26

Done. They are all done. All but 2 are shown here. I'm thrilled with how these turned out. I'm particularly drawn to the variegated yarn scarves, but the stripes are quite distinctive.

I crocheted 26 different scarves over the course of the year. Two scarves have been sent to their recipients. Now I need to wrap, box and ship the rest. Thankfully, these are rather light in weight.

What to do for next year? It's not too early to plan, you know.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

Football

I have a scarf and a half left to go and I'm officially done for this year. I have thoroughly enjoyed this year-long crochet project and am casting my eye about for what I will do next year. I've already decided to finish the stack of magazines on the ottoman and then we'll look at whether it will be crochet or cross-stitch that we jump into head first with January 2014.

Football is great for crafting. I can have it on but I don't have to give it my attention, unlike a movie. I get quite a bit crocheted while I am "watching" a football game.

Yesterday was the last regular season football game for Iowa. Now we wait a couple weeks to find out which bowl game wants to give us a bazillion dollars to have the Hawkeye faithful come, en masse, and pump billions into the local economy. It's well-known that when you invite Iowa to a bowl game, the fans come too, lots of fans, lots and lots of fans. We're kind of nutty that way.

Anyway, we played Nebraska. In the past two years, it's not been much of a game. I've been able to watch it on TV, but have been slightly embarrassed by Iowa's lack of competitiveness. Plus, I think this is a manufactured rivalry. If it was Iowa State and Nebraska, yeah. They were in the Big 12 conference together for decades. But then Nebraska came to the Big 10 and the powers that be needed something to hype. They came up with a trophy they had the fans name. It's called the "Hero Trophy". Maybe, in 50 years, it will mean something, but right now, it's a silver football on a pedestal. Sorry Big 10. It has no flavor of "Floyd of Rosedale". All it represents is the last game of the year for both teams.

For me, it was a chance to watch the Hawkeyes on TV, something that's rare around here unless I get cable. I put my feet up in the recliner, pulled my current scarf project into my lap and worked on that. But it's kind of hard to be devoted solely to the game or to the project at hand when you get a seat mate.

All I have to do is put my hand on the recliner and she flops down on top of it to get chin and ear scratches. You can't hear the loud purring. She is one contented cat.

Pilchard sat in my lap for a time, but Iowa played a stellar game. After the third or fourth cheer from me, which frightened both of them, Pilchard got off the lap and went to the footrest.

She stayed there through the rest of the game. Mija would startle and run away, coming back when I called to her. But, by the end of the first half, she decided I was way too noisy for her liking. She spent the rest of the game on my bed. Iowa wound up beating Nebraska soundly and I got most of the next to last scarf done.

Now, tomorrow, I will select a game, pick up my crochet hook and work on finishing this current scarf so I can start on the last one to be completed. I probably won't know the score of tomorrow's game because I have it on strictly for the background noise. As much as I don't care about pro football, it does have the one use as noise for crocheting.

Beverage:  Berry flavored seltzer

Deb

We're Okay

To say there was "a little weather" in Chicagoland yesterday is a profound understatement. When I went to bed on Saturday night, I was aware we were to have rain, potentially heavy, on Sunday. Around midnight, the weather service changed our "moderate" risk to "high risk" of damaging winds and hail, heavy rains and the potential for tornadoes. I didn't hear any of that.

Sunday, I decided to bring in the deck chairs, finally. I opened the back door and, whoa. The temperatures were hovering around 70 degrees, in mid-November, in Chicagoland. It was so nice, I decided to bring in a chair and then grab my next scarf project and sit on the deck. The sky was heavily overcast so I knew any enjoyment of the mild air would be fleeting.

By the time I collected the next skein of yarn and made it to the back door, it was raining. It was a spotty shower but contained lightning and thunder. I logged onto the computer to check the weather. It was 11:45. The first tornado of the day had hit Washington, Illinois, a suburb of Peoria, a good 2 hour drive south of me.

Concerned, because there was a tornado watch issued for me, I turned on the television. NBC, Channel 5, came up since I'd watched them the last time I'd watched TV. They had graphics and drawings and 3D models. They had been on the air; on the air; since 10:30 a.m. watching this storm. They had red and orange and purple and yellow images. I haven't seen that much of those colors since the psychedelic 1960's. They had charts and arrows and models showing tornadic rotation, all of it heading toward Chicago. I watched, sitting snugly in my recliner. At 12:10, NBC announced another tornado, spawned from the same cell that had passed over Washington, Illinois, was on the ground south of Chicago. It was moving north northeast. The storm track took it well south of Wheaton.

At 12:15, a large cell of this storm line passed over me and started pouring rain. You couldn't see across the street. The lightning was nearly constant for about 5 minutes and the wind made all the trees in the yard groan. But, as quickly as it hit, it passed.

