Thursday, 22 October 2015

A Quick WIP Round

The last month has been extremely hectic around here so if you haven't seen me online for a while, it is because I haven't been online for a while.  I 'ditched' the computer and got busy.  

Here's a quick whip-round of what I have been doing (WIPs* included) …


Close up of Tri-colour Dutch rabbit in white, orange and black.
Mischievous Max came to stay.



Green blanket crocheted in griddle stitch with a white filet-style crocheted border.
The green blanket has a complete border now.


View from the bottom tier of the Adelaide Oval southern stand. One can see the four tiers of the eastern stand and the crowds. Behind the goals the crowd is a sea of red and black guernseys and flags and banners.
I enjoyed the colour of the SANFL* Grand Final.
Go Westies!
(*South Australian National Football League)




Adelaide's Elder Park Rotunda viewed from the Torrens River side. Inside the rotunda is a 7 piece band and the lead singer is dancing and singing on the lawn in front of the rotunda which is on the right hand side in this photograph.
Indonesian music group  SambaSunda gave a fabulous performance in the park.



Two pairs of fingerless mitts made with variegated blue sock yarn. They have ribbing at the wrist and the base of the fingers. The top pair have a longer wristband and palm.
I finished two more sets of fingerless mitts:
one for me, one for a young friend.



The view from my hospital bed clockwise from top left: overway table upon which is a water jug, transistor radio and glass of water with straw; infusion pump; over the sides of the bed hang the tubing for the drip, the nurse call bell and the bed controller.
Another hospital stay.



A partially completed oval-shaped crocheted rag rug.
The beginnings of a crocheted pet bed for Max.




Home-cooked birthday cake: chocolate sponge ring cake with kit-kat sides to contain the candy buttons covering the top. Most of the birthday candles standing in a ring are topped with flame but a few have been blown out already. May wishes come true!
A home-made cake
of kit-kats and candy.




I survived the school holidays, 
catching up with friends, 
celebrating family birthdays 
and hosting teenage sleepovers, 
despite losing an hour 
to daylight savings.






Crocheted drawstring bag laid flat against a green crocheted background with three swatches of cotton fabric laid out above it in yellow, brown, green, red and gold colours.
The lining for the WIP bag is almost done.

 
Close up of the top of a tea towel which has been converted to a hand towel. The tea towel is blue and the top is a natural beige. The foundation row is worked directly into the towel fabric. The pattern is based on square lace similar to filet crochet. The pattern has 5 triangular sections, one of which has been flattened out and pinned ready for blocking. The pearl button is the same colour as the towel top. The base of the iron can be seen in the top left corner. The blocking board is white with green one-inch gridlines.
A new tea towel design on the blocking board.



A scalloped handkerchief designed for crocheting - it is already finished off with holes around the edges, ready to insert stitches. I have worked blue double crochet stitches around the corner and the work is secured with a pink locking stitch marker. The 0.75 mm steel hook is laying on top of the handkerchief next to the round label from the cotton reel. Two cotton reels are alongside the handkerchief and viewed from above. The size 80 thread is Anchor brand, colour 129.
A hankering for finer work:
size 80 thread with a 0.75 mm hook.




I hope to blog about all of these things in more detail but I cannot promise.

I came to the realisation that I need to focus more time on my crochet if I want to get any of it finished!  Something had to give and that something was the computer.

 Computers are great tools and I do enjoy the blogosphere but computers also tire me and tend to use up a disproportionate amount of time for seemingly simple jobs.

Since my hospital treatment, I haven't felt that great or motivated to do much at all except sleep. In my waking hours, it is hard to concentrate or find the energy to do things. 

My crochet hooks have become great comforts.  In my mind's eye, I wield them like swords (or like Harry Potter's wand - we had a HP marathon here during the school holidays!) ready to attack the brain fog. "Take that!" I would say, waving a shiny silver steel crochet hook in retaliation. If only I could swish away the fog with the same ease as waving away the smoke from the birthday candles. 

Home-cooked birthday cake: chocolate sponge ring cake with kit-kat sides to contain the candy buttons covering the top. Most of the birthday candles standing in a ring are topped with flame but a few have been blown out already. May wishes come true!
Blowing out the candles:
may wishes come true!


 Crochet is keeping me from utter frustration with the hope that, as I crochet, the very act of doing so will break through the fatigue fog and lead to clarity.


What have you been up to in the past month?


*WIP: Work(s) in progress 



References & Links


SambaSunda,  Indonesian fusion gamelan orchestra:
SANFL (South Australian National Football League), website, Adelaide, October 2015: http://www.sanfl.com.au/




Related Posts on Lupey Loops


"How to Turn a Drawstring Bag into a Backpack", 8 October 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/how-to-turn-drawstring-bag-into-backpack.html

"Messy to the Max", 29 September 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/messy-to-max.html  

"Lost without Lists", 2 September 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/lost-without-lists.html

"Long Fingerless Mitts", 27 August 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/long-fingerless-mitts.html

"Tiny Flower", 12 July 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/tiny-flower.html

"A Bad Case of …", 29 January 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/a-bad-case-of.html

"Two New Tea Towel Designs", 27 November 2014: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/two-new-tea-towel-designs.html  
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14 comments:

  1. Breathing Life22/10/2015, 01:06

    well compared to you I feel very lazy! I am still plugging away on wips - but have started a poncho that is taking up all my attention. I have been working full time this month so knitting isn't getting the attention it should.
    I turned 60. So there is that.

    I hope your energy returns soon - and that you will be hopping around with Max in tow!

