The Frosted Lily Snowflake is a lacy hexagon ornament worked in fine cream cotton thread. It has a six-petal flower in the center and twin chain lines that run outward like spokes. A small fan opens into each of the six corners. A row of tiny picots trims the edge, and a sturdy covered loop at the top lets it hang straight on the tree.
The ornament uses only one color, a soft ecru or cream, so it looks like vintage lace or fresh frost. Light shows through the open spaces whether it hangs on a tree, a gift, or a window.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished ornament measures about 5 in (12.7 cm) from point to point and about 4.4 in (11.2 cm) from one flat side to the opposite side. The hanging loop adds about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) above the top point.
The ornament is one piece, worked in the round from the center out with no turning:
– Rounds 1–2 make the flower.
– Rounds 3–6 build the eyelets, chain lattice, spokes and corner fans.
– Round 7 forms the straight hexagon edge.
– Round 8 adds the picot border.
The hanging loop comes last, and a light starch blocking sets the shape.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: about 5 in (12.7 cm) point to point; about 4.4 in (11.2 cm) flat side to flat side
- Skill level: Intermediate (fine thread, clusters, chain spaces)
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Size 10 crochet cotton thread (Lace / 0)
- Hook: 1.75 mm steel hook (US steel 6)
- Number of pieces: 1 single motif
- Layout: One hexagon, hung from one corner
- Piece size before border (after Round 7): about 4.75 in (12.1 cm) point to point; about 4.1 in (10.4 cm) flat to flat
- Side length after border: about 2.4 in (6.1 cm)
- Border depth: one picot round, about 1/8 in (0.3 cm)
Materials
Thread: Use a mercerized size 10 cotton crochet thread. It has a slight sheen, clear stitch definition, and it holds starch well. Avoid fuzzy or acrylic thread, which blurs the lace and won’t block crisply.
- Cream / ecru (one color only): about 8 g, about 26 m (28 yd)
This amount includes a margin of about 25% for a test piece, weaving in ends, and one ripped-out round.
Tools:
- 1.75 mm steel crochet hook (US steel 6)
- Fine tapestry needle or a sewing needle with a large eye
- Small sharp scissors
- Rustproof pins
- Foam blocking board, or a folded towel covered with plastic wrap
- Fabric stiffener, liquid starch, or sugar-water stiffener
- Ruler or tape measure with inches and cm
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- rep – repeat
- beg – beginning
Special stitches:
- Petal: All worked in one sc: ch 3, then [yarn over twice, insert hook in same st, pull up a loop, (yarn over, pull through 2 loops) twice] 3 times, yarn over and pull through all 4 loops on hook, ch 3, sl st in same st. This makes one pointed, puffy petal.
- Picot: Ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook.
- Large picot: Ch 4, sl st in 4th ch from hook.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge isn’t critical for an ornament, but it sets the size and decides whether the lace lies flat. Make one complete ornament first, and check it at each stage below before you make more.
Base gauge: Rounds 1–3 = about 1.6 in (4.1 cm) across, measured petal tip to petal tip.
Edge gauge: In Round 7, about 13 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm). One side of 31 sc = about 2.4 in (6.1 cm).
Checkpoints (unblocked, laid flat and lightly smoothed):
- After Round 2: flower about 1 in (2.5 cm) across
- After Round 3: about 1.6 in (4.1 cm) across
- After Round 5: about 3 in (7.6 cm) across the fans
- After Round 6: about 4.5 in (11.4 cm) point to point
- After Round 7: about 4.75 in (12.1 cm) point to point; 4.1 in (10.4 cm) flat to flat
- After Round 8 and blocking: about 5 in (12.7 cm) point to point; 4.4 in (11.2 cm) flat to flat
Being off by up to 1/4 in (0.6 cm) is fine.
– Too big by more than that: try a 1.5 mm hook (US steel 8).
– Too small, or the center cups: try a 2.0 mm hook (US steel 4).
– Center ruffles: your chains are probably looser than your stitches, so chain more firmly.
Pattern
Work with the right side facing you throughout. Don’t turn between rounds.
Round 1 (center ring)
Make a magic ring. Ch 1, then work 12 sc into the ring. Pull the ring closed and join with sl st to the first sc.
Count: 12 sc.
Round 2 (flower)
*Sl st in next sc, Petal in next sc; rep from * 5 more times. Join with sl st to the first sl st.
Count: 6 petals and 6 sl sts. The flower should lie flat, with all six petals pointing straight out.
