16 March 2015

Snowflake Monday

Garden Snowflakes

A couple of years ago, my dad panicked when something went wrong during a routine Blogger update and all his own personal blog customizations were gobbled up into nowhere. He occasionally gets lots of hits from other model railroaders, so I wondered if his blog might be stored in the Wayback archive. I ran a couple of searches (whatever search term I used the first time resulted in no treasures, but the second search term, which I also don't remember, hit pay dirt), and I was able to send my dad a link so he could rebuild his customizations.

He was so thrilled to find out about the archive and that some of the railroading links he'd thought long deal had been archived.

I just love when I'm able to teach something! (Or point to something saved thought lost forever!)

A few months ago, I began getting comments that one of the links I used in every single Snowflake Monday post was no longer valid. It didn't help that this happened during the Christmas season while I was trying to get presents done for my family, or that I was trying to finish this year's snowflake pattern PDF booklet, or that it was the busiest time of the year at my job, or that I'd recently experienced a drastic change in internet availability. Such crises never occur at convenient times. They wouldn't be crises if they did.

My first instinct was to contact the creator of the snowflake template to which I'd linked. I'd finally had the opportunity to "meet" her online in the Ravelry snowflake group after years and years of drawing upon her endless wealth of snowflake and thread crochet knowledge and experience via her website.

Not hearing back from her added to the stress I was already feeling because I was worried about her (and still am). Soon, I was receiving multiple comments and emails per day requesting I post her blocking template (which belongs to her and I have no right to post without permission) because the link was dead. November and December are huge snowflaking months, and everyone, it seemed, was noticing my dead links at the same time (and not reading the comments to find out I'd already answered previous identical questions).

Now it was my turn to panic. Not only did I need to find an answer - and internet acccess - I was going to have to block off gobs of my own personal time to go back through every single published Snowflake Monday pattern and remove the link.

I decided not to post such a link in every individual post anymore because I simply cannot go back through 289 posts (not including this one or future Snowflake Mondays) to update every time something like this happens. All helpful links are now in the sidebar to the right. It takes only minutes for me to update that.

My next instinct was to do a search of my own for another snowflake blocking template, just in case there was another one out there somewhere. I found one, and that's what's been posted in my sidebar ever since.

Sensing my emotional status, another gracious snowflake aficionado recently volunteered to concoct a new blocking template I'd be free to use as desired, which includes posting it on my website when available. I am extremely grateful, and I will not put any pressure on her to finish by a certain time because I know all too well from experience how that feels.

My third instinct didn't occur until more recently, when I recalled the day my dad lost most of his blog. I wondered if the archive might have at least some of the valuable information that was lost when crochet.tangleweeds.com expired. I did another couple of searches (again, the first attempt was fruitless, but the second search was a goldmine), and by golly, some of the most popular pages are still available in the archive!!!

I do not know how long the archive will preserve these treasures, but the information contained therein is priceless, and I'm glad it's still available for now.

And now I have the opportunity to teach once again. If you discover an internet site you enjoyed suddenly gone, please try the Wayback archive before panicking. Don't give up if your first attempt does not work. Try different combinations of words, and sometimes even the link, if you have it. And by all means, support archives and libraries when you can because they do perform a valuable service, especially in this day and age of decreasing paper and increasing digital.

Here is the archived version of the snowflake information I referred to for many years. Not every link on this page works, but some do, and all that do are helpful words of wisdom:

crochet.tangleweeds.com

Garden Snowflake Bookmark

All this archive/library talk gets me thinking about books. Recently, the Sisters of the Snowflake group admired a crocheted bookmark they thought could be just as beautiful, if not more so, if made from snowflakes instead of granny squares.

New life is beginning to spring up in my garden, tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, and I had worked up a few more Garden Snowflakes for my special project during our return trip from the Tour de Lavender. I had not yet created rock versions, and I thought these specific three patterns might be perfect for a bookmark as well as for rocks. So today, I present both!

My five-year-old neighbor will be thrilled. She's been asking when I'm going to "crochet some more rocks" since last autumn.

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes, snowflake rocks and snowflake bookmarks you make from these patterns, but you may not sell or republish the patterns. Thanks, and enjoy!

Garden Snowflakes

Daffodils are coming up!

Finished Size: Garden 20: 2 inches from point to point; Garden 21: 2.5 inches from point to point; Garden 22: 1.5 inches from point to point; bookmark: 5 inches long
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, optional beads for snowflake centers if desired, 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. For snowflake rocks, you need only the thread, the crochet hook and three rocks, 5 to 6.5 inches around.

NOTE: Rock instructions are interchangeable, depending upon size of rock.

TIP: A pearl or bead may be glued into the center of any finished snowflake with a popcorn center to add dimension and elegant beauty.

Garden Snowflake 20

Garden 20 Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 12 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Pull magic circle tight.
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: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sc, * 1 dc in next sc, ch 3, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made), ch 3, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook (sc picot made), ch 4, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made), 1 dc in same sc, 2 dc in next sc in main body of flake; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last 2 dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off. Weave in ends.

For bookmark, set aside and make next snowflake.

Round 3 (to cover a 6.5-inch rock): 1 sc in the side of any 1st dc picot (on the right side of a spoke), ch 7, 1 sc in the side of the next dc picot, * ch 3, 1 sc in the side of the next dc picot, ch 7, 1 sc in the side of the next dc picot; repeat from * around; ch 1, 1 dc in starting sc to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 5: 1 sc over post of dc just worked, * ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp; repeat from * around; ch 2, 1 tr in starting sc to form 12th ch 5 sp of Round.

