Pins and Needles

(affiliate links to my designs)

I'm publishing this blog post at 4:30 a.m.; the winners of Spoonflower's Winter Holiday Patchwork design contest will be announced in three and a half hours. I'll update this when results are announced, but I have to say, I'm so tickled with all the support I received, even if I don't break the top ten. Back in 2017, my Ocean Hexies design was hearted 38 times. As of the end of voting on Tuesday, my (half year) 2024 all-blue digital snowflake temperature quilt had been hearted 55 times. You guys are awesome!!!

Oh, well; it was fun!

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Vote!

(affiliate links to my designs)

You really have to scroll to find my entry, but you might find others you like along the way, too! The quality and variety of entries has really exploded since I last participated in the Spoonflower challenge. I had a very difficult time choosing only three. I needed about 90 votes!!! I think I hearted more than 120 designs I would love to use in a quilt. Basically every snowflake design, every blue design, every polar bear design, every religious design... Boy, if I had the money and the time, everyone on my Christmas list would get a quilt from one of the challenge fabrics!

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Contest!

Back in 2017, I entered my first (and only) Spoonflower challenge design. I knew I didn't win anything, but I had no idea I got so many votes until I entered my second challenge entry this week! I was 73rd of 9,996 entries!!!

(I still haven't made the swimsuit I intended to create from my Hexie Madness fabric, but I'm hoping some upcoming changes in my life will open up some new free time I can devote to my sewing machine...)

Now I've gone and done it again! I finally entered another Spoonflower challenge because I actually have a new design that fits a contest theme!!!

Voting for the Winter Holiday Patchwork contest will commence July 4 and last through July 16. I would truly appreciate your vote, if you like my design. I will share the voting link as soon as it becomes available.

This is my all-blue 2024 Digital Snowflake Temperature Quilt, representing just the first half of this year. I love the eclipse and Northern Lights snowflakes! I'm still thinking this fabric might make a great dress or coat, but I also love this design idea so much, I might actually appliqué, piece and quilt from real crocheted snowflakes and real batiks one day.

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Snowflake Monday

The Christmas season is officially upon us, so it's time to decorate the snowflakes!

My eighth pdf snowflake pattern booklet was released a couple of weeks ago, and I'm raising money to fight Parkinson's Disease this time around. Read more about the booklet here.

One of the patterns included in the booklet is my Polar Snowflake, and I've picked up a few sweet prizes for the creators of the best Polar Snowflake variations.

You may dress up the Polar Snowflake pattern any way you like, post a photo on Instagram with the tag #PolarSnowflake2018, and we'll have readers and viewers select the winners. If you don't have an Instagram account and don't want one, you may send a photo of your creation to me (flake at snowcatcherphotos dot com), and I'll post it for you with your name or code name.

Prizes will include:


a gift certificate for a crochet hook on Etsy

a gift certificate for Fire Mountain Gems danglies
or,


a gift certificate for a set of Lizbeth Thread from Handy Hands Tatting
I also have a gift certificate for a quad of Elmer's Glow in the Dark Glue for the best design using today's pattern, tagged on Instagram with #SnowboundSnowflake2018, same rules as above.


Each crocheter may receive only one gift certificate, but you may enter as many times as you like. Voting will begin on Monday, December 3, 2018, and winners will be announced on Monday, December 10, 2018.

I do not have any sponsors. I bought these gift certificates with my own money because I want to help in the battle against Parkinson's Disease. I want to help in the search to find a cure. If you haven't already, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation or the Davis Phinney Foundation to obtain my latest pdf snowflake pattern booklet and to participate in the Polar Snowflake contest.

I've used today's snowflake pattern to give you some creative inspiration.

You may add danglies or change up the points.


You may add beads.


You may work filet crochet, or you may cover a rock.




You may use color.


You may turn it into a mandala.


You may make it smaller.


You may make it bigger.


You may make it glow.


Let's see what you can do to decorate the Polar Snowflake or the Snowbound Snowflake!

