Snowflake Monday

While looking for a word for three-month-old snow, I found a list of 100 Inuit words for snow, which is where I came up with the name for today's snowflake.

I am really cracking up at some of the word descriptions!!! Now, a shrinking group of naysayers claim the snow vocabulary is a hoax, but more recent studies conclude the concept is difficult for warm-weather linguists to comprehend because they don't live in 26 different kinds of snow at least 10 months of the year. I, for one, acknowledge the reality of vastly different types of snow, and I'm not even a downhill skier.

Depptla likely is not a genuine Inuit word, and huantla probably originated in Colorado (although it's legal up north now, too...), but the rest of the list is pretty darned creative. And besides, it's now been discovered the Scots have 421 words for snow. So who's to say the Inuits can't have as many words as they'd like for snow?

I don't expect I'll be running out of good snowflake names anytime soon.

I began the prototype for today's pattern aboard the train, of course, and ran out of my hand-dyed hollyhock thread for the last few stitches. This poor little snowflake sat in my crochet bag for well over three months before I decided to finish it off with the closest matching thread I could find.

As you can see, it's not a true match, but better a two-tone snowflake than languish endlessly in a dark bag all winter long, don't you think?

Now I just need the return of summer so I can dye some more hollyhock thread!

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: 6 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

Tlacringit Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc in ring, take loop off hook, insert hook through 2nd ch of starting ch 2 and replace loop on hook, pull loop through ch (beginning popcorn stitch made), ch 3, * 5 dc in ring, take loop off hook, insert hook through top loop of 1st dc and replace loop on hook, pull loop through top of 1st dc (popcorn stitch made), ch 3; repeat from * 4 times; sl st in top of starting popcorn st. Pull magic ring tight.

Round 2: Sl st into next ch 3 sp, ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc in same sp, * ch 7, 3 dc in next ch 3 sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 7, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.

Round 3: Ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), * in next ch 7 sp work [2 tr, 2 dc, 2 hdc, 1 sc, ch 3, 1 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc, 2 tr]; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last tr of final repeat; sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch 3.
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: 1 sc in gap between 2/tr groups, * ch 3, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made), 1 tr in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 1 tr in same sp, ch 5, 1 tr in same sp, ch 3, 1 tr in same sp, ch 3, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made), 1 sc in gap between next 2/tr groups; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last sc of final repeat, sl st in starting sc.


Round 5: Ch 4 (counts as 1 sc and ch 3), 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made), * 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook (sc picot made), in next ch 5 sp work [1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 tr, ch 3, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 12, sl st in sc, ch 3, sl st in sc (long tri-picot made), 1 tr, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc], ch 3, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook (sc picot made), 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made), 1 sc in next sc, ch 3, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made); repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last dc picot and last sc picot of final repeat; sl st in 1st ch of starting ch 4; 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.

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