31 January 2014

Friday Funny

onlly

I, too, live in Colorado and can't help but laugh right along with the rest of the world.

Shoulda known.

Football Jones

"We do not have any response." -NFL

My Pot
MY POT (for today's Chili Bowl Cook-off)

Thanks, Phil!

My favorite link of the entire week. (Thanks again, Phil!)

Don't get crabby.

At my office, we call it Omahahaha. Ha ha.

OmaHa! Ha! Ha!

Thanks, Peyton!!!

Peyton Penguin

Steal all the bases!

Oh, my gosh, MORE!

mean jokes

Neon green would look pretty darned cool at DIA, too... (Yes, I'm a Seattle fan AND a Denver fan.)

No.Friggin'.Way. NO! NO! NO!

This one is not funny, but a great send-off into this Super weekend.

Post Script: When all is said and done...

30 January 2014

God's Country

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park

We've been to heaven. Again. Photographic highlights from our most recent trip will be featured next week, perhaps the following week, and possibly even the week after that, right here on Snowcatcher.

Sunrise, Bryce Canyon National Park

Druid Arch, Canyonlands National Park

Capitol Reef National Park

Shakespeare Arch, Kodachrome Basin

Kolob Canyon

The Wave

The Wave II

White Pocket, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument

Zion National Park

28 January 2014

27 January 2014

Snowflake Monday

Associated Press Coverage of the 2014 Super Bowl Venue Logo
Associated Press Coverage of the 2014 Super Bowl Venue Logo

Did you know this year's Super Bowl logo features a snowflake?

So of course, I had to make it...

My first attempt didn't look exactly like the logo snowflake, but I like the design, so I decided to share both versions. Maybe one for each team?!?

Of course, I couldn't use the name of the game in the snowflake, due to trademark law. I remembered the much-anticipated lunchtime contest we have at work every year the Friday before the big game, and decided Chili Bowl Cook-off isn't a very appealing name for a snowflake.

I can make the snowflakes in team colors, but I can't use team names. And Team Colors Snowflake doesn't exactly tickle my toes. (I seriously thought about a blue and orange snowflake by the name a beloved newspaper editor used instead of the proper name... Donkey Snowflake, but decided that didn't have a lot of charm either, other than bring back fond memories of my now deceased boss. Orange Crush Snowflake likely would have fallen under some legal woes, too, or that might have been just the perfect name!)

My Second Favorite Team

I tried to think of every football term I could pair with snowflake and just wasn't impressed. Pigskin Snowflake??? Ick! Kick-off Snowflake??? Eh, maybe... Punt Snowflake, Huddle Snowflake or Snap Snowflake??? Ugh! Penalty Snowflake??? Get real!

Finally I came up with an even better name than End Zone Snowflake, Goal Post Snowflake or Touchdown Snowflake, and, well, then I had to finish the joke, which meant designing two more snowflakes. The lone Star Fleet Fiber Arts Academy mission this month is to create something to make the crew laugh. If the names I came up with for this series of patterns can make The Lizard, who is NOT a football fan, laugh, I think I can get some giggles on my ship, the USS Noro!

And there you have it! This year's Father's Day snowflake with plenty of time to get his gift made before deadline!

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: 5.5-6 inches from point to point, depending upon version
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, optional 2 or 3 colors for Fourth Down Snowflake, 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

First Down Snowflake

First Down 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 circle tight, but leave opening big enough to allow stitches inside it to lay flat.

Round 2: * 1 sc in next dc, ch 5, sk next dc; repeat from * around 4 times; 1 sc in next dc, ch 2, 1 tr in starting sc to form 6th ch 5 sp of Round.

