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31 March 2011
29 March 2011
First Climb of 2011
The ice and snow are mostly gone, and my new derailleur is in place! Only I guess it's not "new" anymore. It has a tough 45 miles on it after Saturday!
We went up Deer Creek Canyon. I also did Deer Creek Park because it's steep; I thought a primer climb of that little road might make the canyon seem easier. (These photos are from Independence Pass a couple of years ago, not Deer Creek Canyon last weekend.)
I hadn't done the Park in several years. Last time I did it, I wasn't as strong as I am now. I had to stop twice on the way up back then. I remembered it being about 5 miles longer back then than it was Saturday! (It's about .2 of a mile. It seemed so, so much longer and harder back in about 2007 or 2008, when my back hurt much more all the time than it does now.)
The Lizard told me the new derailleur would really make a difference. I thought it would just shift smoother. I am stunned by how much the silky shifting improves my ride! I don't have to lean into squeezing the shifters with all my weight and then hold the lever to make sure things clicks into place anymore. Just one little flick of two fingers, and keep pedaling. I had forgotten how good a brand new road bike feels, and that's exactly how my bike feels! I bought this bike in 2004. The derailleur I lost last summer was original equipment. I got a lot of miles and years out of that thing!
The Lizard also said I had more stretch in my old chain than he's ever seen. That's why the chain was skipping, not so much because of the mountain bike derailleur that was installed last summer so I could finish Ride the Rockies. I have no idea what causes a chain to stretch out, other than use and age, but apparently a stretched-out chain affects performance as much as an inappropriate derailleur. I also have a shiny new chain and cassette now, and boy, do they ever purr!
I had not been up Deer Creek Canyon since August. I have not climbed at all since September. I thought I'd lost all my climbing ability because I haven't done the stairs much since August either, and the last time I did them, in February, I couldn't go all the way up without stopping. I had to stop every 20 floors to breathe, and even 20 flights at a time seemed an airless vacuum.I had never been all the way to the top of Deer Creek Canyon on my bike. Last year, up until my friend Shonna went Code Blue in August, I was trying to increase my climbs by at least a mile each ride. I got to within a couple of miles of the summit on my last ride, but I couldn't make it to the top. I spent as much time as possible with Shonna instead of my bike after we nearly lost her in August. No regrets.
Now I can't say I've never made it to the top of Deer Creek Canyon on my bike anymore! I made it to the top on my first climb of the year! I had to stop only three times on the way up, and one of those was to shed my ear warmers and fleece gloves. I'd realized about three miles up the canyon I'd accidentally forgotten my pack, which contained extra layers for the descent, which I was certain would be frigid. Climbing makes me sweat, even in 40 degrees, so removing some of my protective barriers was warranted, but the main reason I did it was to get used to the temperature and wind chill. I knew the descent would be downright cold without my extra layers, which were in the backpack hanging on the doorknob back at home. Thank heavens I had food in my jersey pockets and water and a no-sugar-added mixture of orange juice and cranberry juice in my bottles, which I had remembered to put on the bike.
As I reached the switchbacks, the steepest part of the climb, I realized I could make it to the top because I was having a phenomenal day. I felt good. I'd set a goal last September to make it up Pikes Peak this August in the allotted amount of time, and that means I need to train more precisely than ever. I need to keep going an extra mile or two on every training ride this year to condition myself to keep going when I want to quit.The Deer Creek Canyon switchbacks did get to me Saturday. That's where my second two stops came in. Even worse, The Lizard came into view on his descent, and I thought he'd be climbing up a second time with me, which always kicks my adrenaline up a few extra notches. Unfortunately, he wasn't having a good day. His legs were cramping. He said he would go down and wait for me. My heart sank. Deep down inside, I knew I could make it, even if I was alone, so onward I pressed.
When I reached the highest point where I'd turned back last year, I looked at my odometer. I had climbed almost 22 miles. I didn't know how much further I had to go, but I knew there was one more steep section because The Lizard warns me each time we go up. The Pikes Peak climb is 24.5 miles. The 100-mile Deer Creek Challenge is rated as one of the three most difficult climbs in the country. I will never be able to do that 100-mile course, but Saturday's climb is still significant.
