Friday Fun

Best part of this is the people standing around after it's done, waiting for more. Because it's THAT good!

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Bottled Rainbows

I've got this thing about bright colors and rainbows, which I'm sure is obvious to anyone who has been reading here for a while.

So how is it "Bottled Rainbows" escaped my peripheral vision until now?!?

Bottled Rainbows Quilt-a-Long

A Finished Quilt

Tutorial

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Wordless Wednesday

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Breathe

My dad recently underwent surgery, and test results came back last week. No chemo! Prayers of gratitude.

Heal quickly, Dad.

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Snowflake Monday

Torreys Peak is almost always climbed in combination with neighboring 14er Grays Peak. But just like most of my 14er combinations, that's not how I did it. I climbed Grays first (which took me two tries, the first of which I climbed the wrong peak and accidentally bagged a high 13er), then returned the following year and climbed Torreys on the 4th of July via a different route.

This snowflake also was a second attempt. The prototype wouldn't lay flat, but I liked the design so much, I tried again, decreasing a few stitches on the flat sides and in a different color combination.

14,267-foot Torreys Peak is the 11th tallest summit in Colorado, and the main trailhead, just east of Eisenhower Tunnel, is an easy drive from the Denver metro area. The peak was named after botanist John Torrey, after whom Torrey Pines also get their name. Torrey was assisted during the research for his book, "Flora of North America," by one of his students, Asa Gray, whose name graces Torreys Peak's neighbor.

Torrey's father was appointed to the state prison in Greenwich Village, New York, when Torrey was but a teenager, and the youth gained an appreciation for the science of plants while being tutored by one of the prisoners where his father worked!

Amos Eaton was a lawyer when he was incarcerated on a charge of forgery, and he took up the study of botany and geology while in prison. He tutored many sons of the governors of the prison board and went on to become a revered scientist and educator.

The power of reformation!

Miners called Grays and Torreys the Twin Peaks. Indians called them Ant Hills. Grays and Torreys are the only 14ers over which the Continental Divide directly passes.

The most difficult route up Torreys Peak is Kelso Ridge, a knife-edged ridged named after one of three prospectors, William Fletcher Kelso, who climbed Torreys and Grays together, naming nearby mountains, streams, landmarks and towns after themselves. Jack Baker, another of the three, left his name upon what is now a ghost town and I-70 exit leading to the main Torreys and Grays trailhead, Bakerville, and a nearby peak, Baker.

Kelso is such a cool name, I think I'll add it to the list of potential snowflake names. The Lizard thought it would be funny if I name a snowflake after one of the ski descent routes on Torreys: Dead Dog Couloir.

Um, maybe not!

Torreys Peak is the only summit where my cell phone has been useful. The summit overlooks the villages of Keystone, Frisco, Dillon and Silverthorne, as well as I-70. Atop the mountain, one of the hikers in another party mentioned it was her father's birthday, and she'd forgotten to call him. I checked my phone, had signal, so handed the phone over to her and invited her to call him in Albuquerque. And it worked!

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 two colors, size 8 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

Torrey's Peak Snowflake Instructions

Ch 48. Taking care not to twist chain, sl st into starting ch.

Round 1: With main color, ch 1 (does not count as sc), 1 sc in same ch as sl st, *[yo and draw up loop through next ch, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 5 times, yo and draw through all 6 loops on hook (dec shell made), 1 sc in next ch, 3 sc in next ch, 1 sc in next ch; repeat from * around 5 times, ending with 3 sc and omitting last sc on final repeat; sl st in starting sc.

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as dc), 1 dc in each of next 4 st, *5 dc in next st, 1 dc in each of next 5 st (shell st made); repeat from * around 4 times; 5 dc in next ch; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; 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 3: With contrast color, 1 sc in 5th dc of any 5 dc group (shell), *sk 2 st, 5 dc in next st (shell made), sk 2 st, 1 sc in next st, 3 sc in next st, 1 drop sc in bottom of 3/sc group of Round 1 below (over middle dc of 5/dc shell in Round 2), [3 sc in next st], 1 sc in next st; repeat from * around 5 times, ending with [3 sc] and omitting last sc of final repeat; sl st in starting sc; bind off.

Round 4: With main color, 1 sc in any 3rd sc of 3/sc group left of 5/dc shell, 1 sc in each of next 8 st, *sk 2 st, 5dc in next drop st, sk 2 st, 1 sc in each of next 9 sc; repeat from * around 4 times; sk 2 st, 5 dc in next drop st; sl st in starting sc.
Round 5: *1 sc in each of next 7 st, ch 3, 1 dc in middle dc of next shell, ch 2, 1 tr in same st, ch 2, 1 dc in same st, sk next sc; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc.

Round 6: *1 sc in each of next 5 st, ch 3, 1 dc in next dc, ch 3, 1 dc in next tr, ch 3, 1 tr in same st, ch 3, 1 dc in same st, ch 3, 1 dc in next dc ch 3, sk 1 sc; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc; bind off.

Round 7: With contrast color, 1 sc in 2nd sc of any 5/sc group, 1 sc in each of next 2 st, *5 dc in next ch 3 sp, 4 hdc in next ch 3 sp, 3 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 4, 3 sc in next ch 3 sp, 4 hdc in next ch 3 sp, 5 dc in next ch 3 sp, sk next sc, 1 sc in each of next 3 sc; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last 3 sc of final repeat; sl st in starting sc; 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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Friday Fun

If you are unable to view my lightning movie above, try this link.

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Snowflake Stories

My snowflakes mature and build muscle in snowflake dormitories.


Dorm roommates.


Sometimes, I can't get new snowflakes to lie flat. Sometimes, it's because I can't count.


After I finished this size 20 thread project two years ago, I swore never again. TOO HARD!!!


But then I made snowflakes with even smaller thread, and I couldn't stop myself from ordering the tiniest hooks made.


Which necessitated another purchase.




I must be crazy.


Color crazy, that is.

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Wordless Wednesday

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