Snowflake Monday

Today's snowflake, inspired one of my snowflake photos from 2023, may have been better-suited for Halloween, especially had I chosen a bloody idiom as the name. You see, while removing the pins after stiffening, I accidentally stabbed myself without knowing it. I literally painted the flake red. (Lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide successfully bleached the blood stains.) While researching potential names, I kept thinking back to the October holiday. Vampire Juice, cold-blooded, bleeding heart, blood boil; blood, sweat and tears... I couldn't find a suitable name with the word red either. In the red, seeing red, red in the face, red flag, red-handed, red herring, red tape... Then I got the wild idea to look for emotions the color red inspires. I mean, besides, "Ouch!!!" Passionate, energetic, impulsive, ambitious, determined, courageous...

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

SPECIAL STITCHES:

Popcorn Stitch (pc)

Work 5 dc in designated st, take loop off hook, insert hook through top loop of 1st dc and replace loop on hook, pull loop through top of 1st dc.

Vigorous Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

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

Round 2: [1 pc in same sc as sl st (or next sc in repeats), ch 3] 6 times, omitting last 2 ch of final repeat; 1 dc in starting pc to form 6th ch 3 sp 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 3: Ch 9 (counts as 1 dc and [ch 7), 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook (1st picot made), ch 4, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook (2nd picot made), ch 7, 1 sc in 6th ch from hook (3rd picot made), [ch 9, 1 sc in 8th ch from hook] 2 times (4th and 5th picots made), ch 4, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook (6th picot made), ch 9, 1 sc in 8th ch from hook (7th picot made), ch 3, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook (spoke tip made), working back down spoke, ch 8, 1 sc in 8th ch from hook, 1 dc in ch below 7th picot, ch 3, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 dc in ch below 6th picot, [ch 8, 1 sc in 8th ch from hook, 1 dc in ch below 5th picot (or 4th picot in repeat] 2 times, ch 6, 1 sc in 6th ch from hook, 1 dc in ch below 3rd picot, ch 3, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 dc in ch below 2nd picot, ch 2, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, 1 dc in ch below 1st picot, ch 3, sk next 3 ch, 1 dc in next ch, 1 dc in same ch 3 sp, ch 3, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 dc in next ch 3 sp] 6 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 9; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: I've been stiffening my flakes with undiluted, full-strength water soluble school glue for quite a while now, and I've been squishing the glue onto and throughout each flake with my fingers (yucky mess!!!) instead of gingerly painting the flakes with glue. Yes, it's a mess. But it's faster. And stiffer.

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.

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