Pikes Peak has nearly double the amount of climbing of a single ride up Deer Creek Canyon, and the highest elevation of Pikes Peak is nearly 6,000 feet higher than Pleasant Park. Nevertheless, Deer Creek Canyon is excellent training ground. If I can master climbing 23 miles, I thought, I CAN do Pikes Peak. I'll be practicing on Mount Evans quite a few times this year, and that DOES reach 14,000 feet. Deer Creek Canyon is perfect training until Mount Evans is rideable later this spring or early summer.After I finished the next steep section, I hoped it was the one The Lizard had warned me about. If it was, I had it. I knew I had it. I would make it to the top, and nothing would stop me.
Sure enough, after a long section of easy climbing, Pleasant Park came into view. I'd made it. I'd made it!!!
I was wearing three layers on top, two layers on the bottom, and two pairs of socks. The layers closest to my skin were wet, so I couldn't stop for long because I needed to maintain what warmth I still had for the descent. The wind had picked up, and cloud cover had moved in. It was going to be a chilly 3,310-foot descent.
I quickly put my ear warmers back onto my helmet straps and then pulled my fleece gloves back on. Oh, how I wished I had my mountaineering gloves and balaclava that were in my pack back home. I used the music-playing iPhone (with mini speakers, never on headphones on the bike, ever) to snap a photo of my bike at Pleasant Park, swallowed two small mouthfuls of Hammer gel and two sips of water, then quickly began the descent.I'd stopped three times on the way up. I stopped nine times on the way down to warm my hands!
The Lizard met me at the switchbacks. He was feeling better and had climbed back up again. Every time I stopped all the rest of the way down, he rubbed my gloved hands to warm them up. He also let me have his light Triple Bypass jacket because I was really cold.
Back at home, I downed two cups of sugar-free hot chocolate before laying down in bed. The Lizard pulled me back up and told me I had to eat. What you put into your body in the first 30 minutes after a tough workout determines whether you will have a two-hour recovery or a two-day recovery. I knew The Lizard was right. I knew I needed to eat. But I was tired. I wasn't hungry. Just cold and tired. Oh, and stiff.
After a bowl of hot, cheese-drenched pasta with chicken, I did feel better. If I hadn't eaten, I probably wouldn't have felt like doing much of anything the next day. I would have been run down, and I probably would feel tired and achy, possibly even for a couple of days.
Every success I have builds my confidence. That's half the Pikes Peak battle. I can't go into the ride scared and worried I might not make it. I have to go into it knowing I CAN do it.
I am not fast. I am not powerful.
But I CAN make it to the top.
28 March 2011
Winners!
No losers on this site, nosiree! Good thing I didn't have hundreds of contestants!!! Ten people commented on my husband's blog post about his new bike, and two left more comments elsewhere. That's the most comments he's ever had. More than four times the most comments he's ever had!
Mission: Accomplished!
The Lizard had been feeling his blog is a waste of time because (a) he doesn't have access to a computer during the day, (b) we have only one working computer at home, (c) our dial-connection prevents him from visiting blogs to comment and make friends, and (d) he thinks his blog is boring because he gets so few visits.
I kept trying to tell him once we have a faster internet connection and he gets to spend a little more time being social on the internet, he'll see people actually do enjoy his sense of humor and photography. I also frequently remind him we bloggers do what we do because it brings us joy.
Bringing others joy is a huge bonus, but we do what we do because it fulfills an inner need. He wasn't seeing his own joy, though. Not until he got an inbox full of comment presents!
So thank you, those of you who took the time to rally around The Lizard and pass on warm fuzzies! You've brightened the month and outlook of The Lizard. I guess it really does take a village to raise a blogger!
Now, for prizes. I kind of expected maybe four comments, and I have four fiber lizards, so I thought I was covered. (Yes, there is a fifth lizard, Cortez, whom I crafted to sell on Etsy but have become extremely emotionally attached to and probably can never part with now.) I won't have time to multiply and replenish our Lizard Earth with more little amigurumi reptiles until I finish my snowflake quilt, so I went on a makeshift scavenger hunt to see what other offerings I have to give, and this is what I came up with:
Snodgrass, of course.