Round 3: 2 sc over post of tr just made, 1 hdc in same sp, 1 dc in same sp, * 1 dc in next sc, 1 dc in next ch 5 sp, 1 hdc in same sp, 3 sc in same sp, 1 hdc in same sp, 1 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; 1 dc in next sc, 1 dc in starting ch 5 sp, 1 hdc in same sp, 1 sc in same sp, sl st in starting sc.
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, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook (2 dc picot made), ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, 1 sc in next ch, 1 sc in next ch, 1 hdc same ch, ch 3, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook (sc picot made), [ch 3, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, ch 3] 2 times (sl st picots made), ch 4, working back down spoke sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook (sl st picot made), sl st in ch between 2 sl st picots on opposite side of spoke, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in ch between sl st picot and sc picot, ch 2, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in next ch after sc picot on opposite side of spoke, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, 1 sc in next ch, 1 sc in next ch,1 hdc same ch, sl st in top of 2nd dc of 2 dc picot on opposite side of spoke, ch 3, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook, sl st in next ch after 2/dc picot, ch 1, sl st in same sc as sl st beginning this spoke, 1 sc in each of next 7 st, sl st in next sc; repeat from * around 5 times, ending with sl st in same sc as final sl st of Round 3; bind off. Weave in ends.

Second Down Snowflake

Second Down 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 circle tight, but leave opening big enough to allow stitches inside it to lay flat.
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: * 1 sc in next dc, ch 5, sk next dc; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc.

Round 3: * 3 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 5, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook (2 dc picot made), ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, [draw up loop in next ch, draw up loop in next ch, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook] 2 times (sc dec made), 1 hdc same ch as last sc dec, ch 4, 1 hdc in 3rd ch from hook (hdc picot made), [ch 3, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, ch 3] 2 times (sl st picots made), ch 5, working back down spoke sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 3 ch, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook (sl st picot made), sl st in ch between sl st picots on opposite side of spoke, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in ch between sl st picot and hdc picot, ch 3, 1 hdc in 3rd ch from hook, sl st in next ch after hdc picot on opposite side of spoke, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, 2 sc in next ch, 2 sc in next ch,1 hdc same ch, sl st in top of 2nd dc of 2 dc picot on opposite side of spoke, ch 3, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook, sl st in next ch after 2/dc picot, ch 1, 3 sc in same ch 5 sp; repeat from * around 5 times, sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.

Third Down Snowflake

Third Down Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 12 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Pull magic circle tight, but leave opening big enough to allow stitches inside it to lay flat.

Round 2: * 1 sc in next sc, ch 10, 1 dc in 4th ch from hook, 1 dc in next ch, sl st in next ch (2/dc burp made) (if you don't like burps, stop eating so much bean dip!), 1 sc in each of next 2 ch, ch 2, sk next sc; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc.
NOTE: Bind off here and weave in ends for a cute little non-sports related flower-like snowflake.

Mini Third Down Snowflake

Round 3: * 3 sc in next ch sp, working up spoke 1 sc in bottom of each of next 2 sc, 1 sc in bottom of next dc, 1 hdc in same dc, 1 dc in same dc, 1 dc in bottom of next dc, 1 hdc in same dc, 1 sc in next dc, sl st in ch 3 tip of spoke, ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, [draw up loop in next ch, draw up loop in next ch, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook] 2 times (sc dec made), 1 hdc same ch as last sc dec, ch 4, 1 hdc in 3rd ch from hook (hdc picot made), [ch 3, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, ch 3] 2 times (sl st picots made), ch 5, working back down spoke sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 3 ch, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook (sl st picot made), sl st around next ch 1 sp, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st around next ch 1 sp, ch 3, 1 hdc in 3rd ch from hook, sl st around next ch 1 sp, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, 2 sc in next ch, 2 sc in next ch,1 hdc same ch, sl st in ch 3 tip of 2/dc burp (if it hadn't been football season, I would have called it a teardrop), 1 sc in next dc, 1 hdc in same dc, 1 dc in same dc, 1 dc in next dc, 1 hdc in same dc, 1 sc in same dc, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 3 sc in ch sp at base of spoke; repeat from * around 5 times, sl st in starting sc; bind off. 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.

Thread Footballs

Fourth Down Snowflake Instructions

Football

Make 6.

With contrast color, ch 6, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, 1 hdc in next ch, 3 dc in next ch, 1 hdc in next ch, 3 sc in next ch, working on opposite side of ch, 1 hdc in next ch, 3 dc in next ch, 1 hdc in next ch, 2 sc in next ch, sl st in starting sc; bind off; weave in ends.

Snowflake

With white, make magic ring.

Round 1: 12 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Pull magic circle tight, but leave opening big enough to allow stitches inside it to lay flat.

