Soda tab Flowers

I made these flowers by instructions I got off the internet . . . of course! But I had to modify them to make them work, as usual. So instead of crocheting the middle first, wound up crocheting the outside first, and then finishing like a flower on the KK flower loom. These are really easy and quick to make, provided that you have a lot of soda tabs on your hands!

Looms - not just for loops anymore!

You can also use yarn instead of loops on a loom. I watched a video on someone's blog, so you should be able to find it if you google the right words . I have now warped the loop and in a few minutes will be weaving while I listen to a book on tape. Have fun weaving!

Loom loops - not just for looms anymore!

I bought a plastic loom with a metal hook and a bag of cotton loops for just over $5 at Hobby Lobby. I made my parents several potholders and then got bored. So I was surfing the web and found a web site called makingfriends.org which has all sorts of cheap, nifty craft ideas. Using a technique called 'finger weaving' which a friend had already taught me how to do with yarn years ago, you can make everything from scrunchies to jump ropes to belts to rugs with loom loops. It rocks! My friend and I made each other scrunchies, and I am working on either a jump rope or a rug(Hopefully a rug). By the way, if you are out of loops, you can cut up old socks. I wouldn't know whether or not to reccomend for potholders, but they work for finger weaving!

Service Dogs

I knew that service/therapy dogs existed for autistic children, but apparently now people are starting to realize that they can also be of benefit for the mentally ill. They are called Psychiatric Service Dogs, and can apparently do such things as prevent the owner from engaging in compulsive behaviors, comforting the owner/bringing him out of depression, etc. It is all very interesting.

Silly Me

I bought a Knifty Knitter flower loom for $4.99 at Jo-Ann Fabrics. I immediately tried to make a turtle with it, and found that one of the pegs came out. After some experimenting, I found out that ALL the pegs came out. So I thought about gluing them in, but we were out of Superglue. So I posted on Ravelry, a great site, about it, and within less than an hour I got a response: the pegs are MADE to come out for easy flower removal. Sometime I might glue the pegs in, but for now I use tissue to secure them.

A Joyful Activity

Last night we had knitting at someone's house who had a dog. We knitted outside. The dog's name is Barley and is very fun to play with. I chased him, he chased me, and we had a great time. My asthma didn't even bother me too much. The dog owner says running around is his favorite game, and said thank you for wearing him out. I felt happier than I had felt in a long time. Sometimes I think that if I had a dog, I would have no need for antidepressants - although I know it isn't true. Sigh . . .