It’s December and I’m in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Christmas.  There’s snow on the ground and a serious chill in the air.  And I want to do nothing but sit in front of the fire with my yarn and crochet the next square for Friends Around the World!  This week is especially exciting for me, because….drum roll please…

I have designed this week’s square!!!

And, we have a VIDEO this week!  We spilled the beans a few days ago when we told you that Bonnie Barker of Bonnie Bay Crochet, will be creating videos for the rest of the CAL. We’re so excited to be able to partner with Bonnie…you can read more about her here.

As for me, I designed Snow Maiden because I’m a gardener at heart and the Pincushion Flower, ‘Snow Maiden’ is one of my favorite annuals.  I dabble in crochet design once in a while and when I do, my love of flowers is usually pretty evident.

I first picked up a crochet hook when, as a child, my mother’s aunt visited us from Germany for several weeks.  Several stitches later, I was hooked!  Some of those early projects included a pillow, countless purses, fringed vests (it was the 70s, afterall!) and an afghan that my mom still uses.  Crochet became a lifelong obsession.

When life started to kick into high gear…college, career, marriage, family…crocheting moved to the back burner.  It became harder and harder to fit it in alongside my other interests in gardening and quilting.  Not to mention, raising two active boys who played virtually every sport known to man!  Then, in a blink of an eye, it was over.  The boys graduated from college and I retired after 35 years with the YMCA!  These days you can find me either out in the garden, sitting at my sewing machine or hooking it up on the dock at my lakeside home in northern Wisconsin.

You can find the pattern for Snow Maiden and the link to the video on my blog,  Wisconsin Gardenlife

Extra Stuff

Yarn Requirements

Check out our post on yarn requirements here.  Here’s what the testers used for this square:

Lynette:  Worsted/Aran, 109 grams

Marjolein:  Stylecraft Special DK, 35 grams

Silvana:  Herrschners Worsted 8, 75.4 grams

Aprille:  Stylecraft Aran, 71 grams

Claire:  Stylecraft Aran & Boyes Aran,79 grams

Micki: Worsted, 90 grams

Additional Pattern Info

Pattern Location: Wisconsin Gardenlife

Video by Bonnie Barker: Snow Maiden Video

Important Additional Pattern Info

Don’t forget you will need to add an extra three rounds to your square to achieve the final 48 st/side count which is necessary for joining. You can find the instructions for all squares here. Translations for these additional rounds can be found here.    The extra rounds will vary slightly from week to week because the squares vary in ending stitch counts so be sure to follow the directions for each square.

Snow Maiden ends with a 39 stitch count on each side plus one stitch in each corner.  You will need to add an additional 9 stitches per side for a total of 48 stitches per side.

Rnd 1:  Begin with a standing sc (stsc) in any corner chsp, (1sc, ch2, 2sc) in corner st, scIn each stitch to end of row.  *(2sc, ch2, 2sc) in corner st, sc to end of row 3 times. (43sts, ch2) per side

Rnd 2:  Slst to corner chsp, *(sc, ch2, sc) in corner chsp,sc in in each stitch to end of row* 4 times. (45sts, ch2) per side

Rnd 3:  Slst to corner chsp, *(2sc, ch2, 2sc) in cornerchsp, skip the first, slightly hidden st, sc in next 44sts* 4 times. (48sts, ch2) per side

Translations for base rounds can be found here.

This will be necessary to get your squares to the proper ending stitch count.  It will vary slightly from week to week because the squares vary in ending stitch counts so be sure to follow the directions for each square. You may choose to add these extra rounds now or later.

Tester’s Photos: