A crochet snowflake coaster that is not blocked is a suggestion of a snowflake: soft, slightly curled, with points that wander. The same coaster after blocking is unmistakable: six sharp points, flat as a plate, ready for a mug. Blocking is not an optional finishing touch for snowflakes. It is the step that makes them snowflakes.
This guide covers why snowflakes need blocking, how to pin them, when stiffener helps, and how to fix the common problems. The full printable version is Crochet Snowflake Coasters — Set of 6.
Why snowflakes curl
Crochet stitches have a natural curl, especially at edges and points. A snowflake is almost all edge and points, so it curls more than most crochet. Cotton yarn helps — it holds a blocked shape better than acrylic — but even cotton needs to be told what shape to hold. Blocking does that: dampen the piece, pin it into shape, and let it dry. The fibres dry in the shape you pinned, and the shape stays until the next wash.
Skipping blocking is the most common reason a snowflake coaster set looks homemade in the wrong way. The stitches may be perfect, but unblocked points read as unfinished.
Before blocking: get the size right
Gauge first, blocking second
Blocking can fix a point, but it cannot fix a coaster that is the wrong size. Before you make the set, check your gauge: work the classic snowflake to the end of round 2 and measure across the points. You want 6 cm. The finished coaster should be 12 cm across.
If round 2 measures 7 cm, your finished coaster will be about 14 cm, and no amount of pinning will shrink it to 12 cm without puckering. Adjust your hook size first, then block. A good rule: blocking can stretch a piece by about 5 percent and no more. Beyond that, you are fighting the stitches.
Make all six before blocking any
Make all six coasters before you block the first one. This matters for two reasons. First, your tension changes as you practise, so the first coaster and the sixth may differ slightly; blocking them together lets you pin them all to the same 12 cm. Second, blocking is a batch job: pinning six coasters in one session is faster than six separate sessions, and they dry overnight together.
How to block a snowflake coaster
What you need
You need a towel or a blocking mat, rust-proof pins (plenty of them), a spray bottle or a bowl of water, and a ruler. If you want a crisp finish, add a little fabric stiffener. Do not use ordinary dressmaking pins that rust: rust stains on cream cotton are permanent.
Step by step
Dampen the coaster evenly. A spray bottle works well; so does a quick soak followed by a gentle squeeze in a towel. The coaster should be damp, not dripping. A dripping coaster takes too long to dry and its points sag while it dries.
Lay it on the towel and pin the centre first, with one pin through the middle. Then pin each point out to its full length, measuring as you go: the coaster should be 12 cm across in every direction. Use at least two pins per point for a sharp tip, one on each side of the point, so the tip itself is pulled to a clean V rather than a rounded blob.
Check the shape from above. The six points should be evenly spaced, like hours on a clock. If one point is longer than the others, it is usually because that point has an extra stitch or a looser tension; pin it to the same length as the others and the difference disappears once dry.
Leave the coaster flat to dry overnight. Do not unpin it early to check: a half-dry coaster springs back. Patience is the whole technique here.
Stiffener: when to use it and when not to
For display coasters, yes
If your snowflake coasters will mostly sit on a table looking beautiful, with occasional mug duty, stiffener is worth it. Brush a diluted fabric stiffener over the pinned coaster before it dries, or soak the coaster in a diluted solution before pinning. The result is a coaster that holds its points even after handling, and that can be picked up by one point without flopping.
For everyday coasters, maybe not
If the coasters will be used daily, washed often, and generally lived with, skip the stiffener or use it very lightly. Stiffener washes out, so a heavily stiffened coaster that is washed weekly loses its crispness anyway, and repeated stiffening builds up residue. For everyday use, plain blocking after each wash is enough: it takes five minutes per coaster once you know the routine.
A middle path works well for gifts: stiffen the set you give, and tell the recipient that a quick re-block after washing brings the points back. That honest note is better than a set that looks perfect once and never again.
Troubleshooting blocked snowflakes
The points curl back up after drying
This usually means the coaster was not damp enough when pinned, or it was unpinned too soon. Re-dampen it fully, pin it again, and leave it a full 24 hours. If it still curls, the yarn may be acrylic: acrylic does not hold a wet block well. For acrylic snowflakes, a light steam block (hover a steam iron above the pinned piece, never pressing down) works better than a wet block.
One point is always shorter
A short point is almost always a stitch-count error in that point’s final round, not a blocking failure. Count the stitches in the short point against a long one. If the count differs, it is faster to rework that point than to fight it with pins every wash. If the count matches, the point was probably pinned shorter; re-block with a ruler, measuring all six points before leaving it to dry.
The coaster is wavy between points
Waviness between points means there are too many stitches for the round’s circumference, so the fabric has nowhere to go but up and down. This is a pattern error, not a blocking error, and blocking will only hide it temporarily. Check your stitch count against the pattern for the round where the waviness starts. One extra stitch per point, repeated six times, is enough to cause it.
The centre puckers
A puckered centre means the first rounds are too tight, often because the starting ring was pulled closed too firmly. Leave the starting ring slightly open when you begin, and do not pull it tight until the second round is complete. A centre that lies flat from the start stays flat after blocking.
Blocking the rest of the set
Once you have blocked one coaster successfully, the other five are quick. Pin them all to the same 12 cm, using the first coaster as a template if it helps. Stack them when dry: a set of six blocked snowflakes, all exactly 12 cm, stacks into a neat pile that looks like a shop-bought gift set.
For the next Christmas crochet project, read Crochet Christmas Garland for Beginners — the same blocking habit makes garland motifs crisp too, and the two projects share yarn and hook.
A set worth giving
Blocked snowflake coasters are one of the best small Christmas gifts you can make: quick, useful, beautiful, and personal. The difference between a good set and a great one is not fancier stitches. It is an evening of pinning, a night of drying, and six coasters that hold their shape under a mug.
Ready to start? Get the full printable pattern here: Crochet Snowflake Coaster Pattern. Print at 100 percent, check the gauge box, and block your way to crisp points.