Inspiration For Embroidery via Snowflake Bentley

Yesterday, northern New England was awash in a snowfall of such fluffy, powdery flakes that I felt a certain kinship with Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley, of Jericho, Vermont, who, in 1885, became the 1st person to photograph a single snow crystal:

Digital macro photo of a snowflake on knitting by Carrie Cahill Mulligan of Canaan, New Hampshire.

Digital macro photo of a snowflake on knitting, taken with my point & shoot camera.

“Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others.”

Digital macro photo of a snowflake on knitting by Carrie Cahill Mulligan of Canaan, New Hampshire.

“Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated.”

Digital macro photo of a snowflake on knitting by Carrie Cahill Mulligan of Canaan, New Hampshire.

“When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind.” ~Wilson A. Bentley

Leaving no record except as the inspiration for my own snowflake embroidery.

And so, for the beauty of little things, I give thanks.

Miss You, Dad

I always was a Daddy’s Girl.

Image

Hard to believe it’s been 18 years since my Dad took his own life. At the Catholic Church. On All Saint’s Day.

The adult in me understands that he likely suffered from bipolar disorder, and that he was in a very dark place. The adult in me sees that he did the best he could with what he had.

Tent camping in British Columbia, 1973

My Dad passed on his love of camping, despite being a City Boy himself.


But the little girl in me? She misses her Daddy. Who never met my husband. Who never saw me knit or make hats. Who never saw me play hockey (and I know he would have loved to see that!)

Suicide sucks. And I miss my Dad.

Cast Off & Back to Boot Camp

If you don’t follow my felt hats on Facebook, you likely missed some good news last week:  my dreaded wrist cast is a thing of the past and I’ve been cleared for hockey boot camp (with a brace) – Hooray! Hooray!

Carrie Cahill Mulligan retakes the ice at hockey boot camp just 3 days after removing her short-arm cast.

Practicing hockey stops & starts at Campion Rink’s Boot Camp 2012.

The friendly resident at DHMC offered me the removed cast as a souvenier, but I was happy to see that veritable thumb-prison go — I only wore it for 3 weeks, but that’s still a long time to be without the opposable thumb on one’s dominant hand.  

Besides, my plain purple short-arm cast wasn’t near as snazzy as some of the ones at Dartmouth-Hitchcock:

A glittery blue dragon with orange wings against a bright yellow fiberglass foot cast.

Love the glitter on this dragon foot cast!

Intricate Harley-Davidson artwork "tattoo" on an orange fiberglass full-leg cast.

How about a faux-tattoo full-leg cast for the Harley fans out there?

Wicked-sick full-leg cast of yellow and black fiberglass, imitating a Bruins ice hockey sock.

Wicked Killah: full-leg cast of black & yellow fiberglass, a Bruins hockey sock replica!

Have you ever worn a cast? Did you decorate it or leave it plain?