Weekend update! Back on track...

After last week's derailment, I am feeling back on track this week.  The treatment I receive for Psoriatic Arthritis  (PsA) is as miraculous as it sounds.

After 24 hours I can sit (or stand or sleep) for more than a few minutes at a time.  After 48 hours I can walk more easily and get out of the chair without my cane. After 72 hours, I'm ready to go to the zoo with the grandkids.  True story! I was really tired after a couple of hours and went home, but I did it and loved being outdoors and feeling semi-normal again.

It changes just that quick for me, and I bet it does for lots of other people with lots of other challenges. If you know someone who has really good days and really bad days - believe them!  Anyway... here's what I've been up to this week:

Umm.  :tucks project bag back under the table:
Ok, so I didn't make any progress on  my African flower dragon this week.  But that's ok!  I was counting my spoons and being mindful of how I used them.

I did finish Clue 3 of Shannon Sanchez' Tiberian Shawl MCAL.  All together now... ooooo beads!

I'm using copper lined multi-green beads.  The copper lining gives them extra sparkle without being truly twinkly. I think they are going to be perfect for this shawl.

The general boomerang shape is continued as well.

You can't see all that stitch texture yet, but trust me... once I finish the final clue I'll get it blocked so I can share it in all it's glory next week.

I know what you're thinking... what about that awesome slip stitch Surfing the Clouds by Tanja Osswald?  In my best Doctor Who voice, please imagine me saying "I know." Yes, Eleven is my Doctor, because bow ties *are* cool and so are fezzes and fish fingers and custard and if you don't agree with me, well... that's totally cool because there's room for all of us in the Whoniverse.  *wink*

I FINISHED IT!  I had about 45 yards of yarn left over so it worked out perfectly.

Just look at the detail that comes out during blocking (aka wash, and lay flat to dry, gently stretching to open up the fabric).  Would you have guessed all those swirls and ripples and patterns were in there?  Me neither!

They show up a but better in  the blocking photo because the yarn was wet and therefore darker, but it's still pretty amazing dry!

Truly beautiful and perhaps the very definition of the art that can be found in crochet.

A few more just because eye candy!

Yeah.  Finished object of the week, and maybe even 2016 right there folks!

But I did finish another small project worth mentioning because it used a technique called "hairpin lace".  Hairpin lace is named after a tool that is often shaped like a giant hairpin... the kind Witch Hazel uses.

Nowadays they are often more rectangular, with adjustable ends for the rods.   You can find them at any craft store.

You use the tool to create a strip of loops, and then you crochet over, under and around those loops to make different patterns.

Here's my headband.  The bottom half shows the loops I made with the loom while the top half shows how I crocheted over them.

Here's a closer look after both sides are crocheted...

If you're used to seeing crochet stitches, you'll notice what looks like a shell. Below that you can see 4 diagonal lines - that's because I worked over 4 loops at a time. 

Right down the center you can see the line of single crochet that holds the hairpin loops in place, but because they're worked from alternate sides they zig zag a bit.

If you have no idea what you're looking at or what I'm pointing out, that's totally ok!  Stay tuned and eventually we'll get to this technique and you can learn it too.

It feels good to be back on track this week. Finishing the shawl means I can start another large project. My daughter asked for a blanket for her 3 yr old.  Grandkids you say?  I'm on it!  I think it's a good time to break out the Tunisian knit stitch.

Til next time... keep it real, and take care of yourselves!