crafts

crafts, a set on Flickr.

Hanging

Ever felt like nothing quite went right and everything had its own schedule, completely different from yours,  and just left you hanging?

Phone calls unanswered;  internet mucking up; computers failing; sewing machines grinding to a screeching halt;  construction next door robbing you of your sleep; dental office visits.....   all adding up to a general sense of loss of control resulting in  panic and crazyness?

Well, we had one of those weeks and I decided to hide in my little atelier and just create.  I did not have much to work with because of the general sense of disorganization, and just collected odds and ends, even from the rubbish basket by the sewing desk and stitched together something that, in fact, reflects my whirlwind mind of that time.  Made me feel better though.

I started out with bunches of loose threads placed on a piece of mattress cover, which formed the basis of the little wall hanging, and then stitched on odds and ends from my bead collection and strips of yarn and fabric, branches covered in scraps of material or thread and hung it from a few dried branches from the yard.  Et voila!  A little wall hanging, and peace has returned in the house as well as in my mind.

We now have two new computers, and WiFi:  yeah, that is an improvement!!  Why did we wait this long?... and it is even cheaper than the old and slow DSL.   Thanks Time Warner!  Still waiting for the sewing machines to return home.  The White just needs a tune up; the ancient (1954 Kenmore) one, needs repair, but is so worth it, according to Tony the repair person.  It is a collector's item.  Who knew?  It belonged to my mother-in-law, bless her heart.

Take away pizza to be delivered in a bit:  heaven!

☯

~ Tranquility and Tolerance ~

For when the big one hits...

This is one of the little bags I made recently, which now is finished.  It has a special purpose.  When my husband and I are out, we carry it with us, and at home it hangs on the wall, over a note that says: Medical Information. 

See the two little notebooks?  There is one for each of us and contains the following:

A photo for identification
Our medical insurance card
Our Medicare card
Dental Insurance card
The card from the Neptune Society  (prepaid arrangement for the final barbecue)
The names and phone numbers of all our doctors
    (you can use their business cards - get one next time you visit them)
Names and phone numbers of the pharmacies we use
Our diagnoses
A list of our medications (I always print up a bunch, because every time you visit a doctor
    you are asked what you are taking, so I whip out my little list for them to keep
Your phone number(s)

To this you can add any other pertinent information - for example:  my husband wants to be called "Mr." Whatever, and not by his first name.  Not, horrors,   "sweetie, honey, grandpa, or hun"  or other  terms of endearment which someone forty years younger than he  feels like calling him.  He also hates TV.

You may want to add the names and addresses of your closest relatives and friends.  Or the name of your attorney, in case you croak.

Don't include  your social security number or your address.  This information can be obtained from your insurance or doctor, if necessary.  Do not include credit cards.

You get the picture.  I believe everyone should carry something like this with him.  In case of an emergency of any kind, when all your medical information is instantly available to whomever comes to your aid, this will speed up the process of getting you the help you need as quickly as possible.

Don't leave home without it!

        ☯      

~ Tranquility and Tolerance ~

Mom's Pot Holders

I have moved around a lot in my 44 years of living in California.  The last time was from Northern California to Los Angeles, to my new husband's house (his was bigger than mine so we sold my house).  There was also already a lot of stuff in his house which had belonged to his parents.  In essence, we combined three households and for a while the house looked like we were aspiring hoarders.  Thirteen years later it looks a lot better, but we are still finding stuff we did not know, or had forgotten, we had.

So when I recently looked in the back of a linen closet, there were a bunch of pot holders, among which two my mother had made, ages ago.  I guess I always carried them with me from place to place, without really being aware of it.  Looking at them closer, I tried to figure out how she had made them, and I managed to copy them.  It was not too hard.  They are made as if you are making a weird pointy sided hat.  The end result is a double thick pot holder, which is joined at the bottom with a row of single crochet through both layers.

Unfortunately one of my mother's had caught a bit of a flame over the stove, so I removed the last, burnt, row and made a new one.  The orangy one is hers, the blue one mine.  These are great stash busters.  For instructions look in HOW DO I DO THAT.

☯

~ Tranquility and Tolerance ~

Lots of Little Bags

Apart from the fact that the days of utter muggyness  are finally over, and it was fun to go out again, our weekend was particularly successful with a trip to Big Lots and finding lots of cheap yarn.  I found some lovely multicolored stuff and matching yellow and whipped up a bunch of little bags.   I wanted to try different stitches from the book:  The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet by Margaret Hubert, which I absolutely adore.  Get it from Amazon, the price has just been reduced to $16.

All the bags are done in a different pattern.

 

The multicolored bag on the left with the shoulder strap and crocheted white flower, is finished and the crochet stitch almost looks like bargello embroidery.  It is much less difficult than it looks.  I used both the yellow and multicolored yarn alternately.  The other multicolored ones are WIPs, as are the two yellow ones.  The top yellow one is in a very thick sturdy stitch.  I love its texture and have to think of making something special of it, with embellishments.  Stay tuned!

☯

~ Tranquility and Tolerance ~

Something old.... is a Little shopping bag

Here's the answer to my mystery item of a few days ago:  It is a pouch with a net shopping bag folded up inside it.

The  net bag fits between the two halves of the pouch and is crocheted atop one of the halves.  The other half is attached on the other side of the half with the net.    You open the pouch,  take out the net bag part and then turn the whole thing inside out, so that the second circle does not flop about at the bottom.  This one is rather small, but bigger ones can be made of course.  The circles are easy to copy and the net can be any pattern and any size as long as the circles can hold it all.  A Great Green Gadget!!

Clever, eh? FIts in your bag or purse.   Thanks "Tante Marie"!

☯

~ Tranquility and Tolerance ~

All Things Law And Order

Love, love, love all the Law And Order shows. I am so going to miss Bobby Goren and Alex Eames but am looking forward to the new and third season of Law And Order UK, on Wednesday, August 17, 2011,  on BBC. After the "Bobby and Eames" show,   I like the UK show the best .

 Kathryn Erbe and Vincent D'Onofrio

Always fascinating to watch!
Thanks for hours of fascinated nailbiting.

Below a link to a site here on blogger about all the L&O shows. I was glad I found it. Lots of information and news updates!  Check it out:

All Things Law And Order: This Is My Story

☯

~ Tranquility and Tolerance ~