100 Snowflakes to Crochet

What’s nicer than a new crafty book when you’re spending time stuck on the couch? Not much, I’d say. Especially when you only have to reach into the yarn basket next to you for all of your supplies. And even more so, if the projects are straightforward enough that you can attempt a few of them while also sipping chocolate mint rooibos tea and watching Doc Martin.

That is the early part of my weekend in a nutshell: feet up, beverage, British TV, little things to crochet.

St. Martin’s Press sent me a copy of 100 Snowflakes to Crochet by Caitlin Sainio, and although I’m not feeling completely done with summer just yet, I couldn’t resist trying a few.

The projects are all worked in  size 10 thread and a 5 (1.90mm) hook, but like I mentioned before, I haven’t been getting around much lately, so I had to make-do with the supplies I had on hand. I used a worsted cotton and a G hook, and the results were just as lovely as the samples, albeit on a larger scale. You can see what I mean, above. The samples in the book are all shown actual size.

Truth be told, I really like them in the worsted cotton. I could even imagine going up to a bulky yarn and a large hook, and making them nice and big. They’d make great Winter decorations around the house, or in the windows. How about a big white snowflake on a red throw pillow for Christmas? (My wheels are turning…)

Made in the intended scale, I imagine they’d be lovely Christmas ornaments, especially crocheted in a yarn with a bit of sparkle to it.

I blocked my snowflakes, to bring out the stitch patterns a bit, but I don’t know how necessary it was. With this cotton yarn, all I had to do was tug at the points and smooth them out, and they looked pretty good.

The author named each flake after something snow-related, which is kind of cool and a little bit educational at the same time.  Did you know that “firn” is the name for old snow that has become granular and compacted? Me neither.

For reference, the three snowflakes I tried were #8 Flurry, #15 White Buran, and #18 Ice Flower. The snowflakes are presented in order of difficulty, so you can see I stayed in the shallow end of the pool with these. I am fairly confident I could work my way up to #90 White Dew or #94 Buria without too much trouble.

I like the pointier varieties best, but there are also plenty of straighter-sided designs, most of which appear to be hexagonal in nature. Each snowflake’s instructions include both a written pattern and a stitch chart, so you can follow whichever method you find easier.

The last section of the book provides some projects that give you an idea of how to use your crocheted snowflakes: gift cards, mobiles, scarves, and more.

I really love books like this which have one specific item (snowflakes) and show you a million (100) ways to make them. Once you get the basics down, you have a great jumping off point for designing your own, if you wish.

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon, where you can get more information: 100 Snowflakes to Crochet <– That’s an affiliate link, so if you decide to buy a copy, I earn a little commission. Thanks!

I really have to make another few dozen of these snowflakes to top my Christmas gifts this year – they’re perfect for that!