The Chase

heavily photoshopped, no regrets

We got to see the Northern Lights!!!

For a couple months now, I've hoped we could go far north when northern lights were expected to break into Wyoming and Colorado. Last Thursday was the first time I was actually able to leave home to chase the aurora borealis. I am officially addicted now!

tiny hints of northern lights over the Denver metro

We watched the weather and smoke forecasts prior to the big event. We'd planned to go to Estes Park and drive up Trail Ridge Road. The forecast there, though, was cloudy and possibly stormy. So we thought perhaps Fort Collins or Cheyenne. But both were forecast to be too smoky. So were Fort Morgan and Sterling.

The only north part of the state, which was about all Lizard thought he could handle, with a possibility of clear skies was directly east. I thought perhaps Last Chance might be far enough from the metro city lights for us to see what I expected to be a tiny band of color.

Denver metro northern lights

Neither of us had ever been to Last Chance, so we didn't know we passed right through it. We kept thinking we would find this little town with the final gas station before the Kansas state line. I could see what looked like smoke to the north. I kept trying to look for color as we passed through one tiny little blip on the map after another. Nothing was open.

Last Chance

Finally, at 8 p.m., I noticed two beams of white emanating from the "cloud" of smoke. I knew that wasn't smoke. I told Lizard we found northern lights, and I pulled over on the very next county road, which had power lines, but what we saw was so overwhelming, I didn't mind the distractions.

straight out of camera

Once I got out of the car, the white "cloud" was no longer white. The tint on the car windows had camoflaged the pink and green. The naked eye view wasn't intense, but it was most definitely northern lights, and I could see them! I snapped a phone photo, and it captured an explosion of color! I'd heard that often happens, that the aurora is more dramatic via digital images.

straight out of camera

We watched the lights dance all the way up over our heads for about 15 or 20 minutes. I took a few photos. The wind was blowing, so I had a hard time keeping the tripods still, but my phone has image stabilization, so my photos aren't too bad, in my opinion. They are not perfect, but they captured what might be one of the best nights of my life.

filtered

We decided to continue looking for Last Chance because I was getting low on fuel. Next thing we knew (had to wait a long time for cell phone signal), we were 39 miles from Burlington, where I hoped we could get gas. Gas was available, but food was not. Both of us were hungry. All we had in the car were cheese crackers, cashews and a few chocolate mint wafer cookies. Oh, and one bottle of water.

filtered

We kept seeing fields of flashing red lights. Lizard thought they might be directional assistance for flights. We noticed the outline of a windmill, and Lizard announced, "They are windmills, and a lot of them!" Boy, there really were! Fields and fields full of them for miles!

All the way back into the metro area, almost everything was closed. It was after midnight, and both of us were hungry. We finally found a McDonald's in Limon. I didn't know what I was going to eat; I don't eat beef because it's too hard for me to digest. They had chicken Big Macs!

We got home about 2 a.m., so it was a long day. We both were so exhaused, we both fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows. I think we both will be dreaming about northern lights for many days to come!

heavily photoshopped, no regrets

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Snowflake Monday

I was trying to get today's snowflake pattern written up for last week, but I was very tardy. Two weeks ago, I thought it may become yet another Northern Lights snowflake. The colors in my initial flake background were from the (extremely generous) stash recently given to me by Sisters of the Snowflake founder Autumn.

This is what I wrote two weeks ago: Now that I've worked up what I think is a wonderful little hexagon mandala that can easily become a snowflake, the colors, to me, seem like a very appropriate representation of aurora borealis, which I am hoping I will get to enjoy again one day in my little neck of plains-meet-foothills abode at mid latitude!

That was two weeks ago. We've had northern lights twice since then. The first night was a total bust for us because we had thick smoke from raging forest fires in other states. The color was hardly visible, even via a cell phone camera, which sees more than the naked eye can see.

Last Thursday night, I finally got to see the northern lights in person!!! One of the best nights of my life! So, yes, today's snowflake is going to be another crochet representation of earth's visual magnetic storms!

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: 6 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread in at least two colors (I used sea mist, aqua, ocean green and white), 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

SPECIAL STITCHES:

Popcorn Stitch (pc)

Work 5 dc in designated st, take loop off hook, insert hook through top loop of 1st dc and replace loop on hook, pull loop through top of 1st dc.

Northern Lights III Snowflake Instructions

With mandala color, make magic ring.
NOTE: I made each mandala round with a different color in my prototype: sea mist, ocean green, sea mist, aqua, sea mist, ocean green.

Round 1: [1 pc in ring, ch 3] 5 times; 1 pc in ring, ch 1, 1 dc in starting pc to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc over post of dc directly below, [in next ch 3 tip work (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc)] 5 times; 2 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 3: Ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), [1 sc over post of dc directly below, 1 sc in each of next 6 dc, 2 sc in next ch 3 sp] 6 times, omitting last 2 sc of final repeat; sl st in starting ch.
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 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same ch as sl st, [1 dc in each of next 8 sc, 3 dc in next sc] 6 times, omitting last 2 dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2).

Round 5: Ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 1 sc in same ch as sl st, [1 sc in each of next 10 dc, 3 sc in next dc] 6 times, omitting last 2 sc of final repeat; sl st in starting ch.

