Wordless Wednesday

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Bicycle Dreams

Friday was humiliation day.

Saturday, everything we planned went awry, and we didn't get to test-ride the initial portion of the Day Two route of Ride the Rockies as hoped.

Sunday we explored the Day One route of Ride the Rockies.

Monday, I completed my third-highest one-day mileage ever.

Friday we had a very light dusting of snow, so I bundled up, thick full-finger gloves and all. Kept toasty warm. And kept my fingers.

I went into a roundabout a little too fast and failed to negotiate a curve. Chalk it up to inattentiveness; that and a lack of dexterity. I asked The Lizard what I need to do in order to hone my critical thinking and riding instincts. How do I train myself to know going off route into a soft, flat, green field is SO much better than trekking on skinny tires over rocks and grates? He said I need to do more mountain biking.

Admittedly, I am much too conservative on my mountain bike. When I'm four-wheeling, I always say I like the shape of my vehicle and don't want to change it. Same goes for my mountain bike and my body. I like the shape of both, and I don't want to change them.

For at least a couple of years, The Lizard has wanted me to duplicate a timed exposure I shot of him riding through sunflowers. He wants to do the same thing, only riding through Palisade's peach blossoms with Mount Garfield in the background. We planned to do that Saturday. The blossoms were gone, and time constraints prevented us from riding at all that day. We're hoping for another chance next April.

Sunday was an absolute hoot. Colorado National Monument was one of The Lizard's favorite rides for many years before we ever met. The ride up and over was our third date. It was Day 1 of our first Ride the Rockies together. Every chance we get to go back and do it again is just as thrilling as the first for me.

There exists this Code among cyclists. We know the seemingly cryptic meaning of "You doing that this year?" Whatever ride jersey you are wearing, chances are, passing riders either have one of their own underneath their layers or a twin hanging at home. We all know the routine. We all know the exhilaration. And the disappointment.

"You riding that this year?" I was asked over and over and over again as I slowly made my way up the Monument.

"Yeah!" I'd answer, trying not to sound out of breath. "And you?"

"This will be my 11th," came one response.

Eleven. How do they do that? How do they get drawn over and over and over again?!? Lucky devils!

The wildflowers were spectacular. Desert weather has been a little friendlier to cyclists than what we've been getting in the Denver Metro. Words cannot describe the sensation of going from triple layers Friday to short sleeves, shorts, sunscreen, sunburn and a bucket of sweat Sunday. Then back to multiple layers routine Monday.

We had planned a multi-day trip to Moab to do some heavy duty riding, but plans changed at the last minute. Third consecutive year. Drats. So I arranged to take some extra time off work Monday to reel in a few extra miles. I've got only four weeks left to get used to long, long days in the saddle.

My goal for Monday was 70 or 80 miles, whatever I could eek out. The forecast, of course, called for thunderstorms and 40 mph winds in the afternoon. I decided to reign in as many miles as possible in the morning, just in case the afternoon ride got derailed.

As I prepared to leave home, I informed The Lizard I would not be taking my camera this time. Not only to lighten the load, but also because I had not been using it. Friday's spill left me a bit nervous about wrecking again and injuring the camera. I decided the Nikon could take a day off. Just this once.

The Lizard told me the camera gods would understand. "Yeah, right," I replied. "The 'camera gods' will throw every form of wildlife known to man at me for leaving the camera at home." And that they did.

Curious deer on the bike path along the greenway. Elk near the lake. Cormorants in the sunrise. Baby geese closer to Downtown. Yikes!!! A skunk!!! Whew! Just a black and white kitty. Run, kitty, run! No less than 11 not-shy great blue herons near a sudsy spillway north of Downtown. They posed for me. And laughed. They thought my lack of camera was hilarious. A couple even flapped their wings and danced to display their amusement.

The sudsy spillway reminded me of my adopted daughter's first ride along this very same path. She would NOT cross the bridge. The 8- or 9-year-old was terrified of it, and we had no clue why. Finally, I convinced my then 12-year-old adopted son to portage all three of our bikes across the bridge while I carried my daughter across. She screamed bloody murder the entire way, but she was never afraid of the bridge again after that. In fact, she spent a few years fantasizing about living beneath a bridge with a Rottweiler to bring her food. But that's another story. For another day. Another year. Maybe another decade.

