Snowflake Monday

Now that Lizard and I are walking again, I needed a keychain hand sanitizer. Lizard's torn meniscus and stress fracture kept us indoors for the last six weeks or so, and the snow and ice have now melted! Last time we walked, the nearby reservoir was still ice, and there were a good many snow patches. Well, and mud patches...

I have always kept a pocket hand sanitizer in my coat and in my fleece vest. At least as long as they've been making pocket hand sanitizers.

I have always kept a keychain hand sanitizer on my backpack for when we hike or ride. I can't remember a time I ever rode my bike without some kind of sanitizer; I kept baby wipes in a sandwich bag way back before shelves of tiny hand sanitizer bottles in a wide variety of colors and scents. I always had to have a way to clean up what they call hamburger knees and road rash in the cycling world. Plus, public restrooms really are not my thing.

I didn't know this in March of 2020 because I no longer carry a purse and because I wasn't going anywhere, but every single crochet bag and purse I've used in the past 15 years contains a small bottle of sanitizer. Yes, I keep the old purses and the old bags, and I'm usually delighted by the treasures I find inside them when I do pull them out of storage.

Most of the little botles are nearly empty, but I can refill those babies with a very large bottle I bought specifically so I can do my own refills. And no, I did not hoard sanitizer or spray disinfectant last year. I didn't have to. I had a great big bottle of sanitizer and one disinfectant in each restroom. Staying home, I rarely needed to refill little sanitizer bottles I apparently stashed everywhere.

These last 13 months are not what made me want to carry a bottle of sanitizer with me at all times. It might be the reason I'm a little more adamant about it now, but cleanliness is life to me. Always has been.

I've been pretty horrified during the last year that anyone has to be told to wash their hands. How could anyone in any developed country not already know how important it is to keep their hands clean???

I grew up frequenting darkroom environments. I have known since I was four years old I needed to wash my hands after handling Dektol or Fixer. Because I almost always had my hands in chemicals, washing my hands has always been habit. Not just while processing film or photos, but all the time. It's just the way I grew up. In fact, I just realized I've had hand sanitizer (or disposable sanitizing towelettes) in my camera bag since I was a teenager. Sure enough, my current camera bag, which has not been used in a couple of years, has a small bottle of sanitizer in it!

I can't remember how old I was when I first became interested in wildlife, but that was another notch in my cleanliness belt. I knew if I'd been laying on the ground to get the perfect shot of a deer or an elk, I needed to wash my hands before I touched food or my mouth. I knew when I bought my first birdfeeder I needed to wash it often and wash my hands EVERY. TIME. I. TOUCHED. IT. Non-negotiable. I've just always known. So I'm a bit confused why this isn't common knowledge.

When this latest germ came around, I didn't really have to change anything. I went through the first three months of shelter-in-place assuming I'd already contracted the virus because I had been on public transportation five days a week. I assumed I just hadn't experienced any symptoms. I was shocked to learn after my annual physical I had not contracted the virus. I was doubly surprised again late last summer to learn I still hadn't had it after spending 14 days in the hospital with Lizard following his surgery. (Although that is a testament to the efforts our health care heros are taking to keep themselves and their patients safe.)

The only cleanliness habit I radically changed last year was in how protective I became of my husband. When I take him to medical appointments, I don't let him touch doorknobs or elevator buttons or any frequently-touched surface. We wash our hands now as frequently as we did before.

We've kept an eight-ounce bottle of hand sanitizer in the car the entire time we've known each other. I think I had hand sanitizer (or some form of hand-cleaner) in the car when my kids were still living at home because we went camping ALL the time, and you know how dirty kids can get...

Nevertheless, when Lizard and I recently resumed our late afternoon walks, I wanted to make sure I could clean Lizard's hands if we had to touch anything. (I carried a tubular fold-up picnic chair every walk we took for the first four or five months after his back surgery so he had a clean place to sit when he needed to rest.) Cold weather made carrying pocket bottles of hand sanitizer easy because I carry them in my coat and fleece vest pockets.

I don't have to wear a coat or a fleece vest now. YAY!!! Not every outfit I wear has pockets. So I needed a keychain hand sanitizer. And they are not always easy to find these days!

Hence, I made my own keychain. I can refill the little bottles, too, when we empty them. I will be able to keep using these cute little creations until the crochet thread holding the rings or carabiners break. AND!!! They make great gifts! Because, you know, keychain hand sanitizers are hard to come by now, and when you do find them, they might cost a pretty penny! Or an ugly penny...