Family members, from left, St. Elmo, Schofield and Jefferson. St. Elmo was born 13 months ago at the foot of Mount Princeton, one of my favorite 14ers, following a successful cross-country skiing trip. Schofield was born the same time as Snodgrass, although I put him together right away, so the pair are not true twins. Schofield is the mountain pass we frequent on cross-country ski trips and mountain biking wildflower excursions. Schofield Pass, by the way, is considered one of the most dangerous four-wheel drive roads in Colorado. Which is why we use alternative methods to travel it. Jefferson was born last summer (the baby of the family!) near the trailhead at Jefferson Lake, where we hiked up Glacier Peak (because it has such a cool name) and where I shot a video of the biggest elk heard I'd ever seen to date. (I'll post the movie one day so you can see my shaky movie camerawork.) And that's saying a lot, having lived in Estes Park, gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, for nearly eight years once in another life.
Assorted handmades, clockwise from left, Iluak, Tribble, El Diente and a mini sock key chain. Iluak is an inuksuk made prior to last year's winter Olympics because I love the logo. Iluak is Inuit for "person who does good things." The Tribble was made for a Starfleet Fiber Arts challenge in March to win points - successfully, I might add! This Tribble has been sterilized and will NOT reproduce. El Diente is my second favorite snowflake ever. And the knitted sock... well, I'm addicted to socks all over again, and the cuff on this baby was knitted with toothpicks. But I don't have to use toothpicks anymore after today!!! KnackfulKnitter sent a set of real knitting needles tinier in circumference than toothpicks!!! Who knew such a thing existed!!!
A set of polar babies. They don't have names or a story behind them, unfortunately. I was just playing with yarn when I made them.
A greeting card set. Using PhotoShop, I "quilted" a month's worth of sunrises and sunsets into traditional quilt square shapes for a photography competition. I liked the result so much, I blew the competition shot up, framed it and have it hanging in my living room. I call this my "Quilted Skies" series.
And finally, a tiny flower basket I made last year while waiting for spring.
Hopefully there is something in there each of you will love and cherish.
Titanium, I think The Lizard laughed the hardest at your "Wheel in the Sky." And he was singing it all weekend after that! So you get first choice.
Delena, yours comes a close second because The Lizard and his brother raced motocross when they were young, and he said that's why his mom's hair is white. Second choice goes to you.
N. Maria, you had us both going with bike bones! Third choice.
The rest of you, Stratoz, Neferi, Susan Rasmussen Eyring Jones, Laurelei, Patty, Rose Lefebrve and Kristin, please send me your top three choices, and I will divy up as best I can and let you know if your choices are already taken.
I need snail mail addresses for most of you (snowcatcher at att dot net), and the packages will be off in the mail tomorrow (or as soon as all picks are made). My little critters are so happy to be getting new families!
The big winner is me. I got to see My Lizard smile. MANY times!!! And that's the best gift in the world you could have given me.
Snowflake Monday
I climbed my first 14er in 2000. After learning there were 58 more, I decided I would be like just about all the other climbers in Colorado and climb all the 14ers. Emergency back surgery in 2004 changed my perspective, but even before my injury, I was beginning to wonder if I'd be able to climb some of the more difficult peaks.
I modified my goal to shoot the peaks instead of climbing them. This goal was born of a quilt I made when lingering back pain prevented me from hiking as much as I wanted. I printed photos of all the 14ers I'd shot at that point on fabric, and I stitched them into a quilt I then entered in the Denver National Quilt Festival and Quilts at the Capital. I had to borrow a few photos from The Lizard and a mountain-climbing friend, Ferenc, because I had never seen five of the remote peaks back then. My own photo shortage made me even more determined to get pictures of my missing 14ers.
I still want to climb as many of the 14ers as I can, but I finally completed my goal of photographing all the 14ers nine years after my very first climb. In 2009, The Lizard led me and a trio of bears up Buckskin Pass to get my first close glimpse ever of Snowmass Mountain (I'd seen it very distantly through a telephoto lens from atop Castle Peak in 2004). The Buckskin Pass climb resulted in my final missing 14er photograph. I had finally finished the 14ers – my way.