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    1. Jodiebodie22/10/2015, 13:03

      Happy Birthday Mary-Anne! I did quickly read your post that said "This is what 60 looks like" but wasn't sure whether it was a birthday 60 or not because you looked younger than 60 in your photograph! Looking good.
      Congratulations on your milestone. You are allowed to feel lazy.
      Keep plugging away - that's my daily attitude...with everything! ;-)
      It might look like I have done a lot in one month, but these things are the result of 'plugging away' gradually and they have come to fruition all at once.
      This week I am trying to take it very easy in anticipation of some very busy times on the calendar very soon (including the 'silly season').
      Meanwhile I seem to have got the order confused: instead of hopping around with Max in tow, I find Max hopping around with me in tow, sweeping up after him!
      Have fun and enjoy every day. xx

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  2. Amy at love made my home22/10/2015, 07:11

    I hope that you have enjoyed being busy! Apart from the hospital that is. I have been on the computer less recently too, you need to live don't you! xx

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    1. Jodiebodie22/10/2015, 13:17

      We certainly do (need to live), Amy!! I have always enjoyed being busy and it strikes me that you are that kind of person as well.
      You can imagine my frustration when the mind is motivated but the body is sluggish, especially during school holidays when the luxury of no 'school runs' provides extra hours in a day to do things (except I was incapable of doing them!) The luck of the matter was that the children were home to help and I was able to get lots of rest.
      It is spring in South Australia now so the vegetable patch is calling me - another reason to leave the computer behind for a while to get things done before the sweltering summer heat arrives. Timing is everything when it comes to gardening and it has been quite tricky this year because the soil temperatures remained quite cool for longer than usual, but then when the weather warmed up, it came in with a burst of heat that was too hot for newly planted out seedlings to survive.
      We are having a mild week this week so I hope to get out there, clear some overgrown beds and attack the dangerous spiders that have also proliferated with the warm weather - lots of redbacks about and last week we found a funnelweb in our lawn (of all places)! I thought funnelwebs were not even supposed to be in South Australia. They are common in New South Wales.
      Anyway, I didn't mean to scare you with talk of spiders. Don't worry, I will be extra careful because we don't need another trip to hospital! Enjoy all of your autumn activities and we can meet back on the blogosphere when we come back in for a rest! Cheers, xx

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  3. Amethyst's Art22/10/2015, 18:32

    Loved catching up with you on Wed, have missed our silly crafty mornings with coffee, chatter, gossip and a little bit of craft!

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    1. Jodiebodie22/10/2015, 21:18

      At least we manage to fit it in whenever we can, even if it is on the spur of the moment. It was great to see you too! xxx

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  4. Unknown23/10/2015, 23:50

    Oh Jodie I am truly sorry to hear of your hospital stay, and I do agree with you about computers. I seem to spend so much time fiddling about with Pinterest and so on and that's great but then, like you I have so many unfinished pieces of crochet! Sounds like you have been doing some fun activities as well though remembering the teenage sleepovers myself, exhausting! Max looks so cute and he will love his crocheted bed! Hope you feel much better very soon, meanwhile enjoy your crochet xx

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    1. Jodiebodie24/10/2015, 11:33

      Thank you for your sympathy, Alison. The good news is that my hospital stay went flawlessly - mainly because the senior staff had been allocated to my case. I was greeted by the ward manager on arrival who also checked in with me in the morning after to check on how things were going. Nurse Louise (who had overseen my iron infusion - http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/hooks-needles-nurses.html) looked after me which was great because she already had an understanding of my needs and knows what I look like when well and unwell. I do hope my communications improved care for other patients too.

      Pinterest - oh yes, I hear you! I had been avoiding it, using it mainly when I had something specific to share or retrieve with other people but I have access to a faster computer now that loads quickly so the temptation to have a look on pinterest is stronger now! ;-)

      Max's crochet bed will be a story - it already has been unravelled and will be reworked differently. It is a true work-in-progress as the project itself is dictating what I do next instead of the other way around. This is when lots of learning happens.

      It has been an amazing month and I am so grateful to be able to go out and do those fun things which were so impossible once upon a time.

      I hope you are well and I look forward to seeing more of your pretty makes. xx

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  5. Meredith24/10/2015, 02:13

    For not feeling well you sure have accomplished a lot! I hop eyou are regaining your energy and I have to say I love all that you have made.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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    1. Jodiebodie24/10/2015, 11:38

      Thanks Meredith! Remember though, that many of these projects have been worked on over months and months and it is just that they are all coming together at the same time. It looks like a lot but with all of the other activities, I am not progressing as quickly as usual with the crochet. Persistence pays - we all get there in the end! xx

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  6. Winkel's Crazy Ideas25/10/2015, 09:49

    I do a lot of the batteling illness with hook and needles in hand. Creativity keeps my head above water and gives joy. Love your green rug with white edging, such vibrant colours. Take care and crochet on. Blessings, Pam in Norway

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    1. Jodiebodie26/10/2015, 12:12

      Thank you, Pam. I don't know how I would cope if I didn't have crochet to keep me focussed. The creative scope is wonderful. I do hope you are having a good day and the new season's landscapes inspire you. I do enjoy your scenic photographs on your blog. Thanks for taking time to visit and say hello. All the best, Jodie

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  7. Gillian27/10/2015, 03:08

    You've been very busy! We in the northern hemisphere got an extra hour of sleep this past weekend. And I'm still really, really tired!

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    1. Jodiebodie27/10/2015, 11:02

      Oh dear, Gillian! That's no good that the extra hour didn't seem to help you. Personally, I dislike daylight savings because it messes around with people's circadian rhythms. Sure, it only takes a week or two to get back on track, but I resent having that forced upon me - feeling lack-lustre for a week or more.
      Can you slow the pace a little until you regain some energy, Gillian? Drop unnecessary tasks and delay or delegate others? Save your energy for the most important things.
      I hope you can get your rhythm back soon and feel much better.
      Take it easy! xx

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