That's what was quite amazing to me, how fast this whole system blasted through Chicagoland. It was moving at 55 to 60 miles per hour.

I turned to Channel 2, CBS, to check on the Bears' football game. There was nothing going on at Soldier Field other than the Baltimore Ravens were leading, 20 minutes into the game, 10 to nothing. Ah yes. It's just another sorry football game in the life of a Bears fan. Normally, I wouldn't care about the Bears but I was curious about the weather in Chicago. They cut away for a commercial and the Channel 2 meteorologist came on screen with updates.

This projected track, the red box, took the storm dangerously close to downtown Chicago and Soldier Field, where there was a football game in progress. My location is in the center of the box, which is the outline of the county where I live, where the "12:00 PM" ends. I wasn't going to be affected by this cell. I would have to deal with heavy rain.

When they cut back to the game, the evacuation order had been given to get people out of the stands as lightning had hit a skyscraper in visible proximity to Soldier Field.

I don't remember the last time I saw a pro football game in Chicago suspended for weather. Baseball gets this all the time, and high school foot ball games can find themselves, in those early season late August and early September Friday night games, running afoul of thunderstorms, but not the Bears. Then they panned the camera skyward.

That's not what went over me. I realized that the cell that went over me had moved, as the whole line of storms moved, north northeast. These clouds were the advance wave of what was in that above red box. I've sat through my share of downpours, sleet, and snow at Iowa football games but there is no way anyone should be in the stands at any event when the threat of severe weather with lightning, hail and high winds are incoming.

For the next 2 hours, the news told of tornadoes destroying sections of towns, perhaps even whole small towns in eastern Illinois. I watched as the rain and wind pounded Soldier Field. At one point, you couldn't see across the field, it was raining so hard. News reports were coming in of tornadoes reported in the south suburbs but it was moving east, more than north. By 2:30 p.m., I had sunshine. The first band of storms well to the east and moving out across Lake Michigan and into Michigan.

Another, smaller, band of showers came through around 4. It was accompanied by extremely high straight-line winds and the cold front arrived around 8. It had been 68 at 11. It was 43 by 8 p.m.

The girls started the adventure with me, Pilchard in my lap and Mija next to me on the recliner. But the thunder scared them so that they found more comfort just sleeping on shirts I left on my bed. I would get up, every 15 minutes or so, and check on them, but they stayed there through the whole afternoon. When the winds picked up, around 4, the power started to flicker, dim and finally went out completely. It would be out for a minute or two and come back on. I'd fix the time on the microwave only to have the power go out. I was also trying to cook supper so I really needed some time without the flickering. I quit fixing the time (in fact, I think it's still wrong) and got supper cooked when the power went out for a good 45 minutes. I wound up eating spaghetti and meatballs in the dark.

Rooting in the closet, I found my flashlight, propped it up on the back of the recliner and spent the time after supper crocheting the next scarf.

Between watching the news and crocheting by flashlight, I got a lot done on this particular scarf. The power came back on for good about 20 after 6.

The devastation is terrible. The stories of survival are incredible. While the latest tornado on record in Chicago is December 4, 1957, and there is a potential for this kind of weather any month of the year, you can't tell me there's not something to climate change. It shouldn't be 70 degrees in November in the Midwest, maybe in Louisiana or Arkansas, but not Chicago. We should be thinking that 50 is balmy at this time of year.

I have some small branches to clean up is all. We're okay. My heart aches for those who lost everything with Thanksgiving only 10 days away.

Beverage:  Irish Breakfast tea

Deb

Christmas Crochet

I've been busy with the hook. Thanks to Iowa being on television for a couple of Saturdays, I've managed to work through almost half of the scarves left to create. I just started stacking them one on top of the other but this thing called "gravity" took over and toppled the stack. So, I made two stacks.

These above are all marked who gets what. Of course, that is subject to change once I finish the last 10 and actually start wrapping and shipping, but, right now, I know who gets which color.

This is the other stack. I haven't marked who gets what, yet. I'm just working on each scarf. I'm very much in love with the yarns I selected for this project. From the stripes through the heathers to the variegated, I love how each one turned out. 

Beverage:  Yorkshire Gold tea

Deb

The Next Batch

Having had some lovely afternoons after work and weekends to get back into the swing of crochet ...

... and finishing the recent sherbet colored scarf, it is time to take stock and move on to the next batch of scarves on the list. The first step was creating a list to ascertain what I have left to complete. The next step was checking to see what was on sale and where so I could maximize my pennies. As I had to make a trip to JoAnn Fabrics, and they sell yarn, that was the place to go. My local JoAnn has been remodeled and, although it's still a small store, seems to have more of a yarn selection than before. I came back with this pile.

I'm drawn to the variegated yarns. I find the finished product looks quite unique. All the yarn was on sale 25% off which made this a not very expensive haul.

