Hooking Paradise

I haven't had as much sewing machine time as I would like, but my hook(s) has been busy. I just love portable projects I can take along to work on while waiting for appointments, etc.

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Better Late Than Never

The week before Christmas Eve, I let the parents of all my grands know presents would be late. It had been a most difficult fourth quarter at work, compounded by an out-of-state funeral and then Lizard's total knee replacement. I (hilariously) thought I'd be able to finish a quilt each day I was off work after the surgery.

Please pardon me while I laugh my head off yet again...

I hated missing the deadline, and yet, I remember being a kid and loving stretching out Christmas as long as possible. I also remembered the first year I got to make something for grandkids. Adoption can sometimes complicate the planning aspect of giving, but it also adds a spice of adventure you don't ever experience when you know everyone from birth in advance.

I found out four days ahead of our first meeting, which had been scheduled right after Christmas, that four gifts would not be enough. I had four days to make 12 more hats, plus an extra or two because I didn't know for sure how many girls, how many boys or even what ages.

Those 16 kids didn't care about the date of their gift at all. Their biggest joy, I think, was seeing each other, and their second biggest joy was a tie between McDonald's Playland and the park across the street. Hats made being outdoors on a chilly day more bearable, and some of the younger kids really loved the bear ears I put on some of the hats. Gifts, however, were not the highlight of one of the most memorable events of my life.

I was a day or so late in giving (not in finishing) the second Christmas, too. The day or two after Christmas was the only day we could get almost everyone together. (One little family was missing at the annual gift giving that year, and those presents were mailed in time.) The kids were more excited about new grandparents that year because by then, they knew us a little better. They'd been just a tad apprehensive the first year. Now, I think they might actually look forward to our gift parties as much as I do. It's such an exciting event and getting better every single year!


Surgery threw another complication into the late 2019 event. Lizard wasn't up to road trips when I finished the gifts, so I had to mail them. I'm hoping to see one of the kiddos mutton bustin' during the National Western Stock Show, and half or all of the grandkids at an upcoming Mammoth game when two granddaughters will be dancing with the Wild Bunch cheerleaders.






Now that grandkid Christmas presents are done, I have to finish up new nephew Colin's quilt and quilts for two new nieces due any day now. Then perhaps I can sew something for me.














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

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Snowflake Monday

I've been working on bookmarks for my grands for Christmas. I'm not even halfway done yet. There are no patterns for the bookmarks. I'm making these up as I go, and I don't have time to write patterns.

I did, however, wonder if I could make a snowflake bookmark via the same concept. I plan to include two extra bookmarks in each package in an effort to make sure everyone gets a bookmark they like. No arguing over who gets which animal! The leftovers can be bookmarks for the parents. I think one of the moms would enjoy a snowflake bookmark! (I'm pretty sure the other mom would prefer an owl, so it's in the works.)

Today's pattern has not been tested. There is no tutorial, and I'm not planning to do one in the near future. To me, the pattern is pretty simple and straight forward. No parts to sew together. Minimal ends to weave in. Those who have never made tiny amigurumi might struggle a bit with the 6-single-crochet-around tubes, however.

I made a 7-inch version of this flake with worsted cotton yarn and a size H hook. I stiffened the very 3D flake with Mod Podge. Lizard loves this version! It is indeed very different compared to the lacy snowflakes I've been making for a decade!


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: 3 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

SPECIAL STITCHES:

Popcorn Stitch (pc)

Work 5 dc in designated st, take loop off hook, insert hook through top loop of 1st dc and replace loop on hook, pull loop through top of 1st dc.

Tubular Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: [Pc in ring, ch 3] 6 times, omitting last 2 ch of final repeat; 1 dc in top of starting pc to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round. Pull magic circle tight.
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 10, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook while keeping ch behind work, begin tube around chain with 1 sc in each of 6 sc. Using butt of crochet hook, poke end of tube into shape. Continue working around and around tube as instructed, with ch in the center of tube, until tube reaches main body of flake. 1 sc in each of 6 sc around; 1 dtr in next sc, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 1 dtr in next sc, (dtrs form short picots) 1 sc in each sc around 21 times, ch 4, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next ch, 2 sc in next ch (leaf picot made), 1 sc in each of next 3 tube sc, ch 4, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next ch, 2 sc in next ch (leaf picot made), 1 sc each sc around 21 times, sl st in next ch 3 sp] 6 times.
NOTE: For bookmark, on final repeat I chained 60 instead of 10, then after finishing spoke as instructed, continued working 1 sc in each sc around until bookmark spoke measured 6.5 inches.






Round 3 : [Working behind next tube spoke, 2 sc in next ch sp between tubes] 6 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 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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Snowflake Monday

A couple of years ago, my dad panicked when something went wrong during a routine Blogger update and all his own personal blog customizations were gobbled up into nowhere. He occasionally gets lots of hits from other model railroaders, so I wondered if his blog might be stored in the Wayback archive. I ran a couple of searches (whatever search term I used the first time resulted in no treasures, but the second search term, which I also don't remember, hit pay dirt), and I was able to send my dad a link so he could rebuild his customizations.

