I’ve been super busy with work, but the lack of time to do much else is a combination of not really having a defined schedule, but also because one of my cats, Remix, is a very sick boy. (I’m going to add a TON of backstory in the form of a copy and paste from the girlfriend’s journal–you can find it in the “Read more” section at the end.)

Anyway, this time now seems to be just a huge adjustment phase, along with scary bits and a lot of debt (I think we’re closing in on $700, with $90 in our checking account–eek!). I’m trying to keep up with things, keep myself sane and relaxed, but that’s always difficult. I don’t really have the time for recording a podcast, but I’ll try to get something in the next week or two. Crochet-wise, I’m just picking stuff up here and there. I had to stop working on the Stash Eater blanket because I ran out of Red Heart SS (Light Blue/#0381) before I could finish the last round. I’m going to look at it later to see if I can come up with anything creative. I’m not going to buy any to finish it off, because that negates the whole getting rish of old stash, you know?

In the meantime, Marly sent me supplies to test her design that was accepted into Interweave Crochet Fall ‘08. I’m really excited! The only thing that makes me grumpy is that I can’t find a steel hook smaller than a size 10 anywhere near me. Money being as tight as it is, with the Vet bills, and not getting my first check yet, well, I can’t rationalize driving a half hour away (gas is $3.71 here, unless it increased since last night) just to find a hook that may or may not be stocked. So, since I can’t find one, and am not going to drive aimlessly looking for one, I decided to crochet her pattern without the element that requires the Teeniest Hook in the World EVER. ;)

Now, to get off-topic from crochet, I thought I’d share that bit about Remix. It’s a lot of “bit”, which is why it’s cut behind the “Read More” link. You’ll appreciate that in a minute if you decide to read. This copy&paste of what Caryn (the girlfriend) wrote in her journal is from the beginning of our Remix-being-sick troubles to almost current, so…

Read the rest

Hello, my darlings–

I write to you from a place of sleep deprivation. It is 8:40am, and I have yet to sleep. This isn’t entirely unheard of in my house, but the cycle needs to end! I’ve tried before to stay up as long as I could, in order to crash at a reasonable time. Alas, it always fails me. My body seems to want to make up for the deprivation by sleeping 10-14 hours. Shameful, body, shameful.

Last night I finished a project that was not my own when I started. I changed the yarn, likely the gauge, the length, the colors, and added a pin, but I did go into it with plans to follow someone elses pattern. What does that leave me? Is it far enough removed that I can call it my own? I don’t know. That’s a murky place we could go into, so I’ll leave it at: I intended to crochet someone elses pattern, changing only the yarn, but then my crochet-ADD took me to other places.

The intent was still there, though.

So, one of the mufflers from the muffler set in Donna Kooler’s Encyclopedia of Crochet, designed by Shelley Carda, became:

You will hear me talk about crocheting a part of this in the new podcast that is coming soon. Until then, however, I will sleep. Not the entire time, but a good portion of it, and I’ll have you know…Zzzzzzzzzzz

You might notice in the title above that I wrote “WsIP” instead of the standard “WIPs”. No? You didn’t? Shame on you! You should put yourself in crochet time-out. (Not really. I’m only joking. No, seriously, come back–)

Well, for those of you who did notice (and for those of who you stuck around), I only point out the switch in abbreviation because I’d like to bring this to your attention:

(note: the “read the rest” will reveal all, plus there are pictures!)

Read the rest