Friday Fascination

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Time Bandit

I got up Monday morning with every intention of finishing the front of my Calypso dress skirt today. After just inches of one row of machine embroidery (with about 20 rows left to go), I remembered why I had set this project aside what seems like a million years ago. I DON'T HAVE TIME!!!

Machine embroidery is SO slow and so finnicky. Makes me wish I hadn't chosen to do fancy embroidery on every jelly roll seam. I may do the skirt back with just straight seams. By bedtime Monday, I did finish four seams, but it's going to take more than a week at that rate to finish just the skirt front.

I can't help but wonder if hand embroidery would be any faster...

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Wordless Wednesday

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Veggie Paradise

I've had a multiplying mystery plant flourishing beneath the spigot on the north side of the house for years. I finally dug up and replanted in a pot the nearly two dozen separate plants – bulbs – last week. Once it appeared they survived the trauma, I did the Google photo search and discovered I have a very healthy crop of garlic chives. I must have planted some in a pot on the nearby porch when we first bought the house, before we received permission from the HOA to transform our front and back yard into gardens. I don't even remember a harvest, but I'm sure there was some homemade spaghetti sause in there somewhere. The seeds must have blown to more fertile ground. I will try to harvest the seeds and put them in the raised bed gardens this fall.

Most of my tomatoes got a very late start this year, but they are making me so happy now.

My pepper plants also got a late start, and only one plant is tall enough and bushy enough to produce blossoms so far, but none of the buds made it to pepper. A second round has begun. Fingers crossed for at least a few homegrown this year. But, I did buy some roasted Hatch chiles last weekend. And spent about four hours skinning and freezing all but about six, which promptly went into scrumptious meals.

Even though we've been in a heat dome for about three or four weeks, my sugar snap peas – cool weather plants – have produced enough pods for a meal (for two!!!) for my first time ever. We've typically split a pod or two or three times each new growing season. Our first real pea harvest!!!

Green beans were another first this year. These are from my first harvest a few weeks ago. I think we'll have a fresh new harvest in a few days, and it will be enough for another meal (for two!).

The spoon tomatoes have been the garden sleeper. I didn't think the seeds were any good because they took so long to germinate. Now all nine plants are exploding with blossoms.

Some of the blossoms are beginning to turn into tiny little tomatoes!!!

And some are beginning to mature! I think I'm going to have luscious salads every day very soon!

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Snowflake Monday

Help! I'm melting!!!

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: 7.5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, 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

Triple Digit Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), [1 dc in ring, ch 1] 5 times; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: Sl st into next ch 1 sp, ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sp, 3 dc in each ch 1 sp around, 1 dc in starting ch 1 sp, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 1.

Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same ch as sl st, [1 dc in each of next 2 dc, in next dc work (1 dc, ch 4, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch, 1 dc] 4 times; 1 dc in each of next 3 dc, 1 hdc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2, 3 fsc to form 6th point of Round.
NOTE: To form a cute little snowflake, work 6th point same as other five points and bind off.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 4: Ch 10 (counts as 1 sc and ch 9), ]1 sc in top of next spoke, ch 9] 5 times; sl st in 1st sc of starting ch 10.

Round 5: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same ch as sl st, [1 dc in each of next 9 ch, in next sc work 3 dc] 6 times, omitting last 2 dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off.

Round 6: 1 3/dc cluster in middle dc of any side, [ch 15, in middle dc on next side work (1 3/dc cluster, ch 3, 1 3/dc cluster) 6 times, omitting last cluster and last 2 ch of final repeat; 1 dc in top of starting cluster to form 7th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 7: [Ch 2, 1 dc over post of dc directly below (or in same ch 3 sp in repeats), ch 7, sk next 7 ch, in next ch (middle ch) work (1 dc, ch 10, 1 dc), ch 7, in next ch 3 sp work (1 dc, ch 2, sl st] 6 times; bind off. Weave in ends.

Round 8, Rock Covering: Sl st up next ch 2 and in next dc, sl st in next ch, ch 7 (counts as 1 dc and [ch 5), sk next 6 ch, in next ch 10 point work (1 dc, ch 5, 1 dc), ch 5, sk next 6 ch, 1 dc in next ch, * ch 5, sk over next 2 dc, 1 dc in next ch] 6 times, ending * on final repeat; ch 2, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 7 to form 24th ch 5 sp of Round.

Rounds 9-?: Ch 7 (counts as 1 dc and ch 5), [1 dc in next ch 5 sp, ch 5] 22 times; 1 dc in next ch 5 sp, ch 2, 1 tr in 2nd ch of starting ch 7 to form 24th ch 5 sp of Round. Continue with Round 9 until snowflake fits snugly around rock, leaving about a 1- to 2-inch opening on the back or bottom side.

Final Round, Rock Covering:Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each ch 5 sp around, inserting rock after about 2/3rds of Round, gently stitching while finishing Round and closing up hole so as not to damage crochet hook; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off, leaving 4- to 5-inch tail. Weave end through final Round of dc and pull tight. Bind off again, weave in end. Place in garden!

Finish: In case you didn't notice, today's snowflake is inspired by the melting flake in the final real snowflake photo above. When I created the tips, I intended to round them just like the inspiration. However, as I was pinning, I decided I like the pointed tips MUCH better. Feel free to pin your points in whatever shape you desire. Go with the look you like best.

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. 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 Fabulous

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Crocheting of the Green

My green collection of solar-dyed, hand-dyed crochet thread has been getting a workout this week. We've had a few medical appointments with long waiting room crochet opportunities.

I have far fewer greens than blues. I have been battling the temptation to dye more shades and gradients all week long. I'm not trying to use up everything I've got before I dye again, and I really miss dyeing. But solar dyeing is a time hog I'm not sure I should invest in right now. Most satisfying and rewarding, but just too demanding right now.

I have five old crochet bags I used to tote on public transportation when I was working. I haven't touched them since 2019 or perhaps even earlier. I went on a scavenger hunt to see if there was any more hand-dyed green in any of those old bags. I should have snapped a post-hunt photo because the tiny little balls I found are gone now.

Three of the tiny little balls barely made one disc each. I found six more tiny balls of blues, too, so after I finish the greens, I'll finish the blues again.

I still haven't decided what to do with the hearts or scraps yet, but I'm hoping some magnificent inspiration will trigger one sleepless night, and I'll come up with the coolest jewelry ever.

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