This snowflake was inspired by a 12-inch dump we received in February when only 4 inches of snow accumulation was predicted. After shoveling for what seemed like hours, The Lizard named this snowflake (which yes, I created while he worked hard and burned billions of calories) and informed me Snowmass has a rich, multi-faceted history.
I began researching, and boy, The Lizard wasn't kidding!
Snowmass is more than just a 14er.
Snowmass Mountain (14,092 feet) was named for the permanent snowfield, a "snow mass", upon its eastern face, yet the mountain is so reclusive, its namesake snowfield may be viewed only from summits of nearby peaks.
Snowmass Peak, on the other hand, isn't really a mountain (because of all those crazy 300-foot rules) but often is mistaken as Snowmass Mountain or Hagerman Peak by hikers along Snowmass Lake because from there, Snowmass Peak appears taller than surrounding peaks. It also has a much more dramatic face than the other peaks, so hikers who are not peakbaggers assume it's the biggie.
Snowmass Mountain and Snowmass Peak are not visible from Snowmass Village, which sits in the Brush Creek drainage, not the Snowmass Creek drainage. When the nearby ski area was named, Brush Creek was considered an unappealing name, so the name of the drainage in the next valley over was used instead. (Does it make you wonder why Brush Creek got stuck with that name instead of something more... appealing???)
In Snowmass Village is a reservoir that just recently burst int
Dirtball Johnny also bulldozed a two-mile driveway with 11 switchbacks on the property, but he apparently didn't recognize the dirt and rock he moved as anything special or memorable. Last October, after the reservoir was purchased by Snowmass Water and Sanitation District, another bulldozer operated by Jesse Steele unearthed what was later identified as a mammoth tusk. More digging resulted in the discovery of the makings of an Ice Age zoo, including ten mastodons, four mammoths, four Ice Age bison, two Ice Age deer, a ground sloth, a tiger salamander, iridescent beetles and evidence of Ice Age beavers.
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area includes 100 miles of trails, six of Colorado's 14ers and nine mountain passes higher than 12,000 feet in elevation. The fourth-largest wilderness area in the state, it was one of five original Colorado wilderness areas designated by the 1964 Wilderness Act.
Snowmass ski area has the most vertical feet of skiing of any ski area in the United States.
Snowmass, the word, does indeed have a rich history. So the name belongs on a rich snowflake.
This snowflake makes an attractive decoration when finished on any round after the third round.
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 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, glue, 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: Pattern in Icelandic may be found here, translation graciously provided by Ólöf Lilja.
Snowmass Snowflake Instructions
Make magic ring.
Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in ring, *ch 2, 2 dc in ring; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 1, 1 hdc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 (ch 1 and hdc count as final ch 2, and you will be working over the hdc in the next round). Do not pull magic circle too tight; leave small opening big enough to allow stitches inside it to lay flat.
Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc over hdc post below, *2 dc in next ch 2 sp, ch 5, 2 dc in same ch 2 sp; repeat from * around 4 times, 2 dc in same sp as starting 1 dc, ch 2, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 (ch 2 and 1 dc count as final ch 5, and you will be working over the dc in the next round).
Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc over dc post below, *10 dc in next ch 5 sp; repeat from * around 4 times; 5 dc in same sp as starting 4 dc; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.
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 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in next dc, 1 hdc in next dc, 1 sc in next dc *sk next 2 dc, 1 sc in next dc, 1 hdc in next dc, 1 dc in each of next 2 dc, ch 7, 1 dc in each of next 2 dc, 1 hdc in next dc, 1 sc in next dc; repeat from * around 4 times; sk next 2 dc, 1 sc in next dc, 1 hdc in next dc, 1 dc in each of next 2 dc, ch 3, 1 tr in 3rd ch of starting ch 3 (ch 3 and 1 tr count as final ch 7, and you will be working over the tr in the next round).
Round 5: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 6 dc over tr post below, *7 dc in next ch 7 sp, ch 15, sl st in 11th ch from hook, ch 4 (figure 8 made), 7 dc in same ch 7 sp; repeat from * around 4 times; 7 dc in same sp as starting 6 dc; ch 15, sl st in 11th ch from hook, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.