Initially, I worked up two versions of today's cozy because I wanted to see what it would look like with a popcorn stitch after using a double crochet cluster on the prototype. I worked up the second version on Easter Sunday, and I thought the popcorn stitches look like Easter eggs, especially in my pastel rainbow hand-dyed thread!

Easter is over now until next year, and perhaps you don't like either of my texture options. This pattern may be worked with solid double crochet throughout, which might be a nice masculine variation. I think the solid double crochet version looks a bit boring, even though it really shows off my hand-dyed pastel sky and lavender thread, so I have included a bonus decorative pattern at the end of this post.

You may do whatever you'd like with keychains and/or snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the patterns. Thanks, and enjoy!

Finished Size: 1.25x2x2.25 inches
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, Elmer's Glue-All or other permanent adhesive, 2-ounce bottle of hand sanitizer, key ring or carabiner

Squeaky Clean Key Chain Instructions

Ch 14.

Round 1: 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 dc in each of next 10 ch, 5 dc in next ch, working around bottom of ch, 1 dc in each of next 10 ch, weaving in end as you go, 2 dc in next ch, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 3 dc in each of next 2 ch, 1 dc in each of next 12 dc, 3 dc in each of next 3 dc, 1 dc in each of next 12 dc, 2 dc in same sp as Round 1 sl st, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 1. Check size; piece should be about the same size as the bottom of your sanitizer bottle. If the piece is too small, try using a bigger hook OR add another row of dc or sc, depending on how big you need to make it, increasing 6 st on each end, keeping an even number of stitches. If the piece is bigger than the bottom of the bottle, don't worry about it unless it's way too big. Having the cozy a little loose will not ruin the project. If it's significantly bigger, try using a smaller hook and/or a finer thread (such as size 20 or 30).

Round 3: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), [sk next dc, 1 dc in next dc, ch 1] 20 times (or number of repeats required to reach end of Round); sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 3; sl st in next ch 1 sp.
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 and ch1), [1 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 1] 20 times (or number of repeats required to reach end of Round), sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 3; sl st in next ch 1 sp. Check fit of bottle. It's okay if the cozy is a little tight or a little loose. If it's too tight or too loose, frog back to end of Round 2 and make adjustments as described at end of Round 2.

Round 5, 3/dc cluster st: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), yo and draw up loop in same ch 1 sp as Round 4 sl st, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook, yo and draw up loop in same sp, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook (beginning cluster st made), ch 1, [yo and draw up loop in next ch 1 sp, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 3 times, yo and draw through all 4 loops on hook (cluster st made), ch 1, [cluster st in next ch 1 sp, ch 1] 19 times (or number of repeats required to reach end of Round), sl st in top of starting cluster st; sl st in next ch 1 sp.

Round 5, pc st: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc in same ch 1 sp as Round 5 sl st, take loop off hook, insert hook through 2nd ch of starting ch 2 and replace loop on hook, pull loop through ch (beginning pc st made), ch 1, [5 dc in next ch 1 sp, take loop off hook, insert hook through top loop of 1st dc and replace loop on hook, pull loop through top of 1st dc (pc st made), ch 1) 20 times (or number of repeats required to reach end of Round), sl st in top of starting pc; sl st in next ch 1 sp.

Rounds 6-7: Repeat Round 4.

Round 8: Repeat Round 5.

Rounds 8-9: Repeat Round 4.

Round 10: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each dc and in each ch 1 sp around for a total of 42 dc (or number of dc required to reach end of Round); sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Check fit of bottle. If you are almost to lid, proceed with Round 11. If cozy is too long for bottle, frog Round 10 and proceed to Round 11. If cozy is not long enough for bottle, repeat Round 10 until you nearly reach lid, then proceed to Round 11.

Rounds 11-12: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in every other st around, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.

Loop Finish: Ch 12, sl st in 12th ch from hook, sl st around closest Round 12 dc, making sure to catch more than 1 thread, 1 sc in each ch of loop, sl st in closest Round 12 dc, making sure to catch more than 1 thread, 12 sc around sc and ch loop, sl st in closest Round 12 dc; bind off. Weave in end. Dab loop with Glue-All or other permanent adhesive if desired and allow to thoroughly dry to add a bit of strength. Attach ring or carabiner.

Finished Size: 2.5 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

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.

Squeaky Clean Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: [Pc in ring, ch 5, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made), ch 6, sl st in 6th ch from hook (snowflake tip made), ch 3, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook, sk snowflake tip and dc picot, sl st in next ch, ch 1] 6 times, sl st in top of starting pc; bind off. Pull magic circle tight. Weave in ends.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

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. Using Glue-All or other permanent adhesive, center snowflake on front of crocheted hand sanitizer cozy and allow to thoroughly dry OR 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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