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 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

Snowbound Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc in ring, remove hook from loop and insert in 2nd ch of starting ch 2, insert hook back through loop of 4th dc and pull through ch loop (starting popcorn stitch made), * ch 3, 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); repeat from * around 4 times; ch 1, 1 dc in starting popcorn to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, [in next ch 3 sp work 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc] 5 times; 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 1, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.

Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same ch as sl st, 1 dc in each of next 5 dc, [1 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, 1 dc in each of next 6 dc] 5 times; 1 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 1, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.

Round 4: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same ch as sl st, 1 dc in each of next 7 dc, [1 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, 1 dc in each of next 8 dc] 5 times; 1 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 1, sl st in 2nd ch of starting 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 5: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same ch as sl st, 1 dc in each of next 9 dc, [1 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in same sp, 1 dc in each of next 10 dc] 5 times; 1 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 1, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.

Round 6: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same ch as sl st, 1 dc in each of next 11 dc, [1 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 3, 1 dc in same sp, 1 dc in each of next 12 dc] 5 times; 1 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 3, 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 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

Creativity abounds! Just look what Jo made with lids and what I think might be vitamins! Isn't this adorable?

Jo's #reflake2017july

A post shared by Snowcatcher (@thesnowcatcher) on Jul 13, 2017 at 8:36pm PDT

Jo wins her choice of hand-dyed yarn or Spoonflower fabric.

Not entered in the contest but worthy of mention is Lizard's bicycle parts and tools flake from a few years back. He reminded me of his sporty creation while I was composing this post.


Making snowflakes from non-traditional items has been a ton of fun for me. I hope you enjoyed the challenges, too, and I hope the creativity keeps surging and inspiring.

I'm contemplating starting a snowflake quiltalong next Monday, so dig out your snowflake fabric! Time to put the stash to good use!

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Snowflake Monday

I have wanted to try making snowflake ornaments from CLEAN cotton swabs (NOT used!!!) for years, but I'm glad I didn't try it until now. I would have used every kind of bottled glue in my house, probably unsuccessfully. Thanks to the lid flake process a couple of weeks ago, I started this new process with a glue gun, and my cotton swab snowflake ornament stayed intact the first time!


I used a clean yogurt lid as the foundation, and I cut several cotton swabs into pieces. Because snowflakes have six sides, I worked in groups of six... 12, 18 or 24. I played around with embellishment options when done, and for the final touch, I added a ribbon hanger.








Do you have ideas for cotton swab snowflake ornaments or other snowflakes fashioned from things that might otherwise be thrown away? I might have a couple more prizes up my sleeve for the best idea submissions...


If you'd like to join the challenge, post tasteful photos to Instagram using the hashtag #reflake2017july by midnight Mountain Time on Friday, July 14. I'm doing a shorter contest period this time around in the hopes participants won't forget.

If you don't have an Instagram account, you may post photos to Sisters of the Snowflake or send them to me at snowcatcher at att dot net.






Winners will be announced next Monday.

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Snowflake Monday

I had so much fun playing with my collection of lids after finishing last week's lid snowflake. I thought perhaps the rest of my lids could be converted into a child's game.

I spent nearly an hour on my porch on a beautiful sunny morning making several different snowflakes. Then an idea hit me.

Why not share all the fun possibilities here and open this up to suggestions and inspiration? I could even do a contest...












So what do you think? Could you come up with a snowflake design made of lids or other recycled/repurposed items? Are you up to a photography challenge?

Let's post our recycled/repurposed snowflake photos to Instagram using the hashtag #reflake2017june by midnight, Mountain Time, Saturday, June 24, and I'll feature some of the best creations here on Snowcatcher on Monday, June 26. (Yes, that's two weeks from today; Snowflake Monday takes a well-deserved break after eight years next week.) And if you are a crocheter, I might even have a prize or two!

Entries must be new as of today, June 12, and your own creation. Recycled/repurposed snowflakes are not required to glued in permanent fashion, but they do need to be in good taste. Snowcatcher is a family-friendly blog, and we strive to feature posts that would be appropriate for any member of the family.

Can't wait to see your ideas!

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