I recently wrote about making 7-pointed Spirograph designs using the 150/105 Ring and the 30, 45, 60 and 75 Wheels.

There are also two shaped wheels that give 7-pointed patterns: the eye-shaped or oval wheel, and the cross-shaped wheel. (Note that some older Spirograph sets do not have these shaped wheels.)

You can mix up these wheels to make a wide range of complex and original designs. Be sure to line the holes up with the same mark on the ring when you start to draw each pattern.

Here are some examples:

Ring 150/105, Wheel 75, holes 1 and 3, Wheel 60, holes 5 and 7, Wheel 45, holes 7 and 11. Be sure to line up the hole you’re using with the same mark on the ring every time.

Above: Ring 150/105, Wheel 30, holes 1, 3 and 5, the oval– (eye-, or football-) shaped wheel, holes 7 and 6, which are along the flatter side of that wheel, and finally wheel 75, holes 17 and 19. 

 

The same oval- (eye-, or football-) shaped wheel produces a very different pattern when you use holes 1 and 2, which are along the long axis, at the pointy end. It still has seven points, however. That’s due to the number of teeth on the wheel.

Above: Wheel 60, holes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17. The black lines at the beginning, middle and end add definition to the pattern. It looks like a ribbon bow, or ribbon candy.

Finally, this one looks like a 14-point pattern, but the color alternates between green points and blue points. It’s made of two sets of 7-point patterns, with the blue points lined up halfway between the green points. The wheels are 30, 45, 60 and 75. I used two holes for each, choosing holes that would fit inside the design made by the smaller wheel.

There are other combinations of wheels that give the same number of points and can be used in this way. The booklet that comes with the Spirograph sets has a very useful Basic Pattern Guide that shows the number of points you get with each ring/wheel combination.

So mix it up and have fun!