Snowflake 2025 - Version 5

As per Angie K.'s suggestion, I tried to "square off" the shape between the tips so that it's more like the real snowflake.  

No. 5

Real Snowflake

I like it but... I now wonder whether it's better with the heavier look of the three chains (from version 2) so that it looks more like the real snowflake.  This is nice too but it feels very open in the centre now whereas the real snowflake is not open in the centre, it's full.  Maybe no. 2 but I square off the last chains more?

No. 2

Do I try to fill in the spaces?  Even fill in the centre rings so that there is a lot less negative space in the centre of the snowflake? 

I mean of course, the real snowflake is an inspiration so my lace snowflake doesn't need to be exactly the same... but I enjoy the challenge of getting as close as possible!  It's always an interesting exercise and I often discover new shapes I like along the way and end up with more than one pattern (like no. 3 for example which I like also but is different and not so much like the real thing).

No. 3
(I missed one ring on one tip!)

No. 5

Ok, off to try another version!  See you again soon.

Best wishes,

Frivole

Versions 2, 3, 4

I carried on working on the new snowflake.  It needed more space around the tips and I also wanted to add space in the centre after the initial rings (just as there is a tiny gap in the real snowflake). However, I went slightly wrong and ended up needing an extra round of chains to get to the tips and I don't think I like the "heaviness" of the three rounds. But here is version 2:

I thought the tips were now too far apart but if you look at the snowflake photo below, the proportions are actually not bad!  But the centre would need to be bigger relative to the tips I think...

So I started another one thinking I wanted only two rows of chains after the centre rings... but went wrong again! I mean it's never completely wrong but just not what I had in mind or what I was thinking I wanted to do.  So this next one, I missed an element but decided to run with it anyway and complete the snowflake and this is how it came out...  Version 3:

It looks completely different, doesn't it?!  But I rather like it.  It's not so much like the snowflake photograph I'm trying to reproduce but as a snowflake, I still like it!

Anyway, onwards with the real snowflake design, I got going with version 4.  This time only two rounds of chains after the centre rings and I shortened the tips a tiny bit.  Obviously my tatted version is never going to be exactly like the real snowflake but I do try to get as close as possible.  Especially as tatting is all round and curves and snowflakes are angular and spiky!

I think I'm getting close to happy with this design... what do you think?  All comments welcome, good or bad! :-).   Do you prefer 3 rounds of chains or better with just two?  I think I like the look better with two but maybe three makes it look more like the real snowflake?  I might also try making the centre bigger so it's more in proportion with the real snowflake.  More work to be done!

Best wishes,

Frivole

New Snowflake 2025!

That's it, it's the time of year... to start working on a new snowflake design!  This time I asked one of my daughters to make a pre-selection of a few snowflakes she liked from my favourite book "Snowflakes in Photographs" by Wilson A. Bentley.  Out of her selection, I chose this one.

I always first do a rough sketch to see how I'd produce the shape in one pass because that's always my preferred option wherever possible.  So with my pencil I'll draw the shape and see how it would flow and also start thinking about the number of stitches I think I'll need for each element.

Then I worked on how I'd make the tips:

Then I went ahead and started tatting the whole thing,

this is my first version:

A bit rough but not too bad though it's all a bit too tight

(and only looks ok because I've pinned it down for the photo!)

I'm still experimenting with different tips on this version

So that's where I'm at so far, I will continue work on it today.  I think I may need to make either the centre bigger or the tips smaller as the proportions are not quite right (compared to photo of real snowflake) and it's all a bit too congested at the moment.  It doesn't lie flat without a bit of help!  

See you soon for the next versions!

Best wishes,

Frivole