Category: Crochet and crafting

any items related to crocheting or crafting

The Death of an Orange Pen

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life, Writing

Yesterday I spent the day with my mother and going through some genealogy stuff.  It was good to look through family memories and mysteries.  We discovered invitations and thank you cards sent to my grandmother that we think come from some cousins but we can’t quite place them.  It will be fun to see how it all shakes out.

My sister and uncle came to pick up my mother and stayed to chat.  It was a good time.  Ken and I watched some tv, ate supper, and chatted with the Georgia girls.

I got alone time.  Ken went off to bed.  I tackled a manuscript that needed editing.  My orange pen got put to work as I read through a two hundred page manuscript.  My intention was to go to bed early.  That didn’t happen.  I was up until after 12:30 editing.  I looked at my pen and realized it was nearly half gone for ink.  I just got it out in the last month.

Even after I was done editing, I crashed but woke up at 1:30 with a headache.  Yes, the headache woke me up.  I shifted position, took Tylenol and tried to go back to sleep.  I must have slept because I woke up around 6:30 when Ken went out to gas up the two vehicles.

Today I’m not sure what I’m going to do.  I may work on writing, crocheting, or sleeping.  It’s Sunday so it is supposed to be a relaxing day.  I’ve already got a headache with my ears ringing.  It might be a good day to just shut down and do nothing.

Those who know me – stop laughing – I can to do nothing.  It just takes a lot for me to do it.  Doing nothing is hard work.

No Stress Day

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life

Vicki called me last night to chat before she went to bed.  Before she called I was writing, the words were flowing, everything was moving along nicely.  I hung up with her, typed a sentence and my phone rang again.  It was my other two daughters calling to chat.  I asked if they coordinated that with Vicki.  They laughed and denied by I have my suspicions.

It seems like every time I go to the bathroom or am writing they call.  I think they may have hidden cameras in my house.  Well okay – probably not.

Yesterday I got the new Wayfarer book out!  Today it is available on Amazon.  I’ve reviewed the proof and the paperback will be ready in a few days.  I ordered copies so I can have them on hand, donate to the University library, send to my kids.

Last night I worked on another story and am trying to get it wrapped up.  I realized I had three plot lines to complete before I could finalize the book.  Of course I have editing to do after that.  I’m hoping to finish it off in the next week or so but I’ll have to see how writing goes.

I’m going to play with a cover for one of my novels I’m almost done with.  I don’t have one in mind so I’m going to play around with a few ideas.  I am leaning towards simple with my covers.  I find I like them better when they are either a photo someone has taken or a simple cover.

Once I’m done with a few of the writing projects, I plan to work on crocheting.  I’m hoping to get a few of the gifts made while I watch movies or tv today.  It will be interesting to see if the crocheting loosens up my hands a little.  If it does, I may have to go back to crocheting on a weekly basis to keep the arthritis under control in my fingers.

It’s Sunday so I want a nice and easy day without a lot of stress.  Crocheting, writing, tv, movies, all sound like a good plan.  Of course I have a manuscript to edit so maybe that will find a way into my day as well.

Writing, Crocheting, Napping

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life, Writing

Here it is Saturday morning and I should be productive.  Yesterday I came home tired and grumpy.  After paying bills, I curled up in the recliner and took a nap.  Ken and I watched Babylon 5 and had pizza for supper.

I should have worked on all the writing stuff I have on my list or some of the crocheting stuff I have on my list.  I didn’t.  By 8:00 last night I was in my jammies and crashing.  I talked to all three of my girls yesterday – always a good thing.  After that I crashed for the night.

Normally I wouldn’t go to bed this early because after about four hours I’m up and can’t sleep.  It throws my sleep pattern off.  However, last night I crashed.  I woke up three or four times throughout the night but I “slept” for about eleven or twelve hours sort of.  I haven’t done this in ages.

This morning I’m working on book work for the writing, matching payments with sales.  Several people have asked if I’m coming out ahead, the answer is no, not yet.  My expenses still outweigh my income but I know this is a long term thing not a short term thing.

I have nine books out and am hoping to get another out this weekend.  That will be my next project.  I have a little bit of editing to do, checking things out, adding in front and back material.  Then I will do production.  Shockingly I have the cover already done and am hoping to get through all the production steps so I can go ahead and publish today or tomorrow.

