Orbital Ornaments

Orbital Ornaments by Laura Chau

Project Overview

Orbital Ornaments are space-themed decorative pieces designed by Laura Chau that celebrate any season with a nontraditional aesthetic. These knitted ornaments work up quickly, making them ideal for crafters looking to use up fingering weight yarn scraps and sock yarn leftovers. Beyond seasonal decoration, these pieces function beautifully as components for baby mobiles or as playtime toys for children. The designs invite personalization through embroidered initials or additional embellishments, making them excellent choices for handmade gifts.

What You'll Create

This downloadable PDF pattern collection features multiple space-themed ornament designs that celebrate celestial inspiration. The collection includes variations such as a Sun ornament, with each design offering its own character and visual interest. These small-scale projects are perfect for gift-giving, seasonal decoration, or creating coordinated sets in various colorways.

Knitting Techniques and Construction

All Orbital Ornaments are worked in the round using double pointed needles, a classic technique that creates seamless, three-dimensional forms ideal for ornaments and toys. Working in the round eliminates the need for seaming and ensures consistent fabric quality throughout each piece. This construction method is particularly suited to intermediate knitters who are comfortable managing stitches across multiple needles while maintaining even tension.

Yarn and Materials

The patterns call for fingering weight yarn for most ornament designs, with small amounts required per project—approximately 50 grams of each color will yield multiple finished ornaments. This makes the pattern exceptionally stash-friendly for knitters with leftover sock yarn in various colors. The Sun ornament specifically requires lace weight yarn in a small quantity, adding textural variety to the collection.

The PDF showcases yarn examples including Handmaiden Casbah in Silver and Ocean colorways (81% superwash merino, 10% nylon, 9% cashmere blend) and Dream in Color Everlasting Sock, demonstrating the quality yarn bases suitable for these projects.

Skill Level

Rated as intermediate difficulty, these patterns assume knitters have foundational experience with circular knitting techniques and are comfortable reading pattern instructions. The quick-to-complete nature of each ornament makes them accessible projects for intermediate crafters seeking satisfying results without extensive time investment.

Design Details

• Space-themed ornament designs with celestial inspiration
• Multiple colorway variations shown throughout the pattern
• Quick-working projects ideal for stash busting
• Customizable through embroidery and embellishment options
• Suitable for seasonal decoration, baby mobiles, or toys

Pattern Format

This is a downloadable PDF pattern from independent designer Laura Chau, available through her website at www.laurachau.com. The format allows immediate access to complete instructions for creating your own Orbital Ornaments collection.