Round 6: Ch 10 (counts as 1 dc and ch 7), *1 dc between next 2 7/dc groups, ch 7, 3 dc in next ch sp (bottom loop of ch 15 figure 8), 1 hdc in same sp, 1 sc in same sp, in next ch sp (top loop of ch 15 figure 8), work [3 sc 1 hdc, 1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 3 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, ch 5, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 3 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 3 sc], in bottom loop of ch 15 figure 8 sp again, 1 sc, 1 hdc, 3 dc, ch 7; repeat from * around 6 times, ending with 2 dc instead of 3 on final repeat and omitting final ch 7; sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch 10; bind off. Weave in ends.
Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.
Mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture. 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 the snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.
25 March 2011
Friday Funny
Bet you didn't know I'm a science officer serving in navigation aboard the USS Kitchener NCC-606 or that the real reason I'm so scarce here these days is because I'm cruising at warp speed en route to a mercy mission on Maranga IV in the Klingon Empire. The colony there is being evacuated due to volatile changes in the planet's atmosphere, and my shipmates and I are crafting items to offer comfort to the colonists.
Actually, the Starfleet Fiber Arts Corps has nothing to do with my real-life commitments, but pretending and make believe take away some of the sting of everyday stress.
Ravelry is full of all kinds of optional fun challenges. There are the annual Ravelympics, coinciding with the Olympics, and there are off-season challenges catering to every fad, such as Harry Potter, Hobbits, Tardis and Fantasia. Theme challenges are a fun way to keep the mind purring by figuring out a creative way to fit whatever you're making within inventive guidelines.
One of this month's Starfleet challenges is to make something for charity or to give away, but participants are using the Maranga IV Mission fairy tale above to cloak their projects with imagination and make them more fun. A neighbor of mine was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and she opted to shave her head instead of letting the chemo slowly tear her hair away. Temperatures in Colorado can still get rather cool this time of year, and sometimes rapidly and unexpectedly. She had red hair. So I designed a curly-haired and jeweled red hat for her.One of last month's missions was to create something to demonstrate diplomatic goodwill between Earth and the planet Vulcan. My Ice Mountain Snowflake Rug transformed via written word into a star chart of a previously unexplored region of the universe called the San Juan Solar System (San Juans being the name of the Colorado mountains where I wish I could spend a great deal more of my time).
I enlisted in Starfleet Fiber Arts Corps because I love Star Trek (and Star Wars, Avatar, Flight of the Navigator, Space Camp... have I ever mentioned I grew up in the shadow of the International Space Hall of Fame and near an active air force base?!?) and because I'm always making something. I thought the challenges would be great journalistic aerobics, especially given the nature of things I must write each day off-blog far from fantasy or imaginative and much more along the lines of... well, boring.
I didn't know there would be monthly contests. I didn't know my Ice Mountain Snowflake Rug was named one of the top projects for last month. And I didn't know until I got earburned that I'd won a prize! I won a custom cartoon!
Kristy Davenport drew the cartoon below, incorporating many of my favorite things. I've never even met her, but she is so on target! Winning a prize is so cool, and doing it so out of the blue is beyond words, but when said prize is so personalized, well, it just makes my toes tingle!
24 March 2011
Challenge Obscuredom
The plan was to attend my very first knitting machine group meeting. I bought a used machine in about ’96 from a graduating student who had used it to put herself through college and hoped to never need or see it again. I never took the non-wheeled Toyota out of the box because I was afraid my then young, rambunctious and hyperactive adopted kids might accidentally knock it over, and it would be ruined.
Now I have a place to safely set it up and a husband equally as anxious to learn to use it. Yes, for real!
The knitting group told me to bring my manual to the meeting. They would take a look at what I’m up against, plus teach me how to make a hat.
I had looked forward to the meeting for nearly six weeks. Murphy’s Law stepped in just as I was getting ready to go, and a pinched nerve in my neck flattened me for a good 30-ish hours. No knitting machine wisdom for me this month. (The plan is to try again next month; fingers and toes crossed, nerves threatened with pain killer.)After my bundle of uncomfortable nerves finally let go of my insanity, I decided I would challenge myself anyway. I decided to learn a new knitting technique in spite of my heartbreak.
