tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13499693053830992882024-03-19T04:56:45.607-04:00The Dizzy CrafterA Blog exploring my efforts to Crochet, Knit, Sewing and whatever else I get into to keep my sanity while coping with a life altered by a Vestibular disorder and Migraine DiseasePathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-34250958771284039192012-09-24T21:07:00.001-04:002012-09-24T21:07:58.379-04:00Secure Your Electronic Devices.....especially when you're using an outdoor portable toilet. Two weekends ago, I sold my crafted wares at the Sweden Harvest Festival. It was in a cemetery that surrounds the Farmer's museum in the town of Sweden, which is in the western part of Monroe County. The festival itself was set up on the museum lawn, but the 5k race went, at least partially through the narrow gravel paths Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-64306742630182259482012-01-27T15:10:00.003-05:002012-01-27T15:10:46.092-05:00When is a Crate Pad, Not a Crate Pad?
When it becomes a throw! Freddy only slept in his crate on his first night with us, and he spends a lot of time on the love seat. Instead of making the crate pad, I decided to use the fabric for something he can lay on, or lay up against or snuggle under if it gets cold. And yes, I really spoil my dogs.
I wanted to back the black fabric with the piece of Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-72371227427224166932011-11-02T14:31:00.002-04:002011-11-02T14:31:41.585-04:00Freddy's Crate Pad
Well, Freddy only used the crate the first night he stayed here. Ever since then, he's been sleeping in the orthopedic dog bed, or in one of the other dog beds we have upstairs. Which is fine. But, I'm still going to share the first steps in making the crate pad.
I went to Joann's and bought a twin sized pressure relieving mattress overlay-aka an "eggcrate" mattress. Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-17987838804773715172011-09-25T20:30:00.003-04:002011-09-25T20:30:54.038-04:00Things Don't Always Go as PlannedUnfortunately, the exhibition at the Dryer House Gallery closed unexpectedly, because the Dryer House closed. You can see the details in this article from the Democrat and Chronicle. But, despite the disappointment, it was a good experience. It was great to think of crochet and knit as art forms, not just as a craft, and how I could take my skills and take them further into the Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-14112252422582501482011-08-07T21:11:00.002-04:002011-08-07T21:13:48.879-04:00What I've Been Up ToI have vowed to turn this blog into something special. I haven't been able to update at all these past few months because things got a bit crazy. One of our dogs became very ill and passed. I joined a new church and have become active in the prayer shawl ministry. Plus, I've picked up some craft shows over the summer and have become involved with a local artisan group: Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-43456735156553628552011-03-05T21:53:00.002-05:002011-03-05T22:03:54.206-05:00Thing-A-Day
During the month of February, I participated in a blog called Thing-a-day. It's a collective blog where participants pledge to create something, every day during the month of February and post it to the group. I figured it would get me motivated to crochet and knit items to add to my craft show inventory and open the online store I've been planning. Yeah, right. Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-50352750825312839062011-01-22T22:36:00.000-05:002011-01-22T22:36:01.294-05:00Craft Shows and Migraine DiseaseThe last few years, I've done one, possibly two craft fairs/church bazaars every Fall. My late mother got me into it. She wanted to sell some of the things she had made, and she never thought she had enough for a full table. So, I'd split the table rent, and go sit with her for the day. We'd bring a cooler with water and snacks, and my brother would bring us lunch if we Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-78661497558922348182010-11-26T18:55:00.000-05:002010-11-26T18:55:26.650-05:00Lessons Learned
Every time I work on a project, I learn something. It doesn't matter if the project is something I've done frequently, like a scarf, or a new pattern I've never done before. I always get something out if it. Unfortunately, sometimes I've learned the hard way. I finally finished a granny square afghan I call the "Mirror Image Afghan" because the colors are reversed on Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-76915625887390992012010-09-20T21:50:00.000-04:002010-09-20T21:50:07.082-04:00A New Look!
