scientific study about buying yarn;)

Since I work in the medical field (medical records), I am very interested in the way the body works. Apparently there was a recent study done on women that showed there is a scientific reason for having a "yarn buying frenzy" when you (or I) enter a yarn shop. Sadly, they did not test this hypothesis on men, so I am left to wonder if women are more likely to suffer from this because women generally have a better sense of smell or does more research need to be done on this particular subject.
I was enlightened by this article and I hope you are, too;)

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A recent study indicated, that yarn and thread gives off certain pheromones that actually hypnotize women and cause them to purchase unreasonable amounts.

When stored in large quantities, in enclosed spaces, the pheromones, (in the yarn,) cause memory loss and induce the nesting syndrome, (similar to the one squirrels have, before the onset of winter, i.e. the storing of food,) therefore, perpetuating their species and not having a population loss due to their kind being cut into pieces and mixed with others.

Sound tests have also revealed, that these yarns, emit a very high-pitched sound, heard only by a select few, a breed of women known as "loomers." When played backwards on an LP, the sounds are heard as chants, "Buy me, loom me, and wind me into a ball ".

In order to overcome the so called "feeding frenzy effect," that these yarns cause, one must wear a face mask when entering a storage facility and use ear plugs, to avoid being pulled into their grip.

(One must laugh, however, at the sight of customers in a yarn store, with WW2 army gas masks and headphones!).

Studies have also indicated, that aliens have inhabited the earth, helping to spread the effects, that these yarns have on the human population. They are called "YARN STORE CLERKS".

It's also been experienced, that these same pheromones, cause a pathological need, to hide these yarn purchases, when taken home (or at least blend them into the existing stash.) When asked by a significant other if the yarn is new, the reply is, "I've had it for awhile."

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I didn't write this, but I _wish_ I did. I swiped it from somebody else's blog (yes, I asked permission and received it). She didn't know who wrote it either....

Author Unknown

achy breaky wrists

I can't believe it is September already. Of course, I generally spend the last part of every month pounding the keyboard for my job, so it makes crocheting not necessarily a fun thing to do. (I type every day at work, it's just there are time constraints at the end of the month, so it makes the pace a little more hectic.)

So here's what I do when my achy breaky wrists get too achy breaky. I am not a doctor and I do not play one on tv, so you will want to consult a doctor to see if any of these methods could be helpful to you.

I try to give my hands some time off from the repetitive stress, but that's _boring_;) I do wear a glove on my right hand (they sell them at the Lion Yarn Brand* site http://pages.e-yarn.com/6030/PictPage/1922238685.html) and it tends to work fairly well. I broke my right wrist playing wiffle ball when I was a little girl, so I think I might have a touch of arthritis in it. I've never tried a full arm splint.

I don't have the typical carpal tunnel syndrome symptons, (see this site for more info http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm)
as it is my wrist that aches much more than my hand aches. My left hand (I'm a righty) gets achy and I do have tendonitis in both arms, but it's nothing like the right wrist.

I did carefully crochet a wrist rest and filled it with those little beads that are used for certain types of toys. That seems to work fairly well - but it disappeared from my desk at work. That did not make me a happy camper. So instead of crocheting another one, I cheated and found an old "Beanie Baby" - it's a lamb - and use that for support while typing at work. It's not the best solution, but I'm still considering alternatives. Maybe I'll just fill a stocking with birdseed and leave it at work, presumably it won't walk off.

I also stop what I am doing to stretch out my fingers and hand. I have tried "shaking" my hand but that doesn't seem to have much effect on the achiness. I work for a long term care pharmacy, so sometimes we get freebies such as "stress reducers" (for me it should be a nice cup of decaf Irish Breakfast, perhaps a brownie or turnover - well, you get the picture;)) and I can squeeze them to my heart's content. Unfortunately, they generally don't make it thru the first day with me, they must make the "stress reducers" cheap or I just have too much stress;)
Some other companies, such as Afflac, give them away when the representatives make presentations at a work site. If you can't find a goodie like that at work, you can try this website:
http://www.isokineticsinc.com/
I have a few things from them and they seem to work very well - when I remember to use them. It's recommended that after an hour of any sort of repetitive work, you take a break and use your hands in a different way. I try to remember to do this, but I'm not very good at it.

I have used the Clover soft touch hooks and they seem to work well. But I do like my Boyes, so I find myself going back to them all the time. I've tried the plastic grips that slip on the hooks and they seem to help with the smaller hooks. Thread work is difficult on my wrist.

