Missing the South

Missing the South
Missing the South...

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Back in the groove!!

Oh, my!  I just managed to get back onto this page after a long period of inactivity.  In looking at the date of my last post, I was shocked to see that it has been over four years!  Where in the world have I been, you ask?

Well, a lot has gone on during this time period!  First, I started having arthritis pains in my hand, mostly my thumbs, and could not crochet any longer.  It was heartbreaking as this was my passion and my therapy. Right now, I struggle to open lids, hold things down, etc.   Wow, four years seems so long ago and I have surely missed my therapy!

Over the past four years, my thumbs have become progressively worse requiring me to get steriod injections every three months and the doctor has has said the only other option is surgery.  The surgery is called CMC Arthroplasty where he would remove the damaged bone in my hand/thumb area and then stretch tendons from my wrist to my thumb, hopefully allowing me to gain more strength in the thumb.  I have heard that it could take 12 months before you are actually glad that you had the surgery.  Honestly?  Ain't nobody got time for that!  I have rescheduled it three times and finally decided that I am going to wait until I cannot take it any longer!   I have also decided no more injections! 

I also retired from teaching in 2016 after 23 years.  I'd always heard that you would know when you were done.  I did!  I actually surprised myself (and my husband), making the decision just a few months before school was out.  I finished out the year and haven't looked back.  I, then, ran a successful business from home but, after 2 1/2 years of non-stop going and not being able to separate business from personal, I finally closed down shop, and, well, here I am !

BUT...and this is the big but!  I decided that I am going to crochet again!  I've bought a few special gloves and a thumb brace (links to these items will be added shortly) and it is working well.  I have been crocheting like mad for the past week and a half but do monitor myself carefully.  When my thumb starts getting sore, I ice it down with some frozen peas (best ice pack on earth) and I'm good to go.  No anti-inflammatories, no shots, no nothing!

I am so thrilled that finally I decided to give it a try again!  My crochet bag has been calling to me for too many years, whenever I opened my craft closet, so I decided to go for it.  Glad I did.  I will be posting some of my new work soon and will have a yarn giveaway too!

And, remember, this isn't just about crocheting.  I have shared all of my crafting projects and crafting fun and will continue to do so!  I recently started painting and distressing Mason jars and love the end product! 

More to come! 

Sunday, September 7, 2014

More Football with a Free Baby Bootie Pattern

Hey y'all!  I did not use a pattern for the hat.  Just HDC all the way to the silver, where I began using alternating DC, SC, and then on the next row, did a SC in each DC and a DC in each SC (make sure you have an even number of stitches!)  This was just to give it some texture.  The ruffled trim is just SC in 1st st, HDC, DC, HDC in 2nd st, SC in 3rd st, then sl st in 4th st.  Repeat around.  Very simple.  Of course, you need to have a number divisible by 4 to do this one.  So, basically, your last HDC row should be divisible by 4 to do the alternating textured stitch and the ruffle.  If you need this typed up clearer, please just ask.

The cute little booties were from a free pattern that I found.  Aren't they darling?  The originals were watermelon shoes but she has since come up with candy corn colors!!!  The link for the free pattern is: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-oh-baby-watermelon-shoes.

The bow is a pattern that I bought from Mamachee (Tara Murray) so I cannot share it but any bow will do!

Enjoy!  Let me know if I can clarify!  Have a great week!

Janice



Sunday, August 24, 2014

It's Not Just About Football...It's About People, Too!




A few weeks ago, a potential customer messaged me about a hat that I had in my Etsy store for a little girl. She asked if I made them for women and what the price would be.  It was an Alabama Crimson Tide Cloche.  (I am an Auburn fan....but I have many, many Alabama friends and customers).

She told me she wanted it for her aunt who had lost her hair to chemo.  When I read that, I knew that there was no way that I could charge her for that hat.  Since I am involved in making hats for cancer patients, I just told her that I would make the hat and send it to her at no cost.  It was for a good cause and I could never charge for it.  Reminded me of the day that I was sitting in the chair at the salon getting my hair cut and saw an older lady getting her head shaved.  I knew why and just wondered how much they charged someone for something like that.  The lady left the shop and I suddenly saw the hairdresser run to the back of the shop, crying.  When I went to leave, I learned that my wonderful husband, who had been sitting there waiting and watching, had anonymously paid for the lady's haircut and the hairdresser was so moved that she had to run out crying.

With that being said, I am not writing this post or doing this for recognition.  Please do not tell me what a gracious thing I am doing.  I am not the one with cancer.  I have lost many loved ones to cancer.  I watched my father die a slow death, not to cancer but something just as bad.  I have realized that, as much as I love my Auburn Tigers and pull against the Alabama Crimson Tide, life is not a football game.  Life is no game at all, it is full of good and bad, joy and pain.  Life is fragile.  Every second of it.

Making this hat for a lady with cancer, who loves the football team that I pull against every Saturday, was the least that I could do to, hopefully, bring a smile to her face, a moment of joy, and help her to forget for a few seconds that she has this awful thing called cancer.


Friday, August 8, 2014

And my latest obsession...

Thanks to the request of a friend/customer, I started playing with barefoot sandals.  I looked at a picture of a cute pair that she had found and I made up my own pattern to get them to look as much like the original as possible.  As soon as I get it typed up, I will share.


NOW, I want to make some with BLING!!





Latest projects, too much fun!

We were preparing for a cruise and I decided that I really needed a cool camisole to wear over my skimpy tanks and to dress up some skirts.  I found a wonderful free pattern on Pinterest, which I will share with you. It was very easy so now I am working on one for my mother-in-law in Pistachio!!!



Here's the FREE PATTERN!  As you can see, I did one less row of scallops but will do all three next time.  It was long enough but I want it longer.  May try a waist tie or belt.

http://www.yarnspirations.com/pattern/crochet/floral-cami


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

My New Team Spirit Hat - I love it!!

Gosh! I just love this hat...the pom poms make it soooo cute!    Just had to share this morning.  I usually make the tigers or the team logo but, as I was working on an order for a customer, I was inspired to try the big pom poms and I love it!   And...football season is right around the corner.  Can't wait!

Have a blessed day.


Thursday, July 17, 2014

Chemo hat give-away! Please help!

I would like to give these hats to two beautiful ladies who have lost their hair due to chemo.  If you know of someone, please email me or comment below with your information.  I hope someone would like to wear the watermelon hat.    Please, no gimmicks or cons on this.  Please also make sure that they would like the hat and want to wear it so that I can make sure it goes to someone who would truly use it.  They are both adult women sizes and are made from 100% cotton yarn.

Thanks.
Janice