Block Party

I admit, that is a dumb title for this post. It isn't about a party at all. Sometimes it is just tough to come up with titles!

Recently a friend of mine asked me to crochet an afghan that she wanted to give to her daughter-in-law. She wanted it 6 feet X 4 feet. Doesn't that sound daunting? As it turned out, she chose a bulky yarn and a loose stitch that worked up very quickly. In fact, I think I only worked on it about three days.

One thing I tend to slack on is blocking. Do you crocheters out there always block your projects? Because this blanket was so big and stretchy, I felt it had kind of stretched out of shape as I worked on it. It is very heavy!   really needed to block it.

It was so big, I wasn't sure where to do this blocking business. I hand washed it  in the bathtub and then set up a folding table on our deck. It was exactly 6 feet long but only 2 1/2 feet wide. If I let any part of the wet blanket hang off the edge, it just kept stretching!

Guess what! I was able to moosh and squoosh until it accordianed in to that size.

I left it in the sun, weighted down because Wyoming is somewhat of a wind tunnel.

After sitting out in the sun on a hot day, for about 8 hours, it was STILL wet! I tossed it in the drier for about 15 minutes and it was STILL a bit damp!  I told you it was heavy!

I was hanging with my Mom, by her hospital bed, as I crocheted this project. She kept talking about how soft the yarn was and how much she liked it so I decided to start another, identical to it. It is soft, fuzzy yarn and has rather a comforting feel to it.

I'm happy to get to make one for Mom as well. 

My Weird TENDONcies

I have a weird tendency toward enjoying monotony. Crocheting is rather monotonous, doing the same or similar stitches over and over. One thing I enjoy about monotonous tasks is that I can feel productive but my mind can wander wherever. I can listen to books, watch Netflex, visit with people...whatever. 

However, monotony has a TENDONcy to cause me problems. I think that is just sad. Not many people enjoy the beauty of monotony as much as do I. Why oh why does it have to turn on me like that?

Nope, I didn't misspell tendency. I am literally talking about my tendons. You can already tell that this is going to be a fascinating post, can't you? Everyone wants to know more about my tendons, don't they? Well, maybe it can be educational. Maybe you also have had some weird tendoncies. 

I don't think I can remember all the tendon injuries I have developed over the years, affecting my elbow, ankles, foot and wrists.  Almost always, though, they are embarrassing and make me feel elderly. There's nothing quite like hearing a neurosurgeon, after having just done your exam, chuckling down the hall as he tells his assistant that he has a lady in there who developed lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) from CROCHETING.  OK, it was pretty funny. You can read about that one here. 

With my new job, I've been doing a lot of handwriting as I document people's answers to my health questions. We are about to go to electronic forms, just in the nick of time for me. Here's why I say that... Monday morning of this past week I woke up and before I even got out of bed I knew something was weird. My thumb didn't work right as I tried to move the blankets off myself. I was able to bend it and unbend it, although it took a bit of effort. The weird thing was, it didn't move smoothly, it "popped" open. It was so interesting, I made the motion quite a few times (20?) just to marvel at the oddness of it all. I can't say it felt very good, but it was most definitely interesting. It felt a bit like it was dislocating, but not that painful. Soon, it worked itself out and was normal the rest of the day. 

As it turns out, my thumb does that weird trick every morning now. In fact, it has become worse and hurts now down into my wrist. It isn't that painful but just a bit noticeable. Well, I'm a nurse. I work at a surgical center where trigger finger release surgeries are done. I know what is going on here. I've had patients come in with a thumb or finger stuck in a bent position. It isn't really an attractive look. I don't think I need that! Since it is my thumb, I'm thinking it would be hard to start IV's or to even hold a pen if I let it get worse. 

So, what to do? What to do? I suppose some would make an appointment with one of those doctors I know who are experts in this kind of injury.  Instead, I went to Mayo Clinic (via the internet) and read about stenosing tenosynovitis aka trigger finger. Yep, that's it! Diagnosis complete for a cost of $0. (Disclaimer: Nurses do NOT diagnose medical ailments...unless it is their own ailment.)

