Chocolate Gone Bad

I keep hoping I can become a better AI artist, but so far, my track record is not going well. (I specifically prompted six sides to achieve the below image, and even in reiterations, I still could not convince the program to recount!)

The below image (not generated by me) totally communicates my feelings on AI!!!

Using an AI program, an artist (in this case, me) enters a description of the desired image, and with some programs, the artist may use a photo or drawing to help enhance the artificial intelligence rendering. I have seen some spectacular creations, but as of yet, most of my AI artwork is not up to my standards.

After receiving several (highly inspiring!!!) emails with links to the unbelievable (because the images are generated via AI) ice flower blooms on the Songhua River, I decided the world needs my crocheted snowflakes posing as ice flower blooms on a sunrise-reflected smooth water surface. No matter how awesome my writing and how diverse my vocabulary, I have not been able to get anything near as exquisite as the lovely artwork likely created by an experienced AI artist.

(And I can't for the life of me figure out why said creator of above images has not stepped forward to claim the now world widely-circulated images (being passed off in many cases as real photos).)

The above scene is not imaginary, although it is a stacked image. It is NOT AI-generated. The photographer explains how and why a stacked image is created. Most astrophotography is stacked, and many famous snowflake photographers use stacking software. I have an image stacker, but I've yet to snap enough photos of one snowflake to use the Photoshop plug-in. (My snowflakes melt too fast!!!)

Back in my days of journalism, most photographers would provide details if an image was altered. Back then, I absolutely hated Photoshop because I thought it would lead to images that were not real being passed off as genuine and "straight out of camera" or SOOC, which, in my mind, should be a relevant hashtag!!! Now, Photoshop is one of my best friends.

I started with the purely innocent removal of dust spots from my images (and closing zipper flies in family and wedding photos), but I gradually learned the concept of digital art, and oh, how I LOVE the medium. Yet I never try to pass off altered images as real life.

Anyway, here are a few of my frustrating AI attempts at generating a crocheted-snowflake-on-the-water image.

I even montaged two of my photos in Photoshop to try to help AI create what I was looking for. My altered photo turned out better than anything the AI generator has come up with so far.

I gave it another go in an attempt to create a chocolate snowflake with peppermint heart embellishments. My time might have been better spent in the kitchen with real chocolate and peppermint, but then I'd probably weigh 100 pounds more than I do now. So I guess I'll keep giving AI second, third and four-thousandth chances.

Tweet

Snowflake Monday

Today's snowflake was originally designed ten years ago, another pattern I wrote on my phone during my train commute. Another mystery flake I had no idea how it appeared until I tried working up the pattern again, and this one needed a lot of modern intervention.

I wonder what became of all those flakes I wrote on the train. I don't know what inspired them. I have no photos of the original creations. I didn't write about them in my journal. I assume I made them in pink and sent or gifted them to friends and/or loved ones who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Whatever became of those long lost snowflakes, I hope they brought joy to the recipients. And I hope today's pattern continues that tradition.

14,045-foot North Eolus isn't an official 14er, but it's a named point above 14,000 feet, and that makes it one of the seven sentimental 14ers many climbers include in their lists. We were among the climbers who planned to summit all 59 named 14ers, official or not. Lizard had already been up the Chicago Basin group, which includes Mount Eolus and North Eolus, before we met.

We'd long planned to ride the Durango/Silverton train to Needleton, where we would get off and hike to Chicago Basin, which serves as a sort of base camp for climbers of Windom, Sunlight and Eolus. That is, until I set my heart on photographing golden sunrise upon the 14ers from nearby Sunlight Lake. Lizard took me on a backpack trip over Hunchback Pass into the Vallecito drainage many years ago with the goal of Sunlight Peak sunrise. We didn't make it that far, but we did get some wonderful photos, and I got to spend a week in the wilderness with my Lizard! Oh, how I miss those days. But I will always be grateful for the adventures we were able to enjoy prior to his Parkinson's diagnosis. We have been richly blessed!

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: 5.5 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

North Eolus Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: [2 sc in ring, ch 1] 6 times, omitting last ch of final repeat; 1 hdc in starting sc to create 6th ch 1 sp of Round. Don't pull magic circle too tight.

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 hdc), 2 hdc over post of hdc directly below, [ch 3, 3 hdc in next ch 1 sp] 5 times; ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, [ch 5, 3 dc in next ch 3 tip] 5 times; ch 2, 1 tr in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 5 tip 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 4: Ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 2 tr over post of tr directly below, ch 1, 3 tr in same sp, [in next ch 5 tip work (3 tr, ch 1, 3 tr, ch 3, 3 tr, ch 1, 3 tr)] 5 times; in next ch 5 tip work [3 tr, ch 1] 2 times; 1 dc in 3rd ch of starting ch 3 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 5: Ch 6 (counts as 1 tr and ch 3), 1 dc over post of dc directly below, [[in next ch 1 sp work (1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc)] 2 times, in next ch 3 tip work (1 dc, ch 3, 1 tr, * ch 5, 1 tr, ch 3, 1 dc] 6 times, ending * on final repeat; ch 2, 1 tr in 3rd ch of starting ch 6 to form 6th ch 5 tip of Round.

Round 6: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc over post of tr directly below, [3 hdc in next ch 3 sp, 3 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook (picot made), 3 sc in next ch 3 sp, 3 hdc in next ch 3 sp, in next ch 5 tip work (5 dc, ch 3, 5 dc)] 6 times, omitting last 5 dc of final repeat; 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.

Tweet

It's About Time

Tweet

New Colors!

At the beginning of April, I forecasted I'd be using my first pink in my crochet temperature project by May 21. If I'd been recording Denver temperatures, my first pink would have been last Tuesday!

Thankfully, we are not expecting any pink for the next ten days. But I did get to use two new colors this week!

During the last ten or more years, I solar-dyed all of the colors I'm using for my 2023 crochet temperature project.

I've already received my first two months of my digital snowflake temperature quilt from Spoonflower (January and February), and the third one should be in my mailbox today or tomorrow.

(affiliate links to my designs)

I haven't been at my sewing machine for about two months now, but boy, oh, boy, this fabric makes me want to sit down and sew right this minute!

New colors in a temperature project this time of year means... shorts weather! And time to finally finish up that pair of shorts I cut out last summer, or was it the summer before??? (Whew, it was last June, so not quite a year ago!)

I got to wear shorts in the garden this week for the first time this year! I miss shooting snowflakes when winter finally fades away for three or four months, but flowers in the garden and veggies in my raised-bed gardens make it easier to wait until it snows again in September or October.

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

Tweet