Once I’m done with this book, I’ll be working on edits for the next manuscript and writing for the several stories I have running right now.  I feel this week has been unproductive for me.  I’ve written only a little and edited only a little.  I’ve done a little crocheting.

One thing I have noticed this week and I’m reminded of it as I look at the trees outside my window.  It is fall and the leaves are gorgeous.  It is my favorite time of year, the trees are gold, orange, red, green and it feels so good.  Even though it is a gray day outside, I see all the flame colors out my window and know it will be a good day whatever I end up doing.

Relaxation!?!

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life, Writing

Yesterday I was busy with writing.  I published a book, downloaded reports from the companies who I publish through, printed a manuscript for editing, finished editing one manuscript and got a third of the way through another.  It was a busy day.

In addition to all the writing things, I talked to all three of my daughters, organized coupons, and spent time with Ken.  It was a good day with a bit of balance in the day.

This morning I’ll be putting edits into the computer for the manuscript I finished a round of editing.  I have more coupons to go through.  I want to work on croheting.  I also have to get stuff ready for work this week.

I now have nine books under my name.  This is way beyond what I thought I would do in a year.  In the next two months, I’m hoping to get two more books out.  The two manuscripts I’ve been editing need to have a nice polish put on them and then out for readers to enjoy (I hope).  The one will be Wayfarer Immemorial, the third installment of the Wayfarer series.  The other will be a new book about magic, love, good versus evil, betrayal and a bit of redemption.  I’ve not named it yet but it will hopefully be ready by the end of November.

I’ve been submitting short stories and other items to other places and having absolutely no success.  I don’t know that I’m successful with the books but they are at least out there for people to try.

My relaxing weekend has been full of writing and hopefully today a bit of crocheting while I catch up on the tv shows I’m behind on – NCIS LA, Dr. Who, Person of Interest.  I hope I can finish the current scarf I’m working on and then start some of my holiday crocheting.  I’ll just have to see how things go though because the editing is really calling to me.

I started the fourth Wayfarer book and have struggled with getting more down.  It’s in my head, I just can’t seem to decide which scenes to write first.  I realized last night the moon is in the full phase.  This is almost always a non-creative time for me but a productive time in getting things done.  I can only assume as the moon shifts to the dark moon I’ll get back on track with the fourth Wayfarer book.  I also have a bunch of information in my head about the last Defenders book and the second book in another series I’m working on.  I just need the time to get it all into the computer.

Forced to Craft Shop

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life

Friday, Ken and I drove to Indiana to visit Vicki.  We got there late but I still stayed up until late talking with Vicki.  This is normal for a visit with one of my kids.

Saturday, we ran errands with Vicki and she forced me to go to JoAnn Fabrics.  We wandered for a while.  I may have spread glitter on her from some ribbon she was looking at.  It seems only fair since she forced me to go to the craft store.

Leaving the store, I had three bags of yarn, books, and supplies.  My wallet was lighter by quite a bit but I saved almost $65 which is more than half what I spent.  Surprisingly, I didn’t spend the rest of the day crocheting for her, though she did get two scarves out of the craft store trip.  It was fun to walk through and say “oohh, pretty, nice texture, hmm must have,” and pick up what we wanted.

A huge surprised, I picked up two skeins of yarn specifically for myself.  Vicki has them and is knitting me something.

My new books came home marred with tabs.  Vicki had to inspect them.  Of course during the inspection, she tagged all the things she liked.

The drive down was mostly uneventful.  We saw one accident which slowed us down around Chicago.  At one of the tolls, several cop cars had at least one semi-truck pulled over.  There were three cops at the back of the truck with bolt cutters.  I’d love to know more about that but of course we were driving so could stop to gape at the event.

The ride back was easy and had very little traffic.  This is always a good thing.  Basically I set my cruise and drove.  That makes the trip easy and pleasant.  We listened to a book most of the way back.  I woke up tired which is never a good thing but once we put the book in, it pushed back the tired.