During a school assignment several years later, she wrote about being afraid to cross that bridge. She thought the suds in the water were acid. (Both my kids did a little too much "Dante's Peak" in the '90s.) She wrote that the bridge collapsed as we were crossing it, and we were being sucked into the acid. Then a dog came along and pulled us out of the water, one by one. She and the dog lived happily ever after.

That momentary step back into time was accented by a new bridge a little further along on the trail. Back then, we had to take a two-block jog through a heavily industrial area to get back onto the bike path. I was always nervous about taking my kids across that section of road, even for such a short distance.

Now it's done. The bike path goes all the way through. No cyclist has to brave the wrinkled road and huge trucks for that short little segment anymore.

I logged 53 morning miles, expecting to have to load the bike onto the train in the afternoon and be picked up by The Lizard.

However, the winds never reached gale force, and the thunderclouds didn't materialize. The 20 mph shifting breeze didn't make the ride home easy, but it did keep the bugs down. Thankfully!

As I neared home, I realized I'd topped 80 miles only twice before. I did my first and only century to date the day I had to, 108 miles on Day 4 of the 2003 Ride the Rockies. I did 88 miles on May 24 that year while training. Never again have I been able to go more than 80 miles. Until Monday.

I was so excited, I rushed home to grab the camera, then rode back out to get a picture by one of the pink trees down the street. By the time I got back to my front door, I'd logged 82 miles. And heck! It wasn't dark yet!!!

Insert "Theme Song from Rocky" here. Because that's what I'm feeling right now!

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Snowflake Monday

Need a summertime break from flake crochet?

Here's a Cap and Mortarboard flake you can put on a key chain or hang from the rear view mirror for that special graduate. Of course, the flake may be made without the cap and tassel, but why would you want to do that?!? If you know someone in the Class of 2010 (or 2011 or 2012, etc.), this is a highly unique way of showing your pride in the accomplishment.

Of course, this Cap and Mortarboard could be made with a plain hexagon motif (or even a square) instead of a snowflake, but again, why would you want to do that? The snowflake makes it stand out as something special.

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes or key chains you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!Finished Size: 2 inches from point to point and 3/4 of an inch tall
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread in white and a small amount of crochet thread or embroidery floss in school colors, optional 2010 confetti if available or make sure to set aside a 2011 or 2012 confetti for coming years' seniors, size 10 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or foil, cellophane tape, glue, small container for glue if desired (I took the cap off the bottle and painted with the glue directly out of the bottle), paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, key chain OR clear thread or fishing line

Snowflake Mortarboard and Cap Instructions

Snowflake

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and ch 2), sc in ring, *ch 2, dc in ring, ch 2, sc in ring; repeat from * 5 times; ch 2, sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch 5 for a total of 6 petals. Do not pull magic circle too 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: In same ch as sl st, work: sc, ch 3, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 1, dc, ch 2, sl st in top of dc just worked, ch 3, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 1, sc, ch 3, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 1; in next dc and in each of next 5 dc around work: *sc, ch 3, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 1, dc, ch 2, sl st in top of dc just made, ch 3, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 1, sc, ch 3, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 1; sl st in starting sc of this row; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish Snowflake: Tape wax paper or foil to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or foil.

Paint snowflake with glue. Do not water down glue. This snowflake needs to be as stiff as possible. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or foil.

While snowflake is drying, make cap and tassel as follows.

Cap

Ch 2, sl st into 1st ch OR make magic ring.

Round 1: 8 sc in ring. Do not join. Pull magic ring tight.

Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around for a total of 16. Do not join.

Round 3: Sc around, increasing on 1 sc every other stitch for a total of 24 sc.

Round 4: Sc around.

Round 5: Sc around.

Round 6: Sc, hdc, dc, tr, ch 1, sl st in top of tr just worked, dc, hdc, sc in each of next 9 sc, hdc, dc, tr, ch 1, sl st in top of tr just worked, dc, hdc, sc in each of next 4 sc, bind off; weave in ends.

