D'NALI

After all the birthday shenanigans, I got the flu!!! Boohoohoo!!!! But that didn’t stop this party animal!!! LOLOLOL! Yeah right!!! Although I was floored by that pesky virus I’m back now!!! My baskets, overflowing with birthday yarn and fiber and just the coziness of the Fall days and evenings sent me back to my needles and hooks. My finger is much, much better and I was so excited to start crafting again.

This weekend past, I made a little “mat” to add to my Fall decor to put my candles on. And since this home-girl is crazy about handmade and crazy about Christmas, I broke out my 100 Crochet Snowflakes book and made two snowflakes as well. I think I’ll make a couple more for my little Charlie Brown tree. Because I’m a total New Yawker — with that kinda “go big or go home” style, I didn’t use fingering weight yarn for the snowflakes … nooooooooo, that would have been too easy! LOLOL! I celebrated my finger feeling better by crocheting with thread and a teeny tiny hook. Yeah … I’m a nut, but they are so cute though. Wanna see?

I think I need some extra starch on these puppies; I’ll take care of that tomorrow! I can’t wait to finish some other designs then hang them on my little tree. 🙂

The pattern for the the leaf is “Leafy Washcloth” by Megan Goodacre on Ravelry. I haven’t added notes to my projects folder yet but I made this in worsted weight heathered yarn (an old line from Knitpicks) and followed the pattern exactly as is. The next time around, I think I’m going to use beads somewhere in the design. I could see it in my head already! After I weave in the ends, I’ll show it again with some “model” shots. LOLOL!

I hope you’ve all been well and it’s nice to be back in this space. ❤

Let me know how you’ve been in the comments. How are you crafting your way through Fall?

I wish I could say that the last year of my life was a happy one. It was one of the worst years of my life. Full of trouble but yet, lots to learn from. From a period of unemployment which lasted from one birthday to a month before this one, job hunting frustrations, new health scares, old health issues and flare ups, steep financial losses not of my own doing but because my old company went bankrupt, deaths and other losses … let’s just say that it’s been a interesting year. However, today, I look forward to a new year with a grateful heart. Although the year was beyond tough, I made it through by living this old Russian proverb:

Pray to God and now row to shore

I knew if I stopped praying, then I’d be too tired on my own to row through the sea of the last year, and if I got too tired to row, I’d drown. Most importantly, faith in God is what gave me what I needed to continue to row. My options were as dire but as simple as that so I kept praying and He helped me to keep rowing.

Although there are things I’ll never recover, I’m looking forward to new opportunities, new treasures and being grateful for what I do have. Blessings like faith, that woman who I call “Mummy”, my two sidekicks aka my brothers — Neil & Ali, my cousins Ann & Sabs, my friends Elisa, Drea, Ophelia & Courtney, my birthday twin Linda, my Preeti, my Sharon, my Miko, love, friendship, support, being prayed for, laughter, enjoying the simple things (there’s nothing like loss to wake a person up to what they do have and I’m no exception), “just between us” text messages from my Andi who always knows exactly what to say … from encouraging to the most insanely random — she’s The Shawn to my Gus), surprise “I’m thinking of you” packages in the mail from Nizzy and Asha, plus other family/friends who came through for me in the biggest of ways … ways I can’t even describe. I can’t name them all or this post wouldn’t end, but I couldn’t have made it to shore without you cheering me on! When I weigh the bad against the good — what’s not to be thankful for?

Through it all, I realized that I was made of sterner stuff than I thought I was made of, that it was okay to not be superwoman but to graciously accept help when it was given, that I needed to leave the past behind, just move forward — for my own good, and that I had gifts and talents I was sleeping on.

While my life hasn’t evened out yet, I’m still enormously grateful to see another birthday. Enormously grateful that every day I live I’m being given another chance to craft a life well lived with God’s help despite whatever trying situations come my way (cause you know they don’t ever leave you alone). I get to continue to work on becoming this lady and I get to focus on what’s really important and most true.

So cheers to another birthday … although I’m kinda hoping for a luxury yacht this year and not another row boat. I’ll even take a speed boat to get a break from the rowing. LOLOL! I have one request though … somebody … please … whatever “boat” I get to go through the upcoming year with, throw some yarn in to keep me company! 😀