Snowflake Monday

I grew up hating the Dallas Cowboys (and football, actually) because we had to watch Every. Single. Game. Every time they played. I wasn't into TV, and I definitely wasn't into watching grown guys pushing themselves around in the grass, dirt and mud when I would rather be playing chess or taking pictures.

When I reached high school, I worked the concession stand at games to raise money for chess club tournaments in Las Cruces and Albuquerque (both in New Mexico). Something about the whole peer pressure thing and watching your own high school football team play made me see football in a whole different way. Later I had to cover football games for various newspapers. Which meant I had to learn the game.

Makes a huge difference when you understand those guys are out there pushing themselves around because they are trying to get that tiny little football to one end of the football field or the other. Okay, so some of those guys actually like rolling around in the dirt, but there was a strategy, just like in chess. I began to love football.

I still didn't care much for Dallas because the Cowboys were still the number one attraction at my family's home, and I was somewhat of a rebel. My mom being from Dallas, my aunt and grandparents living there, weren't reason enough to tip my scales in favor of blue and gray. After all, my high school colors were black and gold, and The Terrible Towel proudly bore one of those colors.

I was the only kid in my household cheering for Pittsburgh over Dallas.

Old hate dies hard.

My brother and I now share a magnificent rivalry when the Broncos play the Cowboys. I can't think of any team I wouldn't cheer for against the Cowboys, mostly to annoy my brother. He does the same thing with the Broncos, one of my favorite teams.


last year's quilt for my brother's grandson
Over the years, I learned to like football (although I'd much rather watch it from the sidelines with a camera than on a TV from the couch), and I've had to learn to swallow my pride when Dallas triumphs. Because I love my brother and want him to keep loving me. No matter who plays. No matter who wins.

I wish the world could be like this. I wish hate didn't happen. I wish life didn't have so many ugly hurtful things.

My husband and I recently watched "The Martian" for the first time. Because of all the political ugliness this year, I found myself crying through the end of the movie because I want that fairytale ending for my country. For the world. I want all of us to be pulling together for a good cause. I want enemies to work together to bring about miracles.

I want us all to be cheering each other through hard times instead of turning cold shoulders and causing pain and suffering.

If I can unlearn a childhood hatred, why can't everyone? I know that's too simplistic for some of the lifelong feelings and emotions some people have harbored for generations. But I'll never stop wishing for a better world.

One snowflake at a time, I wish I could make a difference, heal the hurt and soften hearts.


group hug
The name of the Texas metropolis Dallas was born in a town-naming contest in 1842. Its namesake has never been clear, although founder, John Neely Bryan, claimed to have named it after a friend, possibly nearby landowner Joseph Dallas. In about 1841, Bryan hoisted a piece of buckskin with his own name upon a Trinity River embankment (now Downtown Dallas) because he thought it would be the perfect spot for a trading post. Dallas County was named five years later after the current vice president George M. Dallas because sitting President James K. Polk's name had already been claimed by another Texas county.

Dallas is far more than just a big city in the state where I was born. There's a formidable peak right here in Colorado by the very same name.


Dallas Peak (right) as seen from Lavender Col on Mount Sneffels in May; photo by The Lizard
Colorado's 100th tallest mountain, 13,815-foot Dallas Peak, is located above Telluride and in the shadow of Mount Sneffels and is considered one of the most difficult peaks in the state. This Centennial Peak (bottom of the highest 100 peaks in Colorado) has long been on The Lizard's wish list. I will never climb this mountain because you can't get up it without ropes and a lot of other special equipment and training.

Dallas Divide is the name of the lofty drainage divide between the Uncompahgre River watershed and the San Miguel River watershed, as well as the dividing line between Ouray and San Miguel counties. Unlike the big Texas city, Dallas Divide has no naming disputes. It was named to honor the 11th Vice President of the United States. Dallas Divide Pass offers one of the most picturesque vistas in all of Colorado, especially in autumn.


Mount Sneffels and the Dallas Divide


Dallas Divide


Dallas Divide from atop Engineer Pass
One more Dallas reference, and then I'm done. I promise.

Every single time I think of my brother or any version of Dallas, I always remember a jubilant line from one of my husband's favorite movies, "The Hunt for Red October."


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 8 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

Dallas Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 11 dc in ring; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; pull magic ring tight.
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 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), * sk next dc, 1 dc in next dc, ch 4, 1 dc in same dc; repeat from * around 4 times; sk next dc, 1 dc in same ch as sl st ending Round 1, ch 2, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 4 sp of Round.

Round 3: * Ch 18, 1 dc in 4th ch from hook, 1 dc in next ch, [sk next 2 ch, sl st in next ch, ch 3, 1 dc in each of next 2 ch] 2 times, sk next 2 ch, sl st in next ch, sl st in same ch 4 sp, ch 11, 1 dc in 4th ch from hook, 1 dc in next ch, sk next 2 ch, sl st in next ch, ch 3, sl st in next ch 4 sp; repeat from * around 5 times, ending with sl st in base of starting spoke; 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.

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 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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