Ever since I first saw a multicolor spiral granny square last winter, I’ve wanted to learn the technique. Of course, I wanted to see if I could translate this new craze into snowflakes. Which would mean learning something new, trying something new, a new Collegiate Peak snowflake!
After I finished my first prototype spiral snowflake, though, I decided it needed a cuter name than Yale or Columbia. The first sample reminded me of lollipops my little brothers and I used to yearn for when we were pre-schoolers, and that’s a cute enough name for this snowflake AND hat! Yes, look what you can do with this pattern and worsted yarn, with a few modifications!
Snowflakes that followed as I worked up the pattern look like peppermints we use to build candy trains at Christmas time, but I still like the name Lollipop. It's different, and it has a ring to it.
My Lollipop Snowflakes came at a time when I was forced to learn yet another new technique: making my own homemade glue. The last 200 or so snowflakes I've stiffened all have unacceptable residue on the back, and it doesn't wash off. I tried turning the snowflakes over and applying a new coat on the back, hoping that would soften the shiny residue that looked... bad. I tried washing flakes with warm water and soap. I tried industrial-strength cleaners. I changed the plastic wrap I've been using all year long. I tried different drying surfaces.
After unsuccessfully trying everything from adding more water to the glue to dunking the snowflakes in bags of glue instead of painting them, nothing worked. Nothing helped. I could not figure out what I was doing wrong. I've been doing this for more than 20 years, and I'd never had this problem until the most recent purchase of glue.
New and improved. Stronger Formula. And not appropriate for snowflakes. They don't include that last phrase on the label. They should.
The Lizard suspects Elmer's has added silicone to the formula, which he says is water-resistant.
After learning this, I purchased a few bottles of various generic school glue brands and researched recipes for homemade glue, which is how my grandmother stiffened snowflakes when I was a wee tot. I even found a bottle of clear Elmer's Glue and decided to give that a try, too, just in case. When you’ve ruined 200 snowflakes, just about any option seems worth a try.
I found many web pages devoted to blocking doilies and a few for snowflakes. In my opinion, the most complete list of methods for blocking and stiffening on the internet is available at Crochet Memories. I did not try everything they've listed, but I did try a few of new things I’d never considered before. Such as hairspray...
In my opinion, hairspray works great for doilies but is not strong enough for snowflakes that will hang, and I beg to differ with anyone who thinks unscented is truly unscented. (Choke, choke!) Spray starch works well with small flakes, and the lavender-scented version is more tolerable than hair spray. Modge Podge works fine and leaves no residue, but snowflakes hung in the window will warp with continual sunshine. They can be reshaped, but that takes time. Some generic school glues work fine, and some seem to be Elmer’s in a cheaper bottle. I'm going to experiment with the clear Elmer's, Epsom salt and homemade glue next, and I'll report my findings. I'm not going to try sugar. I don't want to encourage the field mice who frequently attempt to take up residence inside our abode during winter.
As in most aspects of life, different people will like different things, so it may be best to experiment for yourself, or to change nothing if you haven’t been having any problems.
If multicolor spiral motifs seem intimidating, check out the tutorial at Interweave. Other tutorials are available, although I did not find one on YouTube. I asked The Lizard to photograph my hands while I made a worsted weight yarn spiral and am including the photos below.
The most important thing I learned in experimenting with this technique is to make sure I don’t catch threads or yarn not being used in current stitches. I think the spiral method works best if you are able to do the piece in one sitting so you don’t have to untangle balls of yarn or spools of thread after moving around. I also found that rotating my work one time counter-clockwise each round helped me keep the six strands of yarn or thread separate and not tangled.
Some people like to use stitch markers to hold the loops of the strands not currently in use. For thread, I think that might prove burdensome. I left large, over-sized loops each time I changed color, and the process worked fine. I did do each of my projects in one sitting, however. I don’t think it would be quite so easy if I’d had to put the project away and come back to it. I may even have resorted to cutting off the project and starting over again!
To make this project easier, I made small balls of yarn and thread and worked with those instead of full skeins, hanks or spools. Balls of fiber are like teenagers, however. If you are sitting in a very comfortable chair with three balls on either side, working away, one of the balls WILL find a way to roll off onto the floor, make a quick getaway and commit the unpardonable sin. It will find and pick up the renegade hair the vacuum cleaner always misses, and it will attempt to hide it deep inside your project, particularly if the project will ever be magnifying glass judged. Cats exacerbate the problem.
In most hat patterns (or any in-the-round projects other than snowflakes, stars and round ripple afghans), increases are not be worked directly above increases in the row below, maintaining a round shape instead of angles where increases are stacked. In these projects, however, the increases are intentionally lined up to maintain the hexagon snowflake shape. If you want your project to be circular instead of hexagonal, keep your increases evenly spaced apart, but don’t place them directly above one another.
