Snowflake Monday

I knew better than walking into a Hobby Lobby in November, but I needed one more skein (actually, just 22 more double crochet stitches) of sparkly I Love This Cotton to finish a baby dress.

To get to the yarn, I must walk by the Christmas decorations.

Even though I try to make everything I can handmade this time of year and avoid so-called Christmas shopping as much as possible, I can never resist the tug of snowflakes. Especially 50% off snowflakes...

Today's pattern is one of three snowflake inspirations I collected that day. And hey, the wonderful ornament provided much-needed interest one cloudless morning this month during my quest to shoot the sunrise every single day this month!

Unfortunately, I ran into the very same problem with the prototype snowflake that caused me to seek out Hobby Lobby during Yuletide season. Fortunately, this time I had enough thread for about 12 more stitches instead of being short. Thank heavens!


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

Should Have Known Better Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 12 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Don't pull magic ring too tight.

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc in same sc, ch 1, sk next sc, * 3 dc in next sc, ch 1, sk next sc; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.
NOTE: Binding off here creates a cute little snowflake. Working picots instead of ch 1 throughout Round 2 creates another cute little snowflake.


Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of next 2 dc, * 3 dc in next ch 1 sp, 1 dc in each of next 3 dc; repeat from * around 4 times; 3 dc in next ch 1 sp, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.
NOTE: Working [2 dc, picot or ch 3, 2 dc] into each ch 1 sp and binding off here makes a cute little snowflake.


Round 4: Ch 12 (counts as 1 dc and ch 10), * 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 8 ch; sk next dc, 1 dc in next dc, ch 6, sk next 4 dc, 1 dc in next dc, ch 10; repeat from * around 4 times; 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 8 ch, sk next dc, 1 dc in next dc, sk next 4 dc; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 12.

Round 5: * Working along the bottom of next sc spoke, 1 sc in each of next 3 sc, ch 12, sk next 6 sc, 1 sc in tip of spoke, ch 5, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch (first picot arm made), [ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch] 2 times, sl st in 5th ch of first picot arm (tri-picot made), 1 sc in same sc tip, ch 12, working back down top of sc spoke, sk next 6 sc, 1 sc in each of next 3 sc, 4 sc in next ch 6 sp, ch 3, 4 sc in same sp; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc; 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 the 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 Fun

Just plain awesome! Watch all the way to the end!

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Celebrating Sunrise

We went to bed on time Halloween night, thanks to the end of Daylight Saving Time. Both The Lizard and I got a good night's rest. This was a big deal because most of this year, I've had trouble sleeping until the alarm goes off. Then suddenly I just don't want to wake.

Typically, I hate the time change. I wish we could do away with it forever. November has been the most difficult adjustment since 2007 when it replaced October as the first month of really dark evenings when I get off work.

However, even though the change in time seriously affects my sleep patterns, I've believed since about 1979 that sunrises in November are the best of the entire year (when there are clouds). I think it has something to do with the angle of the sun and the typical cloud patterns (when there are clouds) during this forerunner to winter.


We recently discussed the topic "hope" in Sunday school. One woman suggested hope is what gets us up out of bed in the mornings. That may be true, but sunrises often are was yanks me from my weariness. I am so thankful for sunrises! (Even when we don't have clouds!)

On All Saints' Day (November 1) this year, I woke up wide awake at 5, the sky just beginning to get light, after more than a month of waking to total darkness. The lighter sky was so cool! My heart did somersaults! Yet I did go back to sleep until 6:15, at which time the sky began turning phenomenal shakes of red, pink, orange, yellow and purple. Plus just a small tad of some good old blue!


I remembered a few years ago when I shot the sunrise every day in November and made a photo calendar of the entire month with the all sunrises of November... and that collage gave me a new idea!!!


On 1 November 2015, I jumped up out of bed and shot a number of sunrise pictures. I didn't have enough sunrise left to drive to a planned-out sunscape, so I shot one of the dahlias I'd clipped a week earlier and placed in a vase in my kitchen to prevent the flowers from freezing overnight. My dahlia sunrise shots turned out great!


