JsueChat

I'm back. It's been too long and, frankly, I have been lazy. I define "lazy" as not doing what you know you should when you know you should. So, with apologies and humility, I have returned. Update: I am now 11 years into retirement and am feeling pretty good about my use of this flexible time I earned. At least it feels well spent. I'm growing in my skills and dealing with many new challenges every day. It's a great time to be alive even though the society we live in abounds with naysayers, fault-finders and, frankly, a negative stream of complaining and whining like I've never seen before. I believe one of the great gifts God gave to His creation is adaptability. And to prove it to us, He allows challenges and obstacles in our paths so we may grow, learn and improve. There is purpose in our "being". Since retirement I have written and arranged 20+ songs I've discovered I love textile...

Flawed but finished. The original is much prettier, but I'm a beginner in following knitting directions. I sense a do-over coming! You know that crochet and knit project? Well, I've done both off and on throughout my life. This traveling afghan project, however, is teaching me so-o-o-o very much. I've completed all the squares provided thus far. The crochet pieces (3 of them thus far) are completed and look really good. I breezed through those. But then the knitting has a very different story to tell. I lost count of how many times I had to start square 2 over again. I know it was at least 10 times I yanked out every stitch. However, at this point, there are only two squares to complete and, they are done , but square 2 was really hard for me. I am grateful the decision to do it over is totally up to me. But I kinda like my flawed effort. The perfectionist in me whispers and nags me "Re-do it! Re-do it!". But the realist in me says "keep i...

NOTE: I labeled these so I would know  my original intent. I hope that doesn't express doubt for even getting started! I just wonder how many times we've all reenergized and re-upped at the beginning of a year? Well, I'm guilty of another start up. Today, I started a new project: The Traveling Afghan. I love to crochet and to knit. And my favorite resource for yarns and patterns in LionBrands.com. They came out with this Traveling Afghan project. Someone organized 49 designers all over the world to create a 10"x10" square, add it to the afghan, and ship it on to the next designer. When finished we will have a nice afghan. I couldn't resist. Every two weeks I can finish a 10x10 square, right? So next there was the kit: Crochet? Knit? OK. I crochet just fine. Easy, right? But knitting? This offers an intermediate skill level for both so I decided it is time to improve my knitting abilities. I GOT BOTH! THEN, what color. That was so hard but I...