What I've Been Up To

I 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:  Rochester Artisans.   It's a great group that has gotten me to think a lot about where crochet and knitting fit into the world of art and artistic expression.  I plan to post tutorials-hopefully by the end of next week.  But, it'll have photos instead of video.  I'm still having trouble getting the video right.  I don't know if it's me,  the program to edit the video with, how I'm getting it off the camera, or if the file format from the camera into the folders isn't right.  But, I have to take time to play with it. 
 

  I currently am participating in an exhibition at The Dryer House Gallery in Victor, NY that was coordinated by the Rochester Artisans group leader.  The theme is "Blue"-everything in the exhibition is the color blue.  I have a shawl:
 
When I  saw the yarn at the store it just screamed waterfall.  It looked and felt so cool on a day it was very hot.
There's also a set of motifs that I framed.  I got the idea from Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  They had a room in a recent issue that had a framed doily. I thought three motifs would look nice as well as one doily.
 
Next, there were three snowflakes done in blue thread called "Winter Blues" because if you live in Western NY, you know how long the winters can seem.
There's also a ribbon yarn scarf I knit up and turned out to be a big hit.

 
 Anyway, there's more to come, so thanks for your patience!  I'm currently getting my Fall show schedule together, so that will be updated this week as well. 

Thing-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. Just like my efforts at Nanowrimo, I got sidetracked.

 The first several days went as planned.  I've seen a lot of sewn clothing for 18 inch dolls, but no crocheted or knit accessories.  So, I made a hat and a couple of scarves with some yarn I had left over from other projects. This yarn was left from a kids hat and scarf set I made recently. 

 This little purse started as a hat for this snowman.

He was supposed to be a cute amigurimi, but I think it looks more creepy than cute.  I couldn't get the top to flare out right like a top hat, so I put handles on it and it's now a beach bag for Barbie.  Of course, I had to make an obligatory dish cloth.

 And I spent two days making scarves from ribbon yarn-Lion Brand Incredible I found at a charity craft store.  I did a shorter, ascot like scarf, and a longer, more traditional fashion length scarf. 

 

Next, came the baby bib and face cloth.

 

   I took one day off because I just couldn't think of anything to do, and I needed a break.  Then, I looked through a pile of papers and saw that I needed to get my income taxes done before March 1 do meet the deadline for local property tax paperwork.  It took a while to get my receipts together and get everything organized.  So, I got this pillow finished during the time I wasn't organizing and sorting.  I wanted to have it finished in time for the Vanna's Choice contest, but I didn't get it done in time.   

Early in January, I found red, white and green Red Heart Super Saver in my yarn stash, so I planned to make a Christmas afghan to take to the Fall shows.  I did one square in January, and took around 3 days or so to do this square.  It's a cable pattern I found on Vogue Knitting website.  With only 2 squares done,  I have a long ways to go before I get this afghan done.  Hopefully it'll be done by this Christmas, although to do that, I may need to add some crochet squares.  I'm not the fastest knitter in the world.

 
 I also felt the need this month to replenish my baby blanket stash, since I sold them all during my shows last Fall.  This one took a week to make with Bernat Softee Baby.  I used to really like this yarn, but this batch wasn't that great.  It looked rather fuzzy once it was done, almost like it had been laundered.  Maybe it's just me, though.



 
The last week of February turned out to be busier than usual.  My brother was bitten by one of his dogs several years ago and had ended up in a local hospital for a week on intravenous antibiotics.  The hospital not only gave him antibiotics, but sent him home with a drug resistant bacteria.  Well, it flared up this past month with a couple of abscesses under his armpit.  Add a nasty reaction to a drug complete with tongue swelling and the inability to eat much, I had less time to craft than usual. Which lead to the two day burp pad.  I grabbed a ball of blue Peaches and Cream cotton and went to town.

The last couple of days I wasn't feeling that great. The weather changed rapidly and we had a snow storm, which meant worse migraines.  But, I  managed to cut up a plastic bag  to start a ball of "plarn", that I want to use for something.  Maybe a tote bag, or a liner for a grocery bag. The bag was already ripped, so it didn't take long to cut it apart.  I have a lot of bags in my garage, so I'll be making a lot more of this.