I snagged a few shots of the standing wave cloud to the west. It had been there since Halloween morning, denoting strong winds along the higher altitude of the Front Range, and the massive mattress-like cloud was pretty darned awesome in the colors of the sunrise. It wasn't the best angle I could have captured had I planned ahead. Yet I was so happy with the shots, and I decided to do another calendar, only this one will be for a full year of 2016 instead of a month-long collage of days already passed.

Then what do we get but a solid week of days with no clouds at all, and later two more days of nothing but clouds and a touch of snow. Oh, well, forces me to be creative, right? (I noticed the 2012 calendar has only three cloudless sunrises. 2015 had that number beat in the first week of November alone!)


I'm going to feature 12 of the best sunrises each month of 2016, and the calendar cover will feature the November collage. What I'm calling November Reign is a calendar theme I don't believe anyone else has ever used. The monthly shots and cover shots will all be different, which means I have to get more than one really outstanding sunrise shot at least 12 times this month. If we have more sunrises like All Saints' Day, that won't be a problem!

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Wordless Wednesday

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Paradise Open

When Waterton reopened to the public on Friday, October 30, the weather was not in our favor, but we enjoyed an adventure anyway.

We'd had a few nights of overnight frost and two days of drizzle and rain. I took off work early so we could ride up the canyon before nightfall. I expected the canyon to be jam-packed during Saturday's Indian Summer forecast, and I thought we might have the canyon to ourselves on Friday, especially with the weather.

I also wanted to be able to say I went up the canyon the day it reopened.

The Lizard had just cleaned our muddy bikes, following a very messy ride up Boreas Pass the weekend before. He didn't want to clean the bikes again so soon, so we opted to walk as far up the canyon as we could get and still have time to return to our car in daylight.

We didn't have the canyon to ourselves, but there were miles and miles of solitude. Except for a feisty bighorn who seemed to be upset humans were back on his turf. Either that, or he was working out rutting season anxiety. He butted heads with a tree several times before he turned to us and complained about a headache.


We walked a total of 7.5 miles and enjoyed every step. Every time we walk up the canyon, we see things we miss when on our bikes. This adventure's surprise was a pair of wasp nests right above the dirt road. We'd ridden right beneath them so many times, but we'd never seen them until now.

Wasps nesting so high off the ground typically are beneficial because they aren't aggressive, they eat garden pests, and they pollinate.




Fall colors were outstanding.
















Unbelievably, a few blossoms still dotted the landscape.




We returned to the canyon Sunday afternoon after church on our bikes, assuming the crowds would be lighter because the undefeated Broncos were playing the undefeated Packers in Denver. Alas, the perfect weather brought the masses out again en force to enjoy the autumn treasure that had been withheld for two full months. We're all Waterton junkies, and we're thoroughly addicted.

I don't typically like to take pictures of wildlife when they are surrounded by humans, but this display was so humorous in so many ways, I thought my readers might enjoy it. It's not a sight you get to see every day!

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Snowflake Monday

Photo by Brett Atkinson
We were SO excited when Waterton Canyon opened again after eight weeks of being closed due to people trying to take selfies with the bears, I asked my bosses if I could take off early so we could ride on Opening Day before the sun set.

I designed this snowflake the next day.

The third week after I first decided to name some of my snowflakes after Colorado's 14ers (Five years ago next month; can you believe it???), I wasn't able to get out to take a picture of the next flake in front of the namesake mountain. I was so discouraged because I'd come up with this magnificent idea, and right off the bat, I wasn't able to completely follow through.

Initially, I wanted to name that snowflake (which became my Mount Antero Snowflake, just without a picture of it in front of the mountain) Waterton because I could get a picture of the snowflake there. I can't imagine the St. Elmo Pomander being called Waterton now. St. Elmo, the little ghost town at the foot of Antero, fits so much better!

