Good as my word (don't get used to it)

In Monday's comments, I said that after I got through with my school-
related craziness this week, I would post the pattern for the
snowflake I made up last weekend. Well, I actually did, and did it in
a timely manner. This is not the way it usually works. Just so you know.

So here it is (props to Becky for the name, which I'm totally using
without asking her -- hi, Becky!!)! You can also get a PDF version here.

Fancy Star Snowflake

      Materials

This can be made with larger yarn and a larger hook, or with finer thread and a smaller hook. The snowflake pictured was created with:

Size 10 crochet cotton
Size 6 (US) steel hook
sewing needle (eye just large enough for crochet cotton)
stiffener

a good overview of stiffeners can be found at http://crochet.tangleweeds.com/stiffeners.html

      Directions:

Stitch guide:

Tr decrease: YO twice, insert hook in st indicated, YO
and pull up a loop, (YO and draw through 2 loops on hook) twice, * YO
twice, insert hook in next stitch nd pull up a loop, (YO and draw
through 2 loops on hook) twice, repeat from * once more, YO and draw
through all four loops on hook.
__________________

Ch 5; join with slip st to form a ring.

Rnd 1: Ch 6 (counts as first dc plus ch 3), (dc in ring, ch 3) 5
times, join with sl st to third ch of ch-6. (6 dc and 6 ch-3 sps)

Rnd 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in next ch-3 sp, ch 5, dc in
same ch-3 sp, (dc in next dc, dc in next ch-3 sp, ch 5, dc in same ch-
3 sp) 5 times, join with sl st to first dc.

Rnd 3: Ch 4 (counts as first tr, now and throughout), tr in next dc,
ch 4, sc in next sc, ch 4, tr in next dc, (tr in next 2 dc, ch 4, sc
in next sc, ch 4, tr in next dc) 5 times, join with sl st to first dc.

Rnd 4: Ch 4, tr in next dc, ch 7, sc in next sc, ch 7, tr in next dc,
(tr in next 2 dc, ch 7, sc in next sc, ch 7, tr in next dc) 5 times,
join with sl st to first dc.

Rnd 5: Sl st in stitch to right, ch 4, * YO twice, insert hook in
next stitch and pull up a loop, (YO and draw through 2 loops on hook)
twice, repeat from * once more, YO and draw through all three loops on
hook, ch 9, sc in next sc, ch 9, (work Tr decrease in next tr, ch 9,
sc in next sc, ch 9) around, join with sl st to top of first st.

Rnd 6: Ch 1, sc in same st, ch 6, sc in same st, * ch 9, sc in next
sc, ch 6, sc in same st, ch 9, sc in top of next Tr decrease, ch 6, sc
in same st, repeat from * around, join with sl st to first st.
Fasten off and weave in ends using sewing needle.

Block and stiffen using a six-point blocking pattern.

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