Working It All Out

When I started my abalone and pearl crocheted throw on September 27th I wanted to work through some physical issues with my hands. My fingers were very stiff, and I had an arthritis flare that nearly kept me from finishing my last quilt.

After a week of working on the throw I'd gotten a lot accomplished. My hands improved so much I had gotten rid of nearly all the pain. I also had no problem with dexterity, limited as mine is. It made me very happy.

This project also gave me plenty of time to reflect and clear my head, which was also something I needed to do after dealing with some recent incidents that were really disheartening. I don't want to discuss them, but they were all very toxic. I finally worked it out so I could return to my happy place and take back my calm, thanks to being able to crochet.

Having something I can do that is physical and mental therapy is wonderful. In the process I also used up five skeins of thrifted yarn (and will use another two to finish the throw), which is so very satisfying. I'm so glad I rediscovered this old skill.

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Holiday Prep

For Thanksgiving this year we've invited some guests from Oliver's mom's side of the family, so I have to start prepping now to get the house in shape for the big day. The first major thing is having the carpets cleaned, which we've scheduled for next week. This weekend I'll be cleaning out four rooms to get them ready for that. I started with my front dining room, which I use as my sewing room. It was kind of a mess already, so it felt good to get everything cleared out. We'll be having ten people at dinner plus two babies, so this will give me a chance to figure out how to arrange two tables in this space. I think this will be my last time hosting a big Thanksgiving gathering. Mike has started his family with a lovely girl who has a huge, close-knit family of her own, while Katherine will likely be off at grad school out of state for the next several years. I'm also not getting any younger. My guy and I will always celebrate Thanksgiving, but ...

T-minus Day

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Fell Off the Wagon

I did cut up that plastic dollar tote to make into something stronger, but got caught up with work and set it aside. Then last night some hand-dyed silk and pretty threads called my name, and, well . . . Felt SO good to do some handwork, except my neck began hurting about an hour into it. I tried changing the way I sit and work, but it's pretty obvious that the doc is right.

Valerean

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