An Update: health and insecurities

This is me today, feeling rough and crazy haired.

I haven't blogged in quite awhile and there are a lot of reasons for that.  This might be a long one, but I wanted to explain what's up.  The main reason is my health is pretty horrible right now.  With chronic illness one does never get "Better" but there are times of feeling well.  I can meet people for drinks or lunch, attend concerts and picnics, and have a general all over happiness.

Then there are dark times of complete utter helplessness when the illness takes over.  Getting out of bed is a task, showering is next to impossible, and forget about any kind of social activities.  This most recent bout of horribleness started around Thanksgiving.  I glutened myself at a Thanksgiving dinner with friends.  I knew it was a possibility but took the chance and ate anyway.  I barely made it home that night.  I struggled through Christmas, and started really paying attention to my diet in January.  I was nauseated and worn down.  I hated eating and I didn't have energy to do anything.  All of my Fibromyalgia symptoms were out in full force.

In March or April I FINALLY want to the doctor.  When she pushed down on my stomach I thought that pain was going to make me pass out.  The initial diagnosis was an ulcer caused by the amount of NSAIDs that I take for my chronic daily pain.  I took my medicines, avoided coffee and alcohol, only took pain meds when I really needed them, and crossed my fingers that I would get better.

That hasn't been the case and in fact I continue to feel worse.  I've lost at least 10 pounds, which I had the weight to lose, but it's still not good.  My skin is pale and there are dark circles under my eyes.  I have an esophagogastroduodenoscopy on July 3rd.

On top of all of this my headaches and neck pain were becoming unbearable.  So I finally bit the bullet and cut my dreadlocks off.  This was a really stressful time for me.  I miss them, and feel like I've lost part of my identity.  But my headaches are better.  My neck pain is something I will need to address when I fix whatever is wrong with my stomach.

So this is why I haven't been writing.  I have a lot to say, and it's frustrating.  But hoping things will turn around soon.

Another reason I've been pretty quiet lately is my insecurities.  When I think about blogging, I think about what others are doing and how I don't really fit into what is suppose to be a successful blog format (at least according to the "experts").  When what I have to say doesn't make a "good" blog post, I just toss it all together.  That won't be happening anymore.  If I want to tell or show you something I'm vowing that I am going to do it.  No matter how unorganized or how irregularly I post.  I've never done things the way they are suppose to be done, I'm not sure why I was trying to start now.

I hope you stick around to see what I have to offer.

When Popeye Attacks!!

My least favorite bit of running my Etsy shop is getting my photographs to accurately represent the size, texture, and color of the items I am selling.  I love taking photos, however I live in an apartment with less than stellar lighting, not to mention I'm unorganized and cluttery.  Ryan was home this morning, so I took the opportunity to use his assistance and took some pictures of things that have been waiting to get posted to the shop.

It's no secret my cat is a camera hog, and he has as special affinity for gnomes (he thinks they are funny to bat around anyway.)  He enjoyed getting in on the action a bit today.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

What I've been working on: Socks and Gnomes

Over the last couple of weeks I've been developing some new projects.  I haven't been a super good Etsy shop keeper lately, really only selling things that are custom orders.  But honestly that is my favorite part.

One thing I have been developing for the shop are these little mini gnomes.  They popped into my head one day and would not go away.  It's a great way to use a lot of my small balls of yarns, there is an endless amount of hat, top, and pants color combinations.  I've even made them so they can go on a skewer and sit in your house plants.

Besides developing things for my shop, I also like to work on projects for myself.  These are usually things that won't be on my shop for a very long time, or ever.  But they are things I enjoy making for friends and family.

The last few weeks I have been working on socks.  I haven't done any cool patterns or anything yet, just a normal short sock.  I am making short socks because that is what I wear and does not require as much yarn for the learning knitter.  I love self striping yarn, one of the best inventions!  Each sock takes quite awhile, so they won't be something I will be making in large quantities.  But it's been totally fun!

Kid's Bow Tie- I Found it on Pinterest!

There's a new trend sweeping the internet and it's being met with many cheers as well as jeers.  I am not writing this to get into a discussion about the guidelines of Pinterest or other similar sites.  I simply want to share with you the joy I have found from using this social photo sharing website.

One of the main benefits of viewing and sharing pictures on pinboards is the inspiration I have found in other people's creativity.  It has become a process of discovery for me, whether I'm making a gift for a family member or brain storming color choices for my next crocheted scarf.  I've also found awesome home decorating tips and many gluten free recipes.  Pinterest really speaks to all the aspects of my life.  The social aspect is great as I often get to see the projects my sisters, friends, as well as favorite bloggers are into on a particular day.

I've already tried a few recipes, sewing projects, and knitting patterns.  I've decided to share some of my favorite completed projects here with you.

Today I will share with you a picture of this AMAZING velcro bow tie I made for my nephew.  The tutorial I used came from a great site called A Lemon Squeezy Home.  This site is packed full of great sewing projects for any season and any size.

I made this great bow tie for my nephew Johnny, after he chose to wear a bow tie for his winter band concert.  I hope he enjoys this one for the spring.

I thought the tutorial was spot on, my bow tie did exactly what the pictures and instructions said, and it came together rather quickly.  The only thing I did different than Christie did in her tutorial is I used a lighter interfacing rather than felt.  This was mostly because I did not have any felt on hand, but I am pleased with the outcome.

I've been aware of the mechanics of sewing pretty much for my whole life, but have only been practicing the act regularly since right before Christmas 2011.  So if you are on Pinterest and see a project you might like to try give it a shot, even if you've never done something like it before.  And if you write about it be sure to give the original tutorial a shout out!

Come back here and let me know how you did!!

Crochet Easter Egg Tutorial

The sun is shining, and the birds are beginning to sing.  For years I've always felt that spring has arrived after celebrating Easter.  Attending Easter Egg hunts, the bright pinks, greens, and blues of the holiday, and of course eating chocolate (ok so chocolate is not spring specific, but there are some Easter candies that make me really happy).

After making a few spring related amigurumis I decided that crochet Easter eggs would be a great decor addition (if I actually did things like decor).

There are dozens of tutorials out there for crochet Easter eggs, but every one I tried just didn't create the shape I was looking for.  So I've put a pattern and some instructions together for you to enjoy.  I made at least a dozen different eggs trying to get this pattern just right.

The great part about crochet Easter eggs is that they are a perfect scrap buster.  You can dig out all the little tiny balls of yarn you have at the bottom of your stash for this project.

Read on for tutorial and pattern...