I started with the tan color. I foresee a lot of lap time and movie watching in the next few weeks.

Beverage:  Lady Grey Tea

Deb

After Work

My goodness has it been gorgeous lately. We really couldn't ask for better weather. The nights are a bit too chilly to have windows open but during the day, it gets up into the 70's, which makes for an extremely delightful afternoon when I get home from work. The girls and I have been taking advantage of these afternoons.

My crochet project and I; feet up on the deck table and just being in the autumn warmth. Not sure who is getting this scarf for Christmas. I have quite a few more to make so afternoons like this, when I can spend time just crocheting are gifts.

And yes, I do own plain color socks. I won't tell you how old these are. They have worn like cast iron, however. I have never had to repair these in any way and there are some printed socks that I've given up on, they have worn out so fast.

The only drawback to this hour of sitting is that the girls can't seem to be outside at the same time. Mija really is cowed by Pilchard.

Even if HRH is up here on the railing behind me, Mija spots her and won't come outside. She longs to be out, just like Pilchard, but they can't seem to be outside on the deck together. It's really odd because they will still sleep in the recliner, one on one side and one on the other, and they are now occupying the bed with me, each in their corner. It frustrates me and it seems no amount of cooing and soothing tones and ear scratches keeps them both out here with me.

This is the kind of weather I love. There is a chance of rain this weekend, but if that moves away, you can be sure my afternoons will be spent with hot tea, a cat or two and my crochet, drinking in the warm autumn sunshine and fresh air.

Beverage:  English Breakfast tea

Deb

Crafting Again

I've been tidying up around the house and stumbled across a bag of yarn that went to Virginia and back. I had these grandiose ideas that I'd just sit and craft while spending evenings talking with my daughter. Yeah, I overpack. I could have left that bag and a couple other things behind because I didn't need them.

In putting away the bag, I realized fall is fast approaching and I didn't do any crafting during what was the summer. Not a thing. One of my friends periodically posts a number of days to Christmas post and that seriously scares me. Will I be ready? So, this week, I sat down, hauled out the crochet hook and began crafting.

Then, I found the list with all the names and the colors and realized, I don't have that many left to make and I will be done. Funny how that happens.

Beverage:  Mixed Berry Seltzer

Deb

Winnings

A while back, Dragon Stitches and Stuff, a blog you can find to the right or by following the link, had a contest to give away the instructions to make these two pillows. My name was drawn and they arrived at the end of last week.

Now, applique and I have never really gotten along. I find her to be quite finicky and sometimes, outright demanding. So why do what was required for a contest with the idea that I could, actually, win? Well, the left pillow doesn't really interest me. The right pillow, however shows great potential. Oh yes, I can have great fun with that design.

Now, now, don't cluck at me about how I have 3 boxes of patterns and magazines and incomplete projects. Also please to remove your nose from the office closet where my boxes of fabric are located. I know. I know. I need another pattern filled with good intentions like I need a zit on the top of my nose. Since I've had the zit, your argument is invalid. ;)

I intend to put my feet up during this vacation that is rapidly approaching, watch movies and get back into crochet. I also set aside the cross-stitch I started in early April because I was working on it when the car died at the end of April. You know how things take on the association with events? Well, I haven't touched it since getting home from that misadventure. I've decided to pull it out and work on it again. One afternoon with the thread laid out across the back of a cat who wants my lap and I'll feel that I can pick it up again and finish it. The whole goal of selecting the project in the first place was that I've had it for years and I'm trying to remove projects. (I hear you clucking at me. Shhhh.)

This pillow isn't something I'll drop everything to work on. It's going in the box with the other grand ideas. When I get around to it, you'll be the first to know.

Beverage:  water

Deb

Next Project

That's a dozen scarves. I finished the last one last night. With it being a lovely day today, I thought I'd drape them over the deck railing. That's quite a stellar bunch there.

Here they are stretched out on the bed.

Each one is earmarked for someone. No, I'm not posting the names. HA! Some of these recipients actually read the blog.

Mija got into the act as I was trying to take photos from all angles.

The bed is her territory and I was changing it so she had to check this out. 

There are several which are the same color and I lined them all up. 

Hmmm. This has potential as a design for a lap blanket or even just a throw over the bed. But I think I would start with an initial chain that was as long as I wanted the blanket to be. Then there would be no worries about matching stripes. 

This is incredibly fun. I can get one of these done in a week to 10 days. Even an hour's worth of work yield's 6-8 inches or 3-5 stripes. 

What's been interesting is that the striped scarves are all from the Team Spirit design by Red Heart. They are all 5 ounce skeins but they aren't all the same length when finished. It's a simple single and double crochet. When I first noticed this, I thought perhaps it was because I wasn't completely sure of my ability at the beginning so those scarves have a tighter crochet. No. It just seems to vary and vary widely with each skein. The variegated pink and the dark green heather are different size skeins so they will be a different length. 