I also use a hot pack or a cold pack on my wrist. This can be very helpful to block the pain quickly. I will also run hot water over my wrist for about 30 seconds if I'm at work and that works very fast. Sometimes I use ibuprofen or acetaminophen to ease the discomfort. Elevation of the arm is supposed to be helpful, but I never remember to do that.

Anyway, I hope this explains why I have been away and also what you might be able to do to relieve your own achy breaky hands.
It's time for the usual disclaimers:
* I do not get a kickback from any of the sites mentioned, but I would be happy to accept one.
Of course, I am not diagnosing any thing. You should check with your health care professional first before you try any of the suggestions.

Crochet Fantasy news

I have complained in this blog about the difficulty of getting any information about "Crochet Fantasy". I resubscribed in July 2006 and "Crochet Fantasy" seemed to drop off the face of the earth. I did track down the address of the company that published it last, Fiber Circle Publishing and posted it:
Fiber Circle Publishing
200 McKinney Street
Farmersville, TX 75442

I have written several emails and several snail mails. I have not as yet received a reply. I decided to look up the phone number using the internet and I found it*. I decided to call today and see if anyone knew what was going on there.

I spoke to a very pleasant young lady named Diane. She informed me that Fiber Circle Publishing is trying to get another crochet magazine** to take over the subscriptions. No, there won't be another "Crochet Fantasy" and that's a pity. But the money I paid for the subscription will be used for another crochet magazine subscription. She told me only _1_ person is working on the database and that person is about three quarters of the way thru it. So while it may not be in the very near future, it looks like the "Crochet Fantasy" subscribers will be able to get another crochet magazine in exchange for what they already paid "Crochet Fantasy". I would guess that if you already subscribe to the magazine they turn the subscriptions over to that you would get an extension on your present subscription.

So I said I would post something about "Crochet Fantasy" when I found out and there it is.

Payton update: He's still in therapy, but he's doing fine and is in good spirits.

*if you want the phone number, you can email me through this blog & I'll send it to you.

**She didn't name the other magazine.

7 things you don't know about me

I read the "Crochet with Dee" blog and her blog today was a sort of "tag - you're it". SHe wrote about 7 things you don't know about her, none of them crochet oriented. So since I was "tagged", here you go:

1) I hate going to the dentist. I have been very fortunate in not having dental problems or bad teeth, but I just hate it. I hate getting my teeth cleaned. I'd rather go for a gyn check-up. I know that makes me weird, but there you are. I didn't go to the dentist until I was 28 and while it wasn't a fun experience (_1_ tooth pulled - that's it for all my life), it just bugs me. I usually take 2 tylenol for the headache I cause myself by being tense while my teeth are being cleaned.

2) Hmm, this is another tooth related one, but I almost 53 & have never gotten _any_ of my wisdon teeth. They're not impacted, they are just not there. (However, my older son got extra wisdom teeth - removed.)

3) I love to bake - especially bread. I love the way the dough smells and I love the way bread dough feels. I find it especially satisfying after an ugly week to bake.
(I do most of it on the weekend.) I must have had a really bad week because I baked a total of 4 cakes (2 chocolate, 1 strawberry, 1 orange) and potato bread this past weekend.

4) Whenever I am in a hospital or a nursing home visiting somebody, people tend to think I'm a nurse. I'm not wearing a uniform or a badge and I'm not a nurse, so this is a little confusing to me . (My 3 older sibs are nurses, maybe I just adopted their demeanor or something.)

5) I love to garden but the joke is on me. My "plot of land" is clay and takes a lot of amending to make anything grow. I have had some successes - white butterfly bush, persian lilac, daffodils and hibiscus. I think the failures (or "learning experiences" as I like to call them) outnumber the successes. But I still try to whip the clay into shape.

6) I am an "endangered species" - a natural redhead. There's not too may of them in the world, I think the highest concentration is in Scotland or Ireland. Neither of my parents were, none of my sibs are and neither of my sons are natural redheads. Some of my sisters have had red hair at one time or another, however. I got teased a lot, called the "milkman's daughter", that sort of thing (we didn't even _have_ a milkman). But hair color, like eye color, is not an "either/or" type of gene. Two blue eyed people can produce a brown eyed child - your genetic material is made up of more than what your parents look like and what you and your partner look like. Really.