I decided to change the look of this blog to make it look a little more crafty. The colors remind me of Fall, which starts a couple of days from now. This time of year, my crafting thoughts turn to warmer items, like hats and scarves. I whipped these up last week from Premier Yarns Serenity Chunky Weight. It's a nice, thick acrylic yarn that should keep the wearer nice Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-78468912656049405712010-04-12T18:31:00.006-04:002010-04-12T19:38:42.712-04:00Bad WinterIt's been a long, long winter. No, the weather wasn't all that bad, but the frequent weather changes have been triggering more migraines, and bad spins. Plus, I've been busy taking classes, and doing homework! Our area is very lucky to have some great local yarn stores. I have had to leave early from one class session because I was getting a real whopper of a migraine, but so far I haven't Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-57249892491321210312010-01-10T15:58:00.004-05:002010-01-10T19:58:59.038-05:00I Should Be Careful What I Say..because I end up making a lot more work for myself. At the beginning of December, my brother went to a craft show at a local church and saw a fleece blanket that had dogs wearing Santa hats. One of the dogs looked like one of our dogs, Chloe. He called me and wanted me to look at it, because he liked it, but he wasn't sure. So, I went and looked at it. It was cute, but I thought I could Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-629587736909013532009-12-17T18:45:00.004-05:002009-12-17T19:37:23.287-05:00A Quick AnnouncementAll comments are now on moderation since a Spammer left the comment on the last posting which has since been deleted. This is a spam-free blog...although Spam is rather tasty warmed up with some melted cheese over it. I haven't eaten this in years, but it'd probably give me a migraine now anyway.Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-85870165251981711262009-11-11T18:17:00.005-05:002009-11-23T19:25:38.643-05:00Well, So Much For the More Frequent Blogging,LOL! We've been having unusually nice weather so I've been taking advantage of it. I've been spending more time outside with the dogs. Unfortunately there's been a lot of rapid changes in the weather so I've been dealing with the migraine beast as well.But, I've actually been finishing projects, and making progress on others!I'm putting together a baby blanket I'm now calling the Mirror ImagePathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-2568507389759535632009-10-16T19:22:00.003-04:002009-10-16T19:55:53.075-04:00Happy Blogoversary!!Happy Blogoversary!! I can't believe another year has passed in my crafting life. It seems like only yesterday that the Dizzy Crafter was born. Crochet and knitting have been invaluable in to coping with the daily challenges and rapid life changes living with the invisible illnesses of chronic migraine, vertigo, dizziness and CFIDS bring. Being able to create something in either craft helps Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-55009794281609577802009-10-12T14:34:00.002-04:002009-10-12T14:50:14.693-04:00Cruel SummerLong time, no post. It was a bad summer, with more migraines and worse vertigo due to our crappy weather and many days of overdoing it. Our little dog who was very ill, died. Her kidneys shut down, and despite our Vet's best efforts, she didn't make it. There was a lot of running around and small projects. I just didn't have the energy to do anything complicated, like my sweater or the lacy Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-70972505850159691422009-07-20T19:12:00.005-04:002009-07-20T20:00:47.533-04:00Going Crazy!It's been a crazy month. Our weather has been ever changing, so the migraine and dizzy beasts have been attacking. Plus, I've been trying to catch up on outside work in between rain drops...and nursing a sick dog. Because of all this, I've been concentrating on small projects or projects with pieces I can finish quickly. Like a dish cloth kitchen/bar set, granny squares for a baby blanket andPathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-76317527877971287832009-06-04T14:36:00.005-04:002009-06-04T19:32:30.277-04:00Knot Nice!I can't express in mere words how irritated I get when I'm in the groove with my knitting or crochet and out comes a huge tangled mess of yarn from the middle of an innocent looking skein. Instead of getting more accomplished, I have to put down the project and spend an inordinate amount of time sorting through the twists and turns of the