hand eye crafts

A nice day in Athens, if you stay in the shade.  There's a really nice breeze, but it's rather warm in the sun.  When I take Tap out, I take a book to read, as it helps me not lose my patience when he takes forever to do whatever he's interested in.  We've both enjoyed the trips outside. Today, this turned up in the side yard: Um...  Huh?  Did these fly off a garbage truck?  Did a dissatisfied young swimmer fling them up here in some sort of fit?   Bridget  offered underwater Rapture as an explanation, which appeals to me. On subsequent walks, I found the first feather in a while and the first gardenias is of the year.

 Catch any interesting TV today, or. . . Sitting on my couch, rather glued to my set all day gave me the time to finish up my socks/booties. I also got my little Christmas cross-stitch piece finished, but will wait until Tuesday to unveil it. Hannah's birthday is on the horizon, and I was clicking around on Etsy the other day trying to find some ideas.  Somehow, my clicking found me scrolling through yarn stores.    🤷  I placed a small order from a store called Comma Craft, and in my order was this little sticker. I think this is fantastic.  Space, space travel, and planets have always fascinated me, and Saturn is especially spectacular, don't you think?  My "ruling planet" is Uranus, which is fine and good, but my heart has pretty much always belonged to Saturn. What did I buy, you ask?  A little project bag. What did I find for Hannah?  Um, er, nothing.  Yet.

(I thought I posted this yesterday.  Ooops.) With great hesitation, I share the project begun last night.  Hesitation because, like the Boyfriend Sweater Curse, my Blog About Cross-stitch Curse is real. On the knitting front, I just finished a beret.  Look how lovely the top is: My big ol' head keeps it from being an exact beret on me.  The next one will need many extra rows to be truly beret-ish.  For me, at least.

 You think you're out here suffering with weather-related headaches alone, and you find out that  Araignee  and  Delighted Hands  go through the same thing...   Araignee also said that she dissected fetal pigs in college.  (First of all, I would NOT want to do that.  Second, I would do it because I would follow the course requirements.  I was ---  am? --- nerdy like that.)  She obviously went to a better-funded school than me.  In my college Biology class, we had preserved frogs that had been used for many years.  There were parts missing. Anyway, I thought the Starry Night Bunny was so cute that it would be a slam dunk project.  NOPE.  I began taking the stitches out, growing more frustrated with them and myself as I went, and decided to simply put it all aside.  I definitely need time to cool down, and to forget about how a seam ripper can easily be turned into a weapon.

Try to take little steps every day.  Do something productive if you can.  In that spirit: one bootie/sock done.  I like making these --- they're as close as I have to a go-to sock pattern. The roll cuff is excellent for leftover lengths of sock yarn. Less of a headache today, though one is still rumbling around in there. I managed to work on my Starry Night Bunny some yesterday, and screwed it up royally.  I'm going to have to pull out a lot of stitches.  Bad, bad decision.

Both yesterday and today, some intense thunderstorms (emphasis on thunder ) have rolled through. With rain come my headaches.  This morning, I could barely lift my head off my pillow.  I had to get up to give Madeleine her insulin, took some sinus relief pills, and went back to bed.  They didn't particularly help, so I took some CBD oil, which has helped in the past.  Today? If it were possible, I'd have my sinuses removed.  Replace them with, oh, a nice airy porch or something.

In my high school, your Science requirement could be met by taking either Biology or Chemistry.  Chemistry didn't then, nor does it now, interest me.  Biology it was, therefore, and I loved it.  Our teacher, Mr. Bradley, was wonderful, even if he did occasionally call Shari and me by one another's name. It should be said that I'm five or so inches taller than Shari.  She did not wear glasses, I did.  She is left-handed, I am right-handed.  We were both blonde, and always together, and always lab partners, but it still makes me smile that he often made that mistake. Anyway, I was a Biology student when dissections were done on live frogs.  (They came in the mail, of all things, and their arrival was always sort of a big deal.  The "ribbits" filled the third floor hall.)  The actual dissection wasn't difficult for me, though I would ask Shari to get the frog from Mr. Bradley when he pithed it.  That was a bit too unpleasant for me.  And frankly, I found earthwor