Round 3 (petal ring)
Sl st up the beg ch-3 of the first petal to the top of its cluster. Ch 1, sc in the top of the same cluster, ch 8. *Sc in the top of the next petal cluster, ch 8; rep from * 4 more times. Join with sl st to the first sc.
Count: 6 sc (one at each petal tip) and 6 ch-8 sps.
Checkpoint: about 1.6 in (4.1 cm) across.
Round 4 (eyelets and inner lattice)
Sl st into the first ch-8 sp. Ch 1, then (sc, ch 3, sc) in the same sp to make the first eyelet. Ch 7, sc in the next sc (the spoke sc at a petal tip), ch 7. *(Sc, ch 3, sc) in the next ch-8 sp, ch 7, sc in the next sc, ch 7; rep from * 4 more times. Join with sl st to the first sc.
Count: 6 eyelets (ch-3 sps), 6 spoke sc, and 12 ch-7 sps. Each repeat has 3 sc and 17 ch, so the round has 18 sc and 102 ch.
The eyelets sit between the petals and will become the corners. The spoke sc sit at the petal tips and will become the middle of each side.
Round 5 (small fans and twin chains)
Sl st into the first ch-3 eyelet. Ch 3 (counts as dc), then 8 dc in the same eyelet. Ch 6, sc in the next spoke sc of Round 4, ch 6. *9 dc in the next eyelet, ch 6, sc in the next spoke sc, ch 6; rep from * 4 more times. Join with sl st to the top of the beg ch-3.
Count: 6 fans of 9 dc (54 dc), 6 sc, and 12 ch-6 sps. The ch-6 sps lie just outside the Round 4 ch-7 sps, which makes the twin chain lines.
Checkpoint: about 3 in (7.6 cm) across the fans.
Round 6 (corner fans and spokes)
Ch 5 (counts as tr and ch 1). [Tr in next dc, ch 1] 7 times, then tr in the last dc of the fan. This finishes the first open fan of 9 tr and 8 ch-1 sps. Ch 6, then (sc, ch 10, sc) in the next sc to make a spoke loop. Ch 6.
*[Tr in next dc, ch 1] 8 times, tr in next dc, ch 6, (sc, ch 10, sc) in next sc, ch 6; rep from * 4 more times. Join with sl st to the 4th ch of the beg ch-5.
Count: 6 open fans (54 tr, 48 ch-1 sps), 6 spoke loops (ch-10), 12 sc, and 12 ch-6 sps.
Ease each fan toward a corner and each spoke loop toward the middle of a side.
Checkpoint: about 4.5 in (11.4 cm) point to point.
Round 7 (hexagon edge)
First repeat:
1. Ch 1. Over the first fan: sc in the same tr as the join, sc in next ch-1 sp, then [sc in next tr, sc in next ch-1 sp] 3 times. That’s 8 sc.
2. In the center tr, which is the corner, work (sc, ch 2, sc).
3. [Sc in next ch-1 sp, sc in next tr] 4 times. That’s 8 more sc.
4. Work 6 sc in the next ch-6 sp.
5. Skip the sc. Sc in the tip of the spoke loop, putting the hook under the 5th and 6th ch of the ch-10.
6. Skip the sc. Work 6 sc in the next ch-6 sp.
Remaining repeats: *[Sc in next tr, sc in next ch-1 sp] 4 times, (sc, ch 2, sc) in next tr, [sc in next ch-1 sp, sc in next tr] 4 times, 6 sc in next ch-6 sp, sc in tip of spoke loop, 6 sc in next ch-6 sp; rep from * 4 more times. Join with sl st to the first sc.
Stitch math: Counting one side from corner to corner:
1 corner sc + 8 fan sc + 6 sc + 1 spoke-tip sc + 6 sc + 8 fan sc + 1 corner sc = 31 sc per side, including that side’s 2 corner sc.
Neighboring sides don’t share a corner sc, because the ch-2 sp sits between them.
Round total: 6 × 31 = 186 sc and 6 corner ch-2 sps. To check another way:
– Each fan holds 8 + 2 + 8 = 18 sc, so the six fans give 108 sc.
– Each side middle holds 6 + 1 + 6 = 13 sc, so the six side middles give 78 sc.
– 108 + 78 = 186.
Checkpoint: about 4.75 in (12.1 cm) point to point and 4.1 in (10.4 cm) flat to flat. The sides should be straight, not wavy and not pulled in.
Border
Border gauge: One picot after every 3 sc. The picots add about 1/8 in (0.3 cm) to each flat side, and the large corner picots add a little more at the points.
