I just LOVE the looks of crocheted snowflakes, don’t you? They look so pretty on a Christmas tree or as decorations anywhere in your home! They make great gifts, as well as package decorations, too! And they’re surprisingly easy to make (with a few crochet skills and knowledge)!
Christmas tree snowflakes
But how do you take a crocheted snowflake from droopy and lifeless to stiffened and lacy? You stiffen it with fabric stiffener and pin it out to dry! It’s not hard at all. Just a little time-consuming, like so many things in life! But it’s so worth it when you’re done! I have a free PDF template that you can use for pinning your snowflakes on to shape them perfectly. You can find that template in my written tutorial.
9 Stiffened Snowflakes
If you’ve never stiffened crocheted snowflakes before, check out my new YouTube video where I’ll take you step-by-step through the process. I also share my favorite pattern book for crocheting the snowflakes, as well as how I store my snowflakes for years of enjoyment!
So what are you waiting for? Learn to stiffen crochet snowflakes today for many years of enjoyment by you or someone you love!
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year!
Happy snowflake crocheting!
Susan
P.S. Here’s another way to store your stiffened crocheted snowflakes. It’s a gift card tin from Amazon! I have several of these and they work great for storing my snowflakes. I can fit 4 medium size snowflakes in each tin. The tin comes with a gift card ($25 minimum card amount) that you can use or give as a gift. Then you can keep the tin and use it to store some snowflakes! Here’s a link to the Amazon gift card page with this snowflake tin (the tin is free with the purchase of the gift card!).
I’m excited to announce that I have a new YouTube video on learning to do Wiggly Crochet! I’ve enjoyed this crochet technique for many years. It’s one of my favorites to do and to teach!
In this Wiggly Crochet YouTube video, I’ll teach you how to crochet the foundation mesh, crochet the wiggly stitches on top of the mesh and read the wiggly crochet chart.
There is a FREE Wiggly Crochet pattern that you can download right here on my website to go with the YouTube video, so you’ll be able to get started with this wonderful crochet technique today!
Learn to do Wiggly Crochet Hot Pad and Coaster Video
Here are some of the Wiggly Crochet projects that I’ve designed over the years:
Six Wiggly Hot Pads & Coasters
Wiggly Flower Hot Pad & Coaster
Wiggly Crochet Playing Cards Set
Wiggly Crochet Fish Rug
I hope you’ll give this fantastic crochet technique a try very soon! You’ll be glad you did!
Here’s a wonderful crochet stitch/technique to add to your crochet toolbox: the foundation double crochet (fdc). I’ve just finished a short YouTube video on how to do the fdc, along with where/why you’d want to use it.
I hope you enjoy this video and it helps you be successful with making the foundation dc. Thank you to Tammie on Facebook for suggesting this video!
I love the look of decorative edgings, especially when they’re easy and fast to do! I added a decorative edging to the skirt and collar on my Bear Mitts pattern, as well as the edges of my Button Flower Pin pattern.
I LOVE the effect I get when I work this slip stitch edging and it’s super simple to do, too! To find out how to work this edging, check out my new tutorial here.
Have you ever seen a crochet pattern that instructs you to work in the back “bump” (or back “bar” or back “hump”) of the foundation chain? Do you know what part of the foundation chain this is? If you’ve never worked in the back bump of the foundation chain, you’re in for a treat! This is the best thing since sliced bread (well, almost)!
So why would someone want to work into a different loop of the foundation chain than they always work into? In this instance, it is because working in the back bump gives you a nice bottom edge of your project that mimics the top edge of the project. This is what I’m talking about:
Can you see the chain edge at the bottom? Doesn’t that look nice? I LOVE working into the back bump of the foundation chain. Not only does it look nice, it gives a stronger bottom edge, as well.
I’ve made a tutorial for you explaining how to work into the back bump of the foundation chain. You can find it on my “tutorials” page here. I hope you’ll check it out and give it a try. You’ll be glad you did!
If you’re new to crochet or you learned to crochet from someone else, how do you know if you’re crocheting correctly? Do you hold the hook correctly? Are you holding your yarn correctly? Are you yarning over correctly? These are some of the questions you may be asking yourself. Whenever I’m doing something in crochet incorrectly, I really appreciate someone telling me the correct way to do it so I can improve my crochet skills and knowledge. So I thought I’d share with you the correct way to do a “yarn over” in crochet.
Every stitch in crochet uses a yarn over at some point in time, whether it’s at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the stitch (or in all 3 places). There are many good crochet books written that explain and show how to do the yarn over and the crochet stitches formed by the yarn over correctly. Also, in this age of the internet and internet/website videos, there some great crochet videos to watch that will show you a multitude of fabulous crochet stitches and techniques. I think it’s wonderful to have so much helpful information at my fingertips to learn more about crochet. You probably share this enthusiasm for learning new crochet stitches and techniques, too!
