Tatted 10 Point Snowflake

We’ve all heard of writer’s block. Well, this month I had “designer’s block”. I’d planned on creating a Christmas-y design and just couldn’t get my mind around it. So I went back to my favorite form of tatting and designed a snowflake. I love the old way of tatting and the old uses for it.

Another motivation I had for doing a snowflake is that I intend to use this design as the center of a new doily I want to design. I will add a new row each month until it’s done!

This snowflake was tatted with size 30 DMC Cebelia thread.

This is an intermediate-level 1-shuttle pattern using simple rings and chains.

Printable pattern (210K. Opens a new window.)

Patterns are available for download as a PDF file and are readable by using Adobe Reader. Download Adobe Reader free.

Instructions:

You will need:

Tatting thread in your choice of color, size 20 or 30
1 tatting shuttle

Round 1

Clover leaf (use this same clover leaf throughout–will be abbreviated as CL
R: (3ds p) 5 times 3ds, close
R: 3ds j to last p of previous R, 5ds p 1ds p 1ds p 5ds p 3ds, close
R: 3ds j to last p of previous R, (3ds p) 4 times 3ds close, turn

Ch: 5ds p (3ds p) 4 times, 5ds, turn
R: 3ds j to 2nd p of previous R, 5ds p 1ds p 1ds p 5ds p 3ds, close, turn
Ch: 5ds p (3ds p) 4 times, 5ds, turn
CL, joining 4th p of first R in CL to last p of previous R
Repeat until you have 5 repetitions of the pattern, making sure you j to the appropriate p on the first CL once you’ve reached the last repetition. Cut and tie.

Round 2

*R: 3ds p 3ds j to center p of chain on previous round 3ds p 3ds, close, turn
Ch: (3ds p) 3 times, 3ds, sl, do not turn
CL, do not turn
Ch: (3ds p) 3 times, 3ds, turn*
Repeat between * around.
Cut and tie.

Steam and starch the snowflake so that it’s flat. This particular pattern has a tendency to twist if you use the shoelace trick. If you’d like to avoid the twisting, just use two shuttles instead.

Copyright 2005 by Nancy Tracy, All Rights Reserved.