Round 2: * 1 sc in next sc, ch 5, sk next sc; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc.
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: * 3 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 2, sl st in middle dc of football (either side; football is the same on both sides), 1 sc in next dc, 1 sc in each of next 2 hdc, 1 sc in next sc, 3 sc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 2 hdc, 1 sc in next dc, sl st in next dc, ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, [draw up loop in next ch, draw up loop in next ch, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook] 2 times (sc dec made), 1 hdc same ch as last sc dec, ch 4, 1 hdc in 3rd ch from hook (hdc picot made), [ch 3, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, ch 3] 2 times (sl st picots made), ch 5, working back down spoke sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 3 ch, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook (sl st picot made), sl st around next ch 1 sp, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st around next ch 1 sp, ch 3, 1 hdc in 3rd ch from hook, sl st around next ch 1 sp, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, 2 sc in next ch, 2 sc in next ch,1 hdc same ch, sl st same center football dc as previous sl st, 1 sc in next dc, 1 sc in each of next 2 hdc, 1 sc in next sc, 3 sc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 2 hdc, 1 sc in next dc, sl st in next dc, 1 sc in each of next 2 ch, 3 sc in same ch 5 sp as previous 3 sc; repeat from * around 5 times, sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.

colorplay

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.

Fourth Down Snowflake

24 January 2014

Friday Funny

Winter Training

Just about any cyclist will tell you their least favorite activity is riding an indoor cycling trainer. Gobs have been written about how to survive training indoors when the weather is too yucky to venture outdoors on a bicycle.

Tons of videos are available specifically for indoor training rides. We have a few. Race videos have long been touted as one of the best distractions, and our Tour de France and Giro de Italia VHS tapes (yes, some are THAT old) and DVDs did the job for many years. When filmed from behind (which they often are), the peloton made me feel as if I was riding right in their slipstream. (Which, of course, is highly unlikely for slowpoke me.) On the trainer, I can do something I cannot do in real life. I cannot throw my arms up in the air when I cross a finish line. I would fall off my bike!

So those cycling tapes were the cure to trainer boredom for nearly a decade.

But not now. For nearly 18 months now, I have barely been able stomach even the covers of the majority of our cycling tapes, specifically years 1999-2012. To watch those tapes while on the trainer now might cause me to lose my lunch. Or dinner.

Good thing I'd already finely honed another distraction for my own trainer.

I can keep those needles flying even faster than I can pedal!

Cro-Cycling

23 January 2014

Why We Ride

This is why I ride.

I'm not the only one connecting multiple sclerosis and snowflakes.

Century Snowflake

High Roller Snowflake

In a recent discussion on Ravelry, non-voluntary charitable contributions in the workplace was raked over the coals. This is a sore spot for me, too, because one of my very early employers required all employees to sign paperwork donating a portion of their paycheck to the charity of the employer's choice. It was not a charity I wanted to support, and I didn't like the idea of being required to donate as a condition of employment. I was still very young at the time and in an economically depressed area; I did not want to lose my job.

I asked my dad what I should do. He (wisely) told me not to sign the paperwork until it was an ultimatum, then sign if I wanted to keep the job when the demand was presented.

By the beginning of the third month, I was in love with my job, and I did not want to be terminated. I signed the paperwork on the spot when I was called into the employer's office. I'd gotten by without making the contribution for eight weeks, and my dad said I should consider myself lucky because my co-workers probably did not think to exercise that option. He was successful in helping me put a positive spin on the problem. There were many times I was resentful of the contribution over the next couple of years while I stayed at that job, especially when I had expensive auto repairs that could have been a tiny bit easier with that money, but I did try to keep the positive attitude my dad taught me.

In the end, I knew people were helped by the money I had donated, even if I didn't like everything the charity was doing. I tried to think of it as making a difference in the world in just a small way.

Is this cool or what!?!

In the Ravelry discussion, needleworkers complained about similar dilemmas, and some people pitched in with related charitable but non-mandatory experiences. Charitable contributions, particularly in December when pocketbooks are already stretched beyond comfort, can be a thorn in anyone's side.

Most of the Ravelry crafters seemed to agree no one likes to be backed into a charitable corner without having a say in where funds go. Some said they appreciate fun opportunities to donate to charitable causes, some said they volunteer and don't have the means to donate more than time, and some said they resent being asked to donate to participation in athletic events for charity.

