We're featuring 10 designs from the book 100 Snowflakes to Crochet by Caitlin Sainio in our StitchFinder under "Crochet Snowflake." To help you make the most of these wonderful designs, we're excited to share the following excerpt, courtesy of St. Martin's Griffin.

Want to learn more about the book? Click here to view it on Amazon.

To make your snowflake flat, neat, and symmetrical (and to ensure that it stays that way during hanging), it is necessary to block and stiffen it.

	1 Make a blocking board. Copy or trace the blocking diagram shown here onto a sheet of paper, and tape it to a flat piece of corrugated cardboard, cork board, or any other rigid, pin-friendly material, such as Styrofoam. Then cover it with plastic wrap, so that it will be waterproof.
	Click on the chart to the left to enlarge it. Go to the File menu in your browser and click "Print" to open up your print menu. Alternately, hit Ctrl+P (⌘+P on Macs) to open up the print menu.
	2 Soak the snowflake with heavy laundry starch, fabric stiffener, or (for applications that do not require a stiff snowflake) water. Gently squeeze out any excess liquid, and press the snowflake approximately to shape.
	3 Lay the snowflake on the blocking board, on the center of the blocking diagram. Use the diagram's lines as guides to aid in symmetrical placement of the snowflake’s arms, and adjust the snowflake until it is flat and even, with straight arms and neat loops.
	4 Secure the snowflake to the board with straight pins. Let it dry completely before removing it.