The Shtick I Do

This year people will celebrate Thanksgiving and the first full day of Hanukkah, tomorrow, November 28, 2013. This crossover happens once in every few decades, with the next crossover occurring in 2070 and again in 2165. Rabbi Larry Karol with Temple Beth-El in Las Cruces, NM, said that a similar message can be found in both holidays. "For Thanksgiving, part of what we're giving thanks for is freedom," Karol said. "Not only freedom in general but freedom to worship the way we wish." In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is commonly traced to a poorly documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth, Mass. The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. Pilgrims and Puritans who began emigrating from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England. Several days of Thanksgiving were held in early New England history that have been identifi...

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Being almost 30 weeks pregnant I'm obviously looking forward to the holiday! That aside, Thanksgiving is a holiday rich in history. So I thought it appropriate to give everyone here a little history lesson - on crochet, that is! The word "crochet" originates from the root word "croc" or "croche" in Middle French, which is the word for hook. Now, other crafts such as knitting, embroidery, and weaving can be traced far far back in time thanks to archaeological research, written records, and many pictures portraying the art forms, but the ability to pin point a place in history and say, "This is the beginning of crochet!" has continued to elude historians. One American crochet expert named Annie Potter stated, " The modem art of true crochet as we know it today was developed during the 16th century. It became known as 'crochet lace' in France and 'chain lace' in England."  She a...

Guess what? I am so very pleased to announce that I've joined in a collaborative effort with another crafty blogger to help bring the joy of hand crafted love and warmth to more people.  Meet Katrina , from Kat Knap Crafts . That link is to her recently created Facebook page, (show her some love by hitting that LIKE button) her blog is currently under construction but should be up and running before next week. Check out this logo! Isn't it cute? Let me tell you a little bit about Katrina. She's a 22 year old with an old soul. Some of you will understand that saying and some of you won't. She's unlike most young adults her age in a lot of ways. She believes in hard work and Santa Claus. She loves hand made and new gadgets. She's head-strong and opinionated. She speaks her mind with love in her heart. She sees in others what they can't see in themselves and she loves to make others smile. She's the girl that got me addicted to World of Warcraft o...

Yesterday I picked up a crochet hook for the first time in five days. FIVE DAYS! 'Why is that?' you ask? Well, I had surgery on my left hand last Friday for severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome . Ugh. I still have some extensive bruising and I still have some mild swelling. This morning my wrist is so very tender that it hurts to even lay it on the desk as I type, so I've been typing (mostly) with my right hand. First two things I made post-surgery. NFL color schemes are purely coincidental. Those colors just happened to be closest to me. One thing I hadn't realized until just the last few days was exactly how severe my carpal tunnel had gotten. For years (and yes, I mean years) I'd had issues with numbness and tingling in my fingers whenever I would crochet, type, even holding a glass of water with my left hand would cause an aching pain in my wrist. Normally, I'd stop what I was doing and shake my hand until the pain and numbness went away. However, the past 8...

October is, as most people know, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Did you also know that October is also the month for Bullying Prevention Awareness, Health Awareness, Energy Awareness and Disability Awareness? Why am I talking about October when it's already a week into November? Well, October is also Pastor Appreciation Month and I want to share with you the gifts my family gave to the pastors at our church. My baby sister had given me a gift like this a couple years ago and I adore it. It's a box filled with promises and decorated for the person you're gifting it to. Mine is covered in buttons! Most would guess yarn but I also have a love affair with buttons. My husband and I went to Hobby Lobby for most of the craft supplies, including the boxes, scrap-booking paper, embellishments and the glue. The rest was already in my pile of craft supplies. I did not use Mod Podge, instead I opted for a half and half mixture of Elmer's Glue All and water. It dries clear and...

Happy Halloween! I hope all you ghosts and goblins (and zombies, how can I forget zombies) are being safe and having a great time. Speaking of zombies, my son and daughter are both participating in something called Fright Nights at Glade , a haunted attraction in the area. It runs every Friday and Saturday during October and on the 31st, rain or shine, or snow, they've had snow before. Here's my son, Michael, guess what role he landed for this month?  This is after a Saturday night of scaring tons of people, he's tired and in pain. The attraction for him is Zombie Lazer Tag. He takes his role seriously, so much so that when he gets shot and falls down, he doesn't cushion his fall. His elbows and knees look like they belong on a zombie.   My daughter is part of 3-D Nightmare, it's about a circus that goes wrong. Yes, you got it right, clowns! And it's in a blacklight setting with strobes and neon. I'm sorry I don't have a shot of her in t...

A few weeks ago a very special memorial scarf arrived at a local hub for arts and crafts in my town. Tamarack, the Best of West Virginia , is hosting the Breast Cancer Awareness Scarf , the world's longest pink scarf, for the month of October. I saw it last year and just marveled at how awesome it was in it's sheer size; then I thought about all the hands that went into making it quickly followed by thoughts (and some tears) for those that this very special scarf is made for. There are albums filled with cards expressing the thoughts and prayers of survivors of breast cancer, family and friends of those that have passed and well-wishers that have a special place in their hearts for Breast Cancer Awareness. The scarf itself is a marvel in it's own right. If I was amazed by it's size last year, all I can say is I was awe-struck this time around. It grows every year as people are invited to bring sections to be added and even sit and make a section while you're visit...