Technically, I'm not done, but I'm all out of yarn. The Jeep is having some repairs done on Friday and then I can use some coupons I have from JoAnn Fabrics and buy more yarn 

Or

I could work on a counted cross-stitch picture that's next up in the stack. These are Christmas or maybe, birthday gifts. I'm way ahead of myself this year so I could stop this and go on to something else. 

Decisions. Decisions. 

Beverage:  Seltzer water

Deb

And the Crochet Goes On

I've nearly finished yet another scarf so now is a good time to post a shot of what I've done since January's initial yarn purchase and the subsequent one at the beginning of this month.

I've nearly finished the green and white one. It takes about a week of a couple hours every day and more on the weekends, to complete a scarf. To say I am having fun with this would be a huge understatement. I watched "Brave" and "The Princess Bride" over the weekend while working. It's bonding time for Pilchard and I and she's come to expect this lap time. If she doesn't get it, I get "yelled" at. It was tough this past weekend because I wanted to spend the afternoon poking around in the new computer. But some things are not denied. She's really good about having the scarf thrown across her as she sleeps. Mija jumps up onto the recliner and sleeps next to us.

It took me a few days of this to get over my "I'm not getting anything done" idea. I am so getting things done. These are Christmas or, maybe, birthday gifts. If I didn't sit down now and work on them, I'd have to scramble at the end of the year. The difference is, at this point, I can take my time. I can watch the weather people run around waving their hands at the awful snow heading our way. I can giggle at movie lines, listen to jazz or sit in comfortable silence.

I'm having a blast.

Beverage:  water

Deb

$20 and 2 Months

To say I am enjoying crocheting scarves would be something of an understatement. Witness the latest purchase.

JoAnn Fabrics had the Team Spirit yarn on sale, along with other selections. The sale ended last Saturday so, Saturday morning, my mental list of recipients and I headed to the store. Four of the colors were already decided upon when I walked in. The other two were decided on the spot. One was a spur of the moment purchase because they had the color I wanted.

What was missing was the coupons for more off the purchase price. Those were left, conveniently, on the ottoman next to the recliner where I sit and crochet. But, never fear, the check out lane has the appropriate coupons and the whole lot cost me an Andrew Jackson and change.

Here's the current tally.

That's four black and gold and I finished the green and yellow yesterday afternoon. I rummaged around in the bag and pulled out the black and red skein so that's the next scarf to be completed.

It takes approximately 8 days to crochet a scarf. I come home from work, do some chore, start dinner, sit and crochet for a bit. Then, after dinner, I sit for at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half. The big black cat loves this time for my lap is free just for her. She settles down and sits, sometimes for the duration of my sitting. On weekends, I'll crochet for the whole afternoon and she happily falls asleep. Mija will sit next to me in the recliner or on the back. It makes for a very calm afternoon.

I had thought, once I finished the four black and gold scarves, that I'd go back to cross-stitch but I am having a lot of fun doing this. I do have pain in the fat part of my left hand, below the thumb. I haven't figured out how to hold the scarf  for long periods of time without this pain. Dr. Francis says it's osteoarthritis, not rheumatoid, that is causing this pain. I set the crochet down for about 10 minutes, then pick it back up and work for another hour or so. The pain doesn't interfere to the point of my considering quitting this project.

I'm on the fence about attaching fringe. The colors that reflect the people for whom I'm making them are a very disparate bunch. There isn't one unifying color. Obviously, black could be used for a lot of these, but not for some of them. So, I may not add fringe. It might be superfluous to the scarf anyway.

So, if you want me, I'll be in the recliner with my hook and my cat. I have enough yarn for a couple months. By then, it might be on sale again.

Beverage:  Lady Gray tea

Deb

Happy Feet, Sort Of

This is not a post about my socks although aren't those cool? Those are valentine argyle socks I've had for years. They could also be Christmas although they lack any green.

This is not a post about my new Clarks sort of tennis shoes but aren't those cool? They were a bit tight at the strap line when I bought them at the beginning of the month but they have loosened up with more wear. I feel reasonably secure walking across snowy ground when I wear these. That is a huge plus.

This is a post about my doctor's visit. "You're in the best shape since July, really," Dr. Francis said. "You did have a flare but as long as we keep those under control, you're doing well and I don't see a reason to have you take Orencia right now.

Wha?

It must be said that this caught me completely off guard. I am stiff in the morning. It takes 15-30 minutes to get going. Standing up is not something I do quickly. My knees hurt. I'd rather just sit with my legs elevated. I know that's not good from a health point of view, but my attempts at moving more get me nowhere. Pilchard loves my lap on weekend afternoons and after work. I love the no stress on the knees.