Ever since I learned to knit (which I initially thought was just another crochet stitch but with a second hook) when I was still single digits, I have wanted to try knitting with thread. Perhaps because my grandmother taught me to crochet with thread. Thread is just so different from yarn.
I put that fancy hand-colored thread I received last week to work once again and crocheted my tiniest sock to date. And then I knit the cuffs. With toothpicks!
Knitting with toothpicks wasn’t as bad as I’ve always feared it would be. In fact, it was rather fun, and I can’t wait to do it again.
However, that’s not what I really want to write about today. But I must camouflage my real purpose because I don’t want The Lizard to figure out what I’m doing. He actually reads my blog almost every day, and I’m hoping he’ll get bored before he gets to this paragraph and won’t figure out what I’ve done.I hope you, Dear Reader, have not grown bored and have actually read this far. This is a contest!!! A challenge! With a prize!
The best comment left on The Lizard’s blog here by noon Mountain Time on Monday, March 28, gets to adopt Snodgrass!
That’s right! Snodgrass is looking for a new home, and I’m looking to tickle the toes of My Favorite Lizard by surprising him with comments from more than just me and a couple of other regulars.
But shhhhhhhh! Don’t tell him I put you up to this!!! It’s a secret!
Snodgrass was born late in the summer of 2009 en route to the Gothic trailhead prior to a successful mountain bike climb of Schofield Pass. He then layed in stasis for several months awaiting assembly, which was accomplished during the 2010 Ravelympics, in which his maker medaled. Snodgrass shares his name with a singletrack trail and mountain above the Crested Butte side of Schofield Pass, both popular with backcountry skiers in winter. Snodgrass is nine inches long and has a four-inch armspan, and he's made of incredibly soft and bright Noro Kureyon sock yarn imported from Japan. He loves to watch humans work on the computer, never argues when it's time to turn off the lights, doesn't run up the phone bill and is completely house-broken. He eats dust. (Psyyyyyche!)
22 March 2011
Cowlin' Around
When KnitPicks came out with its new Chroma fingering yarn, a less-expensive Noro/Mini Mochi knock-off, I was about 30th or 40th (or 300th or 400th...) in the online shopping line, anxious to test it out.I've tried four different colorways so far, and I like them. I definitely would wear this stuff. The yarn is soft, the colors look close to what you see on the KnitPicks website, and the long color repeats are fun to work with, very inspiring, never boring. The most popular colors can be difficult to get your hands on (such as Midwinter!), but are worth the wait if you've got the time. I've heard the yarn felts well, but I haven't tried felting yet. The urge hasn't bit me.
This cowl was the second test piece I've made with Chroma. MadCrocheter on Ravelry asked if I am going to write the pattern. I hadn't planned to because I've been so busy with other things, but the cowl wasn't difficult to make, so here goes.
The stitch used in this pattern coordinates with Fall Blaze Hat, Susie Socks and Spring Stripes fingerless gloves.
You may do whatever you'd like with the cowls you make from this pattern, but you may not sell the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!
Size: 30 inches around; 10.5 inches high
Materials: 1 100-gram ball of Chroma fingering yarn or other desired fingering yarn (I used Chroma in the Prism colorway), size B crochet hook
Instructions
This project is worked in the round, with right side toward you.
Ch 200 (or desired length in multiples of 8). Taking care not to twist chain, sl st in starting ch.
Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each ch around for total of 200 (including starting ch 2). Sl st into 2nd ch of starting ch 2.
Round 2: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), *sk 1 ch, 1 dc in next dc, ch 1; repeat from * around; sl st into 2nd ch of starting ch 3.
Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), *sk 1 dc, 3 dc in next dc, ch 2, 3 dc in same dc, sk 1 dc, 1 dc in next dc; repeat from * around, ending with sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 instead of ending 1 dc of final repeat.
Round 4: Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and ch 3), 1 sc in next ch 2 sp, ch 3, *sk 3 dc, 1 dc in next 1 dc, ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 2 sp, ch 3; repeat from * around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 5.