Perhaps it's good I wasn't able to shoot my snowflake in front of its mountain so early on. There have been many, many weeks since when I couldn't escape to the mountains for a picture of a snowflake. I have pictures of the mountains, so perhaps it was never critical to get pictures of the snowflakes WITH their mountains. More important just to get the snowflake patterns done and published, right?

Waterton Canyon is a 6.5-mile stretch of the South Platte River traveling through the foothills of the Front Range and forming the border between Jefferson and Douglas counties. The canyon also serves as the launching point for the east-to-west journey along the Colorado Trail, a 485-mile cross-state trail that runs from Waterton all the way to Durango, Colorado.

Another Waterton has captured my imagination for about 25 years, but I've yet to be able to visit it so far. Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park was created in 1932 by the joining of the American park Glacier and Canadian park Waterton. I hope one day to be snowflake-inspired by the beautiful vistas of this unique park. Heaven only knows this world needs more peace in a very big way.

More Waterton Canyon photos and a short bighorn movie from Opening Day and our adventure on the third open day tomorrow! And because I'm a Waterton junkie, more photos from the following weekend on Wordless Wednesday!






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 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


Waterton Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 12 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Don't pull magic ring too tight.

Round 2: * In next sc work 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook (picot made), 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc, sk next sc; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc.

Round 3: Ch 9 (counts as 1 dc and ch 6), sk over next picot, 1 dc in joint between petals, ch 6; repeat from * around 4 times, omitting last ch 3 of final repeat; 1 tr in 3rd ch of starting ch 9 to form 6th ch 6 sp of Round.

Round 4: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of tr directly below, * ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook (picot made), 3 dc in next ch 6 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook (picot made), 3 dc in next ch 6 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 5: Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and ch 3), 1 dc over post of dc directly below (or in same sp on repeats), * ch 5, 1 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 1 dc in same sp, ch 5, 1 dc in same sp, ch 3, 1 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 5, 1 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 1 dc in same sp, ch 2, 1 tr in 2nd ch of starting ch 5 to form 6th ch 5 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 6: Ch 5, counts as 1 dc and ch 3), 1 dc over post of tr directly below, * 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 1 sc over next ch 5, ch 3, 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, 1 dc in next ch 5 sp, ch 3, 1 dc in same sp, ch 5, 1 dc in same sp, ch 3, 1 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting second to last dc, last ch 3 and last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 5; 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 the 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 Funny

We have the movie. We admit there are serious flaws. Cumberbatch makes a great villain, but he can't hold a candle to Montalban. We wish JJ hadn't trashed the original timeline. Yet we still enjoy rewatching the movie once in a while when it's too cold or electrical to go outside.

This Honest Trailer is better funnier than the actual movie.


Oh, my gosh, there's more!

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My Better Half

About a year ago, my husband The Lizard retired following roughly 30 years in a backup career he used to put himself through college and graduate school. He's never been able to land a job in the field of his dreams due to lack of experience. (How can you gain experience when every job in your field requires three to five years of experience?)

Never in his wildest dreams did he suspect it would be so difficult for a college-educated, middle-aged male to find a new job in a new field when he retired. After much research (and a ton of encouragement/elbowing by me), he decided to try his hands at launching his own business, where he can be his own boss and do something he loves.

I've long thought this move would take him into the world of bicycle maintenance, but he repeatedly warned me it would take up all his weekend time, and instead of cycling with me on our favorite rides and tours, he'd be running the mechanic shop at a stop along the way. Every. Single. Ride.


He's been watching me knit, crochet and quilt for more than ten years now. He sees the joy it brings to both me and recipients. He sees the creative process. He's felt the explosions of imagination on every level.

For my 50th birthday, he endeavored to learn to crochet. After numerous frustrating tangles, he cried wolf. No, he did not cry like a wolf! But he did decide crochet is not for him.

