This idea has been fermenting in my head ever since I did the
Ice Mountain Snowflake Rug. The instructions for this snowflake are based upon the Coxcomb Peak Snowflake with only minor changes.
This snowflake rug is worked with four and five strands of worsted weight yarn. Once again, I used plain, cheap, inexpensive acrylic because I want the rug to be weatherproof and durable. It also has to withstand machine washing. Using synthetic yarn also makes this an affordable project, something into which you don't mind sinking your feet or even your muddy shoes.
I worked the first rug in white sprinkled with vivid rainbow hues, but this project could be worked in any color combination. Now that I've finished the rainbow-themed rug I had in my head, I've started a black one with ocean shades of aqua, teal, and turquoise. Other color combinations yearn to be sampled.
I think turquoise with a rainbow of pastels would be perfect as a new baby gift. Deep, intense gray with scattered rows of pinks and perhaps a touch of peach would be awesome. Or the grays with every shade of violet I can get my hands on. Maroon with alternating strands of autumn colors might look great, and I think an all-pink rug with rows of various rose hues would be a powerful statement during October. If you make one in a different color scheme, please share a photo if you can so we can all drool!
The only Cimarron basin peak names I haven't used yet are Courthouse and Chimney Rock. This project obviously doesn't fit into either of those shapes, so I'm naming it after the valley that inspired all the snowflakes I've been sharing for the last four weeks - Cimarron. Fitting, since the rug is big enough to cover all the other snowflakes, plus a yarn stash or two!
This project also makes a cuddly wrap on a cold, snowy evening. No, I haven't tried it in with snow yet, but last week's thunderstorms gave me a nice preview of what this winter will bring.
Cimarron as a word may have come into existence as a result of beans simmering all day long while ranchers were out with herds, but that's only speculation I found in my research with nothing yet to back it up. I do know from painful experience it takes a heck of a lot longer to cook beans at altitude than it does in lowlands. Soften beans BEFORE you go up high!
Until 1890, Cimarron was a provisional name for No Man's Land, unsettled territory in the West and Midwest that officially later became known as Oklahoma Territory. It also is a name for wild bighorn sheep.
Cimarron Cutoff was the name of a trail early frontiersmen traveled to avoid the mountainous route along the Santa Fe Trail pre-gold rush years. A town and river in New Mexico adopted the trail name, and from there, the amiable Cimarron name traveled to Colorado, landing on three tributaries of the Gunnison River, the basin that contains them, and a once booming railroad station.
My first visit to Colorado's Cimarron basin was the 2005 engagement trip that made this place special to me, and that life-changing trip included a brief stop at a railroad trestle in a tiny little dot on the Colorado map. My dad lives, breathes and sleeps trains, so I asked my future husband to please stop and let me take a few photos of the D&RG Narrow Gauge Trestle, which I then emailed to my dad. My research for the name of this snowflake name took me right back to the Cimarron landmark, kindling a renewed interest in the railroad history of southern Colorado.
Steam-powered locomotives were not always economically feasible in the rugged mountains as mining towns died off, and the Rio Grande Southern Railroad turned five Pierce Arrows and a couple of other vehicles into mini motorized railcars called Galloping Geese. One Galloping Goose was used on the San Cristobal Railroad, which carried mail and supplies between Lake City and Cimarron.
Here is some fun trivia: Seven Galloping Geese were built. My mom and dad had seven kids between them. I took my own adopted kids biking on the Galloping Goose Regional Trail on Vancouver Island back in '97, and that railway-turned-trail got its name from a motorized railcar that ran from 1922 to 1931.
Just wait until The Lizard learns there is a Galloping Goose mountain biking trail near Telluride...
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: 75 inches from point to point
Materials: Four gigantic skeins of white Red Heart Super Saver, increasing amounts of desired colors (the second row takes only a couple of yards while the final colored row can take up to a quarter skein), size P crochet hook or desired size for number of yarn strands being used (I used four and five strands)
NOTE: Color changes are worked simply by adding the new color at the beginning of each stripe and cut off at the end. Yarn ends are woven in as the rug is worked. Odd-numbered rounds are worked with four strands, and even-numbered rounds are worked with five strands until the final round, which is worked in all white.
Cimarron Snowflake Rug Instructions
Make magic ring. I made the magic ring, and I wrapped it around all my fingers instead of just one!
Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), [1 dc in ring, ch 1] 11 times; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 3. Pull magic circle tight.
