Check-in, Check-up, Check-out

I have missed writing about the happenings around here over the past several days.  