Stiffening of cap is not required, but stiffening it will make it more durable, particularly if it's on a key chain or somewhere it will be handled frequently and possibly without tenderness.

Tassel

While cap is drying, if you have stiffened it, make tassel by cutting colored thread or embroidery floss into 3-inch pieces, 10 of each color. (I did this by wrapping the thread around two fingertips ten times and then cutting one end of loop after removing from my fingers.) Take one 12-inch piece of thread in either color and tie a knot around the middle of the thread pieces. Continue tying knots with the 12-inch piece of thread until you have a 1-inch "cat chain" (that's what we called in when I was in grade school – thick enough that kitty couldn't pull it apart with claws).

Take another small piece of thread (about 4 or 5 inches) of either color and tie a knot around top of tassel, about 1/4 inch from cat chain. Wrap ends around to other side of tassel and tie another knot. Using crochet hook, pull ends through top of tassel and down through center of tassel to become part of tassel. Cut tassel ends evenly. If you have the appropriate year confetti, attach one onto the band of the tassel with a tiny dab of glue and allow to dry thoroughly.

Assembly

Pull one end of remaining 12-inch thread on tassel through middle of snowflake, then around one stitch at top of cap, pulling down through the cap and then back up. Pull same end of thread back through snowflake, and tie a knot with other remaining end of thread on tassel, pulling tightly. Tie another knot around key chain, but this time not pulling tightly, leaving a small ring that moves freely on key chain. Tie another knot, and pull very tightly. Pull both ends back though snowflake and cap, cut very close to cap and cover ends with tiny drop of glue. Allow to dry thoroughly.

If desired, secure cat chain of tassel to snowflake mortarboard with small dab of glue and allow to dry thoroughly.

To use cap as an ornament or mirror dangly instead of a key chain, pull a 10-inch clear thread through top center of snowflake, going down through the top and then back up around one stitch. Tie securely, and reinforce with a dab of glue if desired. Knot top ends of thread and also dab with glue for strength if desired. After glue dries, Snowflake Cap and Mortarboard are ready to hang!

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Fingerprint Friday

When the bike path takes a dip beneath a four- or six-lane highway, daylight is briefly eclipsed. Especially if I'm wearing sunglasses. The effect is magnified when my mind is clouded.

Which is precisely what happened this morning.

I'd taken my first big spill of the year about five miles earlier. It's sort of a tradition. I have to take a big fall each year I train for Ride the Rockies. Hopefully, I'm done now, and I don't have to splatter all over the bike path again in order to satisfy the ritual.

When I first saw the pile of something in the middle of the tunnel-like trail ahead, I thought it might be a spoiled hamburger or other once-edible human meal. Two birds silhouetted against the light at the other end of the darkness tiptoed around the burger as if doing a slow motion Mexican hat dance.

As I got closer, I could see the mass was not food but a tangle of grass, sticks, string and twigs. As I passed it, inadvertently chasing off the would-be "vultures", slowly, the full picture began to come into focus.

My mind was spinning in slow motion. I had been mentally composing what I planned to write next Tuesday about today's still-too-fresh-on-my-bruises brush with near disaster. I was still trying to decide if anything on my body hurt bad enough to warrant a trip to a medical professional, and I’d been pondering how blessed I’d been with a thin frosting of snow that morning. My huge, thick, heavy gloves prevented me from losing a finger or two when my bike tried to take a bite out of a grate following an Armstrong-like cyclocross foray into greenway drainage. So it took a while for me to comprehend first what the three wet spots along the edge of the upside down nest were and then what the three tiny bicycle helmet-looking shells alongside the clear, red and yellow wet spots were.

And then I realized why the “vultures” were hesitant to move too far away from their spilt home. They had been building a family beneath the highway above, until something happened. Life changed in an instant.

My still sluggish brain moseyed to my friend going through chemo. This is her third battle with cancer in as many years.

Tears began to spill freely, and this time, not because my finger was throbbing or my leg was sore. No longer was I recalling every windshield I’d ever replaced, only to be smacked by another tiny piece of gravel the very next day. "It's just my luck," I'd been thinking after my husband repaired the damage to my handlebars. "Of course I get something new on the bike, and then it breaks. Just my luck."

