A Good Day to Dye

I've kind of become addicted to one of this year's trending Halloween color palettes. I designed a gift basket, then a cowl.

Then I decided I needed to dye thread to match.

I couldn't decide which of my three browns I should use, so I solar-dyed a hank with all three... mink brown, cinnamon and terracotta. I think this could be trending autumn colors! Don't you?

The cinnamon won, but my purple in the Halloween hank turned out a bit too dark and too blue. Which means I will be trying again.

In the meantime, I wondered, "You Blockhead!!! (Yes, I'm a Moda Blockhead, but I haven't started Blockheads 7 yet...) What in the heck are you going to do with all this thread now???"

Well, duh! Use my own patterns!

I don't know what I'm going to do with the big heart, but I do love it. I kind of want to make a snake now.

Especially after about 56 rounds so far on the basket handle. The snake would be more plump, so it won't look exactly like the handle, but I still think these are great snake colors!!!

Linking up with Alycia Quilts.

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Wordless Wednesday

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Summer's End

Last Friday did not go as expected. Sometimes you have to do very hard things because they are the right thing to do.

I was can-watering my garden (because our daily highs are back in the 80s again) and thoroughly enjoying all the mourning glories (yes, I spell it that way intentionally; Lizard helped me plant the seeds but didn't get to see the beautiful blue flowers) and the radiant cosmos.

I noticed some birds munching on the sunflower seeds; almost all the sunflowers are expired. I've left the stalks up because the birds love the seeds, and we're not supposed to put out feeders anymore during bear season, which now lasts almost to the end of November. I don't think I've put out feeders since the winter before I retired to focus solely on caregiving.

I went inside to grab my camera, then perched beneath the pergola to wait for the birds to return. I had planned to maybe try to get up in the mountains to shoot some fall color, but I also was extremely intimidated by doing it alone for the first time in more than 21 years. I knew Lizard would want me to go, but so many firsts are just so hard to tackle. I decided birds would be just as worthy of my time, and I wouldn't have to spend any money on gas.

I noticed one female goldfinch on the cosmos, a little too close to me. She should have flown away when I took my seat. And I hadn't been seeing any goldfinches in about a week. I thought they should have begun their migration already. I snapped a super cute photo. (This is not the photo.)

She turned her head in the opposite direction, and my heart broke. Her eye was swollen shut, and I realized she's probably almost blind. Her beak also was swollen, with blood clots on her cheek.

Birders in my area have been asked for a couple of years not to put out feeders because a highly contagious infection was spreading throughout the songbird population. It can affect household pets, too.

I looked up what I should do, and it was pretty harsh. Wear gloves. Take down all the sunflower stalks. Dispose of them, and don't put them where other animals/pets can get to them. Wash clothes. Wash shoes if they came in contact with the plants. Sanitize anything touched, including the trash bin. And tell the trash guys to wash their hands after they handle the trash.

And finally, don't worry, the instructions said. The affected birds are not going to last long anyway, and the healthy birds will find other seeds.

Just to be safe and to prevent spreading to the rest of the birds as best I can, I also took down the cosmos where the little bird had landed. I did not see where the bird went when I began taking down the sunflowers.

I hired the kids down the street who had been advertising trash bin cleaning and happily spent the money that would have gone to fall color gas. I made sure they knew they would need to clean themselves up after cleaning my bin to make sure they don't spread the virus to their pets. They were so thankful for the work and the unexpected monetary tip, they said the cleanup would be no problem. They'd handled worse. I didn't ask.

My backyard is now sunflowerless (except for two plants that surprisingly haven't bloomed yet), and the bluejays have discovered the cracked walnuts I left in the (dry) bird bath in threes in order to try to get a photograph and hoping like heck the squirrels wouldn't steal.

I'm still sad about the little bird, but when God closes a door, He always opens a window. The bluejays refuse to pose, but I've now seen my second ever Woodhouse scrub jay!

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Snowflake Monday

I wasn't done with today's snowflake when I finished the 5th Round, but it made a cute snowflake, in my opinion, and I had a couple of ideas I wanted to try on the next prototype. So, I decided to let this one stand on its own. The center is an adaptation of a popular sunflower granny square I've been thoroughly enjoying in yarn. And, sunflowers are reaching the end of their season here. I keep thinking back on my Esther sunflower story, and I just absolutely love that I'm filling my home (and car!!!) with sunflower snowflakes to remind me God is everywhere.

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: 4 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

Esther Snowflake Instructions

Special Stitches

dc cluster (3dc cl): [yo and draw up loop, yo and bring through 2 loops on hook] 3 times, yo and bring through all 4 loops on hook

bobble st (bob): [yo and draw up loop] 3 times, yo and bring through all 7 loops on hook

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 17 dc in ring; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Don't pull magic circle too tight.

Round 2: Ch 1 (counts as 1st half of starting dc), leave loop on hook a little loose, bob into same ch as sl st, [ch 1, bob in next dc] 17 times for a total of 18 bob stitches; ch 1, sl st in top of starting bob.

Round 3: Sl st into next ch 1 sp, ch 1 (counts as 1st half of starting dc), leave loop on hook a little loose, 3dc cl into same ch 1 sp, [ch 2, 3dc cl into next ch 1 sp] 17 times for a total of 18 cl stitches; ch 2, sl st into top of starting cl.
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: Sl st into next ch 2 sp, ch 2, (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc in same ch 2 sp, [ch 3, 3 dc in next ch 2 sp, ch 4, sk next ch 2 sp, 3 dc in next ch 2 sp] 6 times, omitting last 3 dc of final repeat; ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 5: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, [ch 4, 1 sc over next ch 4 into next Round 3 ch 2 sp, ch 4, in next ch 3 tip work (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc)] 6 times, omitting last 3 dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; 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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Dedicate

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Ornaments Needed

This will be my fourth year sending my snowflakes to Operation Ornaments. I didn't get as many made this year because... well, it was just harder to crochet back in the spring and early summer this year. I did the best I could.

One of the snowflakes I'm donating is my Snowflake for Lizard. It was difficult to let it go, but I'm hoping it will bring a smile to a family who has lost more than I have. And, I can always make another one.

Last year, I got to meet Carol and Carolyn, two of the main volunteers who have kept this wonderful organization going. Operation Ornaments has been providing handmade ornaments to families and individuals who have lost everything to wildfires, hurricanes, tornados and floods for five or six years. This year, they also are serving Jewish individuals and families.

This year, Operation Ornaments for the first time does not have enough ornaments to serve every family in the areas that have been hit by horrific disasters. They are asking for help from anyone who is able to send even just a few handmade ornaments. You can be sure these ornaments are treasured by recipients; each year, Operation Ornaments receives many thank yous from families they have served. It's such a great way to spread love at a time when so many need it.

Linking up with Alycia Quilts.

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Wordless Wednesday

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