New Zealand and Wool

I got to go to the New Zealand embassy last night!  Mmmmm, they had lamb chops, skewered beef, and beet root mousse canapes, it was just so tasty.  It's a really beautiful building near to the Vice President's residence up Massachusetts Avenue on Observatory Circle.  Thank goodness the rain had let up and the temperature was mild because we ended up doing a lot of walking to get there and get home.

I met a gentleman from the Lamb and Beef Board, and, of course, I had to ask him about what happens to the wool of the lambs before they become dinner!  (You know, I have to say at this point that I try hard to eat as little meat as possible, I really don't like thinking about how an animal had to die to feed me, but suffice to say, no one was thinking about that last night!).  Turns out such lamb have courser wool, so it tends to go into carpet manufacturing.  In fact, the new rug in the Oval Office that was made in Michigan with a special design has a lot of New Zealand wool in it!

Ok, speaking of course wool, I'm running into a problem with one of the yarns that I am making a sample with.  I decided to make the rippled beret with Classic Elite Portland Tweed because it's the right yarn weight, and I thought that the tweeding would look good with the ripple technique, and it does look good (it's a great yarn to work with), but it's stiff!  Now, I'm debating whether to just unravel the whole thing and come up with a new project for that yarn (maybe a purse?) or wash it and see what happens (will it soften?) -- anybody got any suggestions for me?!

The I Hook

So, I get a call from a friend last night -- sounds like she's distressed and calling from a crowded venue.  "Phyllis, I'm at the craft store, and there are no I hooks!  I'm crocheting another baby blanket, and if I use a G hook, it's going to be half the size it's supposed to be!  Help!"  Oh, I love me a good crochet emergency :-) 

Which got me to thinking about how "emergencies" in our lives can be both good and bad.  They sure get the blood flowing, but adding stress to your life is never a good idea.  It might be a good time to start planning some crochet projects as Christmas presents and starting NOW to work on them -- much less stress when November and December roll around :-) 

I've been having so many crochet ideas flowing through my head (good), but no time or inclination to do anything about it (bad).  I'm not going to stress about it though -- creativity can't be forced.  I just read somewhere that the best way to get into a creative groove is to NOT think about it and to go and do something totally different.  Makes sense -- sometimes, my best ideas come to me when I'm in the shower! Oh, and it's so important to write that "great" idea down when it comes to you.  Otherwise, you will forget it, and you can then have the luxury of contemplating and refining the idea later on to figure out if it's really that great or not.

So, have a great creative and productive day!

Business Ideas and a Crochet Keyboard Duster

What a clever idea!  I saw it and had to share:  http://www.favecrafts.com/Crochet/Easy-Keyboard-Duster

I've got to give this project a try right away, as I stare at the little nasties that seem to have gotten into my keyboard.

Isn't it amazing how someone comes up with something so clever, and we just slap ourselves up side the head and say "why couldn't I have thought of that!?"  Well, there's no reason why you can't.  Often, such ideas come from just doing your normal day-to-day kinds of things, but keeping an open mind to whether a task can be accomplished in a different way or with an aid that will make it easier, faster, better somehow.  In fact, here's a fun but enlightening action item for you -- tomorrow, go through your normal routines, but instead of doing them almost unconsciously, think about them and see what variations you come up with.  This is often how small businesses that become big ones begin!  Good luck!