I could not equate the only slightly damaged brand spanking new handlebar tape I’d been so proud of just a few days earlier with the loss of the now homeless birds or the emotions my friend is facing yet again.

Life is fragile. And yet, life is indomitable.

I didn’t stop to take any pictures this morning, but now I realize I should have. Not because I want to sensationalize the pain and suffering of a winged family or even because I want to make a big deal out of a moment of distraction that could have cost me much more than it did.

I should have stopped because… sometimes something is right in front of you, and the next moment, it’s gone.

That’s something I need to be mindful of this weekend.

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Friday Funny

Oh, my gosh!!! The camera crew has to be as talented and well-timed as the cyclists!!!

The original video is located here.

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Mount Chiquita

20 August 2005

We got up at 4, drove up to Chapin Pass Trailhead and then took a half-hour nap before heading up the trail. Bluebird skies slowly turned into full overcast by the end of the day, but we arrived back at our car before the storms hit. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful hike.

I was able to carry my pack the entire route. I wasn’t always pain-free, but this was my best hike so far since surgery in November. Best of all, I didn’t have to let The Lizard rescue me and carry my pack for me. Maybe I’m finally beginning to heal.

Mount Chiquita is the lowest named 13er in Rocky Mountain National Park. It rises 283 vertical feet above its connecting saddle with nearby Mount Ypsilon, so technically it is not a mountain but a sub-summit. To people who adhere to the 300-foot rule. I am not one of those. A mountain is a mountain, and if your feet (or bicycle, unicycle, skateboard, etc.) went up it, you certainly may claim it. If your car drove up it, I’m sorry, you did not climb that mountain. Your car did.

Mount Ypsilon, in contrast with its neighbor, is the second highest summit of the Mummy Range, the fifth-highest peak in Rocky Mountain National Park and one of Colorado's 300 highest summits. Two distinct couloirs form a large Y on its east face, prompting Frederick Hastings Chapin’s wife to call it Ypsilon, a misspelling of the Greek letter of the alphabet.

Chapin, a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club, was not the first historical photographer and writer to venture into Rocky Mountain National Park, but his popularization of hikes there left his name upon a mountain summit (on the other side of Chiquita), the aforementioned mountain pass and the creek below.

This was my first time returning to this particular trailhead since about 2001. My children and I frequented Rocky Mountain National Park on weekends during the school year and every chance we got during the summer when they were still young. This hike, however, bears special memories. It was the first hike I took with my son, although he wasn’t my son then. His adoption took five long years, and he wasn’t allowed to call me his mom that whole time until the adoption was finalized. Crazy rules!!!

He was about seven years old when I decided this would be a fun summer outing for him. We made it up to the Chapin/Chiquita saddle, where he joyously sat right on the edge and innocently swung his feet, completely oblivious to my fear of heights and pleadings to get away from there. Only by coaxing him upward on Mount Chapin, which does not have a sheer cliff face, was I able to distract him long enough to squelch his hunger for danger!

As The Lizard and I made our way up this same saddle so many years later, I visualized my son’s expression as he beheld the entire Estes Valley below him. And then I remembered him rushing ahead on the descent and somehow losing me. I found him, whimpering in the trees about 45 minutes later, thoroughly convinced he’d been abandoned, even though he was the one who took off without warning. He threw his arms around me and promised never to leave my side again.

Needless to say, that was not a promise he kept. Kids grow up. Or at least move on.

Now, in that same spot with my newly acquired husband, I could experience the visual, mental and physical joy of climbing in the Mummy Range again. The views are outstanding. The tundra is addictive. Wildflowers and wildlife might be plentiful, or they might not. The trail is never as crowded as Longs Peak on the other end of RNMP, and it’s easier to get a feel of wilderness.

I lost my hair scrunchie in the first half hour or so of our hike. The Lizard made jokes about cow elk confiscating it for a “barn dance” next month. He also tiptoed and made tiny bird wing motions along the trail a couple of times, like dancing. (He swears he does not dance or sing. If my camera had a video function, I’d have proof to the contrary.) We both had the words and tune of the song “Chiquitita” by Abba on our minds as we climbed Chiquita. The Lizard chanted the banana song, as well as “Copacabana”, I guess because it rhymes with banana.

