04 February 2019

Snowflake Monday


Our annual Make a Snowflake Day is just two days away! Are you doing anything special to celebrate?

I don't have any groundbreaking fiber snowflake projects that will be finished this week, but I did finish off a tedious project I started the year I began making my illustrious snowflake lamp, which was the year before I actually spilled the beans about it… or I guess, spilled the snowflakes!


Because I needed snowflakes measuring specific sizes for the lamp, I began compiling a clickable list of all my patterns, sorted by size. After I finished the lamp, the still unfinished list got set aside. Actually, it got set aside when I started just making up new patterns instead of trying to find patterns on my phone during my bumpy train commutes.

A few months ago, I rediscovered the list and decided it should be finished. I finally finished it last week. Then I had to build a web page to contain it. When I first started the list, I planned to release it on Make a Snowflake Day as part of the lamp project. But the list wasn’t done. And it was WAY too long. Now there are about 200 or so more patterns on it, and there's no way I would stick the list in a blog post.

I can't promise this list, which I initially called Size Matters, will be updated regularly because writing the code for this baby, plus all the alphabetizing, was a chore and a time hog. There are 26 pages of code in this monster!!! I wrote all that??? Yes, I wrote all that!!!

I also linked the new directory in the sidebar to the right so it will be easy to find.


I also finished updating my regular snowflake directory. This was another time hog because I thought I was up to date last May. I thought I'd gotten behind in June of 2018. I was pretty shocked to see I had not touched that list since May of 2017. There was LOTS of work to be done! That one was 56 pages of code I write myself, and to bring it up to date added 9 more pages.

I'm going to try to keep the snowflake directory updated, but I do write all my own code, and I don't have huge surpluses of computer time in which to do so. I do plan to never get that far behind again! It just takes too darned long to catch up!!! And double check the coding… YIKES! So much in html has changed since I last built a web page!!! Oh, my gosh!!! I have to add as s to http in every single link on every single old web page or blog post as I gradually work through updating everything. I used to Dream in Sixes. Now I just dream about the first letter of the word and the colon and double back slash... Ugh!

My head is spinning!!!


Because today's pattern is celebrating Make a Snowflake Day a bit early, I will share some snowflake Eye Candy before moving on to today's pattern, which was the final heartflake (and final flake!!!) I made for my niece Layla. There's still one more heartflake pattern for next week, but today's pattern was the final flake of the 11 I designed for her birthday.

I don't make many red snowflakes, so I had to do a Christmas-themed photo before I shipped off the snowflakes.


I haven't finish any big fiber snowflake projects lately, other than Layla's snowflakes and…

the 50 seven-pointed snowflakes I made for my parents' golden anniversary…




…but I do have a few snowflake projects in progress, including my 23-weeks-behind Moda Blockhead II quilt. Now that I've finished catching up with most of my coding project, perhaps I can finally pick up the Blockheads again!!!

Early Blockhead Progress







All Caught Up… back in September!

I also have one more snowflake quilt project I can't wait to start working on again, but it may have to wait until I catch up with the Blockheads. This is another project to use up my blue snowflake scraps.


Of course, one of my favorite snowflake quilt projects was "Charmed by Snowflakes", which was my snowflake quilt-a-long while I couldn't crochet back in 2017.


Then, for those of you who don't look at my blog during the week, I tried to photograph each of my six amaryllis flowers with my lamp this year. One of my readers exclaimed that amaryllis flowers with a snowflake lamp make a truly glorious photo. I would have to agree!












Happy Make a Snowflake Day!

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 in at least 2 colors, 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


Heart Motif Instructions (make 6)

With 1st color, make magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc in ring. Do not join. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around for a total of 12 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: Sl st in next sc, sk next sc, 6 dc in next sc, sk next sc, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 5 sc in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, sk next sc, 6 dc in next sc, sk next sc, sl st in starting sl st; bind off. Weave in ends.


Medallion VI Snowflake Instructions

Foundation Round: With second color, ch 16, to form top heart point work 1 sc in 4th ch from hook, 1 dc in next ch, ch 10, sl st in starting ch, taking care not to twist work.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 4 dc, 2 dc in next dc, 3 dc in each of next 3 dc, 2 dc in next dc, 1 dc in next dc, 1 dc in bottom of Foundation Round dc, 1 dc in top of foundation Round dc, 1 dc in next ch, 2 dc in next ch, 3 dc in each of next 3 ch, 2 dc in next ch, 1 dc in each of next 5 ch, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form bottom heart point.
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 and 1 tr over post of dc directly below, [sk next 5 dc, in next dc work (1 tr, 2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc, 1 tr) 5 times; sk next 5 dc, 1 tr in bottom heart point, 2 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, [sk next 3 dc, 1 dc in gap between 3/dc groups, ch 3, 1 dc in same gap, sk next 3 dc, 3 dc in next ch 3 tip, 1 sc in bottom middle sc of heart motif, 1 sc in each of next 7 st, 2 sc in each of next 2 dc, 1 sc in next dc, draw up loop through next dc, draw up loop through Round 2 sc directly below (should create drop stitch pointing directly to center of heart motif), draw up loop through next Round 3 dc, yo and draw through all 4 loops on hook (point dec made), 1 sc in next dc, 2 dc in each of next 2 dc, 1 dc in each of next 7 sc (which includes starting heart outline sc), 3 dc in same ch 3 tip] 6 times, omitting last 3 dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; 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.



2 comments :

  1. Ugg, that must have sure took some doing and a time suck indeed. I'd be dreaming in code too. The snowflake lamp sure helps them shine all the more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Pat! That is quite the compliment! And yes, the directories were bears! I really can't get that far behind again. It takes way too much out of my life to catch back up!

      Delete


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