He was so thrilled to find out about the archive and that some of the railroading links he'd thought long deal had been archived.

I just love when I'm able to teach something! (Or point to something saved thought lost forever!)

A few months ago, I began getting comments that one of the links I used in every single Snowflake Monday post was no longer valid. It didn't help that this happened during the Christmas season while I was trying to get presents done for my family, or that I was trying to finish this year's snowflake pattern PDF booklet, or that it was the busiest time of the year at my job, or that I'd recently experienced a drastic change in internet availability. Such crises never occur at convenient times. They wouldn't be crises if they did.

My first instinct was to contact the creator of the snowflake template to which I'd linked. I'd finally had the opportunity to "meet" her online in the Ravelry snowflake group after years and years of drawing upon her endless wealth of snowflake and thread crochet knowledge and experience via her website.

Not hearing back from her added to the stress I was already feeling because I was worried about her (and still am). Soon, I was receiving multiple comments and emails per day requesting I post her blocking template (which belongs to her and I have no right to post without permission) because the link was dead. November and December are huge snowflaking months, and everyone, it seemed, was noticing my dead links at the same time (and not reading the comments to find out I'd already answered previous identical questions).

Now it was my turn to panic. Not only did I need to find an answer - and internet acccess - I was going to have to block off gobs of my own personal time to go back through every single published Snowflake Monday pattern and remove the link.

I decided not to post such a link in every individual post anymore because I simply cannot go back through 289 posts (not including this one or future Snowflake Mondays) to update every time something like this happens. All helpful links are now in the sidebar to the right. It takes only minutes for me to update that.

My next instinct was to do a search of my own for another snowflake blocking template, just in case there was another one out there somewhere. I found one, and that's what's been posted in my sidebar ever since.

Sensing my emotional status, another gracious snowflake aficionado recently volunteered to concoct a new blocking template I'd be free to use as desired, which includes posting it on my website when available. I am extremely grateful, and I will not put any pressure on her to finish by a certain time because I know all too well from experience how that feels.

My third instinct didn't occur until more recently, when I recalled the day my dad lost most of his blog. I wondered if the archive might have at least some of the valuable information that was lost when crochet.tangleweeds.com expired. I did another couple of searches (again, the first attempt was fruitless, but the second search was a goldmine), and by golly, some of the most popular pages are still available in the archive!!!

I do not know how long the archive will preserve these treasures, but the information contained therein is priceless, and I'm glad it's still available for now.

And now I have the opportunity to teach once again. If you discover an internet site you enjoyed suddenly gone, please try the Wayback archive before panicking. Don't give up if your first attempt does not work. Try different combinations of words, and sometimes even the link, if you have it. And by all means, support archives and libraries when you can because they do perform a valuable service, especially in this day and age of decreasing paper and increasing digital.

Here is the archived version of the snowflake information I referred to for many years. Not every link on this page works, but some do, and all that do are helpful words of wisdom:

crochet.tangleweeds.com

All this archive/library talk gets me thinking about books. Recently, the Sisters of the Snowflake group admired a crocheted bookmark they thought could be just as beautiful, if not more so, if made from snowflakes instead of granny squares.

New life is beginning to spring up in my garden, tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, and I had worked up a few more Garden Snowflakes for my special project during our return trip from the Tour de Lavender. I had not yet created rock versions, and I thought these specific three patterns might be perfect for a bookmark as well as for rocks. So today, I present both!

My five-year-old neighbor will be thrilled. She's been asking when I'm going to "crochet some more rocks" since last autumn.

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes, snowflake rocks and snowflake bookmarks you make from these patterns, but you may not sell or republish the patterns. Thanks, and enjoy!




Finished Size: Garden 20: 2 inches from point to point; Garden 21: 2.5 inches from point to point; Garden 22: 1.5 inches from point to point; bookmark: 5 inches long
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, optional beads for snowflake centers if desired, size 8 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. For snowflake rocks, you need only the thread, the crochet hook and three rocks, 5 to 6.5 inches around.

NOTE: Rock instructions are interchangeable, depending upon size of rock.

TIP: A pearl or bead may be glued into the center of any finished snowflake with a popcorn center to add dimension and elegant beauty.


Garden 20 Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 12 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Pull magic circle tight.
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 in same sc, * 1 dc in next sc, ch 3, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made), ch 3, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook (sc picot made), ch 4, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made), 1 dc in same sc, 2 dc in next sc in main body of flake; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last 2 dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off. Weave in ends.

For bookmark, set aside and make next snowflake.

Round 3 (to cover a 6.5-inch rock): 1 sc in the side of any 1st dc picot (on the right side of a spoke), ch 7, 1 sc in the side of the next dc picot, * ch 3, 1 sc in the side of the next dc picot, ch 7, 1 sc in the side of the next dc picot; repeat from * around; ch 1, 1 dc in starting sc to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 5: 1 sc over post of dc just worked, * ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp; repeat from * around; ch 2, 1 tr in starting sc to form 12th ch 5 sp of Round.

