We weren't able to visit my mother-in-law in May, thanks to yet one more basement flood the day we planned to leave. We finally made our belated Mother's Day visit, and we encountered flurries on the way home! Eisenhower Pass was not quite as dramatic as Pikes Peak, shown below, yet it was super fun to see falling snow in June!
Ride the Rockies was supposed to traverse Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park this year but had to be rerouted due to snow. Trail Ridge Road would have been the highlight of the ride, had we been able to participate, so the reroute would have been a HUGE disappointment for both of us. Fun to reminisce about the times we did Ride the Rockies via Trail Ridge Road, though. Boy, do I ever miss Ride the Rockies!
Today's snowflake is another of the patterns I wrote on my phone, this one back in September of 2017. This was just shy of one year before life so dramatically changed for us. So I'm very curious what inspired it.
Oh, it is so fun to go back and read my journal! I should do this more often!!! Lizard's joy after his first Labor Day Lift Off in Colorado Springs, watching university cyclists training at the Velodome there, a plethora of snowflake inspiration (some of which is inspiring me all over again!!!), calling my brother in New Mexico to (successfully!!!) coach me through starting my 4Runner when it got stuck 120 miles from home, Lizard promising to root for the Dallas Cowboys to thank my brother for helping me, fresh Olathe sweet corn, a hummingbird checking out the beaded snowflakes on my window, autumn colors, designing and finishing quilts for my new grands, holding a late bus in the rain and mud so others running behind me wouldn't have to wait for the next bus...
And yet, there were some memories on the opposite side of the spectrum, too... Sleepless nights, stinky natural dye jars, political unrest, computer crashes, late trains and buses (probably one of the reasons I had extra time to crochet during my September 2017 commutes), squirrels commandeering my bird feeder, kid woes, too many late nights at work, elbow pain, painful physical therapy, skunks trying to nest in our backyard, getting stuck 120 miles from home after senior portraits because the ignition in my 4Runner broke, getting stung and bit while thinning the garden for winter, having to get the Toyota re-keyed...
One day on the train in September of 2017, I wound up careening down a rabbit hole of unpleasant movie synopses while trying to research our solar system. One of the planets or moons led to a movie link, which led to another, and soon I wasn't searching the solar system anymore. I ended up removing a handful of movies from my watch list that day and was still uncomfortable hours later because of some of the plotlines I'd read. This is what I wrote to myself:
"Trust me; do not read trash. You can't get it out of your head. Read scriptures. Listen to wonderful, uplifting music. Focus on blessings. Make snowflakes."
I am SO grateful I didn't include details about whatever disgusted me in my journal! I am so grateful I always try to keep my entries upbeat!
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: 6.5 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
Cold Snap Snowflake Instructions
Make magic ring.
Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in ring, [ch 1, 2 dc in ring] 5 times; 1 hdc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 1 point of Round. Pull magic circle tight.
Round 2: Ch 5 (counts as 1 sc and [ch 4), 1 sc in next ch 1 sp] 5 times; ch 2, 1 dc in 1st ch of starting ch 5 to form 6th ch 4 sp of Round.
Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, [in next ch 4 sp work (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc)] 5 times; 3 dc in next ch 4 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip 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 4: Ch 5 (counts as 1 sc and [ch 4), 1 sc in next gap between 3/dc shells, ch 4, in next ch 3 tip work (1 sc, ch 12, 1 sc)] 6 times, omitting last sc of final repeat; sl st in 1st ch of starting ch 5.
Round 5: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), [1 sc in next ch 4 sp, ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 4 sp, in next ch 12 spoke work (8 dc, ch 8, 1 dc in 6th ch from hook, ch 8, 1 dc in same ch, ch 5, sl st in same ch, ch 2, 8 dc)] 6 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off. Weave in ends.
Oh, joy! Time for my first Easter egg pattern in a long time! Don't you just LOVE this revised lacy (and spacy!!!) version of the original?!?
Cold Snap II Snowflake Instructions
Make magic ring.
Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in ring, [ch 1, 2 dc in ring] 5 times; 1 hdc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 1 point of Round. Pull magic circle tight.
Round 2: Ch 5 (counts as 1 sc and [ch 4), 1 sc in next ch 1 sp] 5 times; ch 2, 1 dc in 1st ch of starting ch 5 to form 6th ch 4 sp of Round.
Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, [in next ch 4 sp work (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc)] 5 times; 3 dc in next ch 4 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip 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 4: Ch 5 (counts as 1 sc and [ch 4), 1 sc in next gap between 3/dc shells, ch 4, in next ch 3 tip work (1 sc, ch 12, 1 sc)] 6 times, omitting last sc of final repeat; sl st in 1st ch of starting ch 5.
Round 5: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), [1 sc in next ch 4 sp, ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 4 sp, in next ch 12 spoke work (1 dc, ch 7, 1 dc, ch 9, 1 dc, ch 7)] 6 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; 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 snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.
This flake has a kind of space-y vibe!
ReplyDeleteMemories can be so bittersweet. Hugs to you both.