The Frost Flower on pages 112-113 of Crochet Garden doubles as a snowflake if you crochet it all in white. The pattern is pretty straightforward, but a few pictures will help you visualize it. Look for a Frost Flower table mat project here.
Round 1 of the Frost Flower sets up the six petals. The large loop will be completely covered by the stitches of the next round.
Round 2 includes clusters of hdc, dc, and tr. Note that the instructions for the clusters (“Special Abbreviations” on page 113) include a ch-st to close the cluster. So when the pattern says “2 dc-CL, ch 3,” you make the dc-cluster, ch 1 to close it, and ch 3.
Why did I write it that way? I don’t know. It must have seemed correct at the time.
I crocheted Round 3 in light blue yarn, so you could see it better. The bumps are hdc-picots: ch 3, hdc in 3rd ch from hook. If you want the Basic Frost Flower, you’re done after this round!
Now for Round 4, which changes the Basic Frost Flower into a Fancy Flake. First, take a close look at the middle of the flower. The yellow lines in the photo show the small triangles formed by the ch-2s of Round 1 plus the ch 2 between petals of Round 2.
Each petal of Round 4 is worked around one triangle, which comprises
- the ch 2 at the end of a Round 1 petal,
- the ch 2 between petals of Round 2,
- and the ch 2 at the beginning of a Round 1 petal.
To begin Round 4, locate the ch 2 at the end of a Round 1 petal. Fold the flower at this point, so you can work around the ch-2. Begin at the centermost edge of the ch-2 and work toward the outside of the flower: with a slip knot on your hook, insert hook under the ch-2, draw up a loop, yo, complete the first sc, sc 1, hdc 1.
Now you’ve finished the first part of the first petal.
The next part of the petal is worked around the ch-2 between petals, which in my flower is white.
Crochet the final part of the petal around the ch-2 at the beginning of the next Round 1 petal. Then go on to the next petal of Round 4. Getting into position to crochet the next petal feels uncomfortably tight, but it will work.
Round 4 is finished, and we have a Fancy Flake.
Here’s the Fancy Flake, seen from the underside. You can see the bottoms of the stitches of Round 4 in six little triangle shapes around the center.