Round 6: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same ch as sl st, [1 dc in each of next 12 sc, 3 dc in next sc] 6 times, omitting last 2 dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2); bind off. Weave in ends.

Round 10: NOTE: This Round is worked as surface crochet. With white or snowflake color, [1 tr around any 3rd Round 5 corner sc (or next 3rd Round 5 sc on repeats), ch 3, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made), 1 dtr around next 1st of 6 Round 3 sc, ch 3, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook (sc picot made), 1 qtr around top of next Round 1 popcorn, sc picot, 1 dtr around next 6th of 6 Round 3 sc, dc picot, 1 dtr around next 1st Round 5 corner sc, dc picot, 1 dc in next middle Round 6 corner dc, dc picot, sc picot, dc picot, 1 dc in same middle Round 6 corner dc, dc picot] 6 times; sl st in starting tr; bind off. Weave in ends.

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. 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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Pinktober

(affiliate links to my designs)

One of my little neighbors has a new baby sister. I knew she was coming; I saw mama walking in the neighborhood a couple of months ago, and it was pretty obvious. But I didn't know it would be this soon. Time to get quilting yet again. Late, as usual, these days!

Big sister got a quilt from one of my digital Spoonflower panels, and her mother absolutely loved it. She always compliments my garden when she walks by. I thought it would be fitting for baby sister to receive a quilt from one of my own floral cheater panel designs.

Except I didn't have any pink or floral cheater panels left in my Spoonflower stash!!! How could that possibly be?!? Especially in October!

I did find some butterfly fabric of my own design, but I'm planning to make a dress for me from that.

I know, I know, last thing I need is yet one more new quilt project. But I couldn't resist. I created a new panel, and I'm hoping to have it in hand one day next week so I can begin sewing. I think this one will be SO much fun!

On my phone, I had created a really fun cosmos collage with flowers in my garden the second (I think) year of the pandemic. I thought I'd created a cheater quilt panel from that image, but I guess not. The original image was too small, and I had not played with the idea to create a proper-size image. I certainly meant to. I guess this is just another case of proving how tangled life got during the last few years.

All it took was the motivation of finding out the new little one has arrived. I have so many other things I need to do, including mending a coat for a very elderly neighbor who will need the coat before the weather cools off, assuming it might one day...

Yes, I made a card, too. How could I not???

I probably could have finished the coat in the time it took me to design a new Spoonflower cheater panel for the new baby quilt, but one more day on the coat won't matter, right?!? I promise, that's my next project!!!

In the meantime, I created a few more pink floral Spoonflower panels, and I ordered a few of them, too. Now I'll be ready next time I need to quilt pink!

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Wordless Wednesday

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Dahl's Life

Once upon a time, I worked for a small village newspaper. The other three reporters on our staff each wrote a monthly column. I asked my editor if I could write a column, too. He was shocked by my request; I didn't know the other reporters had to be bribed. I was the first to volunteer. My editor named my column "A Dahl's Life" because that incoporated part of my then last name, because I liked dahlias, and because I was making a lot of dolls back then. My editor thought it was an extremely cute title. I ended up writing only about six columns before I finally became an adoptive parent (and yes, I wrote a column about that!!!) and had to change jobs and home address. My Dahl's Life came to an unexpected end.

Now I think my Dahlia Life has gone beyond life expectancy. My cheap tubers are never the color on the $1.29 box, and I've been lucky to get one or two flowers each year.

This year I tried something different. I bought actual dahlia plants. already growing, in plastic containers. I bought twelve plants in eight different colors. They weren't even on sale. That's huge for me.

Two already had blooms. The flowers eventually opened. They were beautiful. All the other buds on all the other plants withered in our summer heat. Grasshoppers shaved two of the plants. Only stalks remain. The raccoon tipped over and broke one of the terracotta pots in which I'd transplanted one of the dahlias. Since mid-July, I've been patiently waiting for new buds to appear on any of the plants.

New blossoms are finally beginning to form now, but only on three of the remaining eleven plants. Now that's summer's over (although we are still in the heat dome), less than half of my dahlias have finally decided it's okay to do what dahlias are supposed to do. It's kind of a good thing we haven't had an overnight freeze yet because that would have been the end of the dahlias for this year. And possibly forever for me.

I think I'm coming to the conclusion I am not a dahlia addict anymore. There are many more flowers tried and true, especially in my garden. Nothing beats a dinnerplate dahlia (mine have never gotten that big), but that's it. I'm done. Too expensive, too much work, too many repeatedly crashed high hopes. I'm deadheading my red sunflowers and pink cosmos and spreading the seeds everywhere. Quite frankly, I think I'd rather make dolls! Doll, yeah!

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No Flake Monday

The pattern for today's snowflake isn't finished yet, and I sincerely apologize. I tried my best. Just couldn't get it done in time. The flake is awesome, so it will be worth the wait. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy a few real snowflakes from last year.

I got a few shots I think might be outstanding last February or so, but life's been so crazy, I've downloaded the camera and backed up the images, but I have not edited. I know there are good flakes in there, but I haven't looked at them.

There have been a couple of snowstorms in the mountains, but I haven't been able to get up there for photography or hiking.

We normally have our first flakes of the year by now, but we're still in the heat dome with no relief in the ten-day forecast. So these images are making me super homesick for real snowflakes!

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