Snowflake Monday

Earlier this year, I challenged myself to create a snowflake a day for seven days straight. I was trying to build up my stash of patterns for cycling season, and I wanted to see if I could push myself into higher production.

The experiment was a joy, even when my job required more hours than normal. I ended up designing 11 snowflakes and writing 11 patterns in 11 days before other commitments put an end to the streak. (Today's snowflake is NOT one of the 11.)

Designing a snowflake might take me as few as 20 minutes or could require up to a couple of hours, depending upon complexity. Writing the pattern takes a couple hours more. If I think I need a photo tutorial for a complex pattern, that takes a few hours more, plus sometimes coordinating my schedule with my husband's so he can photograph my hands. (I position the crochet hook and shoot it myself if he is unavailable.)

Stiffening snowflakes takes overnight, and I photograph flakes the following day. Uploading one snowflake photo from slow dial-up at home takes up to half an hour. (A tutorial must be uploaded somewhere with better internet access than what is available in my neighborhood.)

The entire process is time-consuming. But I've been working through this routine once a week for coming up on three years this fall, so it doesn't feel like much of a time hog to me. It's refreshing, rewarding, challenging, inspiring and even fun. Yet it does require time. Sometimes, LOTS of time.

Imagine my surprise when one of my readers let me in on a little Icelandic secret during a rare moment of viable cell phone and internet signal while I was Riding the Rockies two weeks ago. Meli Bondre was a blogger designing a flower a day for 365 days and publishing the free patterns on her blog! Because of my daily goal earlier this year, I truly appreciate the commitment Meli made, and I just can't imagine designing and writing patterns every single day for an entire year!!! I don’t know why the blog is no longer available, but it sure was a treasure.

Meli's project was introduced to me (by Autumn… THANKS!) during a time when I'd been considering decorating a stone a week with a snowflake, and today's pattern is the third in the series, although I've covered six stones now (not all with snowflakes, but all with the same ecru thread) and have not written and do not intend to write the patterns for the first three stones I covered. Our house came with an extensive rock garden that gets quite hot in the summer, so hot that the rocks reflecting the heat kill a lot of the drought-tolerant and drought-resistant plants (including Icelandic poppies) I've added to our landscape to beautify our surroundings. One day I wondered if crochet-covered rocks might cool down the reflected heat just a bit, while providing a highly unique brand of splendor to my little neck of the high prairie.

The goal has always been to make our yard the showcase of the neighborhood. I like to knock people's socks off, and this is my latest brainstorm to achieve the objective.

As I was trying to come up with a name for this snowflake pattern, the names Stone Snowflake, Garden Snowflake and Green Thumb Snowflake were tossed about. After a few Icelandic names suggested by The Lizard, I opted for Basalt, what most of Iceland is made of and also the name of one of the small towns I pedaled through during this year's Ride the Rockies.

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!

Finished Size: 4 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 8 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

Basalt Snowflake Instructions

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.
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 2: *1 sc in next ch 1 sp, 2 dc in same sp, ch 5, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 7, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, 1 dc in next ch, 1 tr in next ch, ch 2, sk 2 ch, 1 hdc in next ch, ch 4, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 2, 2 dc in next ch 1 sp in main body of flake, 1 sc in same sp; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.

While making a white version of this snowflake in 2023, I decided to try making a bigger center to see how different the flake might look. It’s not THAT much different, not quite enough to be a true Easter egg pattern, but it does give the flake a new personality I hope you will enjoy.

Basalt II Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Sl st into ring, ch 7 (counts as 1 trtr and ch 2), *1 trtr in ring, ch 2; repeat from * around 10 more times for a total of 12 spokes; sl st in 5th ch of starting ch 7. Pull magic circle tight.
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 2: *1 sc in next ch 2 sp, 2 dc in same sp, 2 tr in same sp, ch 5, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 7, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, 1 dc in next ch, 1 tr in next ch, ch 2, sk 2 ch, 1 hdc in next ch, ch 4, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 2, 2 tr in next ch 2 sp in main body of flake, 2 dc in same sp, 1 sc in same sp; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc; 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. 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.

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