I made it only up and down Chiquita. The Lizard did Chiquita, Ypsilon, Chiquita and Chapin. Quite a big day, in my book. Doing these and two other nearby peaks in a day is referred to as Mummy Madness.

My goal was Ypsilon, but by the time I reached the summit of Chiquita, I knew there was no way I could do another peak, too. I did try to make each upward spurt a little longer than the previous one, but I had to stop to let my heart slow down far too many times. It’s been way too long since I’ve been at altitude.

After the hike, we traveled the initial section of Stillwater Pass, looking for moose. Came up empty-handed. We drove to Grand Lake for a caramel apple (with cinnamon!) and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Then we made our way back through Rocky Mountain National Park, once again searching for moose, and once again empty camera-ed.

In his trip report, The Lizard wrote that he went hiking with his favorite person. I find it simply remarkable that he still finds time and opportunities to express romance, fondness and warmth, even though we have morphed from the dating stage to the hitched stage. I couldn’t have picked a better mate!

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Wordless Wednesday

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Back in the Saddle Again

For the last three weeks, I've wanted to ride my bike to work Friday, do regular training rides Saturday and (before church) Sunday, then ride to work again Monday. That would give me four consecutive days in the saddle, which is about the most important kind of training I can get right now, next to altitude. And well, it's May now, so time to work on altitude, too.

April weather was not cooperative. Snow fell every weekend! We can ride in snow with fat tires; ice typically makes skinny tires just a bit more adventurous.

Snow flew last Thursday morning, and rain was predicted Friday. I decided I'd been off the bike quite long enough, with time ticking away toward Ride the Rockies. I have snow and rain gear; training must resume.

Got in 50.6 miles Friday with numerous detours where the river had jumped its bank. After stashing my bike in the office, I noticed I would have to cover lunch hour for a co-worker, so I knew I wouldn't get a chance to do the stairs after not having time to do them all week. I'd already broken my New Year's Resolution of climbing the stairs at least once a week during income tax week, and I'd already decided I wasn't going to give up the goal just because work kept me from achieving it one week. So before showering, I did the stairs. After 28 miles at a pretty good pace so I would have time to shower...

That's the first time I've ever done the stairs immediately after a long ride, and boy, did I ever feel it!

Saturday was a chill thrill. We set off to climb Deer Creek Canyon.
The Lizard has been doing this regularly every week, but my hours prohibited me from joining him. As we began pedaling, I wasn't sure how far I could go. I couldn't remember the last time I'd done this particular climb. So my goal was to go as far as I could and just do my best.

Deep into the climb, I thought I remembered my last goal in this canyon being 20 miles. So I decided to do 21. At mile 21, I decided I could go a bit further. I did half a mile more, into a light and airy but building snowstorm, for a total of 43 miles and 4,126 feet elevation gain for the day. !!! 93.6 miles in two days. No small fete for me!

I checked my stats when I got home, and my last climb of Deer Creek Canyon had been in January, and I'd done only 18 miles of climb. So I am feeling pretty darned good about climbing right now. I was worried before this ride, but now I feel I'm on track and where I need to be just six weeks from the big ride.

I didn't get much time on the bike Sunday, with church, picking up Mary Jafek's quilt from the Denver National Quilt Festival (Wordless Wednesday photos tomorrow), visiting a friend going through chemo and delivering tiny flower baskets to friends who are moms. (Sometimes it feels like every minute of every day is scheduled!) My new, first ever women-specific saddle needed a fitting, and I got about two miles of test ride. I LOVE my new saddle!!!

I broke the new saddle in during my work commute Monday. Heaping 60 miles! Woohoo! 155.6 miles in four days. Hot dog!

Not only is it wonderful to be back in my new saddle again, I also am exhilerated to be done with last week's crafty theme and pre-arranged (by someone else) daily topics.

