Best Of

My sister as a young bride in 1973 started to crochet blankets. She taught me and a cousin. My cousin was a lefty, so we would sit across from each other, mirror each other. Well, her blanket was super loose and mine was so tight it weighed a ton at 3’x3’. I never completed it.

I did cross stitch for years, embroidery, plastic canvas with yarn, and even rug making with printed canvas and precut yarns. My fingers are double jointed, and as I aged full of arthritis too. I’ve had de Quervain’s thumb surgery, to release the tendon on the right thumb. And sometimes my left thumb will make me yelp in pain.

I have some lace that was tatted in Bruge, Belgium. A cousin lived in Belgium for a while and we toured Bruge. Many women in the stores were hand making doilies, lace trimmed handkerchiefs, and more. And I have older lace trimmed handkerchiefs that were my mother’s. I should look into framing them.

Recently I grabbed some embroidery floss, tiny scissors and threaders to free hand embroidery as repairs on a pair of my favorite jean shorts. I wouldn’t say the repairs are fantastic, but they’re good enough for me. My fingers did ache the next day.

Any of the above activities make the time fly by. I don’t know how to knit. Many ladies in my FL neighborhood do both. I should have someone show me.

Tuesday evening SO saw a few crazy or ghost ants in the master bathroom. We put out syrup and borax which attracts them; they take it back to the nest to kill them all. But today we had the bathroom sprayed by my neighbor who uses the professional sprays. We had to empty everything so she could spray everything; leave it to dry, before putting everything back in. They come from our shared wall neighbor; I could elaborate but I won’t. 🐜

I also cleaned out our clothes dryer vent today. I try to do it every other year. It wasn’t real bad, but it wasn’t clean either. I probably should do it every May, so it’s clean when we get back in November. The cleaning isn’t hard, but it’s a pain hooking that accordion vent part back up to the dryer and the wall - ours vents through the roof.

It was raining this morning, which we needed. Then sun for a bit, before winds picked up to 30 mph. That’s why I stayed in cleaning. HA!

I ran out for the mail around 5 pm and I was frozen. Tonight it’s going back down into the low 40’s, but instead of sheets on my plants I just brought the amaryllis bulbs back in. I’m tired of it.

Chris - what a great way to display and safeguard your treasures.

My grandmother crocheted - all my older cousins got tablecloths as wedding gifts. My sister and I were the only ones who missed out as she lost her vision. She taught us and we made vests as I recall. My sister still crochets but I knit. Made so many sweaters in the '80's that my family begged me to quit. I do have an Irish knit sweater that I keep in Maine with Debbie as it seldom gets cold enough to wear it here. Did a number of afghans too.

I started needlepointing and did 8 large dining room chair seat covers and 22 Christmas stockings for family members. Like my grandmother, my eyes and hands gave out and the last two great nieces and now spouses get ones from LL Bean. (Actually far cheaper than the ones I did but I think they appreciate my continuing the tradition.)

About 10 years ago, Debbie wanted an afghan and I started knitting again. I make afghans as high school graduation presents. The last great niece will graduate in '27 and hers is done and I've started one for Ella who is a freshman. When it's finished, I hope to start knitting for "knitting knockers" but it will depend on how small the needles have to be as my hands tend to tense up if they are too small.

I was sewing my own clothes by the time I got to junior high and did a parka when we were in Alaska and tailored suits when I was working. Then I just stopped. I imagine I would need lots of lessons on the new machines but have no desire to sew again.

Haley, many craft stores have classes if the YouTube classes don't work. I don't think they would for me.

Stay safe everyone. This weekend doesn't look any better than last for many of you.

@eleanora I brought a small crochet project with me to my first infusion, but since I ice my hands during the process I cannot crochet too. It has prevented the neuropathy so far so I shall continue. I could do it the first hour though… Perhaps I should think about it. I don't do doilies as I too have some antique ones from family and don't need more. I have been thinking of making everyone slippers for next Christmas. My MIL did that and everyone remembers her work. It would be good as they are small and I don't need a lot of directions.

@mcbaker

Thanks for the beautiful photo. To think that many of those were made by women with poor lighting and no magnification.