Frankenflake

This is the image that sort of brought life to the mad scientist in me. I can't remember if it was the first snowflake image I tried to digitally alter, but it definitely sent me down the most frozen rabbit hole to date.

The first image (at the top of this blog post) is a stacked image, compiled via 11 nearly identical shots I merged in Photoshop to bring out the most accurate focus in each image. (The second image is one of the original 11 images.) Astrophotographers have been stacking images for years, perhaps even decades, to create the stunning stellar photos we've all enjoyed and probably drooled over.

The image directly above this paragraph is the Photoshop-sharpened and cleaned-up version of my stacked image. I began using the image stacking capabilities of Photoshop about last year because I never really mastered my standalone image-stacking software in about 2015. The image-stacking technology probably has elements in common with what we now know as AI. Although I initially (pre-2005) was extremely anti-Photoshop because I came from the pre-digital news environment and didn't want any of my images ever to be considered "manipulated", Photoshop has been my favorite computer tool for at least a decade. My first version of Photoshop was gifted to me by my dad; he thought I might enjoy playing with it when his job required him to update his software. I quickly learned how much faster it is to remove dust spots and to brighten shadowed faces, plus, I no longer had easy access to a darkroom. My favorite plug-in was a kaleidoscope generator rendered unusable when I bought the laptop before this one, and I've never been able to find a replacement, darn it. I could create amazing "snowflakes" with my real images using that old plug-in!!!

It still is incredibly important to me that my actual photographs are never confused with AI, but Photoshop now is my friend. I enjoy working with Photoshop, learning how to make best of most of its tools, and cherish its manual ability to fix old photos. I still have not experimented with Photoshop's AI tools more than a handful of times, but I have used other AI programs. I always label the images I produce via AI as AI. I will never try to pull the superwash sock wool over anyone's eyes. I prompted one of my AI programs to sharpen and clarify my original stacked snowflake image to create the image directly above this paragraph.

One of my AI programs gives me the ability to add motion. So, of course, I had to make my altered snowflake image dance. Or, at least, twirl...

After hiking with a couple of friends over the weekend, I was treated to the equivalent of an old-fashioned slide show of their recent overseas trip. (We swiped left on their tablet.) One has recently become fascinated by what AI can do to his photos, and boy, did he play! He showed me watercolor- and oil-type renditions of some of his most prized photos. They were truly really awesome. I was drawn to what he called his "psychedelic 60s poster" effect on photos. I never would have thought to manipulate my photos in such a way. (Although I have had fun with Photoshop color and overlay filters!) So, of course, I had to try it as soon as I got home. And what better subject than snowflakes??? I fed my AI-enhanced real snowflake photo into MidJourney, which I have used to illustrate my blog when I was unable to take photos. That image is shown above.

My first attempt wasn't bad. But I became curious what other AI programs could do with my snowflake. My second attempt, shown above, is rendered via Nano Banana.

Next, I tried ChatGPT, shown above.

My friend uses a program I didn't even know existed, Meta AI, shown above. Wow. I see why he likes this program. I decided to test it with the crocheted version of my real snowflake photo, shown below.

I often wondered if I spent too much time generating kaleidoscopes more than a decade ago. I really don't think I needed to find something new to steal away time I should be spending elsewhere!!!

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Snowflake Monday

Today's snowflake is inspired by the floral motifs in the stained glass windows at the Fort Collins Temple. The motif is reportedly inspired by Colorado's mountain wildflowers.

The Fort Collins Temple is special to me because Lizard offered to take me there two years before he became a member of my church. We had volunteered for the MS-150 that year instead of riding, and we had asked to be at the start of the route on Sunday morning so I could attend church. We finished about an hour before church began, and Lizard asked if I would like to see the new temple.

It was still under construction at that point, and neither of us knew back then how to work the apps on our phone that might have been able to lead the way. The first temple it took us to was a Hindu temple. It was interesting, but it wasn't the goal. Ha ha.

We finally found our temple next to an existing church building, where we were able to attend church together.