From what I read, especially since this has not gone on for very long, I may be able to stop the progression, maybe even heal completely. Splinting and resting it is the first step. I went online to see what is available to splint this condition. I found big ugly splints  that would do the job but not much of a fashion statement, now is it? Then, I found a pretty splint! I'm not kidding. It looks like cool jewelry. I knew that everyone would want one if they saw how pretty it was. I wouldn't  have to admit that I had a tendon problem... yet again. Here, take a look at it. Yea, nice. The price, although way cheaper than surgery, seemed a bit high for this minor injury.

But wait! I had a flashback! When I was in high school and playing basketball, I often hurt my fingers, a direct result of my inability to ever figure out how big the basketball really is. When it was thrown to me I often had my hands a smidge too close together, resulting in my fingers getting hurt. As we lived a very, very long way from a drugstore and Amazon.com was years away, we learned a cheap method of splinting. All we needed was tape and a plastic utensil. We would just break the plastic spoon, knife or whatever. Place it over the joint that needs to be immobilized and tape it in place.  It helps to cushion it with gauze (or kleenex). 

I actually got as far as breaking the plastic knife this morning before I came to my senses. I suddenly realized that I no longer live in Turner, MT and I have a wide choice of nearby drugstores.  Maybe I will go buy one of those ugly splints after all.

How about you? Do your tendons get cranky sometimes as well? Have you ever had trigger finger (or thumb) problems? Any advice?

Peaceful Anticipation

I don't know why, but yarn just fills me with a peaceful anticipation. A new skein of yarn...so nice! I love to feel it, squeeze it and plan a future for it. A skein of yarn is just full of potential.

I really, really love planning new crochet projects. I am usually dreaming up things for Wyoming Rose Boutique but this next project is more important. It is for my sister, Tina. It is not a secret; she knows about it. That is, she knows I am going to make some sort of poncho for her. She also knows it will be purple. She loves purple! But, she doesn't really know what it will look like as I don't know yet myself.

Yesterday Lisa left a comment that she wants to learn to crochet like me. Well, Lisa, here's how it goes for me. I mess around for quite some time as I try different crochet stitches. I look online and/or through crochet magazines and books. I pretty much never actually use a pattern. Even when I do, I find I keep changing it up. Often I study pictures of things that I like and then I try to figure out how it was made. It involves a lot of guessing. I admit that I often waste a lot of time before I even get going. Then, halfway through a project I think of ways I want to change it up.

So, I'm going to touch this yarn, squeeze it a bit and see if I can figure out what this purple yarn wants to be. I'll let you know how it goes!

Let's Do the Crocodile Stitch!

I crochet... a LOT. The thing is, I don't like to read patterns much. I like to read and learn new stitches but I find following a new pattern to be very, very tedious. I like to free flow it. That is I enjoy kind of making it up as I go. It is very relaxing.

HOWEVER, I was determined to make some baby booties for my youngest granddaughter, Elise. I purchased a really cute pattern that incorporated the crocodile stitch.  I LOVE the crocodile stitch! It was an adorable pattern and I really, really love Elise so I decided to just do it.  They are small, so I figured it wouldn't take long.

Well... it has been weeks.  I am a great procrastinator! The problem is, I'm not used to having to pay such close attention while I crochet.  I am also not used to having to count as I crochet.  I'd be flying along and suddenly realize I had no idea what number I was on.  Did I just say 34 or 37?  I did a lot of tearing out and starting over. Eventually, though, I settled down and realized it wasn't really all that hard. FINALLY!  I finished the little booties last night. I feel proud. I made them in white so they'd go with a lot of her little outfits.  I hope she hasn't outgrown them while I was procrastinating!

Do you like them?  The pattern I purchased also has adult sized ones just like them.  As soon as I get caught up on some Christmas projects, I think I will be trying to make a purple pair for my friend, Rebekah.  If you are interested in this pattern, or others using the crocodile stitch, check out Bonita Patterns. If I could do it, I bet you can as well! They have some really cute things.  Apparently I liked them enough to do this free commercial for them!

Oh, and one more thing... If you are placing an order at Wyoming Rose Boutique, you may type in the code word, FRIENDS, and your shipping charges will be erased!  Happy shopping!

Up-Scaling Makes Me Feel Like a Hero!