But you know the saying: “Buyer Beware”! Disclaimer:NOT ALL CROCHET VIDEOS ARE CORRECT!
I’d love to be able to say that all of the crochet videos I’ve watched on the internet are sharing the correct information, but that’s simply not true. I’ve seen some videos where the person demonstrating the stitch is saying “yarn over”, but she’s simply grabbing the yarn (with the yarn in front of the crochet hook) and isn’t doing the yarn over correctly. To do a “true” yarn over, you must bring the yarn around the back of the crochet hook, over the top and to the front, like this:
Yarn Over done correctly
If you’re not making your yarn overs in this manner, then you’re doing them incorrectly. Here’s the incorrect way to do your yarn overs:
Yarn Over done incorrectly
Do you see the difference? When you’re doing your yarn overs correctly, the yarn goes over the top of the hook from the back to the front. It doesn’t just sit in front of the hook to grab it: that’s NOT a “yarn over”!
To see some crochet videos, including the correct way to do a yarn over, please visit the CGOA website here if you’re right-handed or here if you’re left-handed. In each of these videos, Kim Guzman, a respected crochet designer, teacher and author, shows how to do a yarn over correctly. The yarn over is used for making the chain, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet and treble crochet. It’s also used for many other crochet stitches and techniques, including Filet Crochet, Bruges Lace, Wiggly Crochet, Tunisian Crochet, Hairpin Lace, Broomstick Lace and more. As a CGOA Board member, we discussed adding crochet videos to the CGOA website last year and Kim was enthusiastic about doing them for us (thank you so much, Kim). Kim is a wonderful crochet teacher with lots of knowledge and patience! So check out the crochet videos on the CGOA website to make sure you’re doing your yarn overs correctly! And if you don’t know about all that CGOA (the Crochet Guild of America) has to offer, then check out the rest of the updated CGOA website while you’re there!
As one of the co-chairs and a portfolio reviewer in the CGOA Masters program, I enjoy discussing crochet stitches, techniques and patterns to find out how some people work their stitches (correctly and incorrectly). I learn so much from these discussions! They help me to understand how the written crochet instructions can be interpreted in different ways, which in turn helps me improve my pattern writing and technical editing skills! I’m all for improvement throughout my life!
Are there any crochet stitches, techniques or patterns you’d like to discuss?
Wow! Where did the month of January go? Like many of you, I’ve been busy (with lots of crochet time and family time) and the month just flew by!
So here we are in February already and I have some big news for you. I’m excited to tell you that I wrote my very first crochet article on Wiggly Crochet for the Feb/Mar 2014 issue of Crochet Today magazine. This is the cover of that magazine:
Crochet Today Feb/Mar 2014 cover
To see the fabulous projects in this issue, just visit the Crochet Today website here. This issue is still available for purchase at many craft stores, so if you’d like to learn to do Wiggly Crochet, what are you waiting for? It’s a lot of fun!!!
Included with the article that teaches you how to do Wiggly Crochet, I designed a Wiggly Crochet Heart swatch that you can make into a pillow, since it measures 12” square (that’s a perfect pillow size!). Here’s a photo of the Heart swatch pattern that’s in the magazine:
Wiggly Crochet Heart swatch
I used Red Heart “Luster Sheen” for the foundation mesh and Red Heart “With Love” yarn for the wiggly stitches. This pattern, along with the wiggly crochet chart and some symbol charts, are included in the Feb/Mar 2014 issue of Crochet Today.
I hope you’ll consider learning Wiggly Crochet. It’s a great technique that yields 3-dimensional projects that are perfect for hot pads and coasters, to absorb heat or moisture. I taught a class on Wiggly Crochet at the CGOA Conference in 2010 (in Manchester, NH) and again in 2013 (in Indianapolis, IN). My students loved learning to do Wiggly Crochet and I think you will, too!
Over the last 12 years or so that I’ve been designing crochet patterns, I’ve had 3 books with Wiggly Crochet patterns published: “Hot Stuff for the Holidays” by Jeanette Crews Designs in 2003, “Wiggly Crochet Rugs” by Annie’s in 2009 and “Wiggly Crochet Dishcloths” by Annie’s in 2013. While the first 2 books are out of print, the dishcloths book is still available here. And since Jeanette Crews Designs went out of business, I got the copyright back to the patterns in that book.
If you already know how to do Wiggly Crochet and you’re looking for some Wiggly Crochet patterns, we have some here at The Crochet Architect. We have a wiggly fish rug pattern, 7 wiggly hot pad & coaster sets (most are for specific holidays) and a wiggly playing card set (with the 4 suits: hearts, clubs, diamonds and spades). Check out these patterns and more on our pattern page.