The following year, Lizard took me to the open house, and we had our photo taken in front of a mural provided so everyone could get a photo, regardless of the weather or sun position. The temple was dedicated by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Lizard's favorite General Conference speaker (because Lizard loved the German accent and anything flight-oriented, and Dieter, a retired pilot, can't resist the temptation to include aspects of aviation in his messages whenever possible). Lizard even named one of his mini me cyclists after his favorite speaker.

All temples were closed during the first year or so of the pandemic. When the temples began reopening, a friend would take me to the Fort Collins Temple when our own temple, called the Denver Temple but located in Littleton, was closed for routine maintenance because her sister lives in Fort Collins and would often join us. By mid-2024, I wasn't often able to leave Lizard alone anymore, which put an end to temple trips unless I was able to find someone to sit with him while I went.

In April of this year, when our temple was closed again for routine maintenance, Lizard planned to go to the Fort Collins Temple with me, even if he could only wait for me in the waiting room. I made arrangements for volunteers to help him so he would be able to worship as I had planned to do. Lizard went into the hospital the Friday before our scheduled date. Eight days later, he was in a far better place than me.

I'm so thankful he was spared prolonged suffering, but I still miss him so much when I do things we had planned to do together. I went to the Fort Collins Temple last week while my local temple was closed again for two weeks. I was joined by a friend who also lost her husband four days after I lost mine. There were many tears, plenty of hugs, and so many fond memories.

We planned to have lunch at Schlotzky's afterward, as Lizard had really looked forward to that part of our trip. Alas, the Schlotzky's chain seemingly is disappearing from Colorado. The Fort Collins location no longer exists. My friend and I opted for Mexican food. Lizard would have enjoyed that immensely.

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 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

Floral Snowflake Instructions

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.

Make magic ring.

Round 1: [1 pc into ring, ch 3] 6 times, omitting last 2 ch of final repeat; 1 dc into starting pc to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round. Don't pull magic ring too tight.

Round 2:3 sc over post of dc directly below, [in next ch 3 sp work (3 sc, ch 3, 3 sc)] 5 time; 3 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in starting sc to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 3: Ch 6 (counts as 1 sc and [ch 5, in next ch 3 tip work (1 sc, ch 3, 1 sc] 6 times, omitting last 2 ch and last sc of final repeat; 1 dc in 1st ch of starting ch 6 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.
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 4 (counts as 1 dtr), 1 dtr over post of dc directly below, [ch 4, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 4, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 6, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 4, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 1, sk next 5 ch, in next ch 3 tip work (2 dtr, ch 3, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook, 2 dtr)] 6 times, omitting last 2 dtr of final repeat; sl st in 4th ch of starting ch 4; 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 Fantastic

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Quiltless

The sunflower quilt was my goal again this week, but here it is, nearly bedtime Wednesday, and I still haven't touched the sewing machine. I've pulled out every sunflower fabric in my stash and Lizard's stash, but no sewing yet.

The layer cake, which I'd totally forgotten buying, is so pretty, I almost think it would make a better top than my Spoonflower panel, and my panel could be the quilt back... Decisions, decisions...

What to do when you can't decide??? Well, gift baskets work up pretty quickly, and I use stash yarn. I'm tickled pink with my Pinktober basket. It was fun to fill with things I'd mostly already made, plus a few curated items.

Now I'm drooling over the color combo of my trending Halloween palette. I really need to dye some crochet thread with these colors!

Linking up with Alycia Quilts.

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Wordless Wednesday

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On the Mend

The tender mercies seemingly don't stop. And for that, I am so grateful.

I had just completed a 1,500-mile road trip to visit nine temples in six days. Many tender mercies were extended along the way to help my broken heart grow a little stronger.

Upon my return, it was time to glide back into life as normal as I could possibly make it. I planned to attend my church's stake (area) conference the following morning, first time in person since about a year after Lizard had been diagnosed with Parkinson's. Crowds became increasingly difficult for him from the very beginning, and we apparently had others in our area who were unable to attend in person. Every six months, I was sent a link to be able to watch the conference from home with Lizard.

