Superstitious? Who? Me??

Ever notice how bad things really do seem to come in threes?

Take today, for instance. First, I got hurt this morning (long story, thought my hand was broken, wound up calling in to work and going to the hand specialist instead, not broken but it's going to hurt for a while and at the moment it's swollen and looks rather like a baseball). Then, I get a letter telling me that even though I have been been living up to the terms and conditions of the contract, a long-time relationship is about to be terminated because of something else going on in my life that has absolutely nothing at all to do with this contract. And yes, it's totally legal. And furthermore, it's going to severely mess up a plan I had just put in place to deal with that problem.

I think I'm going back to bed. I don't want to know what the third thing might be....

Knitting, Crocheting, WIPs, UFOs, and On The List

So, it's no secret I'm a crafty eccentric. I knit. I crochet. I sew (by hand only, mostly because I don't have a machine but also because I can and I somehow think it's an art that's primarily been lost and should be preserved). I embroider and cross stitch and do needlepoint. I've even been known to make hooked rugs. I also cook and paint and garden and create in a variety of ways that most of my friends and acquaintances are only peripherally aware of.

Like nearly everyone else I know, I've got a ton of things going on. I have stash (yarn, fabric, thread, canvas). I have tools. I have books and magazines and free .pdf's printed out from various Web sites. I've even got various Web sites bookmarked. These are for the lists of, "Oh, I'd LOVE to make that!" items that everyone has.

I'm preparing this weekend for my annual culling of the stash, where I fish through and find things that are either "What was I thinking?" level or "I'll never get to that" level. They get priced, packaged, and sent to my LYS, where they're sold, and I get store credit. This year I'm going through the WIPs and UFOs too, to see what needs to be frogged and reassigned, or frogged and sent to the LYS. I'm sure there's a thing or two. And a couple I should finish.

In fact, there are many things I should finish. So here are my questions on this one for my crafty readers (the rest of y'all just won't get it):

1. Are you one of those people who only has one project going at a time, and finishes that before starting something new?
2. Do you have a time limit on WIPs before they get shifted in your mind to UFOs?
3. Do you have a list of things you want to start? How do you prioritize that list? (Thank you to my favorite on-line yarn shop for the idea for that question.)
4. Do you get the yarn/supplies (buttons, needles, hooks, beads, etc.) for those On The List items when they hit the list, or do you wait until you're ready to start work?
   

Perhaps my next post will look at some of my WIPs. Or my FOs. Then maybe some of my On The List items.

Pop Culture

I guess I'm getting old, because here are a few things I just don't get:

• Lady Gaga. I just don't get it. She looks like she should work at a strip club or hang out on a street corner, and while her music is sort of fun, there's nothing spectacular or memorable about it, except for the X-rated content in the videos. I've listened without watching the associated video, and I just don't think there's a lot of talent coming through beyond her of-the-moment music/lyrics and her shock-value videos/costuming. Perhaps I'm missing something?
  
• Tattoos. Do people realize that you age? And that when you are 60 and wrinkly (or 35 and wrinkly if you're living a particularly hard life), they're going to look stupid? Well, most of them anyway. Depends on what and where. Don't get me wrong, I've seen some fantastic tattoos, but really, after a certain age, most people (men or women) just don't carry them off well.
  
• Crocs. Aside from being hosable gardening shoes, what's the point?
• Blue and brown together. I do not like this color combination. It's different than my dislike of the colors pink and black. I've seen use of pink and black where I appreciate the color (say, in some combinations of pink and yellow together that are really lovely, or orange and black for use on halloween, things like that). But the combination of blue and brown? What gives? I find it dingy as a combination. It screams outdated to me, just as a harvest gold refrigerator and avocado stove would.
• Older women (50+, in some cases 40+) in long hair. Makes most of them look older. Sure, Michelle Pfeifer can do it and get away with it, so can a few other stars. But let's face it, they have things that most normal women don't. Many of them, due to their careers, have had some sort of plastic surgery to modify the natural sagging that happens to a face (and can be accented by long hair), and they also have a team of stylists every time they're seen in public for any event, whether it's on the news, or something to do with a movie. Have you ever seen those pictures of celebrity women in public with no make-up wearing mom-clothes or Saturday-working-in-the-yard-running-errands clothes? Trust me, they look just as bad as anyone else. But I see a lot of women who both wear their hair too young, AND dress too young. You see them from the back and they look fantastic. You get an expectation of a lovely smooth-skinned young thing in your mind. Then they turn around, and they may not look bad for their age, but as their hair and clothing are more geared toward someone 20 years younger, it comes as a shock, and you think they look horrible. A tweak here or there would mitigate that shock, and still have them dressing in a very trendy fashion. You don't need the short, old-lady hair. But you can't wear it like you did when you were 20, either.
  
• Fear of getting old. While we're talking about people trying too hard to hold on to their youth. Aging is certainly not for the faint of heart, but seriously: if we're lucky, we all do it. Doing it gracefully should be the goal, not avoiding it altogether.
  

The Thing About Etsy

My BFF showed it to me a few years ago. I was skeptical (as I am about most such thing).

Now I love it. Or at least a few people on it.

The thing about Etsy, which enables craftspeople to peddle their wares to those who truly appreciate them, is that there is always something there worth buying. If you are in a depression and need some retail therapy to cheer yourself up but have extremely limited funds, you're guaranteed to find something on Etsy. Like handmade buttons for $3.00. Or some wonderful artisan small batch candy samples.

I've gotten hand-dyed yarn, patterns, stitch markers, accessories for my car, and a tabletop swift from Etsy. I've sent presents to friends, and gotten a few mood lifters for myself. I've supplied needs, and assuaged wants. And out there, somewhere, is an artisan whom I hope knows how much I appreciated them.

No yarn links, you notice? That's because I've bought yarn from too many people to count, and have more favorites than I should. I've gotten a couple of custom batches, and had wonderful service from everyone I've dealt with.

Internet? I'd like to introduce you to the Village Market Square.

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

I just had a fantastic weekend. Spent it at The Loopy Ewe's Spring Fling with my BFF and about 123 other fiber loving women and one man. It's what everyone needs: time to relax, recoup, and do next to nothing except your favorite hobby for a couple of days with good food and friends and like-minded individuals. Let's face it, the world is a tough place to navigate. Even if you have relaxing hobbies, such as knitting or crocheting, the few minutes a day most of us get to participate in those is never quite enough to truly alleviate the stresses which build up over time. A few concentrated days are key to really making it work, and trust me, you come home feeling MUCH better!

So, as ever, kudos and applause to Sheri and the Elves for all the hard work they put into this! And thanks!!

Thinking Ahead

Ever know something your WHOLE life? Just KNOWN it?

Ever have a premonition, or a dream that later came to pass?

It's a rather freaky feeling when these things happen. Call it a premonition, call it deja vu: it's still a very odd sensation when it happens.

Why does it happen? Divine revelation? Clairvoyance? Paying better attention to the universe than everyone else?

Who knows. I don't. But I go with it.

And I know. And will thus be ready.

I know, it's patchy at best

It's not that I have nothing to say. I've always got SOMETHING to say. And I've got opinions on most things.

Problem is, I have great ideas when I'm nowhere near a computer to write these up, or I start something, and it gets tricky and complicated and I draft part of it and leave it for later and never come back.

It's not that I'm ignoring you. I just can't remember that fantastic blog post idea I had last night while fixing dinner, now that I've actually got time to write it up.

But, I'm sure it'll come to me. Something always does.