He expressed interest in learning to use the knitting machine I bought used from a graduate student approximately two decades ago, but I've taken the Toyota out of the box only twice and have never tried to use it. I did join a Colorado machine knitting club a few year ago to learn how to use the machine, and I successfully knitted a swatch on one of the member's similar machines. But I've never had the time to really dive into getting my own set up and therefore have not shared much in the way of machine knitting enthusiasm or triumph.

The Lizard fashioned a quilt frame for me when I finally lost patience and sympathy for the splintered and unfinished one I'd inherited from my grandmother in 1979. He's helped me stretch quilts onto the frame, and he's helped me roll up framed Works In Progress (WIPs)to get them out of the way when we have company.

He's often said he would like to learn to quilt, but not by hand. That meant we would have to invest in a long-arm, which isn't realistic for our budget, or I would have to gain confidence in free-motion quilting in order to teach him.


Then something miraculous happened. He found a photo of a rag quilt he loved. Both of us grew up in quilting families that used up what fabric was outgrown or worn out in our own households. Both of us love using up scraps of any leftover project, sewing as well as cycling maintenance.

I have plenty of fabric for him to work with... You know the old saying. She who dies with the most fabric wins. I have more fabric than I can ever use in about six lifetimes. I think I'm winning.

However, there's something special about using fabric you pick out yourself. Especially when you are first learning.

In August, The Lizard picked out a fat quarter bundle for his first project. Three days after its arrival, he was putting the final touches on his very first quilt.

He's getting more and more comfortable with my sewing machine. He still hates my rotary cutter and still threatens to use a box cutter when cutting blocks. He marvels that I allow him to occupy the Design Floor (in the dining room/living room) where I work out my layouts (or playouts, as we affectionately call them).

He never complained when I had a project on the dining room floor for a day or two at a time. Why in the world would I ever complain if he does the very same thing???

I've long had an idea in my head for a logo and name for an Etsy shop I dreamed we'd one day run together. I'm very proud to announce it's time we finally give birth to this baby! Our first "child"!


Introducing... (drum roll, please)... ArroyoLizard. Initially, I wanted to name his shop B.D.Eyes, a cute and logo-worthy moniker. The B. and D. were for Brett & Deborah because this venture would be a collaboration some of the time, and the embroidered B.D. Eyes logo would feature Beady Eyes. Because, you know, lizards have beady eyes, and snowflake creators have lots of beads. We both have an eye for color, we both have an eye for wildlife, and we both have an eye for mountain and desert vistas. Plus, we love to work together. The plan was to have fun creating together.

We'll still collaborate, and we'll still have fun creating together, but The Lizard is doing his own quilting now, all by himself, and it's only fair his shop represents the work he puts into his creations. He's hoping to soon add "mandanas" to his shop. He has a collection of bandanas I've made for him during the last ten years. They are custom made to wear beneath his bicycle helmet so his head doesn't get burn marks from the sun beating down through the helmet vents. He's had enough compliments and interest from other male cyclists to warrant launching his own little mandana factory.

ArroyoLizard will feature creations by The Lizard. When we do occasionally collaborate, such as when he tries his hand at some of my designs, we may open that third shop. With or without B.D. Eyes, I plan to design fabric exclusively for him to use as a quilter. So that will be a joining of our talents, too.

His first few projects have been rag quilts to familiarize him first with my sewing machine, and now with his own. (We invested in a $99 machine earlier this fall when we thought my machine had permanently bit the dust, just as I began teaching him to use it. Thankfully, my 33-year-old baby is still plugging along!) The Lizard has now mastered threading both machines, winding bobbins, reloading bobbins and now is even learning all about tension. I hope to have him free-motion quilting by the end of the year. I anticipate he will have much more confidence than me because he's a good driver and a good cyclist. He can hold the pedal steady, and he can steer! He hasn't spent 20 years being afraid of machine quilting like me. I think he's going to really excel!

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Wordless Wednesday

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