I recently completed an epic temple trip... nine temples in six days. (Two were open houses, one is still under construction, and two were closed for routine cleaning.) Lizard and I had planned this trip months before he died. I knew there was no way he would be able to do it, and I think he knew, too. But he wanted me to go. Even though he knew it would make him miserable. We had attended the Casper Temple open house last year, and we both wanted to go back after the temple was dedicated. (He also wanted to return to the Grand Junction Temple and the Farmington New Mexico Temple with me after they were dedicated. I observed his birthday by going to the Grand Junction Temple alone, and that was so, so hard but so, so special. He considered the Grand Junction Temple his temple.) We both had anxiously waited for the Cody Temple open house. We planned to go back to Cody again next year to visit the temple after it is dedicated.
For the first couple of months after Lizard's passing, I didn't think there was any way in the world I could do a big Wyoming/Idaho road trip. I didn't even know if I wanted to. Frankly, I didn't know how to exist without him.
A little more than a month ago, I mapped out the planned route and made hotel reservations. I still didn't know if I wanted to go, but I knew he would want me to go.
Out of nowhere, one of my friends told me she and a friend had planned a temple-bagging trip in California but never got to do it. She said she'd always wanted to do a temple-bagging trip such as the one I'd planned. I told her she was perfectly welcome to join me. I'd booked rooms with two queen beds each night because that's what I'd always done with Lizard even before he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. It gave him more room to walk around when restless legs kept him up most of the night.
The only way my friend could accompany me was if she was able to work in my car while we were on the road because she could not get time off. I had been contemplating changing my internet provider for something less expensive and reportedly much more reliable than what I've been using for many years, and I decided it is time to make the change.
The mobile system I changed to worked great in the car – except when we were under the shade of a bay to get gas. (Ha ha! The unit has to have a clear shot at the sky.) My friend kept me from cancelling my plans, listened every time I cried, strengthened me when I was weak, and put up with my chaotic and tightly packed schedule.
I took a bag of crochet, which included my avocado pit- and skin-dyed thread (which absolutely fascinated my friend) and my snowflake plans for this week. I was able to crochet in a hotel room only one night the entire week, and my goal was to design this snowflake. I did not finish this flake during the trip. But I finished the trip. And I'm a bit stronger now because of it.
Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
There were so many tender mercies during this trip I hope to be able to share one day, but for now, I'm sharing the snowflake that was inspired by the Cody Temple stained glass motif (paintbrush flower from the top looking down, one of Lizard's favorite wildflowers) and by Lizard's heartfelt desire to return to the Wyoming temples with me.
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: 4.5 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
Heartfelt II Snowflake Instructions
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.
Round 1: [1 pc into ring, ch 6] 3 times, omitting last 3 ch of final repeat; 1 tr into starting pc to form 3rd ch 6 sp of Round. Pull magic ring tight.
Round 2: Over post of tr directly below, work (2 sc, 2 hdc, 1 dc), [ch 3, sl st in next pc, ch 3, in next ch 6 sp work (1 dc, 2 hdc, 2 sc, ch 6, 2 sc, 2 hdc, 1 dc)] 2 times; ch 3, in next ch 6 sp work (1 dc, 2 hdc, 2 sc), ch 1, 1 dtr in starting sc to form 3rd ch 6 loop of Round.
Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc over post of dtr directly below, [ch 7, in next ch 6 loop work 5 dc] 2 times; ch 7, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.
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Round 4: Ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), [2 hdc in next dc, in next dc work (3 dc, ch 6, sl st in 6th ch from hook, 3 dc), 2 hdc in next dc, 1 sc in next dc, in next ch 7 sp work (sl st, 1 sc, 2 hdc, 3 dc, ch 6, sl st in 6th ch from hook, 3 dc, 2 hdc, 1 sc, sl st), 1 sc in next dc] 3 times, omitting last sc of final repeat; sl st in starting ch.
Round 5: 1 sc back over previous sl st of last round 4 ch 7 sp, [ch 6, working behind next petal, 1 sc into next Round 4 ch 7 sp, ch 10, sl st in sc] 5 times; ch 6, working behind next petal, sl st into starting sc, ch 5, 1 tr in same sc to form 6th ch 9 loop of Round.
Round 6: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), over post of tr directly below work, (2 dc, 2 hdc, 1 sc), [ch 3, sl st in next ch 6 (keeping ch 6 behind petal), ch 3, in next ch 9 loop work (1 sc, 2 hdc, 3 dc, ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, * 3 dc, 2 hdc, 1 sc] 6 times, ending * on final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; 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.
