"But, really, why does anyone create? You feel a... a restlessness inside, a need to make something new, something no one has ever seen before. You want to add to the beauty and the richness of the world with a gift, an offering that is uniquely yours. It's an act of selfishness and generosity, all rolled into one."

-- Bruce Coville,
The Last Hunt

Friday, April 16, 2010

Name That Snowflake Giveaway Contest!

I've been posting a lot of Christmasy things lately, haven't I? It's April, for heaven's sake. I actually have been doing something seasonally appropriate, but I can't show it just yet. Oh, OK, here's a taste:

Please, no public guessing, though. It's a gift for someone very special and I don't want that person getting any ideas. I promise I'll show you all when I'm done.

So, back to Christmas. A few months ago, I designed a snowflake. I made several of them, and gave them all away without ever writing down the pattern. Ooops. Fortunately, I had a scan that I was able to enlarge enough to see the stitches.

So now I've got it written down. I made another today, which will again be for the hospital craft fair.

The top one is in Yarnplayer's "Winter Blend" size 40. This one is in DMC white size 80, doubled with Kreinik Blending Filament metallic thread in white, which you can't see except a little at the picots, but trust me, it's nice and sparkly in real life. The blending filament is a pure nuisance to work with, but it does add just the right element of sparkle to a snowflake. Here it is on the spool:

Hopefully you can get an idea from this of what it looks like blended with a cotton thread.

Designing this snowflake was a lovely experience. I simply picked up my shuttles and started tatting, with only a vague idea of what I was aiming for, and this came out. I hardly had to redo anything, and on the first try my stitch count came out so that it doesn't even need blocking. I don't know about anyone else, but that NEVER happens to me, and I doubt if it ever will again.

Alas, the luck that was with me in the tatting eluded me when it came to coming up with a name. I like to give anything I design a title that describes it in an interesting and attractive way. I've made snowflakes I call "Crazy Daisy", "The Twist", and "Star-Crossed", for example. For this one, all I can come up with is SCMR Snowflake. It's accurate enough, but hardly catchy.

Now, I happen to have an extra copy of this book:

It's got a gorgeous photo gallery of tatting that will hopefully give you some new ideas, and lots of patterns. Patterns include doilies, edgings, a candle shade, a tatted frog (the dress closure, not the amphibian), a small basket, and lots more.

So here's the deal. You name my snowflake, and I'll send you the book and the snowflake pattern. The contest is open to anybody except my family members. Just leave your suggestion in a comment on THIS post, and include a valid way for me to contact you if you're the winner. You may e-mail me with questions, but only entries made as comments on this post will be considered. I'm looking for something catchy and poetic that captures the essence of this snowflake. The one I like best will be the winner. Yes, it's subjective, but I promise not to play favorites. If two or more people happen to come up with the same title and it's the one I choose, then I will use a random number generator to pick the winner of the book, and the others will also get the pattern. The contest will close on Thursday April 22 at noon Mountain Daylight Time (2:00pm Eastern Daylight Time). The winner will be announced on Friday April 23.

Put your thinking caps on, and good luck!

42 comments:

  1. You could call it "Nameless Beauty" it would be a nice play on words I think. Giving a nameless snowflake a name and also accurately discribing it in its current state:-) Hope you like the name. If I should be the lucky winner you can contact me at dalemarie75@gmail.com

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  2. QUEENS CROWN
    MY E MAIL UNITABEAR2@AOL.COM

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  3. I think Dazzling Beauty would be nice
    My email address is typshi@bigpond.com

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  4. how about calling it "the silver ring-around-a-snowflake".

    it's very pretty, by-the-way, i'd love to have the pattern, and the book.

    shirley b.

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  5. i forgot to leave an addy for you.



    shirley b.

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  6. I would call it Swirly Girl. It's a beautiful snowflake!

    deastrega@yahoo.com

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  7. How about 'Dancing Angels' or 'Angel's Dance' since to me it looks like a group of Angels doing 'Ring-around-the-Rosie'. Very lovley design and it looks 'Heavenly' in white.

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  8. What do you think of "Winter Sparkle"? It uses the name of the thread and also incorporates the sparkle of the second thread.

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  9. How about Winter Swirl? Don't enter me for the book, though. I already have it!

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  10. I like Marie's Winter Sparkle. I already have the book.

    Your snowflake is very pretty and looks so much better in white,the varig thread is too contrasty and drowns the design IMHO.
    Would look good in a pale varig i think.

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  11. Ring Shimmer is my suggestion. Thank goodness you have now written the pattern down. my e.mail is popabobbinshuttle@gmail.com

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  12. It is so pretty I would call it
    "Angels in the snow"! Would love to receive your tatted snowflake!
    I have filiment fine threads but know it is a bear to work with. I use it in embroidery.
    Linda
    PS I just read the comments and I also thought about Dacing Angels. WOW two minds a like!!

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  13. When I look at your snowflake, I see an animal's prints made in the snow...so...."Paw Print Chrystal". My e-mail is gtmayhew@yahoo.com.

