I Will Not Give Up

It’s all about the attitude, am I right?  I thought I’d share my fun little adventure/experience with the blogging community.  I decided last year that I was going to branch out and better develop my knitting and crocheting skills. I’ve always made basically flat things like afghans and a few stocking hats.  Nothing that really required anything beyond basic skills.  Now, once upon a time, I was a fairly accomplished seamstress.  Honest.  So, it’s not vanity that makes me think that I should be able to reasonably learn how to make the items that I find using crochet and knitting patterns.  But somehow, nothing ever seems to come out the way it should.  I read through the threads and the comments; yep, it’s just me.

So, I decided to make a new summer hat to continue with my learning.  I chose the Flowerpot hat from Knit-O-Matic’s website. Shout-out to Haley!  I like your site!  Love your Patterns!  Thank you Thank you for making the Flowerpot hat pattern free.  But most importantly, I want to thank Haley for the intro that she gave this hat pattern.  She shows a couple of versions of the hat, in which it comes out way too big.  If it hadn’t been for her honesty in this matter, I believe I would have given up on my 2nd try and just found a different pattern.

 But I love this hat!  So, I figured now was as good a time as any to put my conviction to the test.  I’m actually laughing at myself, because my first two tries at this hat came out looking just like the two she has shown here.  Now I’m digging in my heels, using my thinking skills, and reducing the pattern to better fit the thread that I’m using and the (apparent) tension that I use on the hook that I have chosen.  And guess what?  By jove!  I believe I may have something here!  It’s still WIP, of course, but it’s actually starting to fit!  Yeah!!  I’ll be sure to post a pic once I have it done.  But for now – I just want to state, for the record, that I will not give up.

That Moment When….

…you realize that the reason the plug doesn’t fit into the socket is because you didn’t take the protective end-cap off the plug…..

Daily Prompt – Safety First

The Daily Prompt asks us to share a time when we felt unsafe.  Here’s a good one:

As a single mother of two growing teenage boys, it eventually became inevitable that I would be alone at night some times.  The boys would spend the night with their friends and I would just be at home with the dog and the cat.  Lots of company, no problem.  So one night I’m doing my thing, and I decide it’s time to go to bed.  I get all snuggled down under the covers, and I start to hear a noise.  A scratching noise.  It stops, then it starts.  Then it stops again.  Now, as a mother, I am able to identify most house noises, but this one, not quite.  Is it the back door?  What about the garage door?  Wait, there it is again.  I get my ax handle and start walking around the house.  The dog doesn’t seem a bit disturbed by this noise, but then she wouldn’t would she?  Not unless the intruder had a bag of french fries and some cheese paper to throw her.  This goes on and on for minutes, then an hour.  I’ve got myself worked up into an almost hysterical mess.  I’m thinking of calling someone; no – I’m the strong independent type.  There is no one in the house or trying to get in.  There’s that noise again..where is it coming from?

Finally, I have to calm down, breath, and realize that if this completely unidentifiable noise has not attacked me after an hour of looking for it, than it probably isn’t going to.  I sit on the edge of the bed.  I wait; I listen.  I follow.  It’s not in my room.  I walk to the doorway.  It’s in the hall.  I walk to the hall.  It’s all quiet.  Why won’t this noise sound-off when I get close to it?  Wait!  There it is again — the front bedroom.  I turn on the light; anything and anyone could be hiding under the mess in this room!  There, behind me.  ..it’s….it’s…..[sigh]…it’s the computer.  It’s the hard drive scratching.  Arghhhhh!!!  I’m an IT Support Person and I can’t identify the sound of a hard drive scratching in the night!!!

Haahhh…..okay.  Nothing to fear.  Everything’s fine.  See.  I knew it.  The dog looks at me like I’m nuts.  “Can we go to bed now?” she seems to be asking.  I calmly reach over and turn the computer off.  “Yes puppy dog, we can go to bed now.  Good night cat.  Good night house.  Good night silly computer.”

Fall in the Ozarks 2013

I think this is absolutely one of the most beautiful red trees I’ve ever seen!  Fall is almost over, here in the Ozarks.  The leaves are starting to turn brown and the rain and the wind is causing them to fall ever more quickly; but even that is inspiring to watch as the leaves fly across the air and fall like snow.  Winter is coming.  Indeed.