Here’s a free, quick and easy mini snowman knitting pattern. 4 inches tall, they look super cute hanging on your tree or sitting on a shelf.
This pattern is also available for straight needles, knit as a flat piece and seamed at the back.
You only need small amounts of yarn, so this is a perfect project for using up scraps of leftover wool or cotton.
Table of Contents
What you Need
- 3mm (size 2.5 US) long circular needle (magic loop technique) or a set of DPNs
- Sport or DK weight yarn:
- Snowman & hanging loop: 30m / 33 yds / 12g approx of white
- Hat & scarf: 8m / 9 yds / 3g approx
- A scrap of orange for the carrot nose
- Black for the face & coal buttons (4 ply yarn or embroidery floss works well too)
- Polyester toy stuffing or you could stuff with wool etc if you prefer.
- Tapestry needle for embroidery, assembly & weaving in ends.
- A few pins for marking where you want the eyes and buttons (optional)
I knit my snowman with Ricorumi DK cotton in white, black, red (shade 28) and grass green (shade 44). I used a scrap of acrylic for the carrot nose instead because none of the Ricorumi oranges seemed quite right.
Knit a Snowman with Any Yarn
Tension is not important here so you can use any weight yarn. Your snowman will just be a bit bigger if you use thicker yarn and smaller with finer yarn. I suggest using a needle 1-2 sizes smaller than the size recommended on the ball band for a nice neat finish.
Finished snowman size with sport yarn or DK cotton: 4 inches (10 cm) tall approx
- For a bigger more chunky snowman: try worsted or aran yarn with size 4mm needle.
- For a smaller more delicate snowman: try 4 ply or fingering yarn with a size 2.5 needle.
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Abbreviations
- Rx – row/round number x
- kx – knit x stitches
- px – purl x stitches
- k2tog – knit 2 stitches together to decrease by 1 stitch
- m1 – make 1 stitch (increase a stitch) using your preferred increase method
I used right lifted increases: Put your right needle into the right side of the loop below the next stitch from right to left, lift it up and place it on the left needle. Knit this as usual to add an extra stitch. - sl1 – slip 1 stitch as if to purl, with the yarn in front
- st – stitches
Mini Snowman Knitting Pattern
Knit a snowman decoration (free standing or hanging)
Step 1: Knit a Round Shape
With white yarn, knit a round shape for the bottom of the snowman:
Cast on 6 stitches using the long tail cast on (guide + video) or your preferred method. Split the stitches on either a circular needle or a set of short DPNs to work in the round.
R1 and all odd rows: knit all stitches (no increases or decreases)
R2: (m1, k1) x 6 [12 st]
R4: (k1, m1, k1) x 6 [18 st]
R6: (k2, m1, k1) x 6 [24 st]
R8: (k3, m1, k1) x 6 [30 st]
R10: (k4, m1, k1) x 6 [36 st]
Step 2: Make the Snowman Body
R11-21: Knit 11 rounds even (36 st in every round).
Now decrease to round the top of the snowman body until the neck:
R22: (k4, k2tog) x 6 [30 st]
R24: (k3, k2tog) x 6 [24 st]
R26: (k2, k2tog) x 6 [18 st]
After round 27, thread a needle with the cast on tail and bring it through the loop of each of the 6 cast on stitches to gather them and close the hole at the bottom of the body. With the tail hidden inside the body, stuff the body well.
If you will mainly be hanging the snowman on the tree, make the body a nice round ball shape.
If you want a freestanding snowman, focus on making the bottom wider and a bit flat and test that the body stays upright on its own.
R28: (k1, k2tog) x 6 [12 st]
Step 3: Make the Snowman Head
Increase up from the neck:
R30: (k1, m1 , k1) x 6 [18 st]
R32: (k2, m1, k1) x 6 [24 st]
R33-37: Knit 5 rounds even (24 st in each round)
Decrease to the top of the head:
R38: (k2, k2tog) x 6 [18 st]
R39: knit & then stuff the top of the body a little more if needed and stuff the head well to give a nice round shape.
R40: (k1, k2tog) x 6 [12 st]
R41: knit & then stuff the head a little more
R42: k2tog x 6 [ 6 st]
R43: knit & add a final bit of stuffing if needed.
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail. Thread a needle & bring it through the 6 remaining stitches to gather them and close the top of the head, weaving the end inside.
Step 4: Embroider the Buttons
When embroidering the buttons take your needle through from either the back or the bottom of the snowman each time, so your buttons are secure and you don’t see black thread running under the white.
Use pins to mark the top button 5 rounds down from the neck approx. Then mark a 2nd button 4 rounds below and the last button another 4 rounds down.
Once you’re happy with the placement, thread your needle and push it up through the bottom of the snowman coming out at the bottom button spot, leaving a long tail. Make a french knot by wrapping the thread tightly around the needle three times and putting your needle back down through either the same spot or just 1 horizontal bar up or down (if you stretch your knitting you can see little bars behind the stitches), coming out again at the bottom or out the back, wherever suits.
If your french knot looks a bit loose or lumpy, that just makes it look more realistic like a lump of coal! But you can pull it out a bit and tighten the knot up for a neater look if you like. Carefully tug both thread ends to flatten the button on the snowman but leave both thread ends for now in case you need to make more adjustments.
Using a new length of thread for each, make the 2 other buttons exactly the same way, coming through from the back of the snowman.
Once you’re happy with how the 3 buttons look, closely trim all the ends and then squish the snowman’s body a bit to hide them inside.