Unfortunately, I got home, showered, and had every intention of working on writing but came to the living room and curled up in the recliner to nap for almost three hours.  Interestingly, I could probably turn out the light and go back to sleep.  However, in my head are two stories that started on the drive down.  I’m going to try to get at least the concepts down on paper.  In my head I have two or three other things I want to get done today.  What’s in my head and what will actually happen may very well be two different things.

New Project

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting

Finished the second afghan I was working on. It was a quick one with a large hook and large lacy pattern. I think it turned out nicely with the pattern featuring the beautiful yarn. Next I’m moving on to the afghan for my oldest daughter.

I started it last night but may have to tear it out as I think the hook is not large enough to meet the gauge. The two rows I did are only about three feet wide. This will make it more shawl like than afghan.

I’m using Patton Metallic yarn which I had a hard time getting and cost a fortune. However, it is worth it because the yarn works up beautifully.  It is a silver color and looks like spun silver.  It is soft and beautiful. 

Every time I start a new project I’m excited to try something new.  I think this is why I don’t often do the same pattern twice for the larger projects.  I do for smaller projects because they just work up nicely and multiples are more likely to be needed (like for dishtowels and other household stuff).

There is an anticipation and excitement of whether I’ll like the project, be able to do it, and how it will turn out.  It is exciting to see it develop.  It is generally only the projects that take forever that I end up getting annoyed with.

After this afghan I have one more to do and when they are both done I’m going to work on a project I’ve been wanting to do for myself (hopefully) as well as the smaller projects I need to start for gifts. 

It Is Done

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Writing
This morning at 2:15 I finished the afghan!  After work, I had a headache so came home to a dark room.  It felt good to just have quiet and dark.  I was a bit annoyed because I thought I wouldn’t be able to work on the afghan. 
 
However, after supper my head felt better so I picked up the afghan.  I only intended to work a bit and then go to bed early as I’ve had a couple of nights with crappy sleep.  Instead, I watched Torchwood and crocheted until the afghan was done. 
I’ve made a late start today but I’m okay with that because the afghan is done and I can move on to the next crochet project.  Before I start the next crochet project, I’m going to spend some time on the computer working on production for some of my books. 
Suzanne got me pictures for the next poetry book cover.  I have to take some time to see if they will work.  She sent me multiple pictures.  This means I have to pick the ones I think will make the best cover and play with it to see if it will fit the requirements and work up into a good cover.  I generally make four or five and email them off to people for opinions.  Once people let me know what they like and don’t like, I eliminate until I’m down to THE cover for the book. 
This all takes time and is one of the most time consuming.  It is also one of the most difficult decisions I make when it comes to my books.  Suzanne provides me with some amazing photos and I have a hard time narrowing it down to just one.  There are a multitude of decisions like font style and color, placement, size, and so on that all affect how the book looks.  Since there are almost limitless options for these decisions I try to be consistent but it still helps me to have other people’s opinions. 
Don’t think I’m indecisive.  I have a good eye for color combinations and other stylistic features but too often I’m just too close to it all.  This is where other people’s opinions help me.  It isn’t just a matter of them choosing cover A or B.  It is a matter of telling me what works and what doesn’t work in the covers. 
Suzanne and my daughters are the four people I trust most but I’ve also asked other people to.  The interesting thing from this is generally one cover stands out as getting a consensus of being the front runner.  For Secret Past, I had opinions from at least a dozen people and they all liked the one cover – the one I went with – the best.
This means my day will consist of cover design, errands, and starting a new crochet project.  It will be a full day but hopefully a productive one.  Finally – the neverending afghan – is DONE!!!

Determined to Finish

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting
View outside my office window

The weather in Wisconsin has been a series of rainstorms washing through on a daily basis.  I love thunderstorms – the thunder, the lightning, the sound of the rain on the roof – all in trance me.  Watching a storm roll over the land is amazing. 

What isn’t so amazing is how my body has been reacting to these storms.  I’ve got arthritis so generally everything aches when we are going to have a storm.  Mostly, I manage with the pain as it comes and goes with the weather issues.  This last week though, I’ve had throbbing sinus issues every time a storm comes.  Essentially the left side of my face feels like the pressure is going to make my head explode. 

