White Hooky Snowflakes

Morning All :o)

Yes, its the Whitey-white Reveal today, and of course you were all absolutely right when you guessed I've been crocheting Snowflakes. White snowflakes no less. Made with All White yarn and not a bit of colour in sight (although was mighty tempted to try these out in coloured yarn I must admit).

 

So....do you like my little venture into the World of Whiteness??

I really am thrilled with these snowflakes, I think they are just so festive, simple and pretty. And such fun to make, oh-oh-oh yes a lot of fun. And addictive too, so hard to make only a few. Much easier to make a whole snow storm.

Over the weekend I found myself slipping gently into a snowflake-making frenzy. A quiet, peaceful, happy frenzy, but my goodness, I found I could not stop making them. One after another I turned them out, trying out different sized hooks, making little piles of flakes all over the table. It really began to feel like it was snowing here at Attic24.

Did I tell you how ThRiLlEd I am with making these? And how much fun they are? And how addictive they are? Did I, did I??!!!

So anyhow, I need to tell you a little bit more about how I came to get started with making snowflakes....

Some weeks ago I received a comment on one of my posts from a very nice lady called Victoria. She thought (quite rightly too) that I might rather enjoy a spot of snowflake making, and gave me a link to a free pattern on the "Coats and Clark" website. This website has loads of free projects and patterns for all types of needlecraft, and seems to me to be a really super resource.

It took me a while to get round to trying this pattern out, and I confess I did not find it easy. I don't know about you, but I find there's something about the way crochet patterns are written which always makes them seem over complicated to me. I kind of get a brain-freeze, do you know what I mean?

I sat and tried to work this snowflake out, and I found that for the most part the pattern was excellent, but the way each round started out was very confusing. So I made a few slight alterations, scribbbling notes as I went, until I was happy with how it was working for me. I didn't change it enormously, just enough to simplify it and defrost my brain-freeze.

So please know honestly that this is not entirely my pattern. The original can be found on the Coats and Crafts website HERE, and I give full credit to the lovely Mary Jane Protus for sharing her pattern with us all.

 

After making many, many of these snowflakes, I decided that I very much wanted to share my version with you. Cos I do know many of you suffer from Crochet Pattern Brain Freeze just like me, and that a simple pattern can often seem imPOSSible to crack.
So I wrote my pattern out in plain non-abbreviated English and photographed the step-by-step making stages so that you will all be able to give it a go.

As with all my patterns and tutorials, you can find this one in my sidebar down at the bottom, listed as a page, or click HERE.

I'm hoping you're going to like it and that you'll be inspired to seek out some white yarn and hook up a snowstorm.....I'm planning on stringing my flakes vertically (with some silver beads I think) and hanging them in my bay window. Pretty-pretty.

Oh, and just before I go, a little note about the above photo.....as I mentioned in yesterday's post, the joy of spray-starch for projects such as this is not to be underestimated. You can see the difference it makes...a little stretching, pinning and starching and these snowflakes are transformed. Victoria also suggested to me that the flakes could be stiffened by pinning them out and painting them with diluted PVA glue, then sprinkling them with glitter.......gosh, now that would probably tip me over the edge into Complete Giddiness, but I may have to give it a go anyway.

How to resist the combined charms of crochet and glitter????

Impossible!

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edited to add :: don't forget you can share your photos over at the Attic24 Inspired Flickr group. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to bob in there and see new photos being added every day...lots of gorgeous Birdies, stars, wrist warmers, summer garden squares, bags, ripples....and I hope soon some snowflakes!

One more thing :: the spray starch I'm using is called "Astonish", it came from a cheap discount shop and only cost £1 for a large bottle. It's a blue spray bottle (ie a bottle with a trigger, not an aerosol), and you can find it to buy on line here. It works brilliantly, making the crochet fairly stiff and crispy without being rock hard or sticky.

Comments

[Fruitful Fusion]

Lovely snowflakes Lucy! But a special thank you for the spray starch tip! I'm going to order some NOW!!! :)

[Noony]

I've just come across your site this morning and I cannot describe how happy I am to have found it...You are really amazing!
You brought color and warmth to my dim working morning!
You gave me the push to learn new crochet stitches and start my own colorful world :)
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuu...

[Marian]

Thank you for the beautiful snow flake post :-). I keep telling my husband I am manifesting snow here in Southern California where we live...he thinks I'm a bit loopy, but this is some very pretty Christmas time snow if you ask me!

[Maddy]

Hooray for hooky snowflakes! Thank you for sharing your wonderful crochet world with us!

[Resmi]

Hi Lucy,

First time I am seeing you making something without colours. For a moment I hoped that snowflakes also came in gorgeous colours... lol :-)

[Christine Warren]

Lucy, I love your white snowflakes. I already made a garland from the Coats and Clark pattern. I finally learned how to use Flickr and I uploaded a very bad photo of my snowflake garland to Attic24 inspired.

[Karen]

Beautiful snowflakes, Lucy! Sigh. Wish I crocheted!

