Stitch of the Day #4 - Rib Stitch

So this is actually Creative Grandma's Stitch of the Week #110 ... I varied it.

So in her tutorial, she uses a single crochet stitch only to make the ribbed swatch. I started with a single stitch, then did a half double crochet, then a double crochet stitch.

Here's the video for the Single Crochet Rib Stitch... you can do it with a half double crochet stitch or even a double crochet stitch. You just use the back loop.

Again, my thanks to Creative Grandma as I learn different stitches and gain master of these new stitches or a more practiced hand at the ones I'm familiar with.

I've used this rib stitch, using a half double crochet stitch, in my wrap. There is also a shell stitch in the wrap.

Stitch of the Day #3 - The Cozy Cable Stitch

This was an easy stitch to learn!

I followed the video from Creative Grandma on YouTube for this stitch:

My version:

You can find the written pattern to download at CreativeGrandma.Net.

There are links to the videos as well!

Stitch of the Day #2 - The Slanted Shell Stitch

Updated Feb. 21st, 2018:

So, I think I was just using the wrong yarn. Instead of the bulky yarn, I used a worsted weight with a size I hook. Here's the result:

I was not too far off the first time, but you can really see this stitch now. I took my time. I think I was hurried back in January. 

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In keeping with my 2018 goal, I am onto my 2nd stitch.

If this were a duel, I would have never seen this one coming. I'd have been lying face down on the ground trying to figure out what had happened. This stitch is not easy for me. I'd be ok, but the last part of the stitch and then the subsequent following of the next row ... well, I kept losing stitches and it was hard for me to stick them back in.

I tried with different kinds of yarns. No dice.

Click for Creative Grandma's Stitch of the Week.

Here's the How-To video:

This is what I ended up with... kind of a mess...

I will keep practicing this stitch, but I'm ok with not mastering it right away.

Stitch of the Day #1 - Delicate Baby Shell Pattern

Updated on Feb. 21st, 2018:

So I wasn't a fan of my very first attempt at this stitch and did a second. Now, I've done a third. I think this looks a bit less messy, but I'm not sure why I have this hole in the center. LOL. Didn't even see it until I took the picture. 

Here is my new version: 

I'm not seeing a lot of difference or improvement here. I think my originals, in comparison, are better. However, I felt like I was more in touch with how this worked. 

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In an effort to have some sort of goal this year, something to do each day, I am going to attempt a new crochet stitch every day. I am inspired by Creative Grandma's Stitch of the Week. I'll be using her stitch of the week for each day until I catch up with her.

Here's the How-To video:

Here is my version: 

I used a J-hook and some leftover Lion Brand yarn - sort of a reddish brown that came up nearly cream here in this pic. Clearly, I need to get a little more practice on this.

The practiced version in teal:

And the comparison of both...

Click for Creative Grandma's Stitch of the Week

An exercise in brevity...

Have you ever had a desire to write or do something, but, the moment you make an effort to see that urge satisfied, the ability seems to escape you?

I feel this urge to get something out. I feel a need to be creative, but I am not sure how to see either of these things through. Is writing the way to do it? Should I be painting? Crocheting?

What form will my creativity take? How do I find it?

I wonder if others go through this. It seems that I know so many people with creative talents who love what they do from the moment of first creation to the completion of it. Yet, I find myself grasping for  a stress relief mechanism.

How does one find this, I wonder?

Smoke, Fog, and Haze - CW #7

  The forest is little more than dark green pine needles poking out from inside the gray fog that blankets the world this morning. There is no visibility beyond my own hand, maybe a few feet beyond. I know trees exist there. I know the ground continues on. But I walk carefully, afraid that there may not be solid ground when I put my foot down.
  Sounds creep their way to my ears, eerie in the inky gloom that prevents me from seeing their source. The haze acts like a mirror, but with sounds, I can't tell which direction they come from. It is a strange thing, to know you are encircled by trees yet feel as if some ghost may come out and get you within a moment.
  Smoke would be preferably, its source known - fire. Yet, that, too, would be as worrisome. Where would I go? From which direction might I find safety if I cannot see beyond the blackness?
  I am frozen, unable to go forward or backward for fear of what may lay ahead. Will I find treacherous footing or solid ground? Will there be a good friend waiting or a large beast wishing to sup upon me?
  A decision must be made - to stand still and do nothing is to surely perish...

Dragon - Creative Writing #6

  My heart begins to race. I can feel it. That can't be good, when you can feel your own heart racing as if it might fly out of your chest, right? That's a description they use in books to help you understand how bad a situation is, yes?

  My eyes see the problem and my brain takes it and runs with it.

  Work. So much to do. So little time. Report cards. Lesson plans. After school events. Test, re-test, small groups. Programs. Meetings. Meetings. Staff Development. Desk is a mess. Boards look bad. Haven't changed anything on the walls. What do I focus on? Going home early for a change. It'll be there tomorrow, screw it.

  Home. Family. Husband. Child. Dad. Mother-in-law. Mom. So much to do, so little time. Where to go? What's first? What do I do?

  Fun. Rest. Relaxation. What are these things? Vacation? *scoff*

  Dentist. Drilling. Drilling. Noise, sharp. Turn the music up. Choking on tongue, but not. Tongue's touching my teeth. Brain insists my tongue is touching my teeth. Brain insists my tongue is choking me. Breathe. I'm breathing. Tongue is still choking me. This is not possible. Can' break through with the logic. Stuck. Tears. Heart beats faster and faster. Chest heaves. I'm choking. Gagging on the mold in my mouth. No, I'm not. Yes, I am. No, I'm not. They wouldn't keep working on me if I was choking. What if they can't tell? They can tell. No they can't. Yes, they can. No, they can't.

Panic. PANIC. It's sudden, unrelenting. Logic-defying. No control. No sense.

  It's a strange sensation, thinking logically and knowing something - I mean KNOWING - and still be unable to see your way out of it.

Panic. Anxiety. It is standing in a room of garage, holding a trash bag, and not knowing where to begin.

Panic. It is standing in a clean room, organized, and not knowing how to pull things down to get at the desired object.

Panic. It is your heart racing without you exerting yourself.

Panic. It's being unable to stand for no reason and suddenly being terrified of being stuck.

Panic. It is frustration. Rage. Mountain vs Mole-hill and the mountain is winning.

Panic. Unable to breathe despite having the ability to.

Relief: Suddenly feeling like the vise on your chest is gone. LIke your brain can put order to the chaos swirling about.

Panic: Standing in the center of a hurricane where all is calm, watching the swirling mass around you and knowing you are trapped and unable to change this.

Relief: You remain standing and all is quiet. There is no hurricane. Never was.

Panic: A dragon that breathes its deadly fire upon you and consumes you.