Yarnification

I am better now…

I have finished MIL’s doilies! Kinda. I still need to weave in the ends (I didn’t bring my hook case to work with me, just the hook I was using, so I can’t do that until I get home) and block them. I’ll be blocking them tonight. In the middle of the night, no less, because I don’t get out of work until midnight. This could be an interesting experience!

I also finally faux-laminated my doily and snowflake blocking patterns with packing tape a week or two ago, so with any luck the blocking thing should go a bit better than usual. I’ll be seeing MIL on Saturday, so I need to get this wrapped up.

And! Let’s have WIP Wednesday, even though it’s not Wednesday!

In progress (crochet and otherwise):
• Dreaming doilies for MIL (one is the coaster size, which is the size she asked for, and one is the small doily size; no link because I last I checked Denise’s site was still down so the link I have is broken). Status: all done apart from a couple of ends and blocking.
• Petite Pineapple doily for my mom. Status: I want to say it’s about half done, but that could be wishful thinking.
• Marvie’s purse with no name. Status: done apart from lining. (My sewing machine is about 30 years old and thus weighs about nine hundred pounds and is stored in the mud room, which means that every time I think about sewing lately there’s all kinds of “wah! it’s heavy! my back hurts!” I have some other sewing projects I keep putting off as well, so the current plan is to take a painkiller some evening soon and get my sewing done. I know, I know, I’m living on the edge here.)
• Seraphina shawl. Status: I’m not really sure, but last time I worked on it (at least a month ago) I was at the point where I’d started trying it on every so often to see if it was long enough yet.
• In Your Shoes ankle socks. Status: 1½ socks finished. A few weeks ago I needed a break from thread and reached for them one night but made such a hash of things that I had to frog everything I did that night. Note to self: That sucked. Don’t do that again.
• Assorted thread projects (mostly doilies, possibly a snowflake or two) that I keep coming across while looking for thread. Status: confused. Some of this stuff I’m not even sure what pattern I was using; I usually keep a post-it with the yarn or thread but apparently my system has fallen apart here.
• Tie-backs for the curtains I made ages ago (last spring?) This is another procrastination project. I need to figure out how to use the interfacing I bought. (Hey, I never said I was actually good at sewing!)
• Other things in progress: A tatted edging and a knit swatch, neither of which will ever be a real finished object since they’re things I’m working on for practice.

(Also, just in case I didn’t have enough hobbies already, I am trying to learn to play the mandolin.)

I still have no pictures of those doilies, because they still aren’t done. Ack! The second one of the pair I’m making for my mother-in-law is very nearly done, just half a round to go, and I should be able to finish that and get it on the blocking board tonight and with any luck mail it tomorrow. I have further to go with my mom’s doily, but I think it should be done in a couple of days.

I’m a little under the weather today. (Nothing serious. You don’t want to hear about it.) So I’m getting virtually nothing done at work, just catching up on reading blogs, though I haven’t been commenting because I feel dopey from the medication I took after I started feeling sick earlier. I’d really love a nap, but that’s probably not going to happen.

Anyway just thought I’d post something so it wouldn’t look like I vanished off the face of the earth. But I’m babbling incoherently so I’m just going to leave it at that…

I haven’t posted much in a while apart from random drive-by quiz results, have I?

I expect to have some photos shortly; I’m in a crunch trying to finish up some gifts, doilies for my mom and my mother-in-law. The one for MIL is done already apart from blocking, but it’s itty-bitty. That’s what she wanted, a tiny little doily, but I’m hoping to make a matching one in a bigger size to go along with it. Right now I’m about a third or so into my mom’s doily. I’d wanted to make a bunch of snowflakes to send to various family members, too, but that didn’t really work out.

Partly I’m so late with finishing gifts and not getting as many made as I’d have liked because my hands were/are bothering me (current status: not bad at all today, though my knuckles still have been swelling up randomly). And partly because I’m having a major back pain episode and the one position that’s comfortable to sit in is murder on my neck if I try to crochet too long sitting like that.

(Anyone want some cheese to go along with that whine?)

I’m noticing that my status bars over there haven’t been updated for so long that they don’t actually bear much relation to what I’m working on these days. I’ll try to remember to do WIP Wednesday this week. But mainly I’m doing the doilies, and after those I’m going to get back to some other projects, like lining the purse that’s otherwise finished and finishing up the Seraphina shawl, which I could totally use because, well, holy early winter, Batman! It’s cold here!

And I’m trying to decide what to do with the felting yarn Lori sent me. I’ve been browsing around looking at various patterns but haven’t been able to settle on anything yet. I’ve thought about doing some felted mittens—I saw a great-looking pattern somewhere and bookmarked it. They looked so lovely and warm. But I’m thinking that for a first attempt at felting (and in a front-loading washer at that) it might be best if I did something where size isn’t critical, like a bag. If anyone has suggestions, I’d love to hear them!