Rounds 5-7 (or number of rows needed to cover rock and leave approximately 1-inch hole on back side of rock): 1 sc over post of tr just worked, * ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp; repeat from * around; ch 2, 1 tr in starting sc to form 12th ch 5 sp of Round. Slide rock into cover.

Round 8: 1 sc over post of tr just worked, * ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp; repeat from * around; ch 1, 1 dc in starting sc to form 12th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 9: Ch 2 (counts as dc), 1 dc in each ch 3 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off; weave in ends.

Garden Snowflake 21

Garden 21 Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc in ring, pull hook out of loop (dropped loop) and insert in 2nd ch of starting ch 2, insert in dropped loop, pull dropped loop through 2nd ch of starting ch 2 (starting popcorn stitch made), ch 5, * 5 dc in ring, pull hook out of loop (dropped loop) and insert in top loop of 1st dc of this 5/dc group, insert in dropped loop, pull dropped loop through top loop of 1st dc (popcorn stitch made), ch 5; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in top of starting popcorn. Pull magic circle tight enough to make popcorn stitches poufy.
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 ch 5 sp, 1 hdc in same sp, 3 dc in same sp, ch 3, [yo and draw up loop through 3rd ch from hook, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook (cluster stitch made), ch 3, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 4, cluster stitch in 3rd ch from hook, 3 dc in same ch 5 sp in main body of flake, 1 hdc in same sp, 1 sc in same sp; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.

For bookmark, set aside and make next snowflake.

Round 3 (to cover a 6-inch rock): 1 sc in the top of any point, * ch 8, 1 sc in next point; repeat from * around; ch 4, 1 dtr in starting sc to form 6th ch 8 sp of Round.

Round 4: 1 sc over post of dtr just worked, * ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 8 sp; repeat from * around; ch 2, 1 tr in starting sc to form 6th ch 5 sp of Round.
NOTE: Repeat this Round as needed to bring covering around rock, leaving approximately 1-inch hole. Slide rock into covering.

Round 5: 1 sc over post of tr just worked, * ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp; repeat from * around; ch 1, 1 dc in starting sc to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 6: Ch 2 (counts as dc), 1 dc in each ch 3 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off; weave in ends.

Garden Snowflake 22

Garden 22 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: Ch 2, [yo and draw up loop through same sc as sl st, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook (starting cluster made), * ch 5, sk next sc, yo and draw up loop through next sc, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook, [yo and draw up loop through same sc, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times, yo and draw through all 4 loops on hook (cluster made); repeat from * around 4 times; ch 2, 1 tr in top of starting cluster to form 6th ch 5 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: 4 sc over post of tr directly below, * 4 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 3, 4 sc in same sp ; repeat from * around 4 times; 4 sc in next ch 5 sp; for snowflake, ch 3, sl st in starting sc; bind off; OR for rock, ch 1, 1 hdc in starting sc for form 6th ch 3 sp of Round. Weave in ends.

Round 3 for Bookmark: You may join one point on each side of this snowflake or two points on each side of this snowflake; these instructions are for joining two points on each side. 4 sc over post of tr directly below, [4 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 1, 1 sc in any point (next point in next repeat) of Snowflake 20, ch 1, 4 sc in same ch 5 sp in main body of snowflake] 2 times, 4 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 3, 4 sc in same sp, same sp, [4 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 1, 1 sc in any point (next point in next repeat) of Snowflake 21, ch 1, 4 sc in same ch 5 sp in main body of snowflake] 2 times; 4 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 3, sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.
NOTE: You may further strengthen bookmark by chaining around entire snowflake chain, single crocheting in each point at you go, then working a round of sc all the way around, increasing 2 or 3 stitches on curves and creating picots every five or 6 sc if desired. Measure linking chain as you go to determine how many chains you need to keep bookmark flat.

Garden Snowflake Bookmark

Round 4 (to cover a 5-inch rock): 1 sc over post of hdc directly below, * ch 7, 1 sc in next ch 3 tip; repeat from * around; ch 3, 1 dtr in starting sc to form 6th ch 7 sp of Round.

Round 5: 1 sc over post of dtr just worked, * ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp; repeat from * around; ch 2, 1 tr in starting sc to form 6th ch 5 sp of Round.

Round 6: 1 sc over post of tr just worked, * ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp; repeat from * around; ch 1, 1 dc in starting sc to form 12th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 7: Ch 2 (counts as dc), 1 dc in each ch 3 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off; weave in ends.

Finish: For snowflakes, 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.

Gardenized Garden Snowflake Bookmark

Tassel may be added to bookmark if desired. Bookmark may be stiffened if desired. Bookmark should be shaped, even if not stiffened, to make it look better. Don't glitter it unless you don't mind finding sparkles in your reading materials.

Gardenized Garden Snowflake Bookmark

4 comments :

  1. Very creative indeed. The links can be a real pain in the arse is there is no guarantee they will be up forever when used.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Pat! I definitely learned my lesson on links through this. I also learned how important it is to have more than one reliable source...

      Delete
  2. These are so cute, and the bookmarks are adorable.

    I hadn't heard of the Wayback site - thanks for mentioning it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sue! The Wayback machine is pretty cool. Not everything is stored there, but there's enough cool stuff to make it worth trying when you can't find something you really like.

      Delete


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