It's probably no great secret that many crafters engage in many crafts.  If they make one thing, they probably make others.  Knitters might crochet or quilt.  Decoupagers may create beautiful gardens.  People who sew can write thoughtful essays. You get my point. If one lives with a crafter, one is certainly aware of not only the time but the space that inventors require.  Lots of projects can be going on at once, each requiring its own site.  These are very much like centers in Preschool classrooms.  All to say, if you share an area with someone who makes, be prepared for a tour of your home that features current projects, attempts at artsiness, new stuff, perhaps plans for the future. Don't expect any of the spots to go away until the creative spark dies in your crafter.  (Be aware, though, that the death of a spark does not mean it will not come to life again.)  What you need to keep in mind is that creators MUST create.  Appreciate what looks like a mess --- or messes --- a

Here is the finished daisy and ladybug. I did about a third of the backstitching and just wasn't happy with it.  So I'm living with it without the backstitching to see whether I like it.  The petals are actually fairly well-defined even without it. The Starry Night Bunny is underway. There is so much blue that I'm going back and forth between the bunny and the sky to keep from being bored.

Went to Atlanta for a postponed Mother's Day day today.   First stop:  H Mart .  Completely overwhelming.  We stuck to pre-packaged things, so as not to leave fresh and/or frozen things in my car.  Interesting along the way: and Now, I'm not trying to be culturally insensitive, but, no thanks. Next: a  rotating sushi  bar.*  Delicious.  I tried to keep myself in check, as Hannah was paying.  Let's just say I could have eaten much more. Then back to her apartment to watch "Barbie."  She had even bought special drinks. Another special day. *The sushi rotated, not the building.

 That slub yarn I posted?  I've decided what to do with it.  Thank you, Noro Magazine. I realize it's just a long loop of a scarf, but it's striking in the photo, don't you agree? I still say that if I could only knit with one yarn forever after, it would be Noro.  It's an every now and then treat now, given its price, but I do love it.

As cute as the entire piece is, I doubt that any part of the Starry Night Bunny will enchant me more than this single stitch in peach: Look at that little nose! The ladybug/daisy piece is done except for the backstitching.  I thought I had kept the key sheet, but didn't, and am not sure what color it's supposed to be done in.  This will be a winging it finish. The octopus coaster is finished, and I've started on an angel fish.  In Tuscaloosa, I had a great aquarium with nothing but angel fish.  Well, and catfish and other cleaner-uppers.  The first night it was set up, the front blew completely out of it.  SUCH a mess.  What were the chances of my getting a tank with weak glass?  Anyway, we recovered and never had another problem.  Aquariums are a bit of bother, but wonderfully relaxing.

Both of my children, and both at age 3, were obsessed with the movie " The Wizard of Oz."  The gift that Briton was given on the day he became a big brother, was a set of Wizard of Oz figures.  (He took Scarecrow with him to greet Hannah.)  Hannah dressed as Dorothy for Halloween over and over.  Our VHS tape of the film must have been made of super-strong stuff;  it never wore out despite years and years of being played. I saw that it was playing as a "Flashback" feature here, and that became my Mother's Day request: for Briton and me to go see it together. We did last night, and it was terrific.  Both of us know the movie by heart still, so there were no surprises, but neither of us had ever seen it on anything but a TV screen.  If you ever get a chance to see it on a theater screen, I cannot over-recommend it. As long as I've been blogging, I've surely talked about how cringey I get over the Munchkins.  That carried over into the theater.  The tornado

At the current state of cross-stitch here. This is one of those pieces that looks better from a distance.  For instance, I couldn't appreciate the tan on the ladybug's back when I was stitching, but a couple of feet away, and I see that it's a reflection of light.  Also, the center of the daisy doesn't look two-toned up close. I like the 3-D look of the petals, but am tiring of all the white.  There's still some more stem to do;  greens may be my respite.

As if there weren't enough things around and on my work spaces, I've tried something new. Diamond art, I guess it's called?  For some reason it began to appeal to me a bit ago, and I decided to give it a shot.  You can see that I'm starting small --- a set of coasters.  It is surprisingly soothing, once you get in a rhythm.  It isn't difficult, except for my perfectionist desire to have the spot where each stone goes covered dead center.  I'm like that with cross-stitch, too. I like the floss to cover all of each little square.  Both thanks in enormous part to my hyper-perfectionist mother. Back to the oral surgeon today, starting everything all over.  I had X-rays and a scan to form a 3D representation of my teeth, so the doctor can see where to place the abutment.  I'm going to have gone well over a year without a tooth before all of this is over.

Looking through the Herrschners catalog, you remember they sell things other than yarn, and look what you find! How cute is that?  I want to start it immediately, but need to get a little more work done on my daisy and ladybug. Speaking of which, the ladybug is beginning to emerge: Check back in Tuesday for an update on progress.  Or progresses.

