Gimpy Hooker with a Twist of Lyme

Cute "Lyme" pic from Neen Crochet

Just a quick update - we may have found what's causing (or at least exacerbating) my gimpy-ness. I'm putting this out there to both hopefully inform anyone who also struggles with a mystery disease, and account for any big lapses in posting.

A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with both Lyme Disease and Bartonella (another tick born disease). This is after having my first POTS episode 11 years ago, and a slew of chronic syndrome diagnosis and no answers. I wrote about my current health situation and the diagnosis journey in detail on my other blog HERE for anyone that wants more detail.

It's going to be an interesting ride from here on out - and to cope, I'll only be selling things that are ready to ship, no more "made to order" crochet, jewelry, or stitch markers. Everything in my shops is ready to go and already made. I'll be focusing on patterns and creating things for fun while I start this long treatment process. I hope to post lots of pretty pictures of new crochet creations, and fun free (and paid) patterns.

Next pattern in the Que!

I urge anyone that has mystery illness stuff going on to get tested! I have been misdiagnosed and left to get progressively worse for over a decade, and I was bitten by my first tick (that we know of) at the age of 12 - so who really knows how long this has been going on?

Cheers and healthy well wishes!
---Claire



 

Make your house stink good, aka Stove-Top Potpourri

It's fall! And I'm lazy! So here is the easiest way EVER to make your house smell nice and fall-ish for cheap, and all in about 3 minutes.




1. Get a shallow pot
2. Get some cheap cinnamon sticks, if they are not too stiff, break them up. I usually use 3.
3. Get some whole cloves. Toss some into said pot.
4. Slice EITHER apples or oranges and add them. Pick a single fruit, I tried them both togther thinking I'd be fancy, and it was gross smelling.
5. Fill with water until they are covered.
6. Bring to a boil, then simmer. I usually just set the stovetop to medium and then turn it back down to a low setting. Keep an eye on the water level, you may need to refill it, you want your fruity slices covered so they don't burn.

I'm assuming you don't need step by step pictures for something this easy. So enjoy! Make your house stink good in 3 minutes! Keep using on and off as needed for about a week, or until the fruit gets funky.

---Claire 

New Crochet Patterns and Stuff!

I have not be blogging much - but I HAVE been crocheting and designing, I swear! Just to prove it, and be able to pin the pictures to pimp my goods, here is a quick round up of patterns that are being finalized and tested, a few paid, and a few free (yay!).

1. The "Bears and Bows" hat, sized Preemie through Adult! More pics coming...!

FREE CROCHET PATTERN! "Canyon Sunrise" One Skein Adjustable Cowl

It's that time again..... 
A FREE CROCHET PATTERN!

This is a design for an adjustable cowl, perfect for cooler weather and looks lovely with any color changing bulky yarn - I used Lion Brand Homespun in "Painted Desert". The colors reminded me more of a sunrise over a canyon though, hence the name.

This took me almost exactly one skein! FOR THE WIN!!!

It also has an adjustable tie, and with the stitch variation, sits nicely around the neck and off the shoulders. And the color change almost works out per row, which was totally by accident, but we can pretend I'm a yarn and crochet mathematical genius and planned it! Anyway, on to the good stuff...

LAST DAY TO ENTER, free crochet pattern!

Last day to enter the contest for a free copy of the Extra Icing Cupcake Hat!

If you can't wait, it's LIVE on Ravelry and Etsy!

And because I love you all so much, there is a 15% off coupon through Sept - use code HDLaunchParty !!




Enter below (takes a minute to load), and GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FREE CROCHET PATTERN: Plum Twist Headband! Super fast.

PLUM TWIST HEADBAND / HAIR WRAP

This was an on the fly, super fast creation when I needed a hair accessory NOW. Isn't it nice to be able to make the things you need last minute?

This is a very easy, customizable, and quick pattern I wanted to share, so here it is!


Materials/Notes:
* Worsted Weight Yarn, 1/8 skein, scraps, very little (you get the point!), I used Caron Simply Soft in Plum
* 8 mm hook
* This pattern uses the lattice stitch (one of my fav's!), which has a basic pattern of *dc-ch 1-sk 1* while dc-ing into the ch space. 
* You could easily add rows to this to make it thicker/wider, and play with the hook size. I wanted   mine to be lacy looking, and using a larger hook with WW yarn creates that effect. Try a smaller hook for a "tighter" look. If you do this, you may want to increase your foundation chain.
* To wrap this around your head for this look, hold it at the base of your neck with an even length to each side of you (behind your head). Then wrap over your head, twist twice, and pull back down to the base of your neck. Tie off.