knot. I get so disgusted at the loss of my time, I have Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-27001957608939913592009-04-05T12:23:00.002-04:002009-04-05T13:11:31.688-04:00Well Heeled...my first sock has a heel now, that is. I went to the yarn store and we went over how to turn the heel. Too bad we forgot to make the heel flap first, lol! The instructor/shop owner felt so bad, and I felt bad too because I had the feeling something was a little off, but didn't really know what. It was a bad brain fog day, plus I was having some migraine prodrome at the time, so I just figuredPathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-74666295867280243942009-03-23T18:30:00.007-04:002009-03-23T20:04:47.099-04:00March is Passing QuicklyMarch has not turned into the crochet-happy month I expected it to. I haven't gotten to crochet as many things as I had planned. Yes, I did get the Houndstooth-Check scarf finished. It figures that the weather got warm and I haven't been able to wear it yet, lol! I have not started a crochet sweater yet. I want to make one that I could wear in warmer or in-between weather. Although at Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-12405249302554118782009-03-01T19:19:00.002-05:002009-03-01T19:47:12.086-05:00Happy National Crochet MonthMarch is National Crochet Month!! Time to pull out those hooks and get some projects started...or finished. I finally finished the Houndstooth-Check Scarf from the Crochet That Fits book. I may have changed hook size inadvertently. I set the project down when I got the urge to knit. I've been working on my sock, but wanted to take a break. Working with the small circular needle has my hand Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-74462652205470329502009-02-25T09:13:00.004-05:002009-02-25T10:16:06.039-05:00It's Finished!!My first sweater is finally done! It didn't take long to knit, but I'm not a fan of sewing things together. So, it sat in it's ripped bag beneath the coffee table in the family room until I couldn't stand to see it anymore. It's a little snug, despite the fact that I had the proper gauge specified in the pattern. I probably should have made the larger size. It's only February, and I've Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-24623201787113016232009-01-12T20:22:00.003-05:002009-01-12T21:08:59.634-05:00My First Sweater!!Woo Hoo! I'm actually keeping one of my carry-over New Year's resolutions! I started to knit my first sweater! It's the Kelly Sweater from The Daily Knitter. So far, I'm a little larger than the stated gauge, but since I'm doing the small/medium size, whose finished measurements will only give about 2" of ease, this gauge will give me some extra room. It's working up fairly quickly, and I'm Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-79057510399411160602009-01-02T19:07:00.004-05:002009-01-02T19:39:09.945-05:00Happy New Year!!I hope everyone has a safe, happy, healthy and prosperous 2009 full of great projects and yummy yarns! My resolutions for 2008 were to knit and crochet sweaters; knit and crochet socks; learn cable knitting; learn Continental Style knitting; start designing; and enter the CGOA design contest.My resolutions for 2009 include: knit and crochet sweaters; knit and crochet socks; learn Continental Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-45856293423352843052008-12-25T20:53:00.003-05:002008-12-25T21:08:16.491-05:00Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah!!I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas and you're enjoying the festivities of Hanukah!I had a nice day, but it would've been a lot nicer if I hadn't woken up with a migraine. The botox is helping. With all the triggers I've had the past couple of days, this one would've put me to bed for the day. Thankfully, I was able to sit up and enjoy the festivities.Santa brought the 2009 Crochet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1349969305383099288.post-87321284318899038282008-12-11T19:02:00.008-05:002008-12-18T22:06:11.805-05:00Constant Tension Isn't Always A Bad ThingIn fact, it's a good thing when applied to one's adventures in knitting. I had been doing a lot of crocheting to get small things done, like burp cloths/spit rag with matching baby bibs;a tacky Christmas Toilet Paper Cozy( the cylinder shape is my design, the star decoration is from Elizabeth Hamm's Crochet A Trunk Full O Fun website)and a set of coasters and a baby blanket I still haven't Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06884595224493605462noreply@blogger.com0