Specifically, they did not want to donate to someone's exotic vacation where a portion of their donation goes to some charitable cause they may or may not support, especially if the event participant is interested only in the event and not the cause. They also expressed severe discomfort about being repeatedly badgered for donations.

This got me thinking about my own efforts to raise money to fight multiple sclerosis. Sometimes I feel as if I'm badgering readers because I have a link in the sidebar and I refer to my fundraising efforts often throughout my blog. Sometimes it feels like my quest to attain High Roller status is selfish. Sometimes even I think enough is enough. Give it a rest!

So I thought perhaps it's time to clarify a few touchy spots for those who might be uncomfortable with what I'm doing.

First and foremost, no one is required to make a donation in my behalf, and no one is required to read my blog. I wouldn't have it any other way. Yes, a donation is required to receive the pattern booklets, and there are patterns in the booklets that are not on my blog. But no one is required to donate. It's completely voluntary. And there are plenty of free snowflake patterns here for those who choose not to donate.

Although I do enjoy riding my bike and I do look forward to the High Roller benefit of no long restroom lines, I'm not in this fight for the ride only. The ride is one of my favorites because so many people with MS participate either as riders or as volunteers. I'm inspired by their courage to keep trying even though it's difficult for them. I ache for the ones who can no longer ride, and I ride for them. They spray me with cool water mist on hot days as I ride by, so I know they appreciate what I'm doing for them.

Two of my co-workers have MS, several of my friends have MS, several of my co-workers have family members with MS, and we have one family member with MS. We lost a family member to MS last year.

I want to stop this disease. I can't say that enough. I want to stop this disease! I have put together a snowflake pattern booklet each year for four years now in my own personal battle to fight multiple sclerosis on behalf of the people I know who battle the disease every day.

I design snowflakes on my own time; I have never been paid to design a pattern. I buy my own thread and crochet hooks; no yarn or thread manufacturer has ever sponsored me. I pay my own way into my event. I donate to my own fund. I donate to the fundraising efforts of others. I train on my own time, I buy all my own supplies and pay for required maintenance in order to participate. I host an annual ice cream social at the office where I work, and I buy the ice cream and toppings. My office provides the kitchen, bowls, spoons and soapy water for clean-up.

My co-workers are not required to donate, and they are not required to eat ice cream. They do have to put up with my annual plea to help support the cause, but I think because we have two co-workers suffering from MS, the rest of the office doesn't mind the annual event. I know they look forward to the ice cream and social opportunity!

When the MS-150 (now called Bike MS) actually occurs in June, I pay out-of-pocket for our overnight hotel room in the host town.

Every dime donated in my name goes straight to the Colorado/Wyoming Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. I do not take even one penny and never would. All donations are tax-deductible. For the record, all the money I donate is tax deductible, too, as is the money I spend on ice cream for the annual social. The hotel room probably is tax deductible, too, but I've never tried to claim that.

All of the organized rides I have participated in benefit charitable causes, with the exception of the Pikes Peak climb I attempted (but did not acheive) twice. That ride was commercial but did not turn a profit and has now been sold to another entity. We participated in that ride the first two years it was offered because that was the only way a cyclist could try to climb Pikes Peak back then. Pikes Peak now is open to cyclists year-round, and I'll probably try getting up it again on my own once I've properly trained.

We haven't participated in other commercial organized rides because we can ride without supporting a charity almost every day. We don't want to have to pay just to ride. When we join an organized ride, it's because we want to do something to make a difference in the world. We get the benefit of keeping our bodies healthy while we are doing it, and that's a big plus. But we can do that every day of the week without paying for more than bicycle maintenance.

So far, the only charitable ride we participate in that requires us to raise money in order to participate is the MS-150. I had hoped one day to ride the coast of California in support of arthritis because I battle that disease on a daily and sometimes hourly basis, but that particular ride might not ever be financially feasible for us, and that's okay, because I can help in other ways.

So for now, my MS-150 fundraising drive is the only one I'm doing, and I appreciate the tolerance readers have provided and the donations crocheters have made. Nearly every week, I receive an email from someone I've never met thanking my husband and me for what we do.

And that's why I keep doing it. Well, that and because I hope one day all this will lead to a cure...

an inspiration to all of us
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