Knit and Crochet Blog Week was fun, but in retrospect, a little too long for my personal taste. I enjoyed the challenge; it took me back to creative writing and composition classes and reminded me of many stories I wrote while working full time as a journalist. Work assignments at the newspapers weren't always topics I would have chosen to cover. I think last week was a good opportunity for me to put on a new coat of shiny wax, eliminate the rust and polish my interviewing skills. However, if I ever participate in another non-cycling, non-wildlife or non-wildflower week again, I will excercise a tiny bit of self-restraint and limit participation to every other day or maybe just three days or so in a row.

See, even I got bored with what I published, even though I wrote it!

Isn't it funny that I can write about a week of climbing peaks or pedaling Moab or Riding the Rockies and never tire of the subject matter? I so hunger and thirst for the wilderness!

It feels SO good to be writing about cycling and being alive again! Needlework is excellent therapy, but a little too much makes the rear end too big for the saddle.

Which, speaking of, my bike got more of a facelift than just my saddle while I was piddling with yarn. My bosses had given me a nice gift certificate to a high-end bike shop for Christmas, and I, the most avid anti-shopper on the planet, went on a shopping spree! My new saddle is much snazzier than any bike accessories I've ever bought before. The Lizard, who does all my bike maintenance, bless his precious soul, also installed new brakes (which got a heavy duty workout during the Deer Creek Canyon descent), new tires and new handlebar tape. Doesn't my bike look sharp now?!?

Yes, this female cyclist desires a fashionable bike. My ride has to look good on me!

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Snowflake Monday

A crystallized 3D wild rose for Mom on Mother's Day! This flake does not have to be stiffened, but it looks better (and holds its shape longer) if it is blocked.

Happy Mother's Day!

Special thanks to Annabelle Tracy for her video tutorial for today's pattern. Check it out here!

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!


Finished Size: 6.25 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 11 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or foil, cellophane tape, glue, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

3D Crystal Snowflake For Mom Instructions

Ch 4, sl st into 1st ch OR make magic ring.

Round 1: *2 sc into ring, ch 3; repeat 4 times, 2 sc in ring, tr in starting sc. Pull magic circle tight, but leave opening big enough to allow stitches inside it to lay flat.

Round 2: Working around post of tr just made, 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc; * working over next ch 3 sp, 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 2.

Round 3: Working along back of flake, * sc through back bottom two loops of dc of next petal, ch 3; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc of this row.

Round 4: *Sl st in next ch 3 sp, in same ch 3 sp work 1 sc, 1 hdc, 3 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc, sl st; repeat from * around 5 times, 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: Working along back of flake, * sc through back bottom two loops of middle dc of next petal, ch 4; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc of this row.

Round 6: *Sl st in next ch 4 sp, in same ch 4 sp work 1 sc, 1 hdc, 2 dc, 2 tr, 2 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc, sl st; repeat from * around 5 times, ch 2.

Round 7: Working along back of flake, * sc through back bottom middle two loops of 2tr of next petal, ch 5; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 2, dc in starting sc of this row.

Round 8: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc around post of dc just worked at end of Row 7, ch 1, sc in same sc as dc post just worked around, *ch 1, 3 dc in next ch 5 sp, ch 2, 3 dc in same ch 5 sp, ch 1, sc in next sc; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 1, 3 dc around dc post from end of Row 7, ch 1, dc in 3rd ch of starting ch 3.

Round 9: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc around post of dc just worked at end of Row 8, ch 2, sc in next sc, *ch 2, 3 dc in next ch 2 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in same ch 2 sp, ch 2, sc in next sc; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 2, 3 dc around ch 1 from end of Row 8, dc in 3rd ch of starting ch 3.

Round 10: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc around post of dc just worked at end of Row 9, *ch 1, sc in 1st dc of 3 dc group below, ch 3, sc in 3rd dc of same 3 dc group, ch 7, sc in 5th ch from hook, ch 5, sl st in sc, ch 4, sl st in same sc, ch 2, sc in 1st dc of next 3 dc group, ch 3, sc in 3rd dc of same 3 dc group, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 9, [3 dc in same ch 3 sp]; repeat from * around 5 times ending with sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch 3 instead of [3 dc in same ch 3 sp] on final repeat.

