Snowflake Monday

Way back in early February, I started a batch of variegated crochet thread in two of my favorite pink dyes and a dark shade called oxblood. It was to be my Valentine thread for this year.




Lizard required an emergency procedure on February 10th. The thread got done, but I couldn't tell you where the rest of the month went even if I looked back in my journal.

Once I started making time to crochet again, my state and the office where I work went to Shelter in Place, and the hook got put away again. I had begun making some of my favorite patterns with the Valentine thread, and I was halfway through a tiny bear when the crochet bag got hung on the main closet doorknob, where it stayed until a death in the family on Good Friday.


Well, except for a heart flake I crafted when I first heard about the Heart Hunters. It was pretty exciting to me then that my Valentine thread could still see some good heart fun, even though it was more than a month too late for Valentine's Day.

When I pulled out the crochet bag again to make flakes for my brother and his sister-in-law, I realized my poor little bear still needed assembly. After the memorial flakes were in the mail, I finished crocheting a few more of my favorite patterns with my Valentine thread just for today's post.


Heart Hunters was started back at the beginning of April, as far as I know, as a place for people to "gather" and share the hearts they were putting on their windows, garage doors and in their gardens for children to "find" during walks once social distancing began to take an emotional toll. The day I learned about Heart Hunters, I dug out my bright-colored paper and my hole punches and decorated my front door for the children in my neighborhood.


I fully intended to look for other heartwork each time I went out with Lizard for a walk or a little bicycle ride and collect photos of all the hearts I could find for a Wordless Wednesday. It seems we got snow after snow after snow after that, and I've seen only two windows in all of my little village with hearts, and one is mine!

However, I know Heart Hunters is still going strong, and for some, it's a day brightener.

Hearts have always been a happy sight for me, and I love the challenge of trying to create a snowflake from something that doesn't have six sides.

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: heart motif, 1.75 inches across from side to side; snowflake, 6.5 inches across from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread in 2 or more colors, 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.

Heart Hunter Snowflake Instructions


Heart Motif Instructions

With red or heart color, 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.

Round 2: Ch 2, in next ch 3 sp work (1 dc, ch 3) 2 times, 1 dc in same ch 3 sp, [in next ch 3 sp work (1 dc, ch 3), 1 dc] 3 times, in next ch 3 sp work (1 dc, ch 3) 2 times, 1 dc in same ch 3 sp, ch 2, sl st in starting ch 3 sp.

Round 3: In next ch 2 sp work (1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc), 9 dc in next ch 3 sp, [3 dc in next ch 3 sp] 2 times, in next ch 3 sp work (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc), [3 dc in next ch 3 sp] 2 times, 9 dc in next ch 3 sp, in next ch 2 sp work (1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc). Bind off. Weave in ends.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.


Snowflake Instructions

Round 4: With white or snowflake color, 1 sc in ch 3 tip at bottom of heart motif, [ch 5, sk next 3 dc, 1 sc in next dc] 5 times, ch 5, 1 sc in Round 1 ch 3 sp at center of top of heart motif, ch 5, sk next 3 st, [1 sc in next dc, ch 5, sk next 3 dc] 4 times, 1 sc in ch 3 tip at bottom of heart, ch 2, 1 tr in starting sc.

Round 5: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), [3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in same ch 3 sp, 1 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 1 dc in same ch 3 sp] 3 times, 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5, 1 dc in next ch 3 sp, [3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in same ch 3 sp, 1 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 1 dc in same ch 3 sp] 3 times, omitting last dc and last 2 ch of final repeat; 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 7th V-st 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 6: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, [ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in top of next V-st, ch 3, 3 dc in same V-st] 5 times; ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in top of next V-st, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th shell ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 7: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, [1 dc in each of next 3 dc, 3 dc in each of next 2 ch 3 sp, 1 dc in each of next 3 dc, 3 dc in next shell ch 3 tip, ch 3, 3 dc in same tip] 6 times, omitting last 3 dc and last 2 ch of final repeat; 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 8: Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and ch 3), 1 dc over post of dc directly below, [ch 16, in next ch 3 tip work (1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc, ch 10, 1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc] 5 times; ch 16, 1 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 1 dc in same tip, ch 10, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 5; 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.

Tweet

Skirting My Time

I'm finally halfway finished with my green batik leftovers dress I started way back on February 24! I finished the machine embroidery on the skirt over the weekend, and I finished the sleeve insets and machine embroidery last night!

One of the reasons this project took so long is I've been making a lot of masks. I didn't really like changing the bobbin and top spool every single time I sat down to sew, so I didn't work on the dress every chance I got. It was easier to keep the mask thread loaded, and I'd be ready next time someone requested a mask.


Running out of solid green thread for the bobbins was another hurdle. I ordered more thread before Shelter in Place, and thank heavens, the thread arrived at my work a day or so before I wasn't allowed to go into the office anymore. I have a Missouri Star Quilt Company package there waiting for me when I do get to go back, and that will be sort of like Christmas!


