Evolution of a Snowflake Design

It's that time of year! Time for a new snowflake. I leafed through my favourite book of snowflakes by Wilson A. Bentley and picked one:

Normally, I make little pencil sketches to start with but this time I went straight in with my shuttles and had a go at reproducing the shape:

Version 1:  Straight off the shuttles, using lock chains to get the straight lines of the real snowflake. I find tips too long proportionally. Need to figure out how to move from round to round in a pleasing manner. An OK start.

Version 2:  Spaced it a bit more, straight lines of LCs are ok but lack interest. Added a round of normal chains to vary things and because I see a bit of a curve effect in the real one too.

Version 3:  I'm keeping the round of normal chains and added a line of SRs (split rings) for interest. Yes, that's a bit better but still not quite right… continuing to work on tips for proportion and how to join them to last round. Still figuring out the best way to move from round to round, now using tiny rings to space the rounds.

Version 4:  Thought it was better to end with a straight line of LCs (more like real snowflake) so put SRs on penultimate round, not bad, I think I like this one. 

Version 5:  Basically re-did 4 thinking perhaps it was good but now I’m not so sure about the spacing and find the tips are sticking out too much. Tips still feel a bit too long proportionally, maybe I need to attach them to the last round... on the real snowflake, they are really "stuck" onto the outer edge.

Version 6:  SRs are a bit fiddly to make so let’s try victorian sets for the penultimate round instead. Hmmm, no, lacks the visual interest of the SRs. However, I attached the trefoils to the LCs on that one, adding a couple of plain DS at beginning and end of LCs and I prefer that.

Version 7:  YES. I’m happy now. I made the SRs a bit bigger and I prefer that. And I like the shape! It can be difficult to make long straight lines look really symmetrical and even but I think the proportions are good and in keeping with the look of the real snowflake.

I'm calling it... Flindrikin!

Flindrikin

Real Snowflake

Obviously I'm not trying to be "exactly" like the real snowflake, but strongly inspired, within the limitations of tatted lace, and hoping to create a pleasing design.

Oh, and Alwyn (snowflake 2025) is now available in my Etsy shop should anyone wish to tat it. Only a year late with it! So there will be two new ones this year.

Would anyone wish to test-tat Flindrikin? I'd appreciate it very much. Other people always see things I have not noticed when I write up the pattern.

Best wishes,

Frivole