Round 11: Ch 1, *sc in next dc, ch 3, skip 1 dc, sc in next dc, ch 9, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 2, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 2, sc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in next ch after 3 picots just made, hdc in next ch, sc in next ch, ch 4, sc in next dc (after tri-picot below), ch 3, skip 1 dc, sc in next dc, in next ch 9 sp work sc, hdc, dc, tr, dtr, ch 4, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 1, 2 dc in same ch 9 sp, ch 4, sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, dc in next ch, 2 dc in same ch 9 sp, ch 4, 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 1, in same ch 9 sp work dtr, tr, dc, hdc, sc; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Tape wax paper or foil to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or foil.

Mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture. 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 foil. 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.

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BFF*

*Best Fiber Fantasies (AKA: Stash Envy)

I'd have a difficult time picking a favorite yarn, but Noro probably comes close. I have four skeins stashed away with some discontinued silk that one day will become a picturesque sweater or scarf. I have yet to pick the pattern. It has to be something that will provide lots of eye and skin contact because the yarn is just way too comfortable and eye-popping gorgeous!

Four times now I've been the recipient of someone else's destashing. I'm not complaining! My most recent surprise came last Monday in an oversized trash bag my friend Tami had kept in her garage for more than ten years and finally decided to pass on to someone who might actually use it. 14 skeins of cranberry! Wow! Hey, I kind of like that... Cranberry Wow. I think that's what I'll call whatever I make with it.

A couple of months ago a friend brought me a souvenir from China. It's purple, which I always like, but I haven't a clue what I'm going to do with the ribbon yarn and matching novelty fur. I guess the goal would be to not let it sit around in my garage for ten years.

One of my favorite colorways to work with is rainbows. Neon yarn, however, is becoming more and more difficult to find in shades and weights I want. My neon stash is dwindling.

Another favorite thing to do is tie all the small leftover pieces of similar hues together, leaving noticeable knots and tails. I just adore the scarves these misfit balls transform into. (There I go again, ending another sentence with a preposition...)

Many times I have absolutely fallen in love with a specific yarn, bought every skein on the rack, only to learn the yarn has been discontinued and I can't obtain what I need to finish the project I planned. I have a lot of mini stashes of discontinued treasures.

Saving the best for last, I have quite a few treasures from years gone by, some purchased by me and leftover or never used, some from friends and loved ones who found them at garage sales or inherited them and didn't know what to do with them but assumed I would love them. (I do, I do, I do!!!) I hope you enjoy this visual trip down stash avenue and memory lane!

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Ghost of Needles Past

To me, how long a handmade garment lasts is more about project design than quality of fiber. Being able to wear something I made two or three decades ago says a lot about workmanship, but I think it says more about my taste in color. And fashion. (HUGE grin!)


Likely the oldest thing I made and still have. Caron Dazzleaire (color Raisin, I think) acquired during college, scarf crocheted - not knitted - using double crochet cluster stitch, in about 1981 or 1982. I still wear this scarf every winter, even though the yarn is beginning to pill. I've always loved that versatile, lively and soft yarn and can't believe it could ever be discontinued. Please bring it back!!!


The yarn I used to knit cuffs, collar and waistband for this original design was purchased in about 1988, Red Heart, if memory serves. This wonderful winter fleece helps me hang on through the cold months and always reminds me of the mountain biking and river rafting trip to Moab when I purchased that patch specifically to embellish this pullover.


This has got to be the oldest thread I own. I inherited it from my grandmother in 1980, and I have no clue how long she had it before passing it on to me. I don't even know the name or brand, only that there was enough of it to make something without having to match it and buy more. I crocheted the lacy shell in about 1990 and still get compliments every time I wear it.


I made this sweater in 2004, before we were married, before I knew The Lizard truly would stick around, and I'm still to this very day so tickled all the way to my toes that he still wears it (and proudly, too, I might add)! I wonder how miffed he will be when he finds out how big I ran his picture.

I used a strand of plain black yarn, can't remember the brand, and a strand of midnight blue Red Heart Symphony. Because he promised he would wear the sweater if I used the colors he picked.

My Lizard doesn't make promises he can't keep. And that's why he's mine!

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