I ordered giant spools of solid green thread I can use with the longarm, not thinking about how I would wind it onto bobbins for the domestic sewing machine. With a little bit of patience and ingenuity after Shelter in Place, I realized I could use the longarm bobbin winder to hold the big spool while I wound a bobbin on the domestic machine. Then I realized I could also use the giant spool as top thread by keeping the longarm bobbin winder right behind the domestic machine. That's when my sewing projects really began moving. I really didn't like winding bobbins from a giant spool on a knitting needle I held in my left hand while operating the domestic machine with my right hand.

I didn't have to buy anything extra, and I didn't have to build anything to hold thread spools in place. And the longarm bobbin winder gets a little bit more use than it's been getting in the long months of no quilting activity.

Now I'm ready to begin the bodice and sleeves (and the pockets), which I initially had planned to do in green hand-dyes (not my own hand-dyes) but then thought perhaps purple would be prettier.


I went through my fabric stash last night, and there is only one purple with enough fabric for the bodice and sleeves, shown above. I was pretty bummed. The lavenderish hand-dye doesn't look that complimentary to me. I had thought a darker shade would be just perfect. I have just a small piece of the purple below.


For a fleeting moment, I thought perhaps I could order another yard of purple hand-dye. I even have a Hoffman color chart to make sure I get just the right shade.


This is a leftovers dress. It sort of defeats the purpose of using up leftovers, in my mind, if I buy more fabric to finish it. So I'm going to try to use something from the stash.

But which one?!? Too many choices!!!




I have enough of three different blues, and against the sleeve insets, I was almost convinced to go with the blue-green.




I auditioned one of the batiks I have enough of... because I liked it so much, I accidentally bought it twice. If I go with the batik, I will have to change the applique I want to make for the front of the bodice. I'm not sure I want to do that. Plus, to me, this looks a little too busy.




There is enough of five different green hand-dyes, as well as a handful of solid greens. Now I guess the next most difficult part of finishing this dress will be picking which one I like best. I think I'm leaning toward the sour apple Kona solid. Ironically, I had trouble making a choice when I picked a border color for the main quilt I made with all these green batiks before I began crafting projects from the leftovers.




















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

Tweet

Wordless Wednesday

Tweet

Working From Home

Last month, when we first began working from home, our office manager asked employees to send me selfies of them at their home work stations. She thought it would be a fun way to keep working together while feeling as if we're still in the same office, as well as to help maintain morale.

I punctuated the request by sharing a photo from my home computer desk from 2017. Everyone got a kick out of it, and some even "cheered" by replying to all, "You win!" Nevertheless, it's not a selfie. It doesn't count.


I promised my co-workers I had put in a request for a retake so I could be in the picture, too. Meanwhile, most employees sent photos of their dogs at their work stations or their dogs on their laps at their work stations. It has provided a great way for us to bond across the miles, and it gives everyone something to look forward to each week, as business slows and job security fears rise.

Of course, I don't really care for deer in my yard because they eat everything I don't plant for them. But I've been feeding the squirrels for about a year now to keep them out of the bird feeder (not always successfully), so I suppose I could "feed" the deer as well. Meaning, let them eat what they want, since they are going to anyhow, and there's not really any way to stop them without drawing other garden visitors who might have a different type of appetite.

Such as... bears.

We hadn't seen deer in the neighborhood in a while, so I wasn't sure I'd actually be able to get a fresh photo. So I took photos of whatever wildlife popped into view.


First, of course, came the squirrel. Every day. Two of them, actually. Which means we may soon have more than two. They can be fun to watch. They still prefer the bird feeder, even if I put the same stuff in their feeder on the far side of the yard.

The one very pleasant surprise is when I catch them (from inside the house) attempting to scale the pole leading to the bird feeder and sternly announce, "NO!", sometimes two or three times. They actually reverse course and begin scanning the ground for bird leftovers. My squirrels appear to be as obedient as some dogs.

And if I get to take pictures of the babies when they arrive, you know I won't be complaining.

Mr. Squirrel refused to pose with me for a selfie.


Next came my favorite, the mountain bluebird who teases me at this time every year. Makes me think he wants to move his little family into the cubicle next to mine. Every year. And every year, we get tree sparrows instead. Not that tree sparrows are a bad thing. I love watching those little characters fledge, too. And Lizard thinks tree sparrows are the equivalent of jet fighter pilots. Man, can those little birds dive!

Nevertheless, there is something magical about that gorgeous blue color. I would love to raise a family of mountain bluebirds! You probably couldn't scrape me away from the window if that were to happen.

Alas, because I'm at the window so often now, I found out the true nature of Mr. Mountain Bluebird's visits. In between nesting seasons, wasps (not the bad kind) sublease the premises and build a little guest house of their own inside the birdhouse.

The bluebirds evict the tenants in advance of the tree sparrows' arrival. Oh, and a selfie with one of the bluebirds doesn't really show the bluebirds. So you get telephoto shots instead.










Yes, the Missus followed suit, although she made too quick a getaway with her afternoon snack for a photo.






Finally, my tulips began to make an appearance, and that means four-legged creatures are converging to check out the menu.

They practiced social distancing, too.


Trying to get both me and the deer into the same shot proved a little more problematic than I anticipated. But mission accomplished. I have my official Working From Home selfie now!

Tweet