Snowflake Monday

This 30 March 2020 blog post initially was published as a No Flake Monday. Lizard had undergone total knee replacement in December of 2019 and then had to go through another related surgical procedure right after the whole world shut down for what we thought would be two weeks. I'm preserving what I published then (at the end of this addition) because what I wrote then is still important to me. I realize no one else in the world may care about some little two-paragraph blurb I wrote back when everything seemed so dark and hopeless, but my blah blah blagh has become a bit of a visual historical journal for me. It is NOT my official journal and never will be, but it is one of many places I can review what I was feeling and thinking during some of the best and worst times of the last decade and a half. Yes, it's really been that long!!! This blog started 15 years ago!!!

What began on 28 March 2024 as what I considered as preparation for a harmless April Fool's joke has now shown me how important it is to record our special moments in a manner in which they can be easily retrieved and reviewed. Our hard moments. Our trials. Our celebrations. Perhaps not all online, and definitely not always on a stage, but we need to preserve precious memories and lessons we learn so our experiences are available to us and to those we love and/or influence, whether it be our children and grandchildren, our friends, or, for me, my readers.

When I first wrote today's (April Fool's Day 2024) pattern in this once-short-little post, I changed the original title, I added some colorful text at the top to advise readers to keep scrolling past the original blog post to the pattern below, and then I composed at the bottom of the original post an entirely new blog post with rantings about AI (artificial intelligence) and links to great fiber-related April Fool pranks, illustrated with my own genuine snowflake photos and my own AI-generated "April Fool Snowflake" renderings. The blog post needed only photos of the today's snowflake, which snowflake was pinned and drying in the sunlight.

I didn't realize everything I had written would not be preserved if I didn't hit the orange "update" button on Blogger's composition page. I didn't hit that button Thursday night before April Fool's Day because the post still needed today's crocheted snowflake photos.

I thoughtlessly closed my browser and turned off my computer for the night, planning to snap photos of the crocheted flake first thing Friday morning, then insert the photos and publish. I didn't realize I was erasing everything. Early April Fool's joke on me!

I got up early Good Friday morning, unpinned my snowflake, shot a handful of photos of it, uploaded them, then got on the computer to add the crocheted snowflake photos to the blog post. But the editing field was blank. I mean, the old blog post was still there. Untouched. But the rest was gone. I was forced to completely rewrite my pattern. (In a new (Microsoft) Word document the second time around to make sure it would never be lost again!!!)

What have I learned??? At least one lesson I should have already known by heart. Always have a backup copy. Always. But also, this whole idea stemmed from my desire to pull what I thought would be a fun prank. To make everyday readers laugh. Perhaps my time could have been better spent. Some April Fool's jokes are not funny. I was horrified by some of the crochet fiber pranks I stumbled upon while writing the original blog post for today, so I didn't bother trying to look up my links again. Too many crochet creations I don't want lurking in my head.

I didn't try to duplicate anything I wrote the first time around but the pattern. I don't think anything I wrote the first time would have offended anyone; my April Fool's Day blog post may have caused a degree of concern for those who care about whether I continue blogging, but I'm hoping all my readers laughed when they reached the final image in that blog post. I hope whenever I try to be funny here, what I publish is smile-worthy.

Today's pattern was inspired by one of the first AI renderings I got when I wrote the simple prompt, "April Fool's Snowflake" in the AI generator. I was shocked this snowflake had six sides because I've known for more than a year AI cannot count. Now, after an entire series of AI renderings that, in my mind, had absolutely nothing to do with April Fool's Day, I know AI has no (intentional) sense of humor. (Some AI is just comical!) I do like a lot of the snowflake inspiration AI provides me, though. I've obtained many renderings I hope to re-create in real thread with a real hook, and by writing real (not AI-generated) patterns one day.

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: 4.75 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

Shenanigan Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 18 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Don't pull magic circle too tight.

Round 2: Ch 4 (counts as 1 sc and [ch 3), sk next 2 sc, 1 sc in next sc] 5 times; ch 1, 1 dc in 1st ch of starting ch 4 to form 6th ch 3 sp 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 3: Ch 7 (counts as 1 dc and [ch 5), in next ch 3 sp work (1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc)] 5 times; ch 5, 1 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 7 to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 4: [Ch 2, 2 tr over post of dc directly below (or in same ch 3 sp in repeats), ch 3, 1 dc* in 3rd ch from hook, ch 3, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 2, sl st in same ch as dc*, ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch, [ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch] 2 times, ch 1, working back down spoke skip next ch, sl st in next ch, sl st in same ch as dc*, ch 5, 1 scin 3rd ch from hook, 1 dc in same ch as dc*, ch 2, sl st in same ch, 1 trtr in same ch 3 sp as previous tr, ch 2, sl st in same ch 3 sp, in next ch 5 sp work (1 sc, 1 hdc, 3 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc), sl st in next ch 3 sp] 6 times; 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.

And here's the post I originally published back in 2020...

Lizard and I took another emotional/mental hit late last week, and I have not even a fraction of an ounce of creativity brewing inside me as I try to write today's (30 March 2020) post. I hope you are staying safe and healthy, and I hope you are doing everything you need to do to maintain faith, a good attitude and hope.

Never give up. We will make it through this.

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