 
The last day of February, figured I wouldn't have time to do too much, so I got together all the bandannas my dogs have gotten from the Groomer over the past three years they've been living here along with the ones I made for their Christmas photos.  I plan to sew them together to make a throw.   I ironed them all-they'd been washed previously, and now they're sitting on top of a stack of storage drawers to be sorted by size and paired off.   I guess that's not bad for a month's work.  Considering there were other people who didn't create something every day, I did pretty well in comparison.  Maybe next year I'll have better luck.

Craft Shows and Migraine Disease

The 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 didn't get what the venue was serving.  Of course, she usually had more than enough to cover a full table, but I managed to squeeze a few things of mine.  If I got a migraine, or if I started to feel more off balanced or nauseated,  I could go home.  I did that a couple of times.

Things changed once my mother died.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep doing shows, but I figured I could still do one or two without doing much harm to myself.  The first one without her was hard, but I knew she'd want me to be there.  But, things changed. I didn't have an out anymore.  I had to stay unless things got to the brink of non-functionality-like throw-up-in-a-garbage -bag bad or getting-the-warning-that-I'll-need-to-lie-down-and-watch-the-room-spin bad.  My brother would come and man my table if I really needed him to, but more than likely at that point he'd be driving me home.  So, I had to be prepared to counteract the potential triggers I'd face before and during each show.

 The environment of most shows is not friendly to migraineurs or people with vestibular disorders.  The environment is rich in migraine and vertigo triggers.  Shows are held in classrooms, gymnasiums or church halls or meeting rooms with tiled floors-large rooms without much to visually focus on if the room starts spinning.  Loud noise from the combination of the crowd, vendors, loud background music, squeaky PA systems used to announce raffle winners; florescent lights that flicker, as well as strong odors from cooking food and other vendor displays like scented candles come to mind.  

 Then there are the other, personal migraine triggers that follow me everywhere.  Sometimes I'd get excited and anxious the night before and not sleep well.  Lack of sleep or sleep disruptions are a big trigger for me.  I also try to maintain a regular daily schedule.  I have to eat at certain intervals since my migraines can be triggered by skipping meals or delayed meals.  Because of the CFIDS, I also have to rest at certain intervals in order to keep the fatigue, dizzies and migraines at bay.  At a show, I can't do that, obviously.  Then there's the motion of people walking back and forth in front of the table, which can be a vertigo trigger. 

I focused first on the personal triggers.  I made sure I rested for a couple of days prior to the show.  This doesn't mean I stay in bed all day.  I try to be sure my errands-like banking and going to the grocery store are kept to a minimum.  I get to bed early, and make sure I have everything loaded in the car the evening before I set up.  I also still take a cooler with me.  I make sure I have plenty of bottled water, milk, and this year I tried mozzarella sticks.  The protein lasts longer for me, and gives me a little perk up when I start dragging.  This way I can eat smaller portions during the day to maintain my energy.  This year I took an emergency kit with me.  I had my sunglasses to fight glare and light flickering, ear plugs for the noise, tissues-because I get a lot of nasal congestion, nasal spray, analgesic, as well as an Epi-pen-I have a ton of food  and other allergies and I don't leave home without it.  I brought a couple of different projects that didn't require any thought so I'd have something I could focus on.  I also learned acupressure points from my Chiropractor that work for migraine.

There's really not much I could do about the environmental triggers, besides the glasses, and earplugs. Once I got my table set up, I'd look for an area/fixed, not visually cluttered or busy spot that I could look at if I started to feel more spinny.  My brother came to relieve me, and I used the show helpers a couple of times to come watch my table if I needed a break.  My strategy helped.  Although I did get a couple of migraines, they didn't get to be real headbangers...at least until after I got home.  I still was totally exhausted for a few days afterward, but I survived.  Last year I did five shows in all, which was a record, and I'm amazed I survived them!  I tried not to do shows consecutive weeks, but if I did, I tried to do no more than two shows in a row.
I don't know if I'll be able to do five shows this year, but at least I have a plan.     

Lessons 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 certain rows.  I had a lot of ends to work in, so I did them rather hurriedly, since I wanted to take it to a couple of craft shows.  I cut some of the ends short, but I didn't think anything of it...until I washed it.  It's a good thing I looked it over, because, yep, you guessed it, I had one square become unraveled, and some of the other ends worked their way out. 


