Balancing Act

Ever feel you've committed yourself to too much? I left Child Protective Services a year ago in April to babysit grandchildren and make a committed effort to work on Child Abuse Prevention here in Gaston County. There are days when I do a real juggling act - between the girls, my family, Prevent Child Abuse Gaston, Arts on Main (Gaston County Art Guild) and my online business, I am VERY busy. Choices and priorities, then dealing with day to day crises as well as people who want to tell me what to do - some days I just want to move to the NC mountains and hide! But today, today was good - meeting with Project Committee with Prevent Child Abuse Gaston, volunteering to help build a play ground with the local YMCA, Kaboom, ESPN and Disney, meeting with a young woman writing a book about her great grandmother and the struggles during the Loray Mill Strike back in 1929, and then spending some good quiet time with my son who is about to go off to college. Very busy day. Tomorrow I must contact some folks about designing a website for Prevent Child Abuse Gaston, do some laundry, clean at least one room in this old house and then spend the afternoon at Arts on Main. Louis comes home and we get ready for the weekend. Don't EVER let it be said that retirement is boring. It can be whatever you want it to be. Oh and somewhere in there, I'll get some crocheting done.

Feeling My Age

This past month has been very busy and very difficult for me. Starting on March 26, 2012, I had a kidney stone attack and ended up in the hospital. First ride in an ambulance - that was an experience I don't want to repeat, but the EMTs were fabulous. Then two weeks later another attack two days in a row that made me extremely sick and I landed back in the hospital for pain management and surgery. When my urologist went in to get the stone, it disappeared so they ended up doing an exploratory all through my kidney. Had a stint for two weeks and when my doc took it out we discovered I had a raging infection. So now we're battling that. Through it all I've had tremendous support from my family and friends; I still was able to plan and host the 1st Child Abuse Prevention Month Candlelight Vigil here in Gastonia and attend the Presentation of the Proclamation from the City Council (the one by the County Commissioners was the night of my surgery so a Board Member of the Prevent Child Abuse Gaston stood in for me). I attended our other functions this month as well, just moving kinda slow. And, my progress on my custom order list really took a toll, but I'm getting caught up. I'm not complaining, just stating that when you really want to do something, despite whatever obstacles may get in your way, you can do it. And, I had the help of a very attentive family - for that I am forever grateful. Don't ever take being pain free for granted because it can change in a heartbeat. And thank God for every day you are healthy.

Selling my Molly Weasley Sleeve Pattern

I get asked all the time to sell my Molly Weasley sleeve pattern. The one I use now is my own design and there are several good reasons I don't sell it.

1) It changes every time I make a pair of sleeves.

2) I have no desire to write it down - it's in my head.

3) This is how I make my extra money now.

I'm a retired Child Protective Services Supervisor. I worked in that field for over 25 years and now I'm the Executive Director for a Child Abuse Prevention Agency on a voluntary basis until we get our funding set up.

My crochet is my art and maybe someday I'll consider writing down the pattern and selling it. But right now, that does not fit in my plans. My crochet continues to be a great source of release and therapy for me. And, this past year it has been very lucrative for me. So when that day comes, I'll announce it and then put it out but not now.

New Designs

Been a while since I posted anything here so thought I would talk a bit about my new designs. 1st - my new sleeve design is much more intricate, stitches are smaller, tighter design, more complex. Some stitches are overlaid and considered the most difficult crochet. Counts must be perfect to keep the correct pattern and all ends must be tucked in a way that you cannot tell where one strand ends and another begins. No Knots! There are also two hallmark stitches in each CCDZS crocheted piece. One is a sideways shell stitch, the other is a "window" effect.

The bodice is about to change as well. I'll leave the description for the pictures that will be posted on my facebook page in about another two weeks. It's going to be gorgeous!

Waiting List

Finally through my waiting list for custom sweaters so I'm putting together some ready made sweaters for my etsy shop and for three shops in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Sales have come to a crawl which makes me concerned for my economy. But everyone needs sweaters and coats to keep themselves warm in the colder months. So as we head out of this incredibly hot summer, I hope folks will look for unusual sweater coats - they're much more versatile than a regular coat, plus stylish and quite a character statement. I love making these sweaters - putting the different textured yarns and colors together is like painting with fiber. So, here's to Fall coming in, the weather getting cooler and the sale of my unusual, fabulous, technicolor sweater dream coats.

A Fabulous Collaboration!!

On March 30, 2011, Lisa Correia of Enlightened Platypus on etsy announced our collaboration on her Facebook page. See Enlightened Platypus on Facebook. We started convoing on etsy back in January to Dream up a new elf couture Sweater Dream Coat design. She makes her fabulous coats - I add my colorful bell sleeves. The first one will be listed soon in her shop. She previews all her coats on Facebook the week before her sales, so keep a watch for them. They are unbelievable! I have four more sweaters and pallets I'm working on now. Should be sending these back to her for Lisa to work her magic sometime next week. In the meantime too, I'm working on all the custom orders I recieved in my shop after her announcement. Lisa is awesome and a wonderful artisan to share her success in such a generous way. I am truely indebted to her. So, watch for more wonderful designs from both of us. We are blessed to be able to do something we truely love to do - Take care of our babies (my grandbabies in my case) and use our creativity to bring such joy!

My Husband's Classic Comfort

20 some odd years ago, when we were dating, I taught this very masculine man how to crochet. And, boy did he ever pick it up. He makes absolutely gorgeous afghans. Now he has his own etsy shop at classiccomfort.etsy.com. So if you ever see a mid 50ish man, with a grey beard, balding head and a good sense of humor sitting on an airplane crocheting, I'll betcha it's him. He takes his crocheting everywhere. Now that's a man who is very secure in his masculinity and quite an artisan to boot. Check it out at http://www.classiccomfort.etsy.com