There's something new going on at our Wyoming Rose Boutique.  Yes, we're still crocheting and crafting but we've added up-scaling to the mix as well.  Have you done any up-scaling that you'd recommend?

If you don't know what I am talking about, let me break it down to two simple steps.

1)     SHOP!  Maria and I aren't too excited to shop the usual way.  We aren't big on going to department stores to find our treasures.  What is the most fun is to shop thrift stores, keeping our eyes (and minds) open.  We really try to see items through our creative vision glasses.  OK, we don't have special glasses.  But we are developing an eye for potential.  We don't always know what we are searching for until we see it.  Things that catch my attention are classic styles or delicate remnants from the past.  Sometimes it is just a unique color or texture that I want to enhance.

2)     LET YOUR IMAGINATION RUN WILD!  This is the part that takes the most time.  I take one of our treasures back to my Rose Room and start experimenting.  I can't tell you how many different ideas I worked through on this golden purse, for example.  What I ended up doing is cutting out this piece of vintage lace and appliqueing it to the front of the purse.  The lace itself has some history.  My mother-in-law gave me some of her sewing things years ago (more than 30 years) and I still have some of it.  (Carol, do you recognize it?) This lace is one of my favorites as you just can't find any like it now.  Isn't it pretty?  It took this purse to a new level of of awesome.  But, I still felt like it needed something more.  I cut and twirled and tied and imagined for quite awhile before I realized this purse just needed some bling, so I made a bracelet for it.  I was really quite pleased with the result.  I like the mixture of antique and glamour, don't you?  We have it listed on our Wyoming Rose Boutique on Etsy.

I went kind of a different way with this classic red purse.  I wanted to keep it youthful and fun but it needed some personality.  I pawed through a lot of fabric before seeing how this bright apple print wanted to bring out the best of the red purse.  I put a lot of time into the process but the result was a cheerful, unique and spunky looking up-scaled bag.  What do you think of it?

I am pretty proud of this next one.  We found this chocolatey blazer and I knew right away that it was a candidate for up-scaling.  It was in excellent condition, soft and cozy - perfect for chilly days.  It already had some interesting lines.  Some of the vertical seams actually had encased elastic that gathered it up just enough to give it some drama, but it still wasn't really living up to its potential.  I took  it home and loved it up.  It had perfectly nice covered buttons but the brown on brown just went flat.  I replaced all the buttons with cool white ones that celebrated the fun of shape.  No more round boring buttons!  Then, I started experimenting with color.  I settled on a peachy cotton thread that had kind of a special smooth finish to it.  I hand-crocheted a lace that could peek out at the bottom of the sleeves.  I did not want to over do it but I still felt it needed a bit more.  I then used more of the fun thread to crochet a flower.  I centered the flower on a cut-out of more antique lace (thanks again to my mother-in-law) that was already a daisy-like design.  I centered another of the funky buttons for the center and sewed it all together.  When I attached it to the blazer, a star was born!  To see more detailed photos just click here.  

So, there you have it.  Go shopping and see if you get any fun ideas to upscale something.  I know that it made me feel rather heroic, as though I'd rescued something from boredom.  Have fun!

p.s.  Anyone who orders from Wyoming Rose Boutique can enter the secret code at check-out to receive a 10% discount.  The secret code is:  DISCOUNT 

Special Orders Don't Upset Me

Do you remember that advertising song that went...

"hold the pickles 

hold the lettuce 

special orders 

don't upset us..."

I could clearly remember the song but wasn't sure who's commercial it was.  It used to be that when you were trying to remember something like that, you had to ask around until someone else remembered.  Often you were just left frustrated.  It's not so anymore.  If you want to know something, just Google it (or Yahoo hit, Bing hit, whatever...).  I typed in those words and this is what I found.  It is so nice that I didn't have to be frustrated wondering, "Was that McDonald's, Hardee's or Burger King's commercial?"

Anyway, I think that song was going through my head because I've been working on some special orders a lot lately.  Sometimes people ask me or Maria to make something special for them.  I love it!  I especially like it when I'm told to do it however I'd like.  Recently my friend, Kim, asked for a girl's baby blanket.  After several false starts I finally realized I really wanted to do some old-fashioned granny squares with some updated colors.  I took a quick photo before delivering it to her.  I made it like a prayer shawl, that is I prayed for the baby who would be using it as I crocheted.  Well, that is not to say that I was praying the WHOLE time I crocheted.  As a matter of fact, I watched several episodes of LOST on Netflix as well.

