14 May 2012

Snowflake Monday

butterflies are free to fly

I had a snowflake idea or two last year, and they weren’t working out, but I liked the centers, so I’ve been saving this handful of tiny flakes that never grew up.

I recently decided to work them up again and didn’t really like them because they were too plain. I have a pink theme this month, sending happy thoughts the Goatmother’s way, and the hue provided all kinds of inspiration to dress up these baby snowflakes.

plain babies

pretty babies

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!

with love

Finished Size: Flake 1 – 2.75 inches from point to point; Flake 2 – 3.5 inches from point to point; Flake 3 - 1.5 inches from point to point without final row and 2.5 inches with all 4 rows
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or foil, cellophane tape, water-soluble school glue and water or desired stiffener, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

Instructions

Baby Snowflake #1

Flake 1

Ch 3, sl st into 1st ch OR make magic ring.

Round 1: Sl st into ring, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), *1 dc in ring, ch 1; repeat from * around 10 more times for a total of 12 spokes; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 3. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: *1 sc in next ch 1 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 4, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 6, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, 1 dc in next ch, 1 tr in next ch, 1 dtr in next ch, ch 4, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 1, 2 dc in same ch 1 sp, ch 3; repeat from * around five times; sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Baby Snowflake #2

Flake 2

Ch 2, sl st into 1st ch OR make magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc in ring or in 2nd sc from hook if using chain start; sl st in starting sc. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: Ch 6 (counts as 1 dc and ch 4), *1 dc in next sc, ch 4; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 6.

Round 3: *Sc in next ch 4 sp, ch 3, 1 dc in same sp, ch 5, 1 dc in same sp, ch 3, sc in same sp; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc.

Round 4: * 3 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, 1 hdc in same sp, 2 dc in same sp, ch 10, 1 hdc in 10th ch from hook, 2 dc in same sp, 1 hdc in same sp, 1 sc in same sp, ch 5, 3 sc in next ch 3 sp; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.

Baby Snowflake #3

Flake 3

Ch 3, sl st into 1st ch OR make magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: Ch 4 (counts as 1 hdc and ch 3); *1 hdc in next sc, ch 3; repeat from * around 4 times, sl st in 1st ch of starting ch 4.

Round 3: * 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 1, 2 dc in same sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 sc in same sp; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc. You may bind off here and weave in ends for a 6-pointed star-shaped tiny flake, or keep going with Round 4.

Round 4: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), * sk 1 dc, 1 sc in next dc, ch 4, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 4, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, ch 1, 3 dc in same sp, ch 4, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, ch 1, 1 sc in next dc, 1 dc between next 2 sc; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Tape wax paper or foil to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or foil.

Mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. 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 foil. 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.

sending kisses... AND chocolate!!!

sweet baby

21 comments :

  1. Oh wow, these are so incredibly beautiful! Fantastic work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love little flakes! I love medium flakes! I love gigantic flakes! And I love all flakes of all sizes in between!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's amazing how adding some rounds turns them into something so new and different. They're lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Goatmother is humbled. Again. :) These are so very beautiful - but not as beautiful as the soul that resides inside the Snowcatcher! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am always so amazed with your patterns and envy your talent. Thank you so much for sharing. I have a question I hope yoiu can answer. Where can I find the pattern for the darling bear you use in many of your pictures? Thanks for the help.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you, everyone!

    Donna, most of my bears are made on the spot with no pattern, but thanks to encouragement from my readers, I wrote the pattern for the little white bear on the cover of this year's snowflake booklet to benefit the Colorado/Wyoming Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society shown on the sidebar to the right, and the pattern is in the booklet!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love your snowflake patterns - beautiful!! : ) Did you make a pattern for the hearts too? They're in the same pic as the baby snowflakes.. That would be the icing on the cake.. incredible : )

    Aloha!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aloha, Dominique! I have not written a pattern for the tiny hearts, but Sara has amassed a large collection of free heart patterns here: http://www.tangledhappy.com/search/label/heart

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am amazed with your snowflakes, they are gorgeous! I am definitely going to be adding some to my tree this year, but had a quick question...when you say size 7 hook, is this really the same as a 4.5 mm hook? I had similar questions on the other patterns with a size 11 hook (8 mm?) since I've never used any hooks that large with crochet thread. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Katie, and welcome! A size 7 steel hook is a 1.65 hook, I believe. I think the 4.5 you are referencing is an aluminum hook, used with double knit size yarn instead of thread. That would make some VERY lacy snowflakes with thread! Here is a link to information about crochet hook sizes.

      Delete
  10. All of your snowflakes are beautiful, and are the best snowflakes I've seen anywhere. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing creations. I will definitely be making quite a few of these designs.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for letting us use your gorgeous snowflake patterns. I am new to doily and filet crochet and old hat with scarves, afghans etc, until i found these. I am inspired to try writing my own patterns, any advice on how to start.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hello, I know that I am very late in finding this post, but I was wondering if you are using American or UK terms for the crocheting? Cheers, Gladerider

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Gladerider, and welcome! I use US terms; I'm based in the US, and I am not well-versed in UK terms. Good luck with your goal! Fortunately, snowflakes work up rather quickly, so you might be surprised how many you can get done in a short period of time. I am sometimes able to work up three or four a day during my train commute, which is 45 minutes each way.

      Delete
  13. Hi,
    Being totally addicted to snowflake crocheing, but not familiar with the english abbreviations. Could you give me the explanation of the abbreviations you are using?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Rosalie! Yarn Forward (one of my favorite magazines) has a conversion chart here. I also have it linked in the sidebar to the right. The only stitches I notice missing are double treble/triple crochet, which I write as dtr, and triple treble, which I write as trtr. I don't know the UK conversions for those terms, but dtr is yarn over 3 times, and trtr is yarn over 4 times. I hope this helps!

      Delete
  14. I am having a problem with the 2nd snowflake. You said ch 2 & slip stitch in the 1st ch to form a ring. Yet you said in round 1 to do 6 SC in 2nd SC from hook if you ch start. I think it looks better if I did the 6 SC in the 2nd ch from hook, then I can pull a little tighter to make the hole smaller. Please correct for an amateur like me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Barbara. You may start your snowflakes with whatever method you like best. Since I wrote this pattern, I've converted to the magic ring method of beginning crocheting in the round. There are many excellent tutorials on YouTube, but one I like best is by Moogly. You may find it here.

      Delete


Dusty words lying under carpets,
seldom heard, well must you keep your secrets
locked inside, hidden deep from view?
You can talk to me... (Stevie Nicks)

All spam is promptly and cheerfully deleted without ever appearing in print.

If you are unable to leave a comment and need to contact me, please use the email address in the sidebar. Thank you!

Related Posts with Thumbnails