Round 5: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), *1 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in next sc, ch 1, 1 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in next dc, ch 1; repeat from * around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 3.
Round 6: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in next ch 1 sp, *1 dc in next dc, 1 dc in next ch 1 sp; repeat from * around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.
Rounds 7-31: Repeat Rounds 2-6 five times or desired length; bind off; weave in ends.
21 March 2011
Snowflake Monday
The day I mailed my quilt show forms, I received my order of hand-dyed crochet thread from Sara's Colorwaves. I needed a brief respite from quilting, and the new thread was so beautiful, the bright colors inspired this snowflake. I began this snowflake as soon as I got home from work, and it took five days to finish two snowflakes and write this pattern.
Because the prototype of this snowflake was worked in black, designing it was much more problematic than it should have been. One of these days, I'll learn to never make a first snowflake with black or dark blue. The moral of this story is this was the most challenging snowflake pattern I've written so far this year, which makes El Diente a fitting name. After you read about El Diente Peak below, you may decide this isn't a real snowflake. (Ha ha!) The Lizard picked this name from three different mountains to which I'd narrowed my choices.El Diente, which is Spanish for "The Tooth," is one of three 14ers in the Lizard Head Wilderness, and yes, that's the real name of the wilderness area west of Telluride. I'm not making this up! Because of the
The nearly mile-long ridge connecting 14,159-foot El Diente to 14,246-foot Mount Wilson is a dangerous, challenging and difficult traverse and a very bad place to be during an electrical storm but a recommended training climb in preparation for such routes as Matterhorn, Ama Dablam and Mount Kenya (minus the electrical storms, of course). A sentimental favorite of many mountain climbers, El Diente is considered one of the five most difficult of Colorado's 14ers to climb.
Another reason El Diente is a good name for this snowflake: it's a sentimental favorite of mine because of the difficulty as well as its unique splendor when worked in two colors.
El Diente is one of the peaks I had not seen when I created my 14er quilt. I borrowed a lovely sunrise photo from The Lizard. He and climbing partner Todd went up the north face of El Diente before he met me. He said it was the scariest climb he's ever done because of loose rock (talus). The Lizard and Todd popped up on the ridge between El Diente and Mount Wilson near the Organ Pipes and the crux of the challenging traverse. In retrospect, both The Lizard and Todd wish they had claimed Mount Wilson that day, too, because they were at the most difficult section of the traverse and the weather turned out to be perfect that day, so they could have bagged two peaks instead of one and notched their belts with one of the four most difficult traverses in the state. El Diente is not a mountain I will climb with The Lizard if he ever goes back to do it again, although I wouldn't mind getting closer for photos.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: 10 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread in two contrasting colors (I used black and bright rainbow for the first flake and white and light blue for the second), size 7 and size 8 crochet hooks, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, glue, 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 the black snowflake.
Instructions
Make magic ring.
Round 1: With main color and size 8 crochet hook, ch 2 (does not count as dc), 12 dc in ring; st st in starting dc. Pull magic circle tight.
Round 2: Ch 2 (does not count as dc), 2 dc in each dc around for total of 24; sl st in starting dc; bind off.
Round 3: With accent color, 1 sc in any dc, 3 sc in next dc, 1 sc in next dc, draw up loop in bottom of next dc, yo and draw through both loops on hook (drop sc made), *1 sc in next dc, 3 sc in next dc, 1 sc in next dc, 1 drop sc in bottom of next dc; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in starting sc; bind off. NOTE: Ending here makes a cute little snowflake or jewelry charm. If you make two that match, you'll have an excellent pair of earrings.
Round 4: With main color, 1 sc in any drop sc, 1 sc in next sc, 1 hdc in next sc, 3 dc in next sc, 1 hdc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc, *1 sc in next drop sc, 1 sc in next sc, 1 hdc in next sc, 3 dc in next sc, 1 hdc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in starting sc. 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 5: Ch 1 (does not count as sc), 1 sc in same st as last sl st, 1 sc in each of next 2 st, *1 hdc in next st, 5 dc in next st, 1 hdc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 5 st; repeat from * around 5 times, ending with 1 sc in each of next 2 st instead of 5 sc on final repeat; sl st in starting sc; bind off.