I got ready to leave, then unexpectedly and incapacitatingly broke down into a puddle of grief I could not control. It was the final day of the 20th week without my Lizard. I'm beginning to grow accustomed to coming home to an empty house, and I still cry sometimes on the way to church each week, which was just about the only "social" function we were able to do since the end of the pandemic. Or, I guess, since before the pandemic because he was unable to comfortably attend or participate in anything upon his retirement due to the rapid advancement of Parkinson's. Going anywhere without him usually brings tears. I guess I sometimes still feel guilty going somewhere without him instead of taking care of him. It makes me sad that I'm getting used to being without him. I still miss him so much, and sometimes the grief just comes out of nowhere and topples me.

I was embarrassed by my uncontrollable tears, so, I opted to go back into the house, change back into my jammies, and just watch the conference from home. Alone. Which was almost as painful as the thought of attending in person without him. The next stake conference will be very close to the one-year anniversary of his death, and I felt doomed. I felt defeated. I felt a bit worthless. Yet, the conference was amazing, and I even watched parts of it a second time as soon as it was over because it was so comforting.

The next day, I started up the car and proceeded to my annual physical, the first time in three years I could go alone. The first time in probably seven years I could focus solely on me and my health. I knew it was what Lizard would want me to do, and I'm actually trying to become human again and make a habit of taking care of myself. Less than a mile from home, every single warning light on my dash began going off like fireworks in a bonfire. The car immediately began acting a little sluggish. My initial reaction, somewhat typical of my personality, was, "Oh, crap!" Quickly replaced by, "Oh, my gosh, God protected Susie and me all the way through Wyoming and Idaho!"

I couldn't stop crying, but these were not tears of grief. Thanksgiving hit early, and I think I'll be celebrating it until well after November. I still haven't stopped thanking Him for that amazing miracle. Had I gone to church on Sunday, I would have broken down then and would have either missed the conference all together or would have been utterly unable to concentrate on the messages. Had I gone to the balloon festival in Colorado Springs two days before I began my road trip, I believe my car would have broken down somewhere in the middle of the Great Divide Basin of Wyoming. I couldn't bring myself to go to the Labor Day Lift Off without Lizard. I cried most of that morning. Now, I see my crying spells before and after my trip were saving graces. Tender mercies. Absolute miracles. I was right where God wanted me to be. Where He needed me to be so I could be safe for all those miles.

The temple closest to me would be closed for two weeks for routine cleaning and maintenance, and I had planned to spend the entire day the next day in the temple about 90 miles from me. Had the car broken down then, I would have been in quite the pickle had I managed to get beyond the metro area.

I was able to get the car to the shop, which encouraged me to bring it in right away, without a tow. My physical went great. Best I've had in years, actually. I'd neglected a couple of annual and biannual exams, and I was encouraged to get them done right away, but I have no symptoms and otherwise checked out as healthy and not in need of follow-up.

I spent the next four or five hours worrying about what I would do if the engine was shot. I felt as if my car's motor was a reflection of my heart. Old and broken beyond repair. I knew I couldn't afford payments on a new vehicle, much less the higher annual registration, taxes and fees or the much higher insurance. I had planned to sell Lizard's 1995 truck as soon as I finish the backyard landscaping (which I've been unable to do for three months because it's been too blazing hot). Perhaps I could just get rid of the car and keep Lizard's truck... That felt like a comfortable option, so I tried to relax and not stress about it anymore for the next 18 or so hours.

I finally received the call informing me of my car's fate. I had to look up the name of the issue because it's so foreign to me, I can't remember it. I had to replace the torque converter lockout clutch. It has something to do with the transmission, and it causes everything else to signal alarms, what the technician described as my car's manufacturer's way of commanding the driver's attention. The car needed immediate attention, and it got it.