Apparently Kim knows lots of people having babies.  Now I am working on a blue baby blanket for her.  I chose Tunisian Crochet for that one.  Have any of you ever done that?  It is sort of a cross between crocheting and knitting I'd say.  I'm not sure if I'm supposed to call the tool a hook or a needle.  It has a hook on one end but a stopper like a knitting needle on the other end.  I also have one that has kind of like a soft tail for the back end but I'm not sure where I put it.  Maybe I will do a Tunisian Crochet Tutorial someday...because I'm so good at tutorials. 

Anyway, all I know is I feel kind of cool when I am doing that kind of crochet.  It's kind of a smallish sized hook/needle so this one is taking me some time.  I like the way the stitches look, don't you?

I'm so lucky to have Bode to supervise me.

Actually, he is just watching, hoping I will forget and leave it unattended so that he can chew it up.  I won't!

Simultaneously I've been working on a special order poncho as well. 

 I kind of like having more than one project going at once.  I am never bored!

Do you do things that way... multiple projects at once?

Hello. My Name is Susan and I am a Crochetaholic

I've known for awhile that I have a problem.  I want to crochet all the time.  I sneak yarn and a hook along with me most anywhere I go.

Sure, it began as social crocheting.  I'd visit with others while crocheting.  I'd appropriately crochet on a cold winter night.  Then, I started crocheting alone.  I've crocheted in secret.  When I'm not crocheting, I often find myself wondering when my next stitch will be.  I no longer crochet only at traditional times.  I even crochet in the Summer!  It has reached the point where I actually found myself crocheting at the beach!

Recently, though, I found a new way to support my addiction.  It was really quite clever, I thought.  When Mike and I were returning from out of town one night, it got too dark for me to crochet.  I wasn't ready to stop.  What to do?  What to do?  THEN, I thought of my new Acer Iconia Tablet.  It lights up!  I turned it on and set up as though I was going to write a fresh new document so that I could get to a bright, white screen.  Then...

Yes, I did.  I crocheted by the light of my tablet.  It wasn't the most satisfying crocheting experience, but it supported my addiction enough for the moment.

Sadly, I can't be helped until I am ready to be helped... so don't even try.


footnote:  I hope that I've not offended anyone with my silliness.  I do realize alcoholism is a serious problem and I have a high regard for Alcoholics Anonymous.

Monday Inspirations

Happy Monday!

I'm still speed-crocheting and it is still fun.  I really wish everyone could crochet as it is a cheap form of therapy.  I find it very calming.

I completed 2 ponchos and 3 hats this week-end so I'm making progress on the list of things I to which I committed.  These are things people have ordered for gifts for their friends and family.  I love doing it and my work schedule at Hospice is light this week so hopefully I will be able to get everyone's items to them in plenty of time.

I did take some time out to enjoy family last night.  Maria and Eric brought Cordelia and Bumblebee over for pizza night.  After pizza we enjoyed a game of Farkle.  Do any of you play Farkle?  It's quick and easy to learn but involves enough strategy to make it fun.We  made sure Cordy was having a good time as well.  She'd sit on Grandpa's lap for awhile, shaking dice for him.  She'd sit on my lap for a chair ride.  Our chairs are the kind on rollers so we'd push off from the table to roll across the floor toward the stove, then push off from the stove and roll back toward the table.  I also brought out plastic containers from my cupboard for her to stack and sort.  Yes, all this activity did make it trickier to play the game.  I lost and that must be the reason.

On another subject...

How many of you are scrapbookers?  I'm not.  However, I greatly admire those who are.  I know at least 3 of my friends who scrapbook... Nicole, Kate and Donna.  Are you guys working on anything special for Christmas?  Kate has a site of her own that I think you should check out.   This photo is direct from her site.  (I hope that is ok with you, Kate.)  She's also a budding photographer.  Check out her blog, Transformed Creativity, here.

She does some amazing things with scrapbooking and if any of you are scrapbookers or wanna-be-scrapbookers this would be a good resource.  Kate can hook you up with some cool stuff.   

