Remix Friday: Snowmen

Do you get snow where you live? I grew up in Boise, Idaho which has very distinct seasons. The winters there are fairly snowy and icy. In fact, Bogus Basin ski resort was less than 20 miles away from where I lived! Now that I've been living in Oregon and Washington for the past nine years or so I rarely see any snow. Whether you see snow all of the time in the winter or none at all, today's Remix is sure to charm you. Take a look at these friendly fellows made by Rita.

The Crocheter
I learned to crochet from my Grandma Mae, who I was named for—Rita Mae Schaefer (Ravelry username RitaMae). I did a bit of crochet in grade school, a bit more in high school, then really didn’t pick it up again until about five years ago. Probably because it took me a full year of high school to make an afghan for my father’s Christmas gift! During the hiatus, I tried my hand at a hodge podge of other crafty things including stamping and cross stitch. Starting up again, I would find an easy crochet project, and then make a million of them for gifts. Currently I enjoy crocheting delicate, lacy items—usually shawls/scarfs—with specialty yarns purchased on vacations. I taught my youngest, LeeAnn, to crochet and she taught herself to knit—which she insists I should learn too. But there are still so many crochet projects out there calling my name! I have three grown children and 6 grandkids.

The Original Pattern
Amigurumi Black Cat Door Stopper by Lion Brand Yarn

The Story 
Our church has an annual ladies dessert event, Advent by Candlelight, in which table hosts decorate their tables in holiday colors and themes, including lots of candles. As a table host with LeeAnn, we decorated our table with homemade snowmen to match my Sakura Debbie Mumm Snowman dish set.

The Remix
I single crocheted every spare moment with Peaches & Creme white cotton yarn. I based my guys on the Lion Brand Yarn Amigurumi Black Cat Door Stopper pattern, using my dish pattern as a guide of what each snowman should look like. Unlike the LB pattern, I began at the bottom and would add stitches or sc2tog randomly to get the bumps and dips needed. To make sure each snowman would stand on its own, I put a heavy ceramic coaster (purchased at a thrift store) in the bottom before the opening was too narrow and then stuffed each with fiberfill before closing them up at the top of their head.

LeeAnn helped me with the accessories—so some are knitted by her (sweater, checkered stocking cap, & checkered scarf) and others crocheted by me (patch-work scarf, ear muffs, & black skillet/pan hat) in Caron Simply Soft. I hot glued buttons for faces and made “carrot” noses out of different size/type orange pipe cleaners. We foraged a wash by the house for some sticks, sprayed them with a glossy sealer and I made a broom (using raffia for the bristles) and the arms. The nest and birds were craft store purchases.

Looking back, it was a daunting project…but as each snowman took shape, it was exciting to see the transformation. Our table at the Advent by Candlelight was a wonderful hit. We served ice cream “snowballs” sprinkled with crushed peppermint candies and Christmas cookies to our table guests for dessert.

Along with the dishes, the collection will be nice to pass on to one of the kids or grandkids. Crocheting is timeless, unique, and de-stressing. Something else to pass on to the kids and grandkids!

Such amazing details and personality on those snowmen! These ladies did such an excellent job and their table looks wonderful. Thank you for sharing your work with us today, Rita. TGIF everyone!