Rainy Days and Crocheting

Just some thoughts about rainy days and having time to sit and just crochet - I get lost in it. I'm always fascinated watching how different types of yarn look when twisted into different stitches. Just lately I've been working on "Mrs. Weasley" Sweaters, styled after a sweater worn by the character, Mrs. Weasley in the second Harry Potter movie, The Chamber of Secrets. The sleeves in the sweater are made from a conglomeration of colors and stitches. Well, suffice it to say, I've sold two already and am making more. Anyone who loves crochet will love these sweaters and they're fun to make. Watching the stitches flow, the colors and textures come together is like painting a picture, or molding a sculpture - it "feels" right. So on these rainy weekends, you'll find me in my room at home, peaceful with a cup of hot tea, crocheting one of these sweaters, happy with just me and my hook and yarns.

Crocheted Blinds for Windows

Back in 1992, I decided to make a blind for our front door. It had four double sided panes of glass so I designed a blind to fit the door. The house we lived in then was built in 1907, neat little two story house with dormer windows, front porch complete with an oak porch swing, just outside Cincinnati, Ohio. When we moved back to North Carolina a couple years later, I took down the blind and brought it with us. (I left some crocheted curtains in the bathroom I wish now I had brought with us as well). I crocheted a Tree of Life Blind for a front window in the house we live in now and re-formatted the blind from the old house for another window.

These took me months to make and I'm fast. But, I love looking at them and let me tell you, no one else has anything close. When you put your mind to it, you can make almost anything.

Destashing

Over the many years I've been crocheting, walking into a yarn shop or finding a new, beautiful yarn has been like a tonic to me. I get ideas in my head of how I'm going to use the yarn, the textures, the colors, the feel of the yarn next to my skin - it's intoxicating. Now I have about three rooms upstairs full of yarns, some of which I've had for over twenty years. Well, my daughter has blessed me with a gorgeous grand-daughter and we need room for little ones to play. So - I'm destashing. I never dreamed it would be so hard to let go of some of my yarns, but I'll be posting them in my etsy shop ( http://ccdzs.etsy.com/ ) in the next few days. Just posted two that are just beautiful and I've definitely priced them to sell. So someone else, put on your dreaming caps and think of how you want to use these yarns.

1st December Challenge

1st December Challenge Finished and Posted

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18681691

It was fun to make and work with such talented artisans such as Feistywomandesigns ( see her blog at http://feistywomandesigns.blogspot.com/ to see how the yarn was made) and WhirlygigYarns. I love working with this yarn. It's light weight and the colors are just gorgeous! Now on to the next two. I'll have them up as soon as they are finished.

Korners Folly

Just returned home from Kernersville, NC where we went to see Korner's Folly, a three story house with 7 levels inside, 22 rooms, built by Jules Korner in the 1800's. Absolutely fascinating place- great inspiration for victorian styling. See Pictures - Some of the ladies from my unit went with me and my adorable grand-daughter.

Kiss your kids tonight

I decided when I started this blog that I would concentrate on just my crochet work here. But in light of the recent story about the young man who escaped from his abusers in California, I feel compelled to write something here. I have been a Child Protective Services Supervisor with my local DSS since July 1998, that's 11 1/2 years. Before that I was a CPS Investigator since 1989, with a 2 1/2 year stint in Ohio as a Case Supervisor with a children's mental health agency. Especially in this time of the holidays, look around you and notice the children in your life, in the stores as you walk through, in the malls, on the sidewalks, when you drop your kids off at school, in your neighborhoods, and where ever you go. Then just take a moment, just a moment to smile at one of them. Just a kid you don't know but who looks a little down or maybe he/she needs someone to show they care, if only for just that moment. I don't know how many times I went out on a report and just because I took extra time to sit down with a child and really listen, stories unfolded that led to real life changing events for them and for me. Every time I came home late at night from making sure someone else's kids were safe, the first thing I did was walk into my children's rooms and made sure their blankets were pulled up, they were peaceful and warm and safe. I was lucky to have a husband who could do this for me when I was trying to do it for others. Sometimes all a child needs is someone to smile to show that somewhere someone cares.

My heart goes out to that young man. And, I pray every night for the ones we will never know anything about. So kiss your kids tonight and tell them you love them. That's not just words - it should be a way of life.

1000Markets.com

OK - I did it. I added a 1000 Markets shop last night. Sat up working on it until 2 in the morning. If anyone is following my blog, check it out at 1000markets.com/ccdzs. I'm excited about a new venue and hope that it brings some more biz. Dreamwoven from Etsy has started a new market there called Wearable Art. That looks very interesting and a wonderful way to "market" handmade items. Makes me wish I was more in a situation where I could quit my day job and just work with yarns. But alas, the finances just aren't there yet. Making myself venture out more into this internet marketing is really stretching my internet knowledge. Also, just started uploading my etsy shop on to Google Base. Still having a problem with the automatic upload so I'm doing it manually every morning. OK, let's see how this goes.