Rounds 5-7 (or number of rows needed to cover rock and leave approximately 1-inch hole on back side of rock): 1 sc over post of tr just worked, * ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp; repeat from * around; ch 2, 1 tr in starting sc to form 12th ch 5 sp of Round. Slide rock into cover.

Round 8: 1 sc over post of tr just worked, * ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp; repeat from * around; ch 1, 1 dc in starting sc to form 12th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 9: Ch 2 (counts as dc), 1 dc in each ch 3 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off; weave in ends.


Garden 21 Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc in ring, pull hook out of loop (dropped loop) and insert in 2nd ch of starting ch 2, insert in dropped loop, pull dropped loop through 2nd ch of starting ch 2 (starting popcorn stitch made), ch 5, * 5 dc in ring, pull hook out of loop (dropped loop) and insert in top loop of 1st dc of this 5/dc group, insert in dropped loop, pull dropped loop through top loop of 1st dc (popcorn stitch made), ch 5; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in top of starting popcorn. Pull magic circle tight enough to make popcorn stitches poufy.
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: * 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, 1 hdc in same sp, 3 dc in same sp, ch 3, [yo and draw up loop through 3rd ch from hook, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook (cluster stitch made), ch 3, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 4, cluster stitch in 3rd ch from hook, 3 dc in same ch 5 sp in main body of flake, 1 hdc in same sp, 1 sc in same sp; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.

For bookmark, set aside and make next snowflake.

Round 3 (to cover a 6-inch rock): 1 sc in the top of any point, * ch 8, 1 sc in next point; repeat from * around; ch 4, 1 dtr in starting sc to form 6th ch 8 sp of Round.

Round 4: 1 sc over post of dtr just worked, * ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 8 sp; repeat from * around; ch 2, 1 tr in starting sc to form 6th ch 5 sp of Round.
NOTE: Repeat this Round as needed to bring covering around rock, leaving approximately 1-inch hole. Slide rock into covering.

Round 5: 1 sc over post of tr just worked, * ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp; repeat from * around; ch 1, 1 dc in starting sc to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 6: Ch 2 (counts as dc), 1 dc in each ch 3 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off; weave in ends.


Garden 22 Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 12 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Pull magic circle tight, but leave opening big enough to allow stitches inside it to lay flat.

Round 2: Ch 2, [yo and draw up loop through same sc as sl st, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook (starting cluster made), * ch 5, sk next sc, yo and draw up loop through next sc, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook, [yo and draw up loop through same sc, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 2 times, yo and draw through all 4 loops on hook (cluster made); repeat from * around 4 times; ch 2, 1 tr in top of starting cluster to form 6th ch 5 sp 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 3: 4 sc over post of tr directly below, * 4 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 3, 4 sc in same sp ; repeat from * around 4 times; 4 sc in next ch 5 sp; for snowflake, ch 3, sl st in starting sc; bind off; OR for rock, ch 1, 1 hdc in starting sc for form 6th ch 3 sp of Round. Weave in ends.

Round 3 for Bookmark: You may join one point on each side of this snowflake or two points on each side of this snowflake; these instructions are for joining two points on each side. 4 sc over post of tr directly below, [4 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 1, 1 sc in any point (next point in next repeat) of Snowflake 20, ch 1, 4 sc in same ch 5 sp in main body of snowflake] 2 times, 4 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 3, 4 sc in same sp, same sp, [4 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 1, 1 sc in any point (next point in next repeat) of Snowflake 21, ch 1, 4 sc in same ch 5 sp in main body of snowflake] 2 times; 4 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 3, sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.
NOTE: You may further strengthen bookmark by chaining around entire snowflake chain, single crocheting in each point at you go, then working a round of sc all the way around, increasing 2 or 3 stitches on curves and creating picots every five or 6 sc if desired. Measure linking chain as you go to determine how many chains you need to keep bookmark flat.


Round 4 (to cover a 5-inch rock): 1 sc over post of hdc directly below, * ch 7, 1 sc in next ch 3 tip; repeat from * around; ch 3, 1 dtr in starting sc to form 6th ch 7 sp of Round.

Round 5: 1 sc over post of dtr just worked, * ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp; repeat from * around; ch 2, 1 tr in starting sc to form 6th ch 5 sp of Round.

Round 6: 1 sc over post of tr just worked, * ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp; repeat from * around; ch 1, 1 dc in starting sc to form 12th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 7: Ch 2 (counts as dc), 1 dc in each ch 3 sp around; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off; weave in ends.

Finish: For snowflakes, 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.


Tassel may be added to bookmark if desired. Bookmark may be stiffened if desired. Bookmark should be shaped, even if not stiffened, to make it look better. Don't glitter it unless you don't mind finding sparkles in your reading materials.

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