Wordless Wednesday

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The Garden's End

We got a full extra month out of this year's garden. Our first overnight freeze didn't occur until last weekend. So I had fresh tomatoes and peppers all the way up until Friday.

I tried to cover the raised-bed planters Friday night, but the plants didn't care. When we removed the blankets the next morning, the plants that should have been toasty warm were dead. This happened last time I tried to cover the plants prior to a freeze, which I think was spring last year, but I had to try again.

Prior to covering, we brought in all the baby peppers and all the tomatoes that looked like they might be mature enough to turn red in the window. I'm not sure how many will actually turn. I gave my mom a good belly laugh because she loves fried green tomatoes, and she remembered the year I tried to make a baked version with my green tomatoes. (Miserable fail.)

We had our first snow Sunday night, and now the flowers are gone, too. I am going to miss my garden for the next five months, but I'm hoping I will get many chances to shoot snowflakes while I wait!

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Snowflake Monday

I was not sure this would work, but I had to try. The unstiffened version does make a cute-as-could-be figet toy, don't you think? Stiffened, I love how the second row forms a gigantic grin.

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!

Finished Size: 5.5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, small (1.18-inch) eyeball finger puppet ring, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line
NOTE: I did not glitter this snowflake, although I did try putting glow-in-the-dark pigment into the glue. Also, I bought my eyeball finger puppets on Amazon. I do not make a commission on sharing this link. I'm just sharing where I got mine.

Fidget Snowflake Instructions

NOTE: This snowflake is NOT worked in the round.

Row 1: 24 sc over ring; ch 5, turn. Pull magic circle tight.

Row 2: [Sk next sc, 1 dc in next sc, ch 1] 12 times, omitting last ch 1 of final repeat; turn.

Row 3: Sl st into next ch 3 sp, ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 6 dc in same sp, 7 dc in each of next 11 ch 3 sp; turn.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Row 4: [Ch 10, sk next 14 dc, sl st between7/dc groups] 6 times, working final sl st of Row into 2nd ch of Row 3 starting ch 2 that counts as dc; ch 1, turn.

Row 5: [In next ch 10 sp work (7 sc, ch 3, 1 dc, ch 5, 1 dc, ch 3, 7 sc] 6 times; sl st into final Row 7 dc; turn.

Row 6: [Ch 7, [in next ch 3 sp work (1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc), in next ch 5 sp work (1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc, ch 5, 1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc, ch 7), sl st between next 2 7/sc groups] 6 times, working final sl st of Row into 1st sc of Row 5; bind off. Weave in ends.

NOTE: To make a soft fidget toy, do not stiffen. However, I would dab a dot of glue over each weaved-in end (and allow to thoroughly dry) to help stitching last longer. I also don't know if I would hang this snowflake from the tree. I think this snowflake might be a desktop model. :)

Finish: I've been stiffening my flakes with undiluted, full-strength water soluble school glue for quite a while now, and I've been squishing the glue onto and throughout each flake with my fingers (yucky mess!!!) instead of gingerly painting the flakes with glue. Yes, it's a mess. But it's faster. And stiffer.

Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Stretch out and pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

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Friday Funny

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Thriller!

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Wordless Wednesday

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Plan B

I'm still working on the design for the landscaping in our unfinished backyard. When I first began leveling and terracing, I thought it would be so cool to have a fire pit at the top of our slope, away from all trees and anything that might be flammable. I'd planned to surround the entire "picnic" area I planned to build with flagstone to make sure no sparks could ignite.

After the late December Marshall Fire in 2021, there was no way I'd ever consider even a barbecue grill in our backyard. We are surrounded on the other side of the back fence by an extremely dry and miles-long grassy field that will always be open space that will never be human-watered. That field actually caught fire just a couple of blocks south of us late this summer, and deputies were stationed on every street of our little village to enforce mandatory evacuations should they become necessary.

Thank heavens, our nearby West Metro fire department (which immediately afterward traveled to the Gulf Coast to assist with Hurricane Helene recovery) contained the wildfire in just a few hours, and our neighborhood was never evacuated. But that was just way too close, especially after two previous fires, one and four miles respectively, from us.

I've been trying to decide what to do with the upper portion of our backyard because it is so sloped and because all the snowmelt and rainwater (when we actually get rain, which did not happen often this summer or fall) from the big grassy field significantly erodes our slope, regardless of how much terracing I construct. I'm literally fighting a losing battle.

I also don't want to have to water whatever I plant there because the water drains down toward the house. I'm also trying to be water-wise in what I plant.

I got this bright idea earlier in the year to plant sunflowers along the final segment of the fence on the steepest portion of our slope. I don't get to go east to search for huge sunflower fields much anymore, and I thought it would be SO cool if I had my own sunflowers. Then all my neighbors who've never seen the sunflower fields could take pictures of MY sunflowers. And so would I!!!

I bought six more lavender plants to extend the current lavender garden about six more feet, and then I would plant giant sunflowers across the remainder of the slope. I even considered planting red sunflowers. Wouldn't it be cool to have a whole garden of gorgeous red sunflowers?!?

I haven't put those final lavender plants into the ground yet, and I need to get busy because our first snow is expected this week. End of season. End of perfect planting time. Our outrageous heat (and other unexpected life complications) this summer kept me from doing much of what I'd planned.

But, good thing I didn't carry though just yet. When sunflower season approached, I realized my planned sunflowers would all face the wrong direction. They would face the fence. Yes, immature sunflowers sometimes follow the sun. But once the blossoms open, they face east. My backyard is east of my house. I would have views of the backs of my sunflower heads.

Now I'm considering a couple of apple trees for that spot. I've probably lost the season now and will have to wait for spring. I've decided to let mostly wild sunflowers grow rampant in the front yard next year. (I've also been spreading all my red sunflower and pink cosmos seeds in the front yard for the last three weeks.) The sunflowers likely will all face the front of my house, but I'll have plentiful flowers in August and September, which I haven't had for the last several years now because everything I plant goes to seed by the middle to end of July. This year's late summer/early autumn wild sunflowers got devoured by grasshoppers in this heat.

This means my neighbors will have a great view of the backs of the sunflowers next summer, but they can always come up to my porch for a visit and a better view. Plus, I'll be able to cut fresh bouquets for them, too!

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