Life in the Slow Lane

Last night, I was just about finished with a blanket I've been crocheting for quite some time now. I was |this close| and suddenly I hit a snag. A tangled web of yarn that brought me to a screeching hault...argh!!! I could have just cut the yarn at the knot, and started again, but I  refused and continued to try to untangle it.  As I sat and attempted to make my way through all the little loops and twists, it made me start thinking about my life. It's no secret that my life has been full of twists and turns the last two years. Many bumps, many complicated knots, many tears. But I saw my end goal. I knew where I was heading, just had to off-road a bit to get there. Slowly but surely, I've found the other end of my yarn of life. I see now that all of the knots I had to undo were very worth the stress and aggravation. The nice part that ties together this little blog post is my guy. He not only helped me untangle my yarn to finish the blanket this morning, but he also helpe...

Bad, bad blogger. Life has gotten in the way of my ramblings! I'm only stopping here today to ask for your help my blogger friends. Help me help a friend. A friend in need. A friend that would help anyone and everyone if she had the ability. Below is some information about her son Chris, and their situation. To the left is the badge for my Etsy store, which I recently started up again. Everything I crochet will go in my store, and every penny of the sales will go directly to helping Chris beat cancer once and for all.  As a parent, as a mom, put yourself in her shoes for a few seconds and imagine what you would do, or want from friends and neighbors. Thanks in advance :) Chris is my best friend Margaret's son. In the past couple of weeks, he has been rediagnosed with the osteosarcoma that he has battled for the past year. In addition to all of the get well wishes and prayers that everyone is sending Chris' way, we are accepting donations for Chris and his family to ...

Hello blog world!! Life has been upside down to say the least over the last few months. I've enjoyed my yarny life and have learned so, so much. I never thought I would become a knitter, always a crocheter at heart. Well I'm here to say that I love knitting! It creates such beautiful finished products, and while it does take some getting used to switching to use of 2 needles, it's so worth the aggravation. I've made some fun little projects, and get a little braver each time. I'm currently on a pair of socks. In other life news, the boys and I are doing fine and gearing up for the holiday season. Their Christmas lists change and grow each week, so eventually I'll just have to tell them that Santa has reached quota and all future requests will be rejected. One can only shop so much! I've missed blogging and am ready to get back into the swing of things. I've missed alot of things actually....baby steps, right?!?!

I've completely neglected you over the last few weeks. But with good reason. With all the depressing life changes that have occured here recently, it's time for a happy change...a new business venture! I've been working very hard on opening my very own local yarn shop! Where we live in the Poconos, there isn't much in the way of retail shops. Sure, you can drive a half hour in any direction and get to some civilization and any store you need. But here, in the small town, local community, there just isn't enough. One thing I've always wanted since I moved here is to be part of the community, so now's my chance! The Yarn Barn will be located just outside Hamlin, PA on Route 348. If you're local or visiting, stop in and say hi. If not, visit me on Facebook here , or check out the website. Comments and suggestions always welcome!! http://www.allisonsyarnbarn.com/

I have to get started. And even if I do start this week, there really is no guarantee I'll be done before Christmas! I've been eyeing this tree skirt for about 3 years now, but with all the friends having babies, then doing all the etsy stuff last year, I just couldn't get it started. But today may be the day! It's not really complicated, more time consuming than anything. So stay tuned for progress reports and either a completed project post at some point, or more likely a defeated crocheters block post:)

I hold my pencil wrong. Well, wrong in the eyes of my first grade teacher Mrs. Collins. I held it the way I was comfortable and stuck with it. Unfortunately it makes my ring finger sore on that little upper knuckle part. Thank goodness for typing! But I crochet. A lot. And with that comes holding the needle 'wrong' as well. I do it very different than anyone else I've watched. That's ok, I'm good at it, so my way is just fine. Anyway, crocheting gives me an even worse sore finger because of the constant pressure in that spot from the needle. Well I found the solution!! I always knew a rubbery thimble would do the job, but had a hard time finding one. Until a few weeks ago when I stumbled on a set. Yesterday I finally tried it out and hooray! No sore finger today! They do look a bit funny, even though a cute shade of pink with some flowers etched into the rubber. This picture isn't the best quality, but you get the idea. It's very soft, you don't eve...

Crocheting has been a very big part of my life for the last few years. Not only does it give me a sense of accomplishment, but it's also something that I can do quietly, alone, and just about anywhere I go. But right now I'm having a bit of a dry spell. I've made more baby blankets than I can count. No more blankets. Lately every time I start a project, I work on it for a few days, then put it down. I currently have about 4 projects in 4 seperate tote bags sadly waiting to be worked on. What's holding me back? Is it my lack of skill? Am I fresh out of creativity? Will I ever finish another project? If you have something you desperately need crocheted please let me know. Maybe I just need a swift kick in the ass!