This little snowman is a classic tree ornament. He is crocheted in one piece from the bottom up, stuffed, then dressed in a red scarf with fringe and a black top hat. His face and buttons are dots of puffy fabric paint, so there is nothing tiny to sew on. The pattern comes from the Crouton Crafts YouTube channel, which walks through every round on camera.
Crochet snowman ornament: what you are making
The body is two balls made in one go. You increase out for the lower ball, decrease in to a six stitch neck, then increase again for a smaller head. All of it is single crochet worked in the round. If those words are new, start with how to crochet a magic ring and how to crochet in the round. The only other skill is the single crochet decrease, covered in how to decrease in crochet.
Yarn weight and hook size
The video uses Caron Simply Soft Party, a worsted weight (4) acrylic with a thin metallic thread that sparkles under tree lights. Any worsted white works. A plain white, a cream or an off-white from your stash all make a fine snowman. You also need small amounts of red for the scarf and black for the hat.
The hook is a size H, 5 mm. Amigurumi wants tight stitches so the stuffing does not show, so if your fabric looks loose, drop to a 4.5 or 4 mm hook.
Finished size, time and yarn
He stands about 3 1/2 to 4 inches tall with his hat on. The creator makes one in about half an hour. A beginner should plan on an hour or two, plus drying time for the paint. Each snowman takes only a few yards of each color, so one skein of white makes a dozen or more.
Adding a hanging loop
Thread a 6 inch piece of gold cord or ribbon on a yarn needle. Pass it through the top of the hat and down into the head, back up, and tie the ends in a knot. Sew it on before you paint so you are not handling wet dots.
Puffy paint, drying and safety
Paint dots are a safer choice than plastic safety eyes or buttons if small grandchildren will handle the ornament, since there is nothing to pull off. The first coat soaks into the yarn, so dot it small, let it dry, then add a second, bigger dot. Let the finished face dry flat overnight before you hang him.
Gift ideas and variations
- Gift toppers. Tie one to a wrapped present in place of a bow.
- Garland. String several on a red cord across a mantel.
- A set. Box three with different scarf colors. Our Christmas ornaments guide has more to pair with them.
- Colors. Try a green, blue or plaid scarf, or a red hat.
- A smaller snowman. Use DK or sport yarn and a 3.5 mm hook.
Troubleshooting
- Gaps between stitches. Go down a hook size and pull each stitch snug.
- Stuffing showing. Use less, pushed in small pieces, and keep it off your hook on the last round. See how to stuff amigurumi for more tips.
- Lopsided shape. Recount each round. One missed increase shows.
- A hat brim that curls up. Work round 7 in the front loops only, and keep the brim rounds a little loose.
