Crochet Snowflake Pattern

Happy November!  Can you believe it?  I for one am sad that Hallowe'en is over.  I will leave my decorations up for a couple more weeks.  Did you have some good scary fun this weekend?  We had nary a trick-or-treater!  Not on Fake Hallowe'en or real Hallowe'en.  So, I really need to figure out what to do with this bowl of candy. 

I teased out a new crochet pattern this weekend.   I looked at photographs of actual snowflakes, and want to create patterns based on these.  This is my first one.  Worked in #10 pearl cotton, on a size 7 steel hook, it comes out about 3 inches across.  Here's the pattern.  Please let me know how this works out, and if there are any parts that are confusing.

Special instructions: Picot = chain 3, slip stitch (ss) in 3rd chain from hook
Picot cluster = make 3 picots, then ss in space formed by first picot.

Chain 5 , join with ss to form circle
Round 1 – ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in circle, chain 1; {2 dc, ch 1} 5 times; join with ss to third chain of first ch3.

Round 2 – ss to next ch1 space; sc in space; ch 7 (counts as first dc and ch5), dc in next ch1 space; {chain 5 dc in next ch1 space} 4 times; chain 5, join with ss to second ch of first ch7.

Round 3 – ch1, sc in dc immediately below this ch1; {7 sc in ch5 space; sc in next dc} repeat 5 times, omitting final sc; join with ss to first sc.

Round 4 – *ch3; skip 3, sc in next sc; ch 4, make picot cluster; ch 2, skip 2 ch and ss in next ch; ch 2 make picot cluster; ch 2, skip 2 ch, ss in next ch, ch 2 make picot cluster; ch 2 skip 2 ch, ss in next ch; ch 2 ss in sc at base of spoke; ch3 skip 3, sc in next sc; make 3 picots; ss in same sc at base of cluster; repeat from * 5 times

Cut thread and fasten off. Use a large eyed sewing needle to sew in ends of the crochet thead.

I hope your week is getting off to a good start!  See you tomorrow:)

P.S.  Check out the artists participating in Art Every Day Month!  I'm playing:)

***Edit 12/24/12*** If you decide to do this project, I encourage you to send a snowflake or two to the Sandy Hook Elementary kids in their new school building.  Find the information here.