The snowflakes may be made larger by adding more rows and increasing the number of stitches in between increases by one on each round. The hat, which I sized for my 2-year-old neighbor, may be made smaller or bigger by ending the increases earlier or maintaining increases longer. Generally when making a hat, you make a flat round piece until the piece is about 2 inches smaller than the diameter of the head. The hat will begin to take shape after two or three rounds of no increases. The length of the hat may be altered by working fewer or more rounds without increases. The hat also may be made without earflaps, ending the two earflap points the same as the other four instead of working earflaps.
You may do whatever you'd like with hats and snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!
Lollipop Snowflake
Finished Size: 4 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 8 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, glue, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line
Instructions
Make magic ring.
Round 1: With pink, 2 sc in ring. With peach, 2 sc in ring. With yellow, 2 sc in ring. With green, 2 sc in ring. With blue, 2 sc in ring. With lavender, 2 sc in ring. Do not join. Pull magic circle tight.
With pink, make magic ring. 2 sc in ring.
With peach, 2 sc in ring.
With yellow, 2 sc in ring.
With green, 2 sc in ring.
With blue, 2 sc in ring.
With lavender, 2 sc in ring.
Round 2: Continuing with lavender, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc. With pink, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc. With peach, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc. With yellow, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc. With green, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc.
Continuing with lavender, 1 sc in 1st pink sc.
Continuing with lavender, 2 sc in 2nd pink sc.
Continue working 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc, changing colors after each 2 sc inc, around.
Round 3: With blue, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With lavender, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With pink, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With peach, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With yellow, 1 sc in each of next 2sc, 2 sc in next sc.
With blue, work 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc.
Continue working 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc, changing colors after each 2 sc inc, around.
Round 4: With green, 1 hdc in each of next 2 sc, 2 hdc in next sc, 1 hdc in each of next 3 sc, 2 hdc in next sc. With blue, 1 hdc in each of next 3 sc, 2 hdc in next sc. With lavender, 1 hdc in each of next 3 sc, 2 hdc in next sc. With pink, 1 hdc in each of next 3 sc, 2 hdc in next sc. With peach, 1 hdc in each of next 3 sc, 2 hdc in next sc.
Round 5: With yellow, 1 hdc in each of next 3 sc, 2 hdc in next sc, 1 hdc in each of next 4 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc. With green, 1 hdc in each of next 4 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc. With blue, 1 hdc in each of next 4 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc. With lavender, 1 hdc in each of next 4 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc. With pink, 1 hdc in each of next 4 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.
Round 6: With peach, 1 dc in each of next 4 hdc, 2 dc in next hdc, 1 dc in each of next 5 hdc, 2 dc in next hdc. With yellow, 1 dc in each of next 5 hdc, 2 dc in next hdc. With green, 1 dc in each of next 5 hdc, 2 dc in next hdc. With blue, 1 dc in each of next 5 hdc, 2 dc in next hdc. With lavender, 1 dc in each of next 5 hdc, 2 dc in next hdc.
Round 7: With pink, 1 dc in each of next 5 hdc, 2 dc in next dc, 1 dc in each of next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc. With peach, 1 dc in each of next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc. With yellow, 1 dc in each of next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc. With green, 1 dc in each of next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc. With blue, 1 dc in each of next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc.
Round 8: With pink, 1 dc in each of next 5 dc, 2 dc in next dc, 1 dc in each of next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc. With peach, 1 dc in each of next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc. With yellow, 1 dc in each of next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc. With green, 1 dc in each of next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc. With blue, 1 dc in each of next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc.
Round 9: With lavender, 1 dc in each of next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc, 1 dc in each of next 7 dc, 2 dc in next dc, ch 5, sl st in top of dc just worked, ch 8, sl st in same dc, ch 5, sl st in same dc (tri picot made); bind off. With pink, 1 dc in each of next 7 dc, 2 dc in next dc; make tri picot; bind off. With peach, 1 dc in each of next 7 dc, 2 dc in next dc; make tri picot, bind off. With yellow, 1 dc in each of next 7 dc, 2 dc in next dc; make tri picot; bind off. With green, 1 dc in each of next 7 dc, 2 dc in next dc; make tri picot; bind off. With blue, 1 dc in each of next 7 dc, 2 dc in next dc; make tri picot; bind off. Weave in ends.
Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap. NOTE: I did not glitter these flakes.
Mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch the snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.
Lollipop Snowflake Hat Instructions
Finished Size: 5 inches high, not including braids or earflaps; 3.5-inch long earflaps, head circumference 22.5 inches
Materials: Worsted yarn in six colors (I used pastel pink, lavender, blue, green, yellow and peach), size H crochet hook
Make magic ring.
Round 1: With pink, 2 sc in ring. With peach, 2 sc in ring. With yellow, 2 sc in ring. With green, 2 sc in ring. With blue, 2 sc in ring. With lavender, 2 sc in ring. Do not join. Pull magic circle tight.