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  14. How about SnowDrop Flake? I already have that book, but I would love the pattern for your pretty snowflake!

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  15. Such a beautiful snowflake. Starry Night would be a good name. My email address is paw52@verizon.net. Whatever you choose to name it, it is lovely. Janis

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  16. When I first looked at the white snowflake the thrown rings off the ring/chains reminded me of the 60s when women used huge rollers or orange juice cans-as-rollers to create volume in their hair. I see the feminine form (heads to the outer rings and the "girlfriends" as the inner rings. I know...crazy, huh? So, anyway, I would call your flake "Go-Go Girl".

    I'd love a copy of the pattern, but I already own the New Twist book.
    beadntat@yahoo.com

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  17. I love the the way the tiny rings are arranged round the small ring, so I would call it the 'flirty ring snowflake' It's beautiful

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  18. It reminds me of the white flower tops - queen anne lace

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  19. Blue Christmas Snowflake.- I like that name. It is a simple buy beautiful snowflake. Congratulations!!!



    Alba Alicia - from México
    herbaliciaburrola@gmail.com

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  20. Correction: I sais "buy" but I meant "BUT" sorry, my mistake. Please correct. Thanks.
    Alba Alicia
    herbaliciaburrola@gmail.com

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  21. I'd call it "Ice Flower" or "Ice Crown".

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  22. OOPs my email is yarnjunkie1@gmail.com BTW it is georgous. I'd love to have the pattern and I don't have the book either!!

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  23. It looks a little like the Hens and Chick pattern so I think a name like "Henny Penny Dazzle" would be appropriate. My email address is tshvlh@brightok.net
    God Bless,
    Scott

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  24. I saw the one in your most recent post first. It reminds me of a sunny winter day, so sunny day is my choice of name. I already have the book but love the pattern.

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  25. That is realy lovely especialy in the delicate variagate.
    How about Menolly (one of Anne McCaffreys charachters)

    BoB

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  26. I think maybe it could be named Marvelous Mystery, its so dainty, and what a mystery in the way snowflakes weather real or tatted....they are mysterious.
    Lynn Weasenforth
    lacenlynn@msn.com

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  27. HI,, I THINK YOU COULD NAME IT "INSPIRATION" .. what do you think.. it envolves the esence of making it...
    greeting from argentina..
    clau
    cloelo@gmail.com

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  28. I suggest astral hope.

    somehow the flake looks 'full of hope' to me =)

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  29. My first thought was about a tiara - so I like the name "Tiara Snowflake"

    (I saw the pic in your second post first, and I like the light colours very much!)

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  30. I live in Western NY and in the winter it gets so cold here that the snowflakes freeze and loose any moisture in them. When that happens they turn a bluish color and seem to sparkle, so what about "winter's sparkle" or just "winter's spark".

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  31. Fantastic job you did. this is
    **snowflake-a-lishious ** Someone
    will be very happy soon. My idea
    for a name is Destiny..Thanks for
    the opportunity
    ( mitz_zee@yahoodotcom)

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  32. I think Christopher would be the perfect name. I pick this name for 2 reasons, Christ and Christmas and Christopher short for Christopher Columbus who is known for his sense of adventure and discovery which is what you where doing when you created this wonderful snowflake. I can be reached at cepage1ca@yahoo.ca

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  33. I love it. My name for it is "Lovie" , because it was made with love ! Eileene aka noiseynana eileeneg2002@yahoo.com Beautiful work.

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  34. My first thought was "Ring around a Snowflake" but someone beat me to it. And yea, it never happens that I don't have to rearrange stitch count or redo something or even start a new design over. What a wonderful blessing to not stress over a design and still come up with something great that isn't, what I call most of mine, "stale." Gonna watch and see what you come up with next....(-:
    forevertrue@earthlink.net

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  35. First thing that came to me: The Tree of Life.
    It's beautiful!
    knackfulknitter@q.com

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  36. It's a lovely piece. I think that an appropriate name would be "Snowy Lace" because that's what it looks like.

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  37. Love the idea of "beauty" being in the name. It is a beautiful flake.

    This design has a geometric rhythm that reminds me of Islamic tiles. So perhaps:

    Jamal - "beauty"
    Zahrah - "blooming flower"

    Or Izdihar - "blossoming" (just had to toss that one into the ring!)

    Lastly, Tender Beauty rings true.

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  38. Here in Mississippi everything id starting to bloom and even though it may not sound Christmasy, I would name it Queen Ann's Lace because it is reminiscent of the wildflower. We see lots of it here.
    Alan
    clown1@earthlink.net
    www.anotherjoyfulcreation.blogspot.com

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  39. It just came to me what the crown-like rings remind me of! The dance headresses of Bali. (Bali Beauty? or Bali Splendor?)

    http://blog.baliwww.com/glossary/295

    Although some ancient sun god artifacts come close too.

    http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/060818-peru-headdress.html


    More food for thought.

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