This makes it difficult to do anything – edit, crochet, talk, breath.  I’ve been doing all the right things – eucalyptus, heating pad, tylenol, extra allergy meds.  Still the pain is there and I deal. 

What frustrates me most is I’ve still got four and a half rows on the afghan to finish.  I’ve got all the yarn I need (finally) and all I need to do is sit and crochet.  The problem is I can’t because my head is going to explode. 

I’m determined that this weekend those last rows will get done.  I will have the afghan off my to do list and on my DONE (finally freaking done) list.  It is gorgeous but I’m tired of working on it.  I want to work on something else – anything else at this point. 

Once that one is done I’ll be able to look at the other three I have piled up behind it and start on one of them.  I’ll also be able to look at smaller projects to get done for holiday gifts.  I have several things I want to experiment with – stitch sequences I want to try, patterns I want to try and there is always the colors and texture to consider too. 

Before any of that fun can start, I have to just finish this one freaking afghan!  It will be this weekend. 

The Frustration of the Neverending Afghan

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Writing

Last night I worked on Vicki’s afghan.  I made good progress with getting a row and a half done.  I went to start the next row and discovered that I didn’t have enough yarn to complete the row.  This is the one variegated skein I didn’t get over the weekend.  I was all set to keep crocheting but unfortunately I didn’t have the yarn to do it.  I was very annoyed. 

Tonight after work I’ll be stopping to get the skein of yarn.  Hopefully they have the variegated I need to do this one freaking row.  I grumbled at Vicki about it and she said to just skip the color.  However, it would look odd if I just skipped it – it would ruin the whole pattern. 

There I was last night in the mood to work on it and I couldn’t.  The yarn failed me.  In most cases I typically buy extra yarn so I don’t have this problem but with this afghan we didn’t buy extra – probably because the yarn was sort of pricey.  It is beautiful yarn but a little pricey.

Once I have the yarn, I’m hoping to get that row done and start on another of the rows.  I’m to the point in the afghan where I just want it done.  For most normal rectangular afghans if I had five rows left, I would just finish it.  I’m frustrated because I can’t just rush through the end of it to have it done and because I ran out of yarn. 

I’ll have to be patient because there is nothing I can do about it – that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.

On the writing front, I’ve been working on editing.  I finished editing a fantasy novel.  I need to get the changes into the computer now.  I also have a poetry book edited.  I’m going to work on production of both of these so I can work on getting them out soon.  Then I will look at the third poetry book and the second fantasy novel.  They both have a lot of editing to go on them. 

With all of these I have to work on artwork / covers as part of the production.  I have wonderful people who help me create beautiful covers.  I’m looking forward to working on these covers and other artwork for the fantasy novels. 

Secret Past

Moon Affirmations  Daily Meditations Using the Moon Phase to Focus Your Energy

Moments in Nature

Neverending Afghan

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting

Yesterday was a full day of making things.  Ken and I made fruit salad, repackaged chicken for the freezer, and made turkey burgers.  After that we watched Longmire and I crocheted.  Believe it or not I only got a couple of rows done on Vicki’s afghan. 

I am halfway through row 47.  The afghan has 53 rows in total and I can’t wait to be done.  After this afghan I have three more in line.  Each of the rows takes about an hour and half to complete at this point.  Also because it is so big, the room needs to be cool enough for me to work on it or I get too hot.  It is time consuming but in the end it will be gorgeous.  I change colors every row so there is that goal.  Also it helps to see where the beginning of the row is with the color change. 

I had to stop crocheting last night as I had a sinus headache edging towards a migraine.  I pulled out the eucalyptus, heating pad, and tylenol.  They all helped eventually but by the time I was feeling better it was too late to do more crocheting. 

My goal at this point is to finish a row a night.  If that is the case it will take me six days to finish the afghan.  If I’m lucky I’ll be able to do more than a row a night but I’ll have to see how the week goes. 

After I’m finally done with this afghan, I’ll probably plunge into another one.  I like to have a big project going along with a bunch of little projects.  I need to finish making some crocheted lace that I started.  It is made with a steel crochet hook which is very small.  This means I have to pay more attention to it when I’m crocheting and I have to have a strong light on it so I can more easily see it.  It is beautiful but hard on my eyes.