The first row of the square was affected, so I can't just fix it the way it is.  When I have some time over the winter, I'll be taking it apart and replace the square. Two lessons learned.  First, work your ends in as you go, it's a lot easier than waiting until after you have the thing put together.  Secondly, don't leave the ends so short that your item will fall apart when laundered.  Grrr.

A 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 and warm this winter. 

 
Craft show season is rapidly approaching- my first one is less than a month away.  You can see a schedule at the right.  Stop out and say hello if you're able.  If you make a purchase and mention that you saw the schedule on my blog, I'll give you a 10% discount on your purchase. 

 

Of course I've kept busy over the Spring and Summer.  I finished the baby blanket that I mentioned in my last post.  The Softee Baby by Bernat worked up quite nicely, and didn't fray or split.  I did a similar one in a basic shell stitch using Caron Simply Soft.  I like small, lacy things to make when it's hot out. 

 A yarn I fell in love with this year is Patons Bamboo Baby.  It's 100% Bamboo, and it feels so soft and squishy.  It's a medium weight, and feels a lot warmer than it looks.  It also drapes very well.  I made a shawl for a raffle in an online group I'm in, and I felt like keeping it for myself!  I used a stitch pattern from the July, 2010 issue of Crochet! magazine. 

Here's a close up of the stitch pattern. Absolutely lovely. 

Bad Winter

It'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 had to miss any. Although now that I've said something, I may have cursed myself.
Anyway, I signed up for a new sock class, a finishing class, a continental knitting class, and a baby blanket class. It's been nice to get out, meet people, and spend some time just knitting.
I actually finished my first sock! It's the Simple Sock from Cat Bordhi's book Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles. Using the two needles worked better for me than using one long needle, aka the "Magic Loop" method. The cuff on the Magic Loop method was warped, whereas the cuff on this one is much better. I also didn't stick a hole in my finger from the sharp point on the needle like I did last time I tried sock knitting. I really enjoyed it and will be casting on the second one any day now. Really, I will. No Second Sock Syndrome for me. It won't be like my promise to blog more than once a quarter. I'll actually do this.

This is one of the blocks from the baby blanket class. It's a block-a-month class at a different yarn store than the one I took the other classes. This one meets for a couple more months yet. We've also done a garter stitch block, as well as a basket weave stitch block, and a twisted stockinette block. I'll post more photos soon. I'm using Berroco Comfort yarn, and it's nice and soft.


After all the knitting I've been doing, I felt the strong pull of crochet. I'm almost done with this baby blanket using Bernat Softee Baby in the Baby Baby color. It's the same stitch pattern I used for the Shell Baby Blanket on my Ravelry page. I've been doing some fast crochet projects, and experimenting with Tunisian Crochet, which I'll blog more about this week.(I really will)

I 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

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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 do better. So, I called him back and said. "You know, I can go to Joann's and probably get the same fabric, line it, for less" There was silence for a moment, and then he said "Would you?" in this quiet "I feel funny about asking but I will" voice. Of course, I couldn't say no. So, I went to Joann's and was getting pretty nervous when I couldn't find the material in the fleece section. I went to the middle of the fabric department and found the material in with the Christmas fabric and some red fleece to match to use for a backing. I wasn't sure how much I would need, so I bought a couple of yards. Considering my limited sewing skills-I still have a problem sewing straight seams, I don't think it turned out too badly.

There was a decent amount of both fabrics left, so I mentioned "There may be enough for a couple of pillows." My brother said "Great" So, I went back to Joann's on the Saturday before Christmas and picked up a couple of pillow forms. I had a couple in the closet, but I wanted to make one pillow a little larger than what I had. I finished them Christmas Eve. I need more practice making pillows. I had a hard time sewing up the final side, trying to make the seam invisible.

So, I spent the days after Christmas looking for more of the same fabric so I could match what I had left. I searched all the Joann stores in the area, but they were wiped out. I did fine the same fabric, not fleece, but woven, with the same dogs. Only they don't have Santa hats on. Of course I told my brother and then said I got enough for a couple of pillows. What did my brother say? He said "Great, then we can have them out all year long." I was ready for this one, though. I got another pillow form at the same time I got the fabric. I need to get some brown fabric or another color to use for a backing. It'll be a nice project to work on now that it's so cold. Plus, there's the knitting and crochet projects I have on the front and back burner.