 2 in (5.1 cm) from the center. The full width should be 4 in (10.2 cm).
- Space the points 60 degrees apart. Opposite points should line up straight through the center.
- Pin each lilac picot loop slightly toward the center so the zigzag of the star stays sharp.
- Gently shape each fan into a smooth half-circle with your fingers.
- Plump the puff petals from the front so they stay raised.
- Let it dry completely, usually 4–6 hours. Use fabric stiffener if you want a very firm ornament.
- Unpin and hang it by the loop to check that it hangs straight.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Round 1 has 12 sc and the center hole is closed.
- There are 6 even puff petals with no gaps between them.
- There are 6 lilac ch-3 picot loops, one between each pair of petals.
- There are 6 star points, each with a 4-ch tip ring.
- All 12 legs have exactly 4 ch.
- Each fan has 7 dc.
- The ornament measures 4 in (10.2 cm) point to point.
- The hanging loop is 1.25 in (3.2 cm) and is centered on the top fan.
- All ends are woven in securely and invisible from the front.
- The ornament hangs straight without tilting.
Troubleshooting
Puffs look loose or gappy: Pull every loop up to the same height. Make sure you yarn over and pull through all 9 loops at once, then close with a firm ch 1.
The flower cups into a bowl: The Round 3 ch-2 spans are too tight. Redo the round with looser chains, or change those spans to ch 3.
The star points are uneven: Recount the legs. One leg with 3 or 5 ch will make that point lean. Also check that each sc in Round 4 went into a ch-3 loop and not into a ch-2 span.
A fan ruffles: Your dc are too loose, or you worked 8 dc. Work exactly 7 dc and keep them snug.
A fan leaves a gap at the ring: Work the dc into the ring itself, not into individual chains, so they fan evenly.
The ornament tilts when hung: The loop is off-center. Move it to the 4th dc of the top fan, the middle stitch.
Tails show on the front: Weave them along the back of the stitches in the same color, then trim.
Care
Hand wash in cool water and lay flat to dry, re-pinning the points if needed. Store flat or hanging so the points and fans keep their shape.
Final Notes
The size of this ornament is built up in a simple measurement chain. The 12-sc lilac center is 0.75 in (1.9 cm). The six puff petals bring it to 1.75 in (4.4 cm), and the lilac picot round brings it to 2 in (5.1 cm). The magenta star frame reaches 3.25 in (8.3 cm), and the seven-dc lilac fans finish it at 4 in (10.2 cm) point to point. A 1.25 in (3.2 cm) loop on top makes it ready for the tree. If each checkpoint matches, the finished ornament will match too.
Happy crocheting!