Noro Days

(Can't you just hear Bruce singing Noro Days?!? Now it will be in your head, with modified words, all day!!!) More than a decade ago, probably closer to a decade and a half ago, I was on a sock yarn kick. I bought every clearance skein I could find. I knitted or crocheted socks for all my female friends for Christmas. I still to this day have bins of luscious yarn, sometimes in color combinations that don't really tickle my toes anymore. At one time, though, those hanks of crazy sock colors were like buried treasure every time I found a new sale.

Noro definitely was my favorite. I bought quite a bit (not sock yarn) in one colorway fully intending to knit a sweater that winter. I also have a bunch of gorgeous purple silk sock yarn which also was supposed to be a sweater. They go together so well, perhaps I can craft something using both stashes one day...

During sleepless nights, I sometimes dig through my sock yarn bins and work up little Etsy projects with that exquisite sock yarn – in sometimes unusual colors. I was kind of looking for a project I remembered starting but never finishing a long, long time ago. I can still remember how that yarn used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance, I could make my crochet hook dance. And maybe I'd be happy for a while... (And now you'll have THAT song in your head, with modified words, all day long!)

I remembered designing this purse back in 2010 or so, and I would hunt for it whenever I had a few minutes of nothing else to do. I finally found it a few weeks ago, but not in the sock yarn stash. It was buried beneath a pile of beautiful black, satin-like vest lining leftovers. Along with a second purse I didn't even remember making!!!

Both were crafted with Noro highlights left over from projects I made back in my Noro days. Both needed to be lined, and both were stashed safely away for the day I could get around to hand-stitching a lining. That day has come. I cut linings for both this week, pinned the linings in place, then packed the unfinished bags in my neat little quilted crochet bag (formerly carried weekdays aboard the commuter train) so I can hand stitch the linings into place whenever I get a chance. I'm really hoping I'll be able to list them in my Etsy shop soon! Because they are so totally unique!

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Wordless Wednesday

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Sunflowers Make Me Smile

(affiliate links to my designs)

I've been collecting sunflower photos in my garden this year because the photos are fun to collage when I can't sleep at night. (I did a sleep study last month, and I have an appointment with my primary care this week to review options, now that we know I have sleep apnea. Perhaps my sleepless nights might be soon coming to an end. Let's hope the photo creativity doesn't jump ship with the sleeplessness...)

Last week I noticed pairs of sunflowers that looked like eyes. So, of course, I had to play in Photoshop. But first, I had to get just the right eye shot. I got a few "on the vine", so to speak, but I didn't really have enough room in the photos to later compose a smile, especially given some of the backgrounds.

After a few fun Photoshop smile attempts, I decided to shoot a few more eye shots with better backgrounds. During the process, I accidentally broke two of my Ring of Fire snowflakes from their mother stem. As a result, I got to pose them in what I thought might be more photographic locations.

The nice thing about removing a sunflower from its stem is that other sunflowers likely will bloom from the multiple side buds below. Especially with the red and chocolate cherry sunflowers!!!

I'll probably keep trying to create more sunflower smiles as long as I still have sunflowers. And inspiration... But for now, I have a few new to share.

I needed extra reasons to smile last week, and I hope these sunflower smiles make you smile, too.

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Snowflake Monday

This one takes a LOT of pins to shape the spokes into evergreen tree shapes. Sometimes hard things can teach good things. When a very difficult thing strikes a family, community, country or the world, the collective can learn they are powerful when their voices come together as one. We are all children of God (or whatever name anyone uses for a higher authority), and we are all loved. We ARE one.

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, 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

Evergreen Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Don't pull magic circle too tight.

Round 2: Ch 7. (counts as 1 dc and [ch 5), 1 dc in next sc] 5 times; ch 2, 1 tr in 2nd ch of starting ch 7 to form 6th ch 5 tip of Round

Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 3 dc over post of tr directly below, 1 hdc in same sp, 1 sc in same place, [in next ch 5 tip work (1 sc, 1 hdc, 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc)] 5 times; in next ch 5 tip work 1 sc, 1 hdc, 3 dc, 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 10, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and each of next 6 ch, ch 8, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and each of next 5 ch, ch 7, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and each of next 4 ch, ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and each of next 3 ch, ch 5, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and each of next 2 ch, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, working back down spoke sl st in next spoke ch, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and each of next 2 ch, sl st in next spoke ch, ch 5, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and each of next 3 ch, sl st in next spoke ch, ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and each of next 4 ch, sl st in next spoke ch, ch 7, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and each of next 5 ch, sl st in next spoke ch, ch 8, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and each of next 6 ch, sl st in eac of next 2 spoke ch, sl st in same ch 3 tip, ch 5, 1 fpdc around next Round 2 dc, ch 5, sl st in next ch 3 tip] 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.

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Friday Fortius

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Friday Fortius on Thursday

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Wordless Wednesday

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