It’s hot here in sunny Queensland Australia. The travel agents do advertise Queensland as the “Sunshine State”. More Specifically I am in Jimboomba – South East Queensland for any of you with some strange interest and a map.

When I am out in the heat, or anywhere in the house that is not air-conditioned then the whole idea of picking up hook and thread makes my skin prickle with anticipation of a heat rash. However, when I sneak into one of our air-conditioned areas then it’s back to my normal enthusiasm, possibly even more excited. Maybe because I am deprived in the rest of the environment that the air-conditioned hidey holes make crochet seem decadent.
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Rachel has written a compelling piece called 2012 New Year’s Crochet Resolutions and many of you have responded with enthusiasm – I am jealous of you all being able to make New Years resolutions. I wish I could.

I don’t cope well with New Year’s resolutions. Many people I know do really well with them and they get all motivated and have great success during the year. Not me, they never seem to quite work for me and then I get all upset with myself – way to much pressure.
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Okay, I have been going through Crochet Spot’s freebies and the store, AGAIN, and remembering the things I have made from them. What have I discovered? I have realized that some of the patterns are very addictive and you cannot stop at one. I mean who can resist those cute little chickens, or the scarves, beanies and doilies? They all make up really quickly and use different yarns and suddenly they are all different.

Now I don’t know about you but there are only a certain amount of toys and cat toys I can make. For starters my young nieces and nephews, and not so young daughters have about all they can take with crochet toys. And cat toys, well I don’t have a cat and don’t know anybody with one, but they’re oh so cute and in the cupboard. Made too many flowers? Then STICK A FLOWER ON IT and sell it.
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Well hubby and his pinched nerve and numb fingers is back to work so things have started on the road to ‘normality’. I use that word loosely as I don’t think we are quite normal in this house. Hubby being back to work means I can start to straighten my brain power back to the chaos it usually is – but it is MY chaos.

Well the dancing concert for the youngest daughter is in 12 days so I am sitting at a LOT of extra dancing lessons. Even though last weekends were 3 hours both days, I am 45 minutes from the studio so I don’t bother coming home. PLUS it gives me 3 hours to crochet >>>grins<<<. There IS an upside to running kids around. This very same concert however, has landed me with more sewing. I already have 4 of her 7 costumes, but I still have to make her into a witch, a pirate and make a shortish tartan skirt (not a kilt) and a matching shirt. I have known about this for probably 2 weeks and it is now pretty well the ‘last minute’ so I really need to get sewing. Fortunately, I can only do that at home so I can crochet to my heart’s content for many hours at dancing.

I have also added to my crochet time – well my ‘sit down and do nothing’ time, so while I am sitting down I can crochet some more – yaaayyyyyy!
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My Husband is a gym junkie and a typical male. About 3 weeks ago he came home on a Friday (gym day) and said he was sore around the shoulders, not the ‘good’ sore from a good workout, it was actual pain. He goes to the gym 3 times a week. I suggested he have a bit of a break, but he’s male so that didn’t make any sense to him. He then came home the following Monday really sore and by bedtime he was definitely in REAL pain. He popped a large amount of pain killers and acknowledged that maybe he wouldn’t go to the gym Wednesday – I gave up. No sleep that night. By morning he was crippled with pain on the right side back/shoulder and upper arm. His lower arm and hand were numb. Doctors / physio’s / serious pain medication and pending specialist he is still hurting and has numb fingers and arm. It’s been 12 days now.
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Well the craft room is organized and my excitement sparked about what I can do with all the new found (well re-found) yarns, threads and what-not. I do want to try my hand at adding crochet to fabric to jazz up clothes and things. It should be simple enough in most cases. I think I will start by making some lacy edges for a plain top or 2 and see how that goes. I have some knee length pants that I wouldn’t mind jazzing up a bit. I thought I might undo the side seam and crochet a narrow panel as an insert. I will have to think about that one for a bit.
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I have finally done it! I have cleaned my nemesis of a room. Well, there is one really high shelf to go with boxes of wool. My craft room now has a floor – who knew? It also has lovely windows to look out. It has a cutting table and I can identify the sewing machines. It has taken me 2 weeks, from 8AM until about 3PM, 5 days a week. My ever helpful 21 year old suggested about half way through, just after my “I’ve had enough” rant, that I should just shove it all back in there. That’s how it got to be a disaster in the first place.

View from 1 of my uncovered 2 6ft x 4ft windows looking out to our rather dry block of land

All crocheting took a back seat this last fortnight. I had to sew, constantly. My youngest daughter needed a new kilt as she has grown out of her old one and being that she is now adult size I had to get a new one made. Don’t start highland dancing unless you want to mortgage the house. Adults do not seem to sell their kilts (not the imitations sold in clothing stores – proper dance / band kilts). The kilt and fabric for the Aboyen skirt and Plaid, and a pair of socks set me back just over $1000AU. The socks and kilt were specially made and took 11 weeks. I just got the fabric for the Aboyen because it is a simple skirt to make and the plaid is square! Lots of yarn I could get for that. I also needed 2 different blouses, 2 different vests and a petticoat, all regulation. Well at $220 per jacket, $60 each for the blouses, and don’t even ask about the petticoat, it became horribly obvious I had to make them. I can, I am a professional sewer but that has taken a back seat – well almost non existent – in the last 10 years, except for dancing costumes.
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I like second hand stores. I am not sure what they are referred to around the world, however here they are refer to as second hand stores or op shops (opportunity shops). They are stores that people donate items to charity and then the organization sells them through a retail outlet.

Anyhow, I like them.

Sometimes I score yarns and other crafty items. However, sometimes there is something there and I think it quite sad. What is that? Well it’s handmade items. Some items you can see have been well loved and then donated. Fair enough, not all of us wear or use things to death, however I have found not only well worn crochet or knitted clothing but NEW items as well. I have purchased and worn to it’s final days several articles of hand crochet and knitted clothing and some items I’ve purchased there have never been worn.
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I saw a T-Shirt on a random stranger that said “Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans”. It’s true isn’t it?

I just think things would go a lot more smoothly in my life if there was less of the annoying stuff like cleaning, and more of the stuff that involved yarns and threads – just my opinion. I have such grand plans for my crocheting, I would eventually like to start my own online store selling ‘one-off’ hand crafted items. I thought I’d start with an Etsy or Ebay store first and build my empire from there.
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