"Your knees are having trouble with osteoarthritis, not rheumatoid arthritis. I'm going to have physical therapy give you a call. They will help you with exercises to get you moving again. Once the strength is built up in your knees, it will help you feel better in your hips when you get out of bed."

Oh. It's osteoarthritis. That's what dad had in his knees. I have to give PT a call on Monday and get that process going. Orencia won't help osteoarthritis. I already knew that.

I've had some problems in my left thumb joint when I'm crocheting. It doesn't hurt when I cross-stitch, only when I crochet. I looked at my hands. How lost I would feel if I lost the ability to be crafty. This pain in the joint where the thumb met the hand had me worried.

"That's not rheumatoid, either. It's osteo. You'll have to see how much you can stand. Warmth will help get more blood flowing to that joint. If it only hurts when you do crochet for awhile, see if you can modify how you hold things. If it lingers for over an hour after you're done, take an aspirin. Aspirin was used to treat both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis for years."

Well, that doesn't merit Orencia either. I'd received a welcome packet and a welcome letter from Bristol-Myers that said I was enrolled in the Orencia program. Dr. Francis had not received a "yes she is" letter however, so she didn't know if insurance had agreed to pay for it.

My blood work looked good, except for low vitamin D levels, which I have rectified. It slowly dawned on me. I really was better than in December when I saw her last. I just can't see it because my knees are giving me so much trouble.

What does this mean, ultimately? Orencia, when or if insurance sends the "yes" letter, is going to be put on hold. I don't need it right now. "Orencia will suppress your immune system. Right now, you don't really need that. You're doing fine, really, you are." I do have moderate rheumatoid arthritis. I do need to watch and learn what triggers a flare up and I need to let her know, within 24 hours, when I'm having problems. I have to go for PT and I have to see my regular doctor for a regular check up. She wants to make sure nothing else is askew thanks to the disease.

I walked to the car. My knees hurt. It was cold and the cold seemed to heighten the pain. "I want to use the least invasive treatments possible," Dr. Francis said. "That's physical therapy for your knees, to help you get more active."

I can agree with that. Less invasive. I don't know that I'll be waltzing any time soon, but I can get behind this.

Beverage:  Darjeeling tea

Deb

Time Off

I've worked at my job 13 years now. It's easy to figure out because I was hired in 2000. This kind of math I can do. I've accumulated some vacation time. I've blogged before about how I struggle to redefine "vacation" into something that works for me. There is still this idea that a "vacation" means packing bags and going some place. It hasn't been an option for me in some time. My last "get away" vacation was last March when I went to celebrate April's recovery from a stroke. A day out, a couple days there and a day back, with a day to recover. Time spent with friends is never wasted.

But I haven't gone anywhere since. I take a day here and there; the day the plumber came to fix the tub drain; an extra day at Christmas; an extra day when Carole and David came for Niles' wedding. I think and sometimes dream about a week some place. I know a couple of friends are cruising this week. I did that once. It might be fun to go again.

After the blizzard of 2011 and the 5 days it took me to shovel out, I worry about not having vacation days to use if that were to occur again. So, I squirrel away days, not take them during the year, in the anticipation of something that, last year, didn't come anywhere near us. I think I shoveled twice, maybe, and that was, at the most 3 inches of fluffy snow. Hardly something to be worried about. I accrue new days on January 1st so I would have days if I needed them. The mindset still holds.

So, I find myself with 8 days to use up before the 31st of March. I'm taking 3 of those days beginning tomorrow. I simply told myself that I deserved them. It's quiet now, we're not busy. I can take those days. I'm entitled to them. What am I going to do with them?

2012 taxes. Tomorrow is the first day the IRS is accepting refunds and they have indicated refund checks will be delayed. I kind of feel like Ned Flanders from The Simpsons who always did his taxes on January 1st. I figure if I owe money, I have until April 15th to save up to pay. If they owe me money, I want that, as soon as possible, not in May or whenever it gets to me.

I'm going to run errands. The list is long. I need green ribbon. I need garbage stickers. I need stamps because the price of stamps went up a penny on Sunday. I'm going to do my grocery shopping and pay bills.

I think I'd like to see the animated movie, "Wreck-It, Ralph". It's supposed to be pretty funny and a 2nd run theatre near me claims to have it showing during the day. Then it won't conflict with my WOW playing. I think I'll order delivery pizza and take myself to Steak 'n Shake. I scheduled a doctor's appointment for Thursday during the day instead of making a mad dash at the end of the day.

I'm going to get caught up on the wash and I want to bake. I'm going to finish a crochet scarf and start another and I'm going to encourage the big black cat to lie in my lap all afternoon while I watch a movie and crochet. I'm going to research new computers and have my head so full of gigabites and flash drives and back-lit LED screens that I won't know which one looks the best.