Round 2: Add in 5th strand of new color. (I used bright red.) Sl st into next ch 1 sp, ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sp, 2 dc in each ch 1 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Clip 5th strand and weave in end.
Round 3: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), 1 dc between 2/dc groups directly below; ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, *1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1, 1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, ch 1; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 1, 1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1, sl st into 2nd ch of starting ch 3.
Round 4: Add in 5th strand of new color. (I used bright orange.) Sl st into next ch 1 sp (immediately next to final sl st of Round 3), ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sp, 2 dc in each ch 1 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Clip 5th strand and weave in end.
Round 5: Sl st into top of next dc, sl st between 2/dc groups directly below, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, *ch 1, [1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1] 3 times, 1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, ch 1; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 1, [1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1] 3 times, sl st into 2nd ch of starting ch 3.
Round 6: Add in 5th strand of new color. (I used light orange.) Sl st into next ch 1 sp (immediately next to final sl st of Round 5), ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sp, 2 dc in each ch 1 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Clip 5th strand and weave in end.
Round 7: Sl st into top of next dc, sl st between 2/dc groups directly below, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, *ch 1, [1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1] 5 times, 1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 1, [1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1] 5 times, sl st into 2nd ch of starting ch 3.
Round 8: Add in 5th strand of new color. (I used bright yellow.) Sl st into next ch 1 sp (immediately next to final sl st of Round 7), ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sp, 2 dc in each ch 1 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Clip 5th strand and weave in end.
Round 9: Sl st into top of next dc, sl st between 2/dc groups directly below, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, *ch 1, [1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1] 7times, 1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 1, [1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1] 7 times, sl st into 2nd ch of starting ch 3.
Round 10: Add in 5th strand of new color. (I used lime green.) Sl st into next ch 1 sp (immediately next to final sl st of Round 9), ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sp, 2 dc in each ch 1 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Clip 5th strand and weave in end.
Round 11: Sl st into top of next dc, sl st between 2/dc groups directly below, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, *ch 1, [1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1] 9 times, 1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 1, [1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1] 9 times, sl st into 2nd ch of starting ch 3.
Round 12: Add in 5th strand of new color. (I used turquoise.) Sl st into next ch 1 sp (immediately next to final sl st of Round 11), ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sp, 2 dc in each ch 1 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Clip 4th strand and weave in end.
Round 13: Sl st into top of next dc, sl st between 2/dc groups directly below, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, *ch 1, [1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1] 11 times, 1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 1, [1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1] 11 times, sl st into 2nd ch of starting ch 3.
Round 14: Add in 5th strand of new color. (I used violet.) Sl st into next ch 1 sp (immediately next to final sl st of Round 13), ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sp, 2 dc in each ch 1 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Clip 5th strand and weave in end.
Round 15: Sl st into top of next dc, sl st between 2/dc groups directly below, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, *ch 1, [1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1] 13 times, 1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 1, [1 dc between next 2/dc groups, ch 1] 13 times, sl st into 2nd ch of starting ch 3.
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 16: Add in 5th strand of new color. (I used hot pink.) Sl st into next ch 1 sp (immediately next to final sl st of Round 15), ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sp, 2 dc in each ch 1 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Clip 5th strand and weave in end.
Round 17: Sl st into top of next dc, sl st between 2/dc groups directly below, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, *[ch 1, 1 dc between next 2/dc groups] 8 times, ch 4, sl st in top of dc just worked (picot made), [ch 1, 1 dc between next 2/dc groups] 7 times, 1 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; [ch 1, 1 dc between next 2/dc groups] 8 times, ch 4, st st in top of dc just worked, [ch 1, 1 dc between next 2/dc groups] 7 times, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 3.
Round 18: Sl st in next ch 1 sp, ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sp, *ch 5, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 sc in next ch, ch 7, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 dc in next ch, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 sc in each of next 2 ch, ch 5, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 sc in next ch, 2 dc in next ch 1 sp in main body of flake, [2 dc in next ch 1 sp] 7 times, 1 dc in next ch 4 loop, ch 3, 1 dc in same loop, ch 2, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, 1 dc in same loop, ch 3, 1 dc in same loop, sk next ch 1 sp, [2 dc in next ch 1 sp] 8 times; repeat from * around 5 times, ending with sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 instead of last 2 dc on final repeat; bind off. Weave in ends.
Finish: Weave in any ends still showing. Throw snowflake on the floor and finger shape. Treat your feet by standing on it, walking on it, dancing on it, or curl up on it and get the feel of Cimarron all over. You're done! Welcome again to the exploded snowflake club!
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