7) I like to sing, but I really don't have that great a voice. I like to sing along with almost anything that catches my ear, from Ethel Merman to Amy Weinhouse. And I will make up the words as I go along, to fit whatever it is I am doing at the time. For instance, I am fascinated by Amy Weinhouse's song "Rehab". It's such a basic bluesy kind of song that I feel the need to sing it. And quote from it, to the cats and my (poor) family.

now you know more about me than you ever wanted to;) and of course, you are "tagged" to post the 7 things I don't know about you....

Red Scarf project

If you participated in the 2007 Red Scarf Project for the Orphan Foundation of America, you may want to know there have been some changes made. The date the scarves are due has been changed to September 1, 2007 to October 15, 2007. This might seem a bit early, but the group can process the scarves earlier and get them to the recipients earlier when they are more useful. OFA is also requesting each crafter (it can be crochet or knit) to contribute no more than 5 scarves. Apparently, charity crocheters and knitters gave so much for the 2007 project, they had scarves left over.
The scarves can be navy, teal, olive and gold for the guys in the group. (I think black, too.)Please check out the guidelines for more details:

http://www.orphan.org/index.php?id=40

retro or right up to date?

Here's something that caught my eye while surfing the net
http://www.retrotogo.com/2007/07/evans-60s-style.html

These are bright and colorful and in "larger sizes" but since they don't give any size as a reference, I have no clue. I think the price is in pounds, which is approximately $2 American dollars to each pound. (at least right now it is, who knows when you look at it).

I would think they are made of cotton or rayon motifs and sewn together, with a dyed slip underneath. It must be fingering weight or finer because it looks delicate. Pretty cool stuff - check it out when you get a chance.

"Craft" and carving your own crochet hook

If you see this magazine* in the store, you may think it's a bit pricey. I would suggest that you use one of the 40% coupons that a lot of craft stores advertise if you feel it's a bit too high. It really is not expensive for the amount of projects you get in each issue. It has almost every craft you can think of and if it's not there, it probably was in the last issue or will be in the next issue. Similar to a 50s/60s craft magazine (I bought a few on a whim) "Craft" presumes that you wouldn't only want to work a needlepoint pillow, but you'd want to do copper etching or glass blowing or perhaps make new bookshelves. Apparently in the 1950s, people had more time and energy to devote to crafts - probably because cable tv and the internet hadn't been invented yet;)

So what's that got to do with crochet? On the cover is a "crime scene" knitted scarf. Somebody who is clever with their hook and wants a crime scene scarf can probably easily figure out how to do it in crochet (and sell the pattern, too). But I promised how to hand carve a crochet hook, didn't I? Turn to page 130. There's an article by Jim Price on how to make a hand carved crochet hook. And who is Jim Price - here's his blog: jimbosfrontporch.blogspot.com

now you see what I mean. I have never carved a hook, but I do have a hook one of my younger son's friends** carved for me. It is massive and really too big for my hand and I have often thought of making some changes to it but I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. I've never used it for a project because it's so big. Reading this article gave me some tips on how to approach that project. And If I chicken out of carving the hook, well I can always buy one carved by Jim Price at his blog.

Think about creating your own custom hook. It could have a thumb rest (which I like) or not have a thumb rest. You could make the throat as shallow or as deep as you could want. Plus you could experiment with various combinations and sizes. If you ever wondered how to create a hook that would be uniquely yours, I suggest strongly that you check out this magazine. It is much cheaper if you subscribe - here's their info craftzine.com/subscribe .

There's a lot more articles in this issue I want to explore. There's the sourdough bread baking as well as the crochet cocktail ring. I have had a lot of success with yeast breads, but my sourdough bread has never been successful and a look at the recipe given might have a clue for me. Every other recipe I tried called for using yeast as well as the sourdough starter. There's tessalations as well as a stained glass grocery cart. (wouldn't that be cool to take to the yarn shop?P That almost makes want to go grocery shopping. It's just a great read and a great thought provoker.

*"Craft: Transforming Traditional Crafts", Volume 04, newstand price $14.99 US, $17.99 Canadian.
I did not receive any kickbacks from any of these folks, but I can be bought. If I am ever bought, I will definitely declare it so you will know I'm shilling for a product. I hope you check out this magazine, it is _cool_

(I wonder what happened to Ben? His family moved away quite some time ago. He definitely should be working in fashion designs, he could do amazing knitting and crocheting.)


Payton update: He is doing okay and there was a recent fundraiser for him. Here's that link:
http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery.php?source=ppsl&instanceid=78760672