It’s December and that means it’s time for Crochet Snowflake of the year. 2019.
Like every year, I am eager to welcome winter. The start of every season brings a tingle of excitement and December is no different. The cool, shorter, darker days that replace the bright weeks of autumn mean only one thing: the nature is getting ready to rest, and so should we. Though it may seem hard to do, having wrapped up one holiday only to start getting ready for another, but December is the perfect month to slow down and enjoy the small things.
I often dream about living on a tropical island and it’s a wonderfully peaceful, soothing dream. Yet, when I realize I’d have to give up the smell of freshly fallen snow in wintertime, the sound of rustling leaves under my feet in October, or the joy of seeing the first buds on trees in spring, I get anxious. For me, there’s something profoundly comforting in the predictability and regularity with which the seasons come and go, no matter what happens in the human world. I don’t think I could ever give that up. Not even for a tropical island.
So, cozy up with a cup of tea. Allow yourself to slow down. Take a deep breath and smile. While the thread effortlessly slides off the hook between your fingers, allow your mind to wander into the faraway dream lands. Or binge-watch your favorite show. Listen to your favorite podcast. Or sing along with the radio station that plays non-stop Christmas music. You are the master of your hygge.
Crochet Snowflake 2019: Materials
- 2.25 mm (B) crochet hook
- Aunt Lydia’s Crochet Thread Fashion 3 (or another size 3 crochet thread)*
- needle for sewing in the ends, and scissors
*Note: Feel free to experiment and use any appropriate thread or yarn and hook combination. Gauge is irrelevant to the success of this project. The bigger the hook and the thicker the yarn, the bigger the snowflake; and vice versa.
Stitches and Abbreviations Used
- ch (chain stitch), chs (chain chain stitches)
- sl st (slip stitch)
- dc3tog (3 double crochet stitches worked together)
- picot (3 chain stitches anchored into the preceding chain with a slip stitch)
How to work individual stitches
- Adjustable magic loop: Check out my detailed pictorial for step-by-step guidance.
- Chain stitch: Yarn over the hook. Pull yarn through the loop on the hook.
- Slip stitch: Insert the hook into the space specified. Yarn over. Pull yarn through the stitch and the loop on the hook.
- dc3tog: *Insert hook into magic ring. Yarn over. Pull a loop through the ring. Yarn over. Pull yarn through first two loops on the hook.* The first partial double crochet stitch is complete. Repeat steps between asterisks (*) to work two more partial double crochet stitches. When you finish 3 partial double crochet stitches (and have 4 loops on the hook), yarn over, and pull yarn through all 4 loops on the hook.
Note: for the starting dc3tog, work 2 chain stitches instead of the first partial double crochet stitch.
How to work a picot
This snowflake’s picot consists of 3 anchored chain stitches and sits in the middle of a 6-stitch chain. There are multiple ways of creating picots in crochet. In order to make the picots in this pattern look as neat and defined as possible, I like to anchor them by working a slip stitch around the chain to which the picot is attached.
Let me take you through that process step by step.
Step 1.
After you have worked a dc3tog and the initial chain of 3 stitches, work a picot. That is, chain 3 stitches. (In essence, this means you will have worked 6 chain stitches in Step 1. The last 3 of these 6 chain stitches will become a picot when they are anchored in the next step.)
Step 2.
To anchor the picot, bend the chain so that the stitch on the hook lies next to the third stitch from the hook. Pinch and hold the bent chain with left thumb and index finger. Guide the hook under the third chain from the hook and pull up a loop from behind this stitch. Pull this loop through the loop on the hook to complete the anchoring slip stitch. This slip stitch will have the ability to slide up and down the chain, allowing you to center and shape the picot to perfection.
Crochet Snowflake 2019: Pattern
Note: The whole snowflake is worked in a single round.
*work into magic loop: dc3tog – ch 3 – picot – ch 3* 6 times – sl st into first dc3 tog to join – break yarn & weave ends in
Crochet Snowflake 2019: Finishing
This snowflake needs to be pinned and stiffened. To do both, follow the finishing instructions in my Crochet Snowflake 2018 blog post.
Use the crochet snowflake tag to see all free crochet snowflake patterns available on the JAKIGU.COM blog.
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