Step 5: Embroider the Face
When embroidering the face take your needle through from either the back of the head or somewhere around the neck each time, so your stitches stay secure and you don’t see black thread running under the snowman’s face.
Position the eyes 6 rounds down from the very top of the head, about 4 stitches apart. Try out placement by using a pin for each eye until you’re happy.
Take your needle through leaving a long tail, coming out at the 1st eye point. Make a french knot for the eye, by wrapping the thread tightly around the needle twice and putting your needle back down through the same spot or just 1 horizontal bar up or down (if you stretch your knitting you can see little bars behind the stitches), coming out down at the neck or at the back.
You can also watch 2 mins of my friendly ghost pattern video tutorial from this 15:52 timestamp to see how to make french knot eyes and also a smile. It’s a crochet pattern but embroidering knitting is the same.
You may also need to pull out the french knot a bit to tighten the knot up so it makes a neat eye.
Then gently tug the 2 thread ends so the eye sits nicely on the face. Leave both long thread ends for now.
Thread your needle again and make the 2nd french knot eye 3-4 stitches away in exactly the same way.
To make the smile, thread your needle again and bring your needle up 3 rounds below the left eye and put it down 3 rounds below the right eye , leaving the long stitch loose and pulling it down to make a smile shape.
Take a good look at the face and make sure you’re happy with it. You can gently tug the eye thread ends to make any final adjustments, or it’s best to just redo an eye or the smile if you’re not fully happy. Once all looks good, trim all thread ends close and then squish the snowman’s head to hide them inside.
Step 6: Add the Carrot Nose
Leaving a long tail, cast on 2 stitches using the basic knitted or cable cast on.
Just cast off these 2 stitches straight away in the usual way, knitting the 2 stitches and passing the 1st stitch over the 2nd. Leave a long tail.
Holding the 2 tails together, pinching the other end of your knitted scrap gives you a carrot shape (sort of!) with the tails at the wider bottom of the carrot.
Use the 2 tails to stitch the nose to the middle of the face, 1-2 rounds below the eyes. If needed, add a stitch or 2 through any loose loops hanging out the bottom etc to neaten them up and squeeze the end so it looks pointy. The nose stays flexible, so you can get different looks by pointing it straight out, or tilting it down or a bit to the side.
Step 7: Knit a Scarf (optional)
Cast on 3 stitches.
R1: Sl 1, k2
Repeat this row until scarf is 7 inches long or desired length.
Tip: go shorter if in doubt as the scarf will grow longer over time as you put it on & off.
Cast off & weave in both ends.
Snowman Hat Knitting Pattern
The snowman looks cute with just a scarf, but if you have a little more time & yarn, you can add a hat, knit from the top down.
Cast on 8 stitches using the long tail cast on or your preferred method. Split the stitches on either a circular needle or a set of short DPNs to work in the round.
R1 and all odd rows unless stated: knit all stitches (no increases or decreases)
R2: (m1, k1) x 8 [16 st]
R4: (k1, m1, k1) x 8 [24 st]
R5-9: knit 5 rounds even
R10-11: (k1,p1) around to knit 1×1 rib
Cast off in rib pattern and weave in cast off end.
If you’re adding a hanging loop to your snowman, leave the hole at the top of the hat, so it can go on over the hanging loop, and just weave in the cast on tail. That way the hat is removable & you can even dress up your snowman in different colours. 😍
If you know you will never want a hanging loop, thread a needle with the cast on tail and thread it through each of the 8 stitch loops. Then pull to gather and close the hole at the top of the hat and weave the end inside.
Knit a Hanging Loop (Optional)
Here’s 2 ways to knit a hanging loop so you can hang your snowman on the tree:
Option 1: Cast on & off loop
This is the quick way, but it makes a slightly chunkier loop, so fingering, 4ply or sport weight yarn works best.
- Cast on 30 stitches or double the length of hanging loop you want.
- Cast off all the stitches without knitting any rows and leave a long tail.
Cast off in the usual way, by knitting the 1st 2 stitches and passing the 1st stitch over the 2nd etc.
Option 2: I-cord loop
If you have a couple of short double pointed needles (DPNs), knitting a length of 2 stitch i-cord makes a lovely neat hanging loop that is not too chunky.
Cast on 2 stitches and knit 5 inches of i-cord, or double your desired loop length, before casting off.
See my how to knit i-cord tutorial (including video demo) for a full step by step guide for knitting i-cord hanging loops for decorations.
Tip: You don’t have to use 3mm DPNs, any thickness up to 4mm approx works well.
How to Attach your Hanging Loop
To attach your hanging loop to the snowman:
- If your snowman has a hat, put it on, stick your tapestry needle in the hole at the top, and remove the hat. The needle marks the spot to attach the loop to. Otherwise, position the loop slightly behind the top of the head, about 3-4 rounds down.
- Thread a tapestry needle with a yarn end and just attach the loop with 1-2 stitches initially.
- Put the hat back on & check you’re happy with the position. Then securely attach it with a few more stitches and weave in both yarn ends.
TIP: If you’re not sure whether your snowman will hang on the tree or sit on a shelf, I suggest adding a loop anyway because it’s easy to hide it at the back of the snowman under the scarf and/or hat.
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I hope you enjoy making some cute knitted snowmen with this free pattern. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions on the pattern.
This free pattern is for personal, non-commercial use only. It may not be copied, sold, translated or distributed in any way, nor any finished items made using it sold, without permission.