For nearly three months, my niece has been texting her mom (who was a full-time caregiver to her father until he passed away 24 days after Lizard finished his time on earth) and me a "mission" each day, an assignment to photograph or describe a random thing she hopes will hog up our attention for at least a few minutes and hopefully give us reasons to smile. Sometimes the assignments are concocted by her elementary school-age kiddos and delivered via a video of them telling us our assignment and wishing us a great day. Our mission the day the car broke down was "overdoing" or "too much." I happily submitted my car's warning lights as overkill, not knowing at the time it truly was overkill. My niece humorously asked if I had chastised my car for doing too much. I told her I thanked it for getting us home safely, then immediately thanked God for keeping us safe the entire trip.

The loan to fix the car is going to be a hardship, but I will make it happen. Imagine my shock when I was actually approved for the loan! Just moments after I received the loan, I received my first text from my new enrollment counselor from BYU Pathways. Two weeks before my road trip, I had applied for the online college, and four days before I left for Wyoming, I was notified I had been accepted. I will be enrolling in my first classes this week. I am taking the first steps to step up and improve my life and my situation, and I feel really good about doing it.

There have been some really big hits this year. But there have been some really big miracles, too. I am growing stronger. I am trying to regain control of my life. I am trying to design and be creative again. I'm trying to be whole. With God's help, I feel my journey has begun.

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Snowflake Monday

I had forgotten I had created a new photo gallery for my AI-enhanced genuine (out-of-focus) snowflake photos until I fixed up another shot from 9 January 2026 over the weekend. I was looking for snowflake inspiration, and my original shot wasn't as clear as I wish it could have been. AI is much better at fixing a fuzzy photo now, and I can even set the snowflake in motion! Yes, I played too much when I should have been crocheting.

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, 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

Playtime Snowflake Instructions

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.

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 4 (counts as 1 sc and [ch 3, sk next 2 dc), 1 sc in next dc] 6 times, omitting last sc of final repeat; sl st in 1st ch of starting ch 4.

Round 3: Ch 1, yo, draw up loop from around Round 1 ch 2, [yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times to form starting fpdc, 1 dc in same ch as sl st, [1 dc in each of next 3 ch, in next sc work (1 dc, 1 fpdc around round 1 dc below sc, 1 dc)] 6 times, omitting last fpdc and last dc of final repeat; sl st in top of starting fpdc.
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 1, yo, draw up loop from around Round 3 starting fpdc, [yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times to form starting fpdc, [ch 6, sk next 5 dc, 1 fpdc around next Round 3 fpdc] 6 times, omitting last fpdc of final repeat; sl st in top of starting fpdc.

Round 5: Ch 1, yo and draw up loop from around Round 4 starting fpdc, [yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times to form starting fpdc, 1 dc behind fpdc just worked into same Round 4 starting fpdc, [1 dc in each of next 6 ch, in next fpdc work (1 dc, 1 fpdc around same fpdc, 1 fpdc)] 6 times, omitting last fpdc and last dc of final repeat; sl st in top of starting fpdc.

Round 6: Ch 1, yo, draw up loop from around Round 5 starting fpdc, [yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times to form starting fpdc, [ch 8, 1 sc in 4th ch from hook and in each of next 4 ch, 1 dc in dc behind fpdc just worked into same Round 5 starting fpdc (or current fpdc in repeats), 1 dc in each of next 8 dc, in next fpdc work (1 dc, 1 fpdc)] 6 times, omitting last fpdc of final repeat; sl st in top of starting fpdc.

Round 7: Ch 2 (counts as 1 hdc), [working up spoke, 1 dc in bottom of each of next 2 sc, 1 hdc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc, 1 hdc in next sc, in ch 3 tip work (5 dc, ch 3, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook, 5 dc), working back down spoke, 1 hdc in top of next sc, 1 sc in next sc, 1 dc in each of next 2 sc, 1 hdc in next dc, sk next dc, 1 pc in next dc, ch 1, 1 sc in each of next 3 dc, ch 1, sk next dc, pc in next fpdc] 6 times, omitting last hdc 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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