And now for some quiz results! Seen at various blogs, but I can’t remember whose offhand.

You’re a scientific intellectual.

What Sort of Intellectual Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I did this days ago but only managed to get a photo today. Felted #7 (1.65mm) Boye hook:

It may need a little more felting because it’s a tad looser than the last one I did. But I was crocheting with it just fine, so maybe not.

Probably more later—busy day at work today.

The “Santa’s private dancer” bit, that is.

You Are Dancer

Carefree and fun, you always find reasons to do a happy dance. Why You’re Naughty: That dark stint you had as Santa’s private dancer. Why You’re Nice: You’re friendly. Very friendly.

What’s also probably just not right is this score, given that Don and I have been together since I was 22 and married since I was 23. Maybe that’s why I was ready to settle down that young. (Hey, don’t be looking at me like that. You mean you’ve never dated an ex’s friend?)

Your Dating Purity Score: 39%

You are an experienced dater. You’ve dated around enough to know what you want in a relationship. And you’ve got the dating skills to get exactly what you want!

And just for the “awwww” factor:

You Were a Koala

You value living life at a slow, peaceful, meditative pace. You give insightful advice, helping others to overcome obstacles.

In today’s mail I received a Shrone welcoming package from Lori, Shrone primus inter pares. (Hey, look, I remember stuff from high school Latin!)

Now, I want to say first that I’ve been a little depressed these past couple of days, and yesterday in particular was a Very Bad Day. So getting a surprise in the mail today was extra nice and made me feel all warm and fuzzy and generally cheered me up a whole lot.

And a very lovely package it is, especially since I such was a pain in the ass about not answering her emails (and everyone else’s) the past week or three!

There’s my Official Shrone Card, and look!—the letter is written on Pooh stationery. Words do not describe how much I love Winnie the Pooh. (I am more like Piglet, but I want to be Pooh.)

And there is tons of lovely yarn, Icelandic wool in a gorgeous burgundy and some very soft and pettable (is that a word? it is now) mohair blend (I think—the box is way over there and I have like 30 seconds to get this posted and get off the computer; that’s definitely what it feels like) in the prettiest soft green color.

Thank you, Lori, both for inducting me as a Shrone and for sending me such a wonderful package!

(And now I have to get off the computer and go mind the register. It’s trash night, so Don gets to round up all the cardboard that’s accumulated during the week and drag the trash out into the freezing cold while I sit on my butt at the cash register…)

Marvie and Rebecca were wondering about the practicality of crochet coasters, and I’m a big doofus and didn’t email them back, and anyway I figured they might not have been the only ones wondering.

So here’s the deal: I’ve made a few coasters out of worsted weight cotton before these ones, and they’ve worked great for me and weren’t wobbly at all, but—and this could be a big difference between stable and wobbly—we’ve only been using them for water glasses next to the bed, where they’re less likely to be knocked over by cats, and where they usually have a giant 44-ounce cup of ice water on them. So I don’t know if they’re as stable with a smaller glass, since the water cups are pretty heavy when they’re full. What I’d say is to try making one and check it out. The ones I’ve made before were Janelle’s star coaster and granted they’re a little flatter than the ones I just made. But we’ve never had any spills, not even when a cup is close to empty.

Moving on…Nope, didn’t do any crochet this weekend. I feel really scatterbrained. More so than usual. And anxious—because of the holidays coming up and me being so not ready for it, and because there’s something going on with my hands that involves random joints swelling up and being painful and stiff, then randomly getting better, then other random joints in my hands doing the same thing. (Please do not mention the word arthritis, okay? I am only 32.)

Anyway, I’m trying to get a grip on myself. Meantime, some slightly unflattering quiz results!

You Have a Melancholic Temperament

Introspective and reflective, you think about everything and anything. You are a soft-hearted daydreamer. You long for your ideal life. You love silence and solitude. Everyday life is usually too chaotic for you. Given enough time alone, it’s easy for you to find inner peace. You tend to be spiritual, having found your own meaning of life. Wise and patient, you can help people through difficult times. At your worst, you brood and sulk. Your negative thoughts can trap you. You are reserved and withdrawn. This makes it hard to connect to others. You tend to over think small things, making decisions difficult.

So I’m a bad girl, but a picky one…

You Are a Bad Girl

You are 30% Good and 70% Bad You’re a total bad girl, from your wild hair to tattooed toes. But you’re too badass to even care if you’re labeled “bad”!

Your Sexy Dress Should Be

Butterfly Halter Dress

Men See You As Choosy

Men notice you light years before you notice them You take a selective approach to dating, and you can afford to be picky You aren’t looking for a quick flirt – but a memorable encounter It may take men a while to ask you out, but it’s worth the wait