Round 7 was joined at the 2nd sc of a side, which is the first fan sc after the corner sc. To keep track, number the sc on each side 1 to 31, corner to corner. The picots go after sc 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25 and 28.
Round 8 (picot edge)
- Ch 1. Sc in the same sc as the join and in the next 2 sc (positions 2–4), then Picot.
- [Sc in next 3 sc, Picot] 8 times.
- Sc in the next 3 sc (positions 29–31).
- (Sc, Large picot, sc) in the corner ch-2 sp.
- *Sc in next sc (position 1), [sc in next 3 sc, Picot] 9 times, sc in next 3 sc, then (sc, Large picot, sc) in the corner ch-2 sp; rep from * 4 more times.
- Sc in the next sc (position 1 of the first side). Join with sl st to the first sc and fasten off.
Count per side: 31 sc worked 1 per existing st, plus 9 picots, plus 1 sc from each corner sp. That’s 33 sc per side, counting the 2 corner-sp sc.
Round total: (186 sc worked 1 per st) + (12 corner sc added) = 198 sc, 54 picots, and 6 large picots.
Why the math works: Set aside sc 1 on each side. The other 30 sc split evenly into 10 groups of 3, so 9 picots fit between the groups. The middle picot comes after sc 16, the spoke-tip sc, so the edge is the same reading from either corner. A large picot marks each of the six points.
Hanging loop
Join the thread with sl st in any Large picot. Ch 36, then sl st in the same Large picot to make a loop. Work 40 sc over the ch-36 loop and sl st in the Large picot. Fasten off.
The covered loop stands about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) above the point. Weave in all ends along the back of the Round 7 sc, splitting the thread so the ends stay hidden.
Final Blocking
- Mix the stiffener as the label directs. For a crisp ornament, use it full strength.
- Soak the ornament through, then squeeze out the extra. Don’t wring it.
- Roll it in a towel until it’s damp but not dripping.
- Lay it face up on the board. Pin the six large picots first, with opposite points 5 in (12.7 cm) apart.
- Pin each spoke-tip middle so that opposite flat sides are 4.4 in (11.2 cm) apart.
- Spread each fan so its ch-1 sps are even and the tr lean out into the corner.
- Straighten the twin chain lines and round out the eyelets.
- Pinch each small picot into a point.
- Center the flower and press the petals flat.
- Let it dry completely, usually 12–24 hours, before you take out the pins.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- [ ] Six even petals, each pointing to the middle of a side
- [ ] Six round eyelets between the petals
- [ ] Twin chain lines with no twisted or missed chains
- [ ] Six open fans of 9 tr, each centered on a corner
- [ ] Six spoke loops caught exactly at the side middles
- [ ] 31 sc per side in Round 7 and 9 picots per side in Round 8
- [ ] Six large corner picots that stand out clearly
- [ ] About 5 in (12.7 cm) point to point and 4.4 in (11.2 cm) flat to flat
- [ ] Hanging loop firmly attached at a corner, and the ornament hangs straight
- [ ] All ends woven in and invisible from the front
Troubleshooting
Petals curl or cup. The ch-3s in Round 2 are too tight. Chain more loosely, or use a 2.0 mm hook (US steel 4) for the flower only.
Center ruffles after Round 4. Your chains are loose. Chain more firmly, or try ch 6 instead of ch 7.
Fans won’t open. Check that you have ch 1 between every tr in Round 6, then pin the fans wider when blocking.
Sides bow inward. Either the spoke loops are too short or the Round 7 sc are too tight. Check that each loop is ch 10, and work the sc in the ch-6 sps more loosely.
Sides are wavy. There are too many sc. Count 31 per side and take out any extras.
Ornament hangs crooked. Re-center the loop on one Large picot, right at the corner.
Care
Hand wash gently in cool water with a mild soap, then stiffen and block it again. Store it flat between sheets of tissue paper so the points and picots stay crisp.
Final Notes
Here are the target sizes, stage by stage:
– The flower and petal ring measure 1.6 in (4.1 cm).
– The fans reach 3 in (7.6 cm).
– The open fans and spokes reach 4.5 in (11.4 cm).
– The straight edge of 31 sc per side brings it to 4.75 in (12.1 cm).
– The picot border and blocking finish it at 5 in (12.7 cm) point to point and 4.4 in (11.2 cm) flat to flat.
If your first ornament hits these checkpoints, every one after it will match.
Happy crocheting!