What new crochet technique do you plan to learn this year?
Many years ago, I crocheted some snowflakes for my Christmas tree. But, true to my procrastinating nature (aka: other things were more important to do, so this got pushed to the bottom of the list), I waited until last week to stiffen these crochet snowflakes. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t always procrastinate. But I find myself doing the crocheting of projects quite easily, while the finishing of many projects takes me a lot longer to warm up to doing! Are you the same way? Also, I don’t relish the idea of getting the stiffening solution all over my hands! I suppose I could always wear rubber gloves, but where’s the fun in that?
Last week, I was inspired to stiffen these snowflakes because of a crochet design that I just finished for a major crochet magazine (the design is still a secret, but you’ll find out in about 6 months what it is when the magazine comes out).
I’d guess that not too many people have stiffened crochet snowflakes or know how to do it, so I decided to write a tutorial on how to stiffen them. You can find it right here on my “Tutorials” page. So if you’d like to learn how to stiffen snowflakes, then please take a look at the tutorial.
Update (11/25/20): I have a YouTube video for learning to stiffen crochet snowflakes. You can find that video here.
Anyway, here’s a photo of the 9 snowflakes I stiffened to use on next year’s Christmas tree (I already had this year’s tree decorated, so I didn’t want to change it!):
9 Stiffened Snowflakes
Aren’t they pretty? I crocheted them from the Leisure Arts book called “White Christmas in Thread Crochet” by Kathryn A. Clark, a very talented crochet designer. This book includes 54 projects from snowflakes to icicles to tree toppers to tree skirts and garland. It’s a great book! Here’s a photo of the front cover of this book:
White Christmas in Thread Crochet book
I’ve had this book for many years (it was published in 2001). My copy isn’t that pretty anymore because I’ve taken it with me to many places, including little league baseball games when my sons were much younger. Since I love thread crochet, these snowflakes were a natural project for me to make!
If you enjoy working with crochet thread, why not give some crocheted snowflakes a try! You’ll be glad you did and your Christmas tree will look fabulous!!! Or if you’re looking for a unique gift, these snowflakes make fabulous gifts!
Are you a CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) member? If so, fantastic! If not, why not? If you love crochet and you’d like to be part of a national organization that is dedicated to crochet, then CGOA is for you! We have local chapters that hold monthly meetings for members to share with each other and learn from each other, yearly crochet conferences with lots of classes and fun activities, free crochet patterns “for members only” and many more benefits of CGOA membership! Check out all the member benefits on the CGOA website here. To find a local chapter near you, please visit this webpage.
Do you know about the CGOA website? You can find CGOA at www.crochet.org. The CGOA website has a new look and added features this year. We have some crochet lessons and fabulous new crochet videos (done by Kim Guzman) on the new CGOA website, as well! And there will be more additions to the website in the near future, too.
Many of you already know that I am the current secretary on the CGOA Board of Directors. I’m also one of the co-chairs on the CGOA Masters Committee and I’ve taught classes at many of the CGOA Conferences in the last 5 years. As a Board member, I was honored to design and crochet the website banner for the CGOA website this year. If you’re a CGOA member, you can read all about the banner and download the free website banner motif pattern (for members only) here. This is the motif for the CGOA website banner:
CGOA Website Banner Motif
It’s made with popcorns and post stitches, as well as many regular crochet stitches. Here’s a photo of part of the CGOA website banner with many joined motifs:
CGOA Website Banner
I made this banner with 12 colors of Cascade 220 Superwash yarn. This yarn was a dream to work with! You can see the huge range of Cascade 220 Superwash colors here. There are 220 yards of worsted weight 100% wool yarn in each ball. I know the CGOA banner will last for a long time, since this yarn is completely washable!
Happy crocheting everyone! And remember the CGOA motto:
“When you think CROCHET, think CGOA”!!!
Susan
P.S. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with lots of time to crochet! And I hope you learn a new crochet technique in 2014, too!
Have you ever made a crochet project in the round and couldn’t tighten the center hole to make it smaller or disappear completely? Last week, when I was teaching my mother-in-law how to read a crochet pattern and to work in the round, I realized that she was making her slip knot incorrectly. Her center hole wouldn’t close up after working her first round! So I watched her make a slip knot and it was backwards. I thought there may be many other crocheters who make their slip knot backwards, too. So I’ve made a tutorial on how to make your slip knot the “right” way!!! Please check out my new “Tutorials” page to read more and find out how to make a slip knot correctly.
After you’ve checked out the tutorial, you can practice making the slip knot and working a simple granny square with the “3-Round Granny Square” pattern on our “Free Patterns” page.
