30 June 2020

Petal Quest


Lizard and I haven't been able to get out of our house, except for medical appointments, since April 29. We're hoping things will change next week. In the meantime, we've both been having high altitude withdrawal for two whole months.

Saturday morning, I took us for a short drive to a foothills trailhead we thought might not be as crowded as trails within the Denver metro area. Surprise, surprise; everything is crowded.

So we went a bit further, found a small meadow near a little pull-off, and Lizard was able to walk about 15 feet with his cane. The biting flies were voracious, and the wildflowers were a bit parched, thanks to our drought-like conditions and extraordinary heat. But I found a few joyous colors that lifted my soul.





















29 June 2020

Snowflake Monday


I wonder if Independence Day this year means something a whole lot more, a whole lot more meaningful, for most Americans.

During our Shelter in Place, one of my goals was to replace my directory photo of my Independence Pass Snowflake. Many, many years ago, one of my readers suggested I make a white version of each snowflake and photograph it on a solid background, not only to help those who have difficulty trying to figure out stitches in a pattern, but also to display the beauty of each snowflake. I've been trying to do that each week now ever since.

Every once in a while, I notice another photo in my directory that could use an update. I decided a long time ago Independence Pass was one that needed to be updated. I was shocked, when I finally got around to making an all-white version of the snowflake, to discover a typo in the 4th Round and a pretty glaring omission on the very last round of the pattern. I wondered why no one else had noticed and, even more so, why no one had complained.


Perhaps that's because the photo didn't leave anyone hungry to make the flake! It's patriotic, but…


Updating an older pattern takes more than just a couple of changes to the errant paragraph. All the photos must be reformatted and all the links must be changed. Back when I started this blog, https (the "s" means secure) didn't exist. An s must be added to every single old link now.

Inserting photos in a blog post back then was an entirely different process than it is now, plus, I've also learned how to code my own layouts. I like the way they look much better when I write the html myself, but I suspect I still have approximately 400 snowflake pattern blog posts that need to be reformatted and updated.

It's going to take a while.

And this relates right back into independence and freedom. It's my blog. I'm not getting paid to do this. I have no sponsors. I have the freedom to go at my own pace and let my husband be my priority. So, all my patterns eventually will be updated, but it could take until I retire or beyond. And that's a whole new flavor of independence, right?

Today's pattern is a reimagining of my nine-year-old Independence Pass Snowflake. I'm redoing many of the rocks in my garden, and this flake is a perfect candidate to be on year-round display.

Today's pattern also works as a 5-point starflake, simply by making 5 points instead of 6. No other adjustments are required.

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: 7 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

Reimagined Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Pull magic ring tight.

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sc, [ch 3, 2 dc in next sc] 5 times; ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 3: 1 sc over post of dc directly below, [ch 4, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 12, 1 sc in same sp] 5 times; ch 4, 1 sc in same sp as starting sc, ch 6, 1 trtr in starting sc to form 6th ch 12 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 4: 6 sc over post of trtr directly below, [ch 2, 1 sc in next ch 4 sp, ch 2, 6 sc in next ch 12 tip, ch 12, 6 sc in same ch 12 sp] 5 times; ch 2, 1 sc in next ch 4 sp, ch 2, 6 sc in next ch 12 point, ch 6, 1 trtr in starting sc to form 6th ch 12 tip of Round.

Round 5: 6 sc over post of trtr directly below, [1 dc in each of next 2 sc, 1 hdc in each of next 2 sc, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, ch 3, sk over next 2 ch 2 sp, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 1 hdc in each of next 2 sc, 1 dc in each of next 2 sc, 6 sc in next ch 12 point, ch 12, 6 sc in same sp] 6 times, omitting last 6 sc of final repeat; 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 snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

25 June 2020

In The Thick


Not much to report this week in the way of quilting. But I did finish assembling all the quilt-as-you-go blocks for the green batiks leftovers. All the finishing work is done by hand. I'm pretty happy with how this project is turning out. I may have to make another one when this is done just to see what other ideas swirl as I go.


The backing (so far) is made from leftover reward jewel tone fat quarters from the Ravelry quarterly WIP challenge. I have been in the "no send" (no rewards) group for a while now because I finished the project for which I was requesting fat quarters (we are allowed to specify what we would like to receive) and because I have way too much fabric, and I think I'm never going to be able to use it all in my lifetime!!! I hope one of my relatives learns to quilt so I can leave the stash to someone when I'm gone!!!


I got requests for 14 more masks this week. That's the most I've had to complete in just a few days so far. I decided to go through all my scraps and cut up anything that's big enough so I have mask fabric immediately ready to sew when I get a request. I'll keep making masks until I run out of elastic. And this is a pretty awesome use of scraps, in my opinion. I'm using up more scraps making masks than I've been able to use up while making quilts.

I'm having fun with patchwork masks and two-sided, reversible masks. I've also enjoyed using up my own snow-dyed remnants. I hope the recipients like them as much as I do!
















After finishing the requests, I decided to get creative. Because I can.

I'm sure you've heard every joke and seen every meme making fun of cloth masks because they really don't protect against anything but bad breath, and sometimes, not even then.

Well, this is one THICK mask! Nothing's getting through this baby!!!




For the discriminating mask connoisseur...












Linking up with Alycia Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

23 June 2020

Time Flies


I don't get to go much of anywhere these days, and that's not really a complaint. It just means I haven't had many photographic opportunities other than my garden and what I see out my bedroom window while I work.

It also means I've had plenty of time to practice my time lapse photography skills. One of my biggest lessons this year has been that not all flowers bloom once cut.


And some of them bloom, but take a super long time!


So I guess that means one of my biggest lessons in floral time lapse photography is to plant what I want to photograph in a pot and leave it there. Don't cut it!


But even that method doesn't necessarily work. My poppies are in a pot. I brought the pot inside and put it under my indoor garden grow lights. FOR. THREE. DAYS!!! One particularly stubborn blossom got beat by a sister blossom that wasn't even in the camera's frame when I started. The teenage blossom I wanted refused to open until I put it back outside on the porch. Then it popped open in about ten minutes. Who knew flowers could have such personality?!?












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