This morning I saw another interesting idea.  It was a type of scrapbooking maybe even I could do.  I got it from another blog, The Blue Moss Girls.  This photo is direct from their site.  Check it out!  I don't know these people but I hope they don't mind free advertising.  It just seemed like a fun idea and there are other fun ideas on their site.  They also have an Etsy shop and you can link to it from their blog.

So, there you have it... inspiration!

Have a great Monday!

Just Doing the Week-End Thing

Yesterday afternoon I enjoyed some lovely snuggle-nap time with Cordelia.  This is the photo I sent to her parents via phone while they were on their date.  She was fast asleep in my arms and I was loving it.  Bode kind of broke the mood by throwing up 5 times, but other than that it was lovely.



This morning I spent a couple of hours at Curves.  The manager had asked me to come in to set up some of our Wyoming Rose stuff.  They were just open 2 1/2 hours but we had some pretty good sales so I was quite happy.

Now I am home.  I am cozy in my recliner about to do some more speed-crocheting.  No deep thoughts from me today.

I don't think Saturdays were ever meant for deep thoughts anyway. 

How's your week-end going?

Thank-you for stopping by. Feel free to use my photos but please link them back to my blog. I am honored if you wish to share content of any of my posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc. as long as it is linked back to my blog.

Craft Fair Wrap-Up

So, we were a part of our first craft fair Saturday.  We survived!  Actually, we had a fun day.  It started our quite slow.  That is a HUGE understatement.  What I mean to say is, we sat there for maybe and hour and a half before we saw the first customer even walk by!  We vendors wandered around looking at each other's stuff.  One of the vendors near the front door told us she saw people come in and when they were told it cost $2 to enter, they just turned and exited.  I couldn't blame them for that.

We entertained ourselves just fine, though.  Maria and I had time to crochet and visit with each other.  That in itself made it a good day!

I laughed when I used the restroom (I know, here I go talking bathroom talk again) and saw the name of the company imprinted on the giant toilet paper holder.  Well, it was funny!  Here, see for yourself and enjoy at least an inner chuckle.

Eric, my son-in-law, came by for a visit and to drop Cordelia off with us for a bit.  We'd been sitting there for about 3 hours at that point and we'd STILL only had maybe 10 people in to look around but STILL not one sale!



Not long before noon Maria took Miss Cordelia to get some lunch and to watch her Daddy's band do a performance at a park.  Cordelia said she was going to "rock out" and wanted to know if Grandma was going to "rock out".   I really never did do that.

Maria had been gone just a few minutes when quite a few people came at once and we finally had our first sale and then several more.  It was kind of a fun little rush.  By the time Maria returned after Cordy's nap the rush was long over but we did have more sales throughout the afternoon.  It was never a very well attended craft fair but it was good enough to make it worthwhile. 

I asked permission to take pictures of a few of the little cuties. This first little one, Riley, is the daughter of my friend, Kerry.  This picture doesn't quite capture the beautiful blue of Riley's eyes but she looked just heart-meltingly cute in the little hat Maria made and the little poncho I made.

This little babe, Brynna, went home with our purple bear hat and also a purple poncho that matched it.  It looked like they were made just for her!

The childrens' animal hats were probably our best sellers.  Two women chose the same owl hat but thankfully they graciously worked it out.  One took it home but first I took a photo so I'd remember which it was so I could make another for the second lady.  Since we make up the face hats as we go along (no patterns) I was afraid I'd forget exactly how I'd made that one.

We took orders for several other items, including an adult poncho, so we've got some serious crocheting to do this week!  That's not a bad thing at all!

Vacation for a Day... Installment #3

OK... let's wind this thing up, shall we?  I've saved the most interesting part for last...

Thermopolis, WY

Home of the World's Largest Mineral Hot Springs!

There are hot springs popping up all over the place, flowing down to the river.  Some places smell pretty strong of sulphur (think rotten eggs) so all your senses get involved.

We left Thermopolis and went through the Wind River Canyon, through some tunnels, and out near Boysen Lake.  The beauty just came coming at us!

And when I wasn't driving, I crocheted as we rolled along....

It was a day to remember!

Thanks for patiently letting me document such a lovely day!