How to Knit a Little Snowman
Complete Size - 4.5cm width x 6cm height
What you will need...
Total time - 1 Hour 5 Minutes Each Knitted Snowman
3.25mm knitting needles (UK 10, US 3)
Double knitting yarn - White, brown, sparkly silver and blue.
Sewing up needle
Scissors
Optional pin badge or plain hairband to sew onto the back of your knitted snowman.
Before You Start...
Abbreviations
K = Knit P = Purl St = Stitch Sts = Stitches
Cast On - I use the thumb method.
St-st = stocking stitch. Alternating a row of knit stitches (right side), with a row of purl stitches (wrong side).
G-st = Garter stitch. Every row knit (no purl stitches).
K2tog = Decrease by knitting two stitches together, making one stitch from two.
Inc = Increase - by knitting into the front and the back of the same stitch, to make two stitches out of one.
Cast off - K wise or P wise according to pattern. US - bind off.
B&t tightly - Break off yarn and thread yarn through the remaining stitches on needle, pull up tightly and fasten off.
TOP TIP
Stitching on facial features before sewing up to complete the snowman, allows better hiding of yarn ends and a neater finish.
How to Make it...
Made from two knitted main piece, and a knitted scarf. All pieces are sewn together with added stitching for the facial features and buttons. Optional pin badge, hairband or finger-knitted loop to be sewn on your finished piece, to allow it to be used as an accessory.
Main Piece
Make 2
Time - 15 Minutes Each Piece
Piece Size 3 cm x 6 cm
Needles 3.25 mm
Yarn White
Cast on 5sts
P 1 Row
K 1, Inc Kwise, K 1, inc Kwise, K 1 (7sts)
P 1 row
K 1, Inc Kwise, K 1, inc Kwise, K 1, inc Kwise, K 1 (10sts)
Beginning with a P row st-st 3 rows
K 1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K 1, K2tog, K1 (7sts)
P 1 row
K 1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K 1 (5sts)
Beginning with a P row, st-st 3 further rows to form neck.
Continue to shape head
K 1, Inc Kwise, K 1, inc Kwise, K 1 (7sts)
Beginning with a P row st-st 3 rows
Break off yarn and join on colour for hat (using two strands of yarn together for a thicker cosy hat)
G-st 2 rows
Beginning with a K row, st-st 2 rows
K 1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K 1 (5sts)
P 1 row
B&t tightly
Scarf
Make 1
Time - 5 Minutes Each
Piece Size 7.5 cm x 1 cm
Needles 3.25 mm
Yarn Blue
Cast on 20sts
K 1 row
Cast off K wise.
Piece it Together...
Stitching of buttons and facial features - Total of 15 Minutes
Sewing-up time - Total of 15 Minutes
Facial Features
Using dark brown yarn, stitch on eyes and mouth.
Using sparkly silver yarn, stitch on two or three buttons to the tummy of the snowman, ensuring you leave a clear area on the neck to allow placement for the scarf.
Fasten off and then trim off all loose ends so that none of the yarn colour will show through the completed snowman.
Sewing Up
Main Piece - With right side of stocking-stitch on the outside, sew across one set of row ends and cast-on edge, leaving one side of row ends open, as shown in picture, to allow for stuffing. Stuff lightly and then close gap in the seam.
Scarf - Pin and sew the scarf into place around the neck of the completed snowman body. One (rear) end of the scarf should catch onto the back of the scarf just next to the neck, as shown in the picture, leaving a long free end to dangle.
Either fasten off all loose ends, or leave a length centrally at the back of the snowman to be able to sew on the hairband or pin badge if desired.
Ensure all pins are removed when complete.
Making a Hairband
Sew the hairband so that it lies horizontally across the back of the snowman. This will allow the snowman to rest in the upright position in the hair. A white hairband may be more in keeping with the snow theme!
Oversew the band several times to give it strength and longevity.
Make it Different...
Makes a lovely little hair accessory, but also great as a tree decoration. You may also choose to make one main piece, and sew this single piece (with completed features) on to the front of a stocking or cushion to make all sorts of things a little more festive!
If choosing to make a snowman single piece as above, you may wish to use larger needles to make him a bit bigger without adding any extra time. For example, using 4mm needles made my main piece size 3.5 x 7cm, scarf piece size 8cm, total 5cm x 7cm. If making this larger snowman, I recommend making his hat thicker by knitting using two strands of yarn together for the hat.
Experiment with some different facial features or buttons. Perhaps a sewn on carrot, or some extra buttons. Choose your colour scheme too, varying the hat and scarf, or even try alternating the rows in two yarn colours to make some stripes.
Complete the collection by adding in a santa, reindeer or angel!
Behind the Scenes!
These patterns are all made up as I go along, learning from mistakes along the way. Every time I create a new pattern, I record it in the Updates part of this site (effectively my blog…) There is a story behind each creation, and this can help give you some more ideas and encouragement.
All done?
Feel free to share your successes or any other tips or suggestions by contacting me. If it's all gone swimmingly and you're ready for your next challenge, have a look at what to try next!