Valerean

I had the oddest nightmare last month, one that seemed to last forever. I dreamt that I went shopping, and while at a local market there was an offer to sign up my favorite person for a beauty contest. Since I think she's beautiful I did just that. Some disclaimers before I describe the rest of the nightmare: 1. I don't like beauty pageants. 2. I would never sign up someone else for something without consulting them. 3. I have a budget for everything, and I look at the prices of everything before I buy it. I also calculate my spending while I'm shopping and check the receipt immediately after I've checked out. I never break my budget. Never. Okay. I didn't look at the receipt, which was weird thing #1. I paid for it with my only credit card, which was weird thing #2 (the limit on that credit card would never have allowed me to check out successfully.) I got home, put away the groceries, and then took the receipt to put it in my family box (I save...

I'm not a yarn snob, which makes it easy for me to thrift skeins. I don't mind washing yarns that are a little smelly or soiled, and I have no problem using partial or unlabeled skeins. There aren't many yarns out there that I won't use, either. I'm not a huge fan of boucle, baby yarns or eyelash, but I can work them into a multi-strand project like a basket or scrapghan. That said, there are some yarns that give me pause, like the glow in the dark variety. I've never found that in any of the lots I've thrifted, but it kind of creeps me out. Why would you want yarn to glow in the dark? What kind of chemicals are in the fibers? Anyway, I'll likely donate any that came my way. Pom pom yarns have found their way to me a few times, and went right into the donation box. I don't know why, other than their functionality as a fiber is basically zero. Why do makers use these bobbly things anyway? I have tried super chunky yarn to croc...

Before the religious scandal mongers review-bombed it, Genie Make a Wish was the highest rated non-English series on Netflix. I'm not going to get into the scandal, as like most religious uproars it's ridiculous from my point of view. No matter how much I personally disagree with these people I have no interest in becoming involved in the hoopla. I just would like to point out that if we all practiced open mindedness and tolerance over such matters there wouldn't be any scandals or scandal mongering. That is all. On with my take: the series stars Kim Woo-bin, one of my favorite Korean actors, as Iblis (aka Satan, the devil, fallen angel, ultimate evil), now the proverbial genie of the lamp, and Bae Suzy as Ki Ka-young, who is the reincarnation of the tragic young woman whose wishes resulted in Iblis being imprisoned in the lamp. Ka-young comes into possession of the lamp while on a trip to the Middle East, and is granted three wishes. She's unaware that the g...

Learning how to crochet a granny stitch rectangle wasn't just about improving my skills; my trigger finger is still in a splint, so I need something I can do while I wait for it to heal enough to go back to the pink-only art quilt and a Chirstmas quilt top I want to finish. This is how large of a granny stitch rectangle you can make with one 5 oz. skein of Super Saver, by the way. Once I ran out of the variegated I went and pulled complimentary colors and some white from my stash to keep going. I like the different colors, as they're decidedly not Christmas-y. I don't know how long I want to make the throw, I just want to use some pretty yarns and have fun. That makes me happy. This pattern works up really fast; this is how much I got done in two days (with a splinted finger, too!)

Since I did the No Thank You post here is: Ten Things I Would Like for Christmas Card: Little known fact about me: I love cards and keep all the ones I'm given. I also reciprocate and (if my hands are working well) I'll make your card. Hand Cream: Not the perfumed kind, please. Something for old, dry hands with natural ingredients would be lovely. Handmade Anything: some of my most prized possessions are those that were designed or made by the giver. Anything quilted is a bonus yes, please. Magazines: Art, Crochet or Quilting magazines make me very happy, especially the vintage kind you find cheap at a flea market or garage sale. Poem: No one writes poetry anymore. Compose something for me. Bonus points for handwriting it on pretty paper I can frame. Quilted Anything: It doesn't have to be a bed-size quilt. I love pot holders, mug rugs, book covers, bookmarks, or anything that has been quilted. Recipe: I love the idea of exchanging recipes ...

Last night I accomplished something I've been trying to learn to do for years: making a granny stitch rectangle. I've tried about a dozen different printed versions that never turned out right; read blog posts that made no sense to me, and attempted it on my own a dozen different ways with no luck. This is a beginner crochet pattern, too, so it really annoyed me that I couldn't figure it out. I learn best by watching someone else and imitating what they do, so I found a video by a Canadian maker that showed step by step how to work this simple pattern. Following along proved ridiculously easy. Now I finally get it. This isn't the time of life when I am happy abut what I can do. It's more about trying to hang onto what I can already do in the face of diminishing abilities and vanishing dexterity. Learning how to do this pattern really gave me a nice spiritual boost. If you want to learn how to do the same, here's the video.