Snowflake Monday

When I first decided to try to finish 50 7-pointed snowflakes for my parents for their golden wedding anniversary, I used my snowflake directory to find patterns I thought might work up quickly without major adjustments.

After two or three bumpy bus and/or train rides before we headed to California, however, I decided, just like when I made my snowflake lamp, it might be easier to just make up new patterns. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to remember to intentionally make seven points instead of six when you are trying to finish 48 flakes in less than 10 days?!?

About every third flake I made for this project turned out well enough I thought I should make a six-pointed one with white thread so I could write the pattern when I have time.




I've been saving all the 7-point snowflakes I've accidentally made throughout the years for my mom. When I first came up with the idea for this project, I thought I'd have to make perhaps 20 snowflakes at most. Apparently, however, I had already given all but two to my mom for a previous Christmas. As a result, I had to crank out 48 seven-pointers in 10 days! (Snowflake number 50 was finished at 11:56 a.m. two days before our family celebration.) Needless to say, there were a few accidental six-pointers during the process! But we all know I will find good use for the proper snowflakes!!!

One of the seven-pointers is special because it contains a representation of each of my mom's seven kids – four boys and three girls – in birth order.


All of the flakes, with the exception of the gold ones, symbolic of the golden anniversary, and the white ones, which were to add variety, were made from my hand-dyed thread. I used azure and cornflower hues because blue is my mom's favorite color.

After the snowflakes were presented to my parents, my sweet Frozen-addicted four-year-old niece, who couldn't quite understand why we were having cake if it wasn't time for her October 16th birthday yet, announced she knew exactly what she would do with all those snowflakes.


Lucy's fort, featuring the quilt I made for her in 2015


inside Lucy's fort
I did not have time to string the snowflakes before I presented them to my parents. I thought my Lizard and I could string them after our family dinner. My mom, however, would not let them out of her sight! I think she's afraid Lucy might disappear with them, and she'll never see them again! She plans to string them herself in time for Christmas.

Lucy, meanwhile, asked if I would make five pink snowflakes for her birthday. Then 11-year-old nephew Eli asked me to make 12 blue and white snowflakes for his March birthday, and 10-year-old niece Layla asked if I would make 11 red snowflakes for her February birthday. Before Lizard and I arrived in California, my mother-in-law Jan asked if I'd make 80 snowflakes for her 80th birthday. At least she's giving me two years of advance notice to complete her snowflakes!!!

I needed to get Lucy's snowflakes in the mail as soon as I got home, and it's October, so I made four of the seven-pointers in pink while writing the six-point patterns. (Last week's Pineapple Temptation Snowflake was already made, so I decided Lucy would provide a good home for it.)


Today's pattern is the biggest of the 50 snowflakes. I changed up the 6-point version from the original because there were things about the prototype I would have changed, had I had time to frog and redo. This new and improved version is yet another snowflake that makes cute smaller flakes by finishing on each individual Round after the second Round and using favorite point combinations. I could have made all five of Lucy's flakes from this one pattern!!!


I have to share a cute Lucy story… The day after we arrived in Bakersfield, my mom asked if I'd like to go grocery shopping with her. I found a container of plain, un-iced cookies and a container of Halloween-hued frosting and sprinkles, and I couldn't resist. This would make such great photos! I bought them for my nieces, and we had a cookie-frosting party as soon as Lily and Layla got home from school. Those photos will appear on my Halloween Wordless Wednesday.

Lucy was anxious to eat her first cookie. She was licking her knife in between each frosting color! (I washed the knife each time so she could continue her artistic work without getting her slobber in the frosting.) When she finished decorating all her cookies, she wanted to eat them that very minute. I told her she had to eat her dinner first. Dinner that night included asparagus, which apparently is not her favorite food. She apparently doesn't like any vegetables except corn. I had to keep telling her she could eat a cookie after she finished eating her asparagus.

At one point, she gagged, and she had tears rolling down her cheeks. But she finished her dinner!!! Her parents and mine (her great grandparents) said I had worked a miracle and asked if I could feed her every night! Lucy has a very special place in my heart!


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: 8.5 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

Lucy's Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: [2 sc in ring, ch 3] 5 times; 2 sc in ring, ch 1, 1 dc in starting sc to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round. Don't pull magic ring too tight.

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc over post of dc directly below, remove hook from loop and insert in 2nd ch of starting ch 2, insert hook back through loop of 4th dc and pull through ch loop (starting popcorn stitch made), * ch 5, 5 dc in next ch 5 sp, pull hook out of loop (dropped loop) and insert in top loop of 1st dc of this 5/dc group, insert in dropped loop, pull dropped loop through top loop of 1st dc (popcorn stitch made); repeat from * around 4 times; ch 2, 1 tr in starting popcorn to form 6th ch 5 sp of Round.


Round 3: 1 sc over post of tr directly below, * ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 10, 1 sc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 4, 1 trtr in starting sc to form 6th ch 10 tip of Round.


Round 4: Ch 2, 2 dc over post of trtr directly below, * ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in next ch 10 tip, ch 3, 3 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in next ch 10 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 point of Round.


Round 5: Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and ch 3), 1 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 8, sl st in 6th ch from hook, ch 2, in next ch 3 tip work (1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc, ch 5, 1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc); repeat from * around 4 times; ch 8, sl st in 6th ch from hook, ch 2, in next ch 3 tip work (1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc), ch 2, 1 tr in 2nd ch of starting ch 5 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.


Round 6: Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and ch 3), 1 dc over post of tr directly below, * 5 dc in next ch 6 loop, ch 13, 1 tr in 6th ch from hook, ch 1, sk 1 ch, 1 dc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, 1 hdc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, 1 sc in next ch, ch 1, 5 dc in same ch 6 loop (spoke made), in next ch 3 tip work (1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc, ** ch 5, 1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc; repeat from * around 5 times, ending **; ch 2, 1 tr in 2nd ch of starting ch 5 to form 6th ch 3 tip 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 7: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 hdc and 1 sc over post of tr directly below, * ch 5, sk next ch 3 sp and next 5 dc, 1 sc in gap between 5 dc and base of spoke, working up spoke 1 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 5, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch, 1 sc in next ch 1 sp, ch 7, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 4 ch, 1 sc in next ch 1 sp, ch 9, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 6 ch, in next ch 5 tip work (2 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc, ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, 2 dc, 2 hdc, 2 sc), ch 8, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 6 ch, ch 1, working back down spoke 1 sc in next ch 1 sp, ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 4 ch, ch 1, 1 sc in next ch 1 sp, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch, ch 1, 1 sc in next ch 1 sp, 1 sc in gap between base of spoke and next 5 dc, ch 5, in next ch 3 tip work (1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, ch 3, ** 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc; repeat from * around 5 times, ending **; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; 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 snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.


Linking up with Busy Hands Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts.

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