Round 2: Continuing with lavender, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc. With pink, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc. With peach, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc. With yellow, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc. With green, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc.
Round 3: With blue, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With lavender, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With pink, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With peach, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With yellow, 1 sc in each of next 2sc, 2 sc in next sc.
Round 4: With green, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With blue, 1 sc in each of next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With lavender, 1 sc in each of next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With pink, 1 sc in each of next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With peach, 1 sc in each of next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc.
Round 5: With yellow, 1 sc in each of next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With green, 1 sc in each of next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With blue, 1 sc in each of next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With lavender, 1 sc in each of next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With pink, 1 sc in each of next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc.
Round 6: With peach, 1 sc in each of next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 5 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With yellow, 1 sc in each of next 5 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With green, 1 sc in each of next 5 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With blue, 1 sc in each of next 5 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With lavender, 1 sc in each of next 5 sc, 2 sc in next sc.
Round 7: With pink, 1 sc in each of next 5 sc, 2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 6 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With peach, 1 sc in each of next 6 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With yellow, 1 sc in each of next 6 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With green, 1 sc in each of next 6 sc, 2 sc in next sc. With blue, 1 sc in each of next 6 sc, 2 sc in next sc.
Round 8: With lavender, 1 sc in each of next 6 sc, 2 sc in next sc, 1 hdc in each of next 7 sc, 2 hdc in next sc. With pink, 1 hdc in each of next 7 sc, 2 hdc in next sc. With peach, 1 hdc in each of next 7 sc, 2 hdc in next sc. With yellow, 1 hdc in each of next 7 sc, 2 hdc in next sc. With green, 1 hdc in each of next 7 sc, 2 hdc in next sc.
Round 9: With blue, 1 hdc in each of next 7 sc, 2 hdc in next sc, 1 hdc in each of next 8 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc. With lavender, 1 hdc in each of next 8 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc. With pink, 1 hdc in each of next 8 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc. With peach, 1 hdc in each of next 8 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc. With yellow, 1 hdc in each of next 8 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc.
Round 10: With green, 1 hdc in each of next 8 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc, 1 hdc in each of next 10 hdc. With blue, 1 hdc in each of next 10 hdc. With lavender, 1 hdc in each of next 10 hdc. With pink, 1 hdc in each of next 10 hdc. With peach, 1 hdc in each of next 10 hdc.
Round 11: With yellow, 1 hdc in each of next 20 hdc. With green, 1 hdc in each of next 10 hdc. With blue, 1 hdc in each of next 10 hdc. With lavender, 1 hdc in each of next 10 hdc. With pink, 1 hdc in each of next 10 hdc.
Round 12: With peach, 1 hdc in each of next 10 hdc, 1 dc in each of next 10 hdc. With yellow, 1 dc in each of next 10 hdc. With green, 1 dc in each of next 10 hdc. With blue, 1 dc in each of next 10 hdc. With lavender, 1 dc in each of next 10 hdc.
Round 13: With pink, 1 dc in each of next 10 hdc, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc. With peach, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc. With yellow, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc. With green, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc. With blue, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc..
Round 14: With lavender, 1 dc in each of next 20 dc. With pink, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc. With peach, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc. With yellow, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc. With green, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.
Round 15: With blue, 1 dc in each of next 20 dc, ch 5, sl st in top of dc just worked, ch 6, sl st in same dc, ch 5, sl st in same dc (picot made); bind off. With lavender, 1 dc in each of next 10. With pink, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc; make picot; bind off. With peach, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc; make picot; bind off. With yellow, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc. With green, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc; make picot; bind off. Making first earflap, with lavender, *1 dc in each of next 11 dc, ch 2, turn, 1 dc in each of next 11 dc, ch 2, turn, 1 dc dec across next 2 dc, 1 dc in each of next 7 dc, 1 dc dec across last 2 dc, ch 2, turn, 1 dc dec across next 2 dc, 1 dc in each of next 5 dc, 1 dc dec across last 2 dc, ch 2, turn, 1 dc dec across next 2 dc, 1 dc in each of next 3 dc, 1 dc dec across last 2 dc, ch 2, turn, 1 dc dec across next 2 dc, 1 dc in next dc, 1 dc dec across last 2 dc (earflap tip made); bind off. Repeat from * with yellow to form 2nd earflap. NOTE: Earflaps may be worked in pink and green or blue and orange instead if desired. Weave in all ends.
Finish: For braids, cut six 40-inch strands of each color. Fold first color of strands in half, pinch near fold and pull fold through top of one earflap tip dc with crochet hook. Insert hook through fold loop just created and pull strand ends through loop. Pull tight. Repeat for each of next 5 colors, placing one strand group in each earflap tip dc. Braid strand groups on each side, tightly tie with 6-inch piece of yarn matching one of the colors in the braid. Trim braids and ties evenly.