I'm going to sleep late but try to rearrange my sleep schedule so that I'm going to bed at a decent time. I can get a solid 5 hours but that doesn't really seem to be enough for me. I sleep too much on the weekends and not enough during the week. RA has something to do with that, but it's also me and my chosen hours. They aren't conducive to good sleep.

And, I'm going to get my hair cut. It's too long. I'm going to get 2-3 inches cut off. I'm going to get bangs back. When I can pull it back into a decent pony tail, it's too long.

That's what I'm going to do on vacation. The biggest thing is not to feel guilty that I'm not going anywhere. Time off is meant to be taken and meant to be enjoyed. It's "me" time and many of my friends would argue I don't take enough of that.

Beverage:  Huckleberry tea

Deb

So THAT'S What This is

I was sitting in the recliner last week, BBC in the lap, crocheting away. I put up the footrest and Mija will lie under it. We were all nice and content when we heard this noise. It sounded like something fell over by the front window; something the weight of a piece of paper. The girls heard it too and both of them went to investigate the source of the sound.

Mija found it first. As she started pawing at it, I was certain it was a bug. Pilchard investigated it but wasn't inclined to paw at it. It seemed to jump about but, after about 10 minutes of watching and cat scanning, they came back to the recliner. I figured it was a fly. Flies will get inside a nook or a cranny and sort of hibernate. Then, as it warms up, they move, groggily, into the air, falling because the air temperature is not what is needed for them. You just scoop them up and either flush or toss outside. Shakespeare used to eat the flies he'd find in the winter.

I ignored the location of the noise until it was time to make supper. When I went to look, I saw the above. Okay, it's a harlequin bug, otherwise known, to me, as a potato bug. These bugs are destructive to potato plants. I scooped it up in a tissue and flushed. I don't grow potatoes but I know it's not a beneficial insect to have about the house. I didn't give it another thought.

Then, late last week, a news story in my green news feed caused me to think about what I'd flushed. "If you live along the East Coast, there's a pretty good chance that stink bugs may be lurking in your attic or even behind your curtains. The invasive insects from Asia, which exude a rubber-like stench when you crush them, are a nuisance for you, but a serious pest for farmers." (Full article here.) I took a look at the photo and remembered the bug I had flushed. The cell phone photo doesn't give decent resolution but they looked the same.

I've heard, from friends, that the stink bug smell is horrid, that it can take days to rid your hands, clothing and house of the smell from one crushed bug. If that's exactly what this was, and I think the photo's similarities can't be ignored, I am very glad I just scooped it up, as I do with spiders, and flushed it. Of course now I'm kind of wishing I'd dropped the thing in a plastic bag and taken it to the University of Illinois Extension Office for proper identification. I know harlequin bugs. They look very similar to stink bugs. I would think, however, that a stink bug's presence would want to be known since they are an invader.

There has not been another since the one. I will be on the look out, now that I know there's the possibility of stink bugs. I'm really glad the girls just play with bugs and don't eat them. I've never smelled a stink bug and don't want to. I can't imagine how bad they'd taste.

Beverage: Darjeeling tea

Deb

Neck Catterpillars

One scarf is done. I worked a half day yesterday because we had a meeting in the evening I have to go to for work. So, I came home and finished one scarf.

I looked at this lying across the deck railing and thought, I could put big googly eyes and antenna on one end and then crochet a bunch of feet and this would be a really great centipede stuffed animal.

To give you a better idea of the length, here it is lying on the love seat recliner.

It runs from my ankle to my waist. This is one skein's worth of crochet with a size "I" hook.

I wrapped it around my neck and decided this was, most definitely, long enough. You would fold it to wrap it about your neck and then tuck it into your jacket. It seemed to me to be nice and warm. So, one skein per scarf it is, which is nice for the pocketbook.

I'm still on the fence about fringe on the ends. Should I or shouldn't I? The thing about the fringe is that I'm not doing all the scarves in this old gold and black color scheme. I'll wind up with a bunch of skeins of yarn that I have no use for beyond fringe. Still, fringe might make the scarf look more finished. I'm so on the fence about this.

The task is to finish off the four skeins I bought at the beginning of the month. Then, I'll go to one of the cross-stitch projects I selected for someone. Then, I'll go back to another few scarves. Alternating projects will keep my interest up and keep me going. My left and right thumbs ache today and I think it's because I crocheted a third of a scarf yesterday after finishing the one above. I should probably give my hands a rest but this is so much fun.

It's supposed to be in the single digits temperature-wise this coming week. I'm thinking of giving a scarf a test run, just to check the warmth. Some potential recipients have birthdays upcoming and, for a moment, I thought I could send them a finished scarf now. Nah, I want everyone to get their scarf at Christmas. It's more fun that way.

