Have you ever finished what you thought was a perfect flake, only to have rusty blemishes marring it when you remove the pins?
Three of my flakes have suffered that fate in the last month.
The first thing I learned is it's okay to throw out ten-year-old pins and buy a new box. And then I learned white fingernail polish has just the right magic to fix a faulty flake.
I suppose typewriter correction fluid or bleach might work, too. But I've not tried them. I did dab a few snowflakes with fingernail polish, and I'm completely satisfied with the results.
Because I didn't want to share just a tip on how to fix a defective flake, I decided to quickly jot down yet one more pattern. Makes a nice (and much-needed) break from zapping zits on teenagers, which is what I'll be doing with Photoshop during most of my spare time for the next couple of weeks. Sometimes I think I'd rather be crocheting!
You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but please do not sell the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!
Finished Size: 4 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 11 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or foil, 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
Rust Spot Snowflake Instructions
Make magic ring.
Round 1: 12 sc into ring; sl st in 1st sc.
Round 2: Ch 1, sc in same sc, *ch 8, skip 1 sc, sc in next sc; repeat from * around for a total of 6 chain loops, ending with ch 8, join in first sc of round; bind off.
Round 3: Join in top of any ch 8 loop, sc in same loop, *ch 13, sl st in 10th ch from hook, ch 3, sc in next chain loop; repeat from * around, ending with sl st in first sc of round.
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 4: *4 sc across next ch 3, sc into ch 10 loop, ch 5, sc into same loop, ch 7, sc into same loop, ch 9, sc into same loop, ch 11, sc into same loop, ch 9, sc into same loop, ch 7, sc into same loop, ch 5, sc into same loop, 4 sc across next ch 3p repeat from * around, ending with sl st in first sc of round, 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.
If using glue, 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 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.
White fingernail polish -- you are simply a genius! I have a few doilies and holiday decorations that I can use this tip on. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteVery clever!
ReplyDeletethanks for those hints - I bought a brand new box of supposedly rust proof t-pins for this year's flakes and ruined the first three. They got spray painted silver and look okay but I like my flakes WHITE so I'm going to see if I can buy some white nail polish. The ones that I pinned out today, I used wooden BBQ satay sticks - very clumsy - but it sort of worked.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried painting the pins with clear nail polish or spraying them with clear varnish?
ReplyDeleteNo, I had not thought of trying varnish or clear nail polish on the pins, but that sounds like a great idea. I hope not to let my pins get to that point again, though. Some lessons I seem to have to learn the hard way. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip!