Friday Fortius

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Sent Scents

I finished the cozies for my nieces on Monday, and I got them in the mail the same day!

the girls should be receiving them today. I can't wait to hear if they like them!

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Wordless Wednesday

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Gone With The Wind

I put a couple of days into an art project last year I thought would last much longer than it did. Had I known it would be gone now, I probably never would have done it. But I guess it was good for a few photos...

We had so many sleepless nights last year, it was difficult to get up to shoot the sunrise through my fenced danglies. I photographed a few sunrises before the wind began making off with my crystals.

My favorite crystals were the snowflakes, of course. But I loved the hearts, too. It was fun to watch the sparkles dance in my living room each day when the breeze kicked up.

When I first began noticing gaps in the crystals, I initially said I wouldn't gather the lost boys. I imagined some kid 20 years from now so excited to find gems scattered about, possibly even buried.

The winds have been brutal the last few years, and the last few months seem to be even worse. Eventually, only about 20 crystals remained on the fence. they fell off in my hands as I reached out to try to pull them down. One day while working on the landscaping, I decided to collect the fallen gems I could find. Halfway filled a clean, empty yogurt container. There may still be a few unfound treasures out there for someone else to find one day.

Maybe one day I'll find another place I can safely hang these danglies so I can enjoy my crystal curtain again.

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Snowflake Monday

Back in August, my New Mexico nieces pleaded with me to crochet car air freshener cozies for them. Specific cozies. I finally got around to starting them last week, or, well, one of them. :) As I was estimating the necessary pocket size, I wondered if I could make a snowflake air freshener cozy for me...

I didn't have any official car air fresheners (yet; I bought some over the weekend), so I guessed at the size based on the Pinterest photos my nieces sent. I worked up a crocheted scent disc for my cozy because I have no felt. I estimated the size of the hanging loop because it was really late at night, and I didn't want to go out to the car to measure precisely.

The official car air fresheners fit the finished cozies perfectly. The aroma of my homemade scent disc with a few drops of peppermint essential oil and orange essential oil has lasted four days so far, even in the sun and heat. The hanging loop is too small. I strongly recommend you measure how long your hanging loop needs to be before making your actual chain. For now, I'm hanging my Smelly Snowflake from the sun visor, and I may keep it there. I also may eventually crochet another chain loop so I can hang the cozy from my rearview mirror. But I'm happy with it now the way it is.

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes, cozies and/or scent discs you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the patterns. Thanks, and enjoy!

Finished Size: 3.5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size B crochet hook, fingering, baby or sport yarn for hanging flake (cotton or acrylic will last longer than wool but everything will fade with time in continual sun exposure), size 7 crochet hook, 10 crochet thread for scent disc (cotton will hold the scent best) OR small felt scrap or gauze pad; essential oil OR car air freshener disc

Smelly Snowflake Instructions (make 2)

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 4 (counts as 1 dc and ch 2), [1 dc in ring, ch 2] 4 times; 1 dc in ring, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 4 to form 6th ch 2 sp of Round. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: Ch 6 (counts as 1 sc and ch 5), [1 sc in next ch 2 sp, ch 5) 4 times; 1 sc in next ch 2 sp, ch 2, 1 tr in 1st ch of starting ch 6 to form 6th ch 5 point of Round.

Round 3: 3 sc over post of tr directly below, [in next ch 5 tip work (3 sc, ch 3, 3 sc] 5 times; 3 sc in next ch 5 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in starting sc to form 6th ch 3 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, first flake: Ch 8 (counts as 1 sc and ch 7), [1 sc in next ch 3 tip, ch 7] 5 times; sl st in 1st ch of starting ch 8; bind off. Weave in ends.

Round 4, second flake: Holding both snowflakes together, undersides facing toward each other, 1 sc over post of dc directly below and through Round 3 ch 3 tip of 2nd flake, attaching the two flakes together, [in next ch 7 tip work (2 sc, 2 hdc, 1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc, 2 hdc, 2 sc), 1 sc in next ch 3 tip of both flakes] 6 times, omitting last sc of final repeat; sl st in starting sc.

Hanging Loop: Ch 30 (but measure how long your hanging cord will need to be in your car; my cord was not long enough for my snowflake to dangle below my rearview mirror; I probably needed at least 70 ch); sl st in next Round 3 ch 3 tip; turn.

Row 1: 1 sc in each ch; sl st in ch 3 tip; bind off. Weave in ends.

Smelly Snowflake Scent Disc Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 11 dc in ring; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc in each dc around for a total of 24 dc.

Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), [3 dc in next dc, 1 dc in each of the next 3 dc] 6 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of sarting 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.

Round 4: Ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), [1 hdc in next dc, 3 dc in next dc, 1 hdc in next dc, 1 sc in each of next 3 dc] 6 times, omitting last sc of final repeat; sl st in starting ch; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Moisten scent disc (or felt or gauze) with 2-4 drops of essential oil. Insert scent disc (or official car air freshener disc) into center of snowflake cozy. Hang as desired. Please be aware direct sunlight will eventually fade any color to white. That might make your scent disc look pretty amazing after a few months!

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Friday Fortius

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Better Late Than Never

It's been so long, my nieces probably forgot they asked me to crochet a sunflower and a "snail" car air freshener cozy for them. But I didn't forget. I did have to look up the typical size of air freshener refills, which is 2.25 to 2.75 inches in diameter.

I'm making up my own pattern as I go because I'm making the gifts with thread instead of yarn. Because I have the requested colors in thread, but not in yarn. I wanted to have the first one (the sunflower) finished in time to share with you today, and I was hoping to get them both in the mail tomorrow. But I can't keep my eyes open any longer as I write this at 10:45 Wednesday night. Fingers crossed I can mail them Friday...

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Wordless Wednesday

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