Beverage:  English Breakfast tea

Deb

Like Riding a Bicycle

Inspiration for my projects comes in many forms. I've been on a cross-stitch kick for the last couple of years. I love making things for my friends and family. I realize that not everyone in my address book has received something handmade and so I'm going through that book, looking at a name and thinking, "It's time to send her something." Or, I'll be looking through my boxes of magazines or project kits and think, "I should make this for x." I used to put paperclips on the pages of the item I thought someone would like. Years, yes, years later, I find the clips and wonder either who I was going to make this for or why I though anyone would like this. Tastes change.

As I was intent upon taking December off from crafting, in the back of my mind I was going to hit the ground running, so to speak, in January with crochet. Michele Made Me blog to the right, was the inspiration. That link goes to the actual post that caused me to consider crochet, way back in November. Then, the computer hard drive died. I thought about crochet for something to do, but I couldn't afford to buy yarn and I have none set aside anywhere. I got rid of all my yarn years ago during a low time of my life. Some of it was just nasty after years in the basement. I just couldn't see keeping the good stuff. I wasn't into crafting. I was into personal emotional survival and sitting for hours with a crochet hook was not on my agenda.

But then Red Heart had to create this Team Spirit yarn in a variety of two colors. JoAnn Fabrics put the yarn on sale at the beginning of January and I squeezed a purchase into the budget. In preparation for the arrival of the plumber, I cleaned the area under the bathroom pipes and found my crochet basket. All of this exposition leads up to starting to crochet on Monday. I gingerly opened the top of that basket. The left hinge is broken and the top sort of flops around. I should look at it and see what can be done to fix it.

There were two crochet hooks in the top shelf but both were small, more for crocheting thread than yarn. In the bottom, I found these.

Oh yes. I remember. This set was a Christmas gift long ago. This is size "D" through "K". Anything smaller than "D" is for thread. I don't know that I've seen anything larger than "K" but it's possible. Heck, anything is possible, really.

I found, back in December when I did a search through my magazines for the crafts I will attempt this year, a pattern for a scarf. As I have not done crochet in years, I thought it best to start with something relatively simple and a scarf made of single and double crochets is the perfect thing. Plus, I think that will do nicely with the pattern of the yarn.

I also decided to use one size up from the "H" they recommended. This will make the scarf go a bit quicker and be easier for me to work with. I had no idea how crochet would work with my RA. This was going to be an adventure from start to finish.

I sat down in the recliner, put up my feet, picked up my "I" hook and the yarn and couldn't remember anything about how to start. Well, this is certainly NOT what I was expecting. Thank goodness for YouTube. I found two excellent videos on learning to crochet. I watched them both with my hook in one hand and the yarn in another. Oh that's right. I do know how to do this. "It's just like riding a bicycle." Yeah, it is. I used to do this all the time in college. Granny squares were big back then.

So, on Monday, I sat down, again, in the recliner and started work.

I didn't do much. It was just enough to see how the pattern of the yarn was going to translate into the scarf and to feel comfortable that I really did know what I was doing after all these years.

Last night, I did a whole lot more. I'd been sent out into the field and when I got home, I didn't want to do anything but sit back in the recliner, get Pilchard in my lap and crochet. She attempted to play with the yarn just once, but it doesn't seem to hold much appeal for her. Mija came over to see what I was doing but she wasn't interested in attacking the yarn either. I'm going at a good clip, I think.

Doesn't it look kind of like a wooly bear caterpillar, which causes me to giggle when it's laid out like this? The pattern is just single and double crochet. I'm liking how the colors change. I have no idea how many skeins of yarn it will take to get as long as I would like. This particular pattern has fringe on the ends. I'm not sure about that either. We'll just have to see when I crochet as long as I'd like this to be if adding fringe adds to the scarf or detracts from it.

One of my prized possessions is a crochet lap blanket that my college friend, Laurie, made for me years ago.

It is so amazing. She had no idea of the colors of my living room and she matched it perfectly. The stitch quality of this blanket is perfect and I have made good use of it over the years. I can actually wash it on delicate cycle in the machine and then drape it over the shower curtain rod or the deck railing to dry and it holds its shape. If all I did was crochet, I might get to emulate her ability. My scarf pales in comparison. The girls love her blanket too, particularly Mija. I have it over the back of the recliners and that's where I'll find her, asleep.

Crocheting is okay on my hands. I do feel some aching in my left thumb and my wrist with its "piano-key" joint will make funny noises as I stitch. It's quite a different movement than cross-stitching. I don't have a proper bag to carry this project in to appointments or to travel where I can sit and stitch while being some place so I'll have to improvise. There is a doctor visit upcoming for RA so I can bring this along and say, "Listen. Hear the pop?" I feel that crochet is like exercise for my hands. I would be loathe to have to give this up now that I've remembered how to do it and it goes really fast.