Round 6: With accent color, 1 sc in any 4th dc of 5/dc group, 1 sc in next st, *1 drop sc in 3rd sc of accent 3/sc group below, draw up loop in each of next 3 sc (in middle 3 sc of 5/sc group), yo and draw through all 4 loops on hook (dec made), 1 drop sc in 1st sc of next accent 3/sc group below; 1 sc in each of next 2 dc, 1 hdc in next st (in middle dc of 5/dc group), 1 dc in same st, ch 14, [[[1 sc in 2nd ch from hook (sc tip made)]]], 1 hdc in next ch, 1 dc in next ch, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 sc in each of next 3 ch, 1 dc in each of next 2 ch, 1 tr in next ch, 1 dc in next ch, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 sc in final ch, 1 dc in same st as dc prior to ch 14, 1 [hdc] in same st, [[1 sc in each of next 2 st]]; repeat from * around 5 times ending with [hdc] on final repeat instead of 2 sc; sl st in starting sc; bind off. NOTE: If you chain tightly (as I do), consider using a hook one size larger (I used size 7) for just the ch 14 sections on this round in order for the spokes to lay flat and be even on each side, as well as make the stitches easier to work into on the next round.
Round 7: With main color, 1 sc in any [[1st sc of 2/sc group]] (left side of spoke), 1 sc in each of next 20 st; *in [[[sc tip]]] work {1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, ch 6, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 dc in next ch, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 sc in final ch, 1 dc, 1 hdc and 1 sc}, 1 sc in each of next 35 st; repeat from * around 5 times; 1 sc in each of next 14 st; sl st in starting sc.
Round 8: Ch 1 (does not count as sc), 1 sc in same st as sl st; 1 sc in each of the next 9 st, ch 1, sk 2 st, in next st work [1 dc, ch 1] 3 times, sk 2 st, 1 in each of next 2 st, [ch 2, sk 1 st, 1 dc] 6 times to [[[tip]]], ch 2, in tip work {1 tr, ch 2, 1 dtr, ch 2, 1 tr, ch 2, 1 dc}, ch 2, [sk 1 st, 1 dc in next st (make sure directly across from dc on opposite side), ch 2] 4 times, sk 1 st, 2 sc in next st (make sure directly across from 2 sc on opposite side), ch 1, sk 2 st, in next st work {1 dc, ch 1} 3 times (make sure directly across from same sequence on opposite side), sk 2 st, 1 sc in next st (make sure directly across from sc on opposite side), 1 sc in each of next 12 st; repeat 5 times, ending with 1 sc in each of the next 3 st instead of 12 sc on final sequence; sl st in starting sc. NOTE: On the left side of each spoke, counting stitches is not as critical as optically making the stitches mirror the right side. If the correct count doesn't place the dc directly across from the same st on the other side, adjust placement to line up the stitches. As long as you have the same number of chain spaces on each side of the spoke, the final row will work out, even if you've had to adjust stitch placement.
Round 9: Ch 1 (does not count as sc), 1 sc in each of next 10 st, [2 sc in each ch 1 sp] 4 times, sk 2 sc, 3 sc in next ch 2 sp, 5 dc in next ch 2 sp, 3 sc in next ch 2 sp, 3 dc next ch 2 sp, ch 2, sl st in top of dc, 2 dc in same ch 2 sp, [3 sc in next ch 2 sp] 2 times, in next ch 2 sp work [1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc]; 3 dc in next ch 2 sp, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 dc in next ch; in next ch 2 sp work 3 dc; in next ch 2 sp work [1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc], [3 sc in next ch 2 sp] 2 times, in next ch 2 sp work [3 dc, ch 2, sl st in top of dc, 2 dc in same sp], in next ch 2 sp work 3 sc, in next ch 2 sp work 5 dc, in next ch 2 sp work 3 sc, sk 2 sc, 2 sc in each of next 4 ch 1 sp; sk next sc, 1 sc in each of next 12 sc; repeat from * around 5 times, ending with 1 sc in final st of round instead of 12 sc on final repeat; bind off. Weave in ends.
Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.
Mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture. 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 the 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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