[Rebecca]

Hi Lucy,

Love the snowflakes.. I will have to give them a try.

Actually i am posting because I found a site that I thought you might want to have a look at, if you get time. http://www.livingcreatively.com.au/current_issue/issue_10/creative_uncovered/crochet_psycho

It's not like anything you've done (yet) but thought you might like the colours. Its amazing what some inspiration will do for some people.

Keep up the great work. I love checking in to your blog every day!!

take care
Bec

[Rachel]

Oh Lucy, every time I come to visit you in the Attic, I leave wishing I, too, knew how to crochet. My brain won't wrap around it though, so I'll stick to oohing and aahing over your beautiful creations. Those snowflakes are just gorgeous and will look lovely in your pretty-coloured house!

[elaine]

Ah Ha! Now I can add some snowflakes with some little birdies for my christmas tree! These are truly lovely - thank you for demystifying the pattern brain fog for us;-)

I can just imagine how addictive these will be. And glitter!! Oh, I have so many little tubs of glitter amd transluscent paints - this will be fun:-)

[Anne]

I have made two already - wonderful pattern and tutorial. Thanks Lucy!

[Sarah west midlands]

Dear Lucy will be having a go at the wonderful snowflakes. Individual ones or a
length of them would look good on a Christmas parcel too. Thank you for your instructions.
Love Sarah west mids. Bet you get real snow before we do!

[Beatriz]

Hey Lucy, thank you for such another great pattern! you are such an inspiration!

[Toria]

Very pretty. Looking forward to seeing pics of them hanging when you're finished.

there's another stiffening product available - called Stiffy ( I kid you not). It's probably just pre-diluted pva glue, but it's really easy to use, you just brush it on. I've never tried, but I'm guessing the glitter idea would also work with Stiffy.

[Suzanne van der Schoot - NL]

Dear Lucy!!! Thankx so much. I am a quilter, not a crocheter, but as your tutorials are so well-written, I always give them a try. My first flake is drying up as we speak, it only took me 15 minutes to make?? So so great! Thanks a lot and I will be following you on your blog.
Liefs Suzanne

[Freakish Lemon]

Oh dear. I now feel compelled to try these out and make a million snowflakes. XD

[Teacup Lane (Sandy)]

I'm thrilled - I just made my first snowflake using your tutorial in a matter of minutes! Your tutorial and photos are great! Oh, my goodness, how sweet and wonderful of you to share this information. I know it must take time to prepare your tutorials but please know that we crocheters really, really appreciate it.

Teacup Lane (Sandy)

[Tracy]

Thanks for sharing. I made a snowflake garland last year following a similar pattern. You can also turn that 5-point granny star you recently linked to into a snowflake by making your foundation chain just one longer and working one more "point" into the round. I plan to make myself a snowflake scarf with that pattern! Happy hooking!

[Kate Bruning]

White is pretty special to work with every now again. I'm working busily on pompom garlands and I have to admit that I am doing one that is entirely white. It's kind of like a holiday. I showed my 6 year old (Archie) your snowflakes and he is very excited because he is mad on making paper snow flakes so we figure we might be able to make a Christmas mobile together. So glad you like the little baby legs - the rest of her is edible too!!

[Heckety]

Thank you so much for sharing the pattern. I've been trying on and off for weeks to crochet snowflakes and to be honest they look more like dollops of rice pudding or squashed meringues than snowflakes. I'll try again now!

[Angie]

I am so happy -- I had really wanted to crochet snowflakes this year, but was overwhelmed, thinking they must be oh so tediously made from thread...I was just not up to it...so, I had given up the idea...until you shared yours.
Thank you for the idea to do them in yarn! I sat with some white cotton I had on hand to make just one to try the pattern and...before I knew it, had made three, lickety-split, in different sizes! :D
Thanks a million for the inspiration.
(Oh...I can't remember if I've already told you, but my daughter is expecting our first grandchild about the same time as your new one is to arrive.)

[Lori Daly]

Wow! I am so super excited to get home and start making snowflakes for my Christmas tree. Thank you so much for realizing that we need YOUR patterns. They are the most easiest patterns to follow. You make crocheting so easy. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have gotten past the first project. There are really no words to explain how utterly helpful you have been in this area. I have tried other patterns, but I can't get them. I tell my husband, I will have to wait for Lucy to try it and create a pattern. You should create a book using all the patterns on your site and have it published....it would sell like hotcakes and be so very helpful to people. Hugs & Kisses to you Lucy!!!!!

[Andrea]

These are so lovely! I'm going to have to give them a go very soon! I have some cotton yarn - probably intended for making washcloths, but it will do for snowflakes too!

[Marianne]

Thanks Lucy, you are awesome to have simplified this pattern...I have been wanting to make snowflakes for the LONGEST time!!!

[Katie]

Love the snowflakes! Wonder if Mr Shopping (Ocado!) can bring me some spray starch? I have some quite curly granny stars awaiting attention...

Keep up the good work.
Katie x