So, I've embarked on a new crafting adventure. Step one is to see how much yarn it takes to make a scarf of the length I deem appropriate. Then determine how long will it take to make one. Then, do I want to do this for everyone on my list, even those that "Ooooh, this cross-stitch would make them happy"? Ah the dilemma of multi-medium crafters.

Beverage:  English Breakfast tea

Deb

Holiday Stitching

I hate holidays in the middle of the week. You work up to it, have the day off and then work away from it. My whole semblance of normalcy, not to mention the girls looking at me quizzically when I struggled to haul it out of bed at 10 a.m., is out of sorts. I wasn't expected to stay up late on the 31st, I just did. I could go to bed at 11:00, as I usually do, and the world would have passed into a new page on a new calendar without me. The firecrackers set off in the neighborhood would have awakened me so I just stayed up...and stayed up...and stayed up. It was 2:15 before I finally headed to bed.

So New Year's Day was something of a wash. Oh I got a load of laundry done, speaking of wash. I blogged. I made myself a pizza and ate fresh strawberries, but I was so tired. I decided the best thing to do was sit in the recliner, watch, let's see, it's 2:00, the tail end of the Cotton Bowl and the start of the Rose Bowl and do some stitching.

Um...it's New Year's Day. Where are the college football games? Cable. Oh great. It's just a "normal" Tuesday then for broadcast TV. By the time I decided a movie was in order, I had a black cat in my lap and one does not disturb the cat. Travel shows and I guess I could watch "Ellen". I've never seen her show. (I lasted 30 minutes. I think it might be a good show if the audience was so toady.)

I stitched. I have one letter left to stitch and this project is done.

You'd think, in 2 hours, I could get more done but if you've never done cross-stitch you don't know how fast it doesn't go. You're counting and changing colors, deciding which direction to go, and if you want to extend this floss over those 3 squares to get to the next color. This was quite a lot to be done in 2 hours, actually.

I have picked out the next project after this.

That's that "Team Spirit" yarn that JoAnn Fabrics had. It was on sale right after Christmas so I bought four skeins to see if I can make what I hope I can make. This project will be taking me back to my high school and college years but I'm excited to get started. The blog, Michelle Made Me, inspired me to dig out my crochet hook. I'm nervous because I haven't done crochet in a very, very long time, but I'm eager to get the hook going and what a perfect winter activity.

BUT, I have to wait until the cross-stitch project is completely finished. I turned the Christmas lights off on the tree last night. Tradition keeps them on 24/7 from the 17th through New Year's Day. It felt kind of sad to turn them off and walk through the now dark house to the bedroom. The tree itself comes down this coming weekend. I can't bear to do it sooner. Finishing the cross-stitch will involve hauling out the sewing machine and I need a place to set that up. Plus, Pilchard wants her box that usually sits on the table where the tree is, back. I pulled it out but it's not in the same place so she is a bit irritated by that. By week's end, we will be back to what life was like on November 20, 2012.

Now that it's January 2nd, I'm looking ahead to December 2013 gifts. Maybe that's what it's like for people who craft. We are looking at what gives us pleasure to make to give away. There are a lot of birthdays between then and now and some of what I make could go for birthday presents. I just know that I'm happy when I am making something.

Beverage:  Irish Breakfast tea

Deb

Oh My!

I took the last cross-stitch of 2012 to JoAnn Fabrics to be framed. Amazingly, although I probably shouldn't be surprised, since it was December 1st, it will be done on or before December 15th. With luck, the recipient will have the cross-stitch under their tree BEFORE Christmas. Astounded, I am. 

As I was leaving the framing department, I passed this display. 

Now, I've been thinking of taking up my crochet hook. Look at what we have there. Iowa Hawkeyes/Pittsburg Steelers colors to be sure. Bears colors at the lower left and Packers colors at the upper right. They had Jets colors in a bin below this. I see Minnesota and the blue and red of the Cubs. The blue and gold of Michigan was below and the upper left is Vikings. 

I can see scarves, 4 feet long, in the team colors of everyone I know who actually roots for some sporting team. I don't know that I actually have a crochet scarf pattern, but something like that is bound to be easy to find on the Internets. I have a wide variety of sizes of crochet needles, too, so I'm sure to find just the right size to make the project go reasonably fast. 

Tempting. So, very, very tempting. I love cross-stitching, as you probably have guessed, but there is something to be said for revisiting an old hobby. I used to crochet, a lot, when I was in college. I vowed this month would be a month of not doing any cross-stitching. I would read instead. After seeing this, and I have a feeling this yarn is available all year 'round, I'm thinking my reading is of my craft magazines to plan who gets what next Christmas. I couldn't afford to buy any yarn until next month but I could plan. 

Is it a sign? 

Beverage:  Huckleberry tea

Deb