 Grocery day again, mainly because the pets were out of treats. Big mistake, as today is UGA Graduation and, it appears, Move Out from Wherever You've Been Living Day.  Still, this one day is the price we pay for glorious empty streets and parking lots all Summer.  Lion Cookie Jar has been called into duty once again, though he seems kind of glum about it this time. In the spirit of fairness, here is the lion behind Lion Cookie Jar, who permanently wears a bow. Waiting at the appointment yesterday, I noticed that the sample of DMC I took for matching its color a while back was still tied to my keychain.  Others might have been embarrassed, but, dude, look at my keychain.  More trinkets than keys. Yes, I'm 64 years old.

 Welcome to Miss Kim's seminar on gallbladder health. You'll notice that the gallbladder (which here looks like either a pear or some type of pepper, depending --- I suppose --- on one's dietary preference) has a duct which leads into the small intestine.  When the gallbladder is removed, the path through that bile duct can change.  The things that need to move through can't very easily, and may form into gallstones. They can also --- and this is my favorite part --- turn into sludge.  "Sludge" as a diagnosis is fabulous, don't you think?  Since I haven't had even a twinge since the ER night, the doctor says everything is probably cleaned out, and I may never have another problem.  On the far end of Possibilities, if pain does return, an MRI will probably be in order and maybe surgery. So, kind of another shrug on what the precise issue is.  A relief, I guess, but since I haven't had a bit of trouble since that night, I wasn't nervous or concer

 I came across a sentence reading today that said, "Shakespeare made Hamlet say..." That struck me. Writers make characters say things.  They have words give the characters agency.  It's obvious, simple I suppose, but that really hit me for some reason. By the way, the words Shakespeare made Hamlet say were, "My tablets!  Quick, my tablets!" Of course, a modern nouveau production would, at this point, have Horatio run onstage with an iPad.  Scarves are done here.  The heathered red one I'll show another time, but here is the Koigu. I worked on weaving in ends this afternoon while listening to Briton's podcast --- hence the needle.  Here's what I have left to do. About five feet.  Blocking is going to be WORK.

 My daughter just sent me to the  American Dream Nut Butter  site. (She has always been able to discover THE coolest things.)  On a lark, I went through and put in all the flavors that sounded good into a cart.  Just price-checking, you know. $338.77. Am I alone in calculating how much yarn I could buy with that amount?  I probably am alone in figuring about how many pairs of cowboy boots. Anyway, it's Tuesday and here's some cross-stitch. It's to be a ladybug on a daisy.  Daisies are a thing for us.  I really, really like the shading and shapes of these stems so far.

A new hank of fingering weight from a new source,   Barnyard Knits .  You know I love a slub.* It's too pretty to use for socks, which would be covered most of the time.  So I'm looking for something to make with it.  I'm leaning toward a wrap. And Twinnie, yes we can do Christmas stuff now.  I bought more paper! I especially like the pink and brown deer print on the right. My gastroenterologist appointment is Thursday.  I'm unconcerned about what she may or may not find;  my biggest concern is possibly needing an MRI.  If I do, the machine better be as open as open can be. *Not a schlub.  Different thing altogether.

That the word for "fear of clowns" is "coulrophobia?"  This is relevant, as in DON'T go farther into this post if you are coulrophobic.  Really. ∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆ ¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥ That male "Karens" are apparently called "Kyles"?  Even if this is not true, it sort of tickles me.  And I might use it one day. It rained here today, giving the grass more growth food.  I've asked everyone I know in the neighborhood, Briton has checked at the library --- nothing.  No one to help out.  Honestly, right now, the grass is so tall, only someone with a riding mower could deal with it.  Once it's tamed, I can look again for pushers. People with push mowers, I mean. Although, I saw this today and admit to finding it funny and sort of true: " At this point, if a clown invited me into the woods, I'd just go."

My regular lawn guy usually starts service in April.  For a reason he explained to me quite poorly, he wasn't going to start until "later."  So I waited. Then the grass began to get worryingly tall, and I needed to find someone to cut it.  I found some services online that seemed worthy, but I have been stiffed by two different people from two different  companies in the last two weeks.  (One of them told me three times last week that he'd be here today.  Nope.)  The grass is now taller than Tap in some spots, and hard for him to maneuver through. I'm taking a chance on another service, which is supposed to be here Tuesday.  Or maybe Wednesday.  If this one doesn't pan out. . .

Someone (and you know who you are) said that my lion looks like a bear in a veterinary Elizabethan collar. And now I can't unseen it.

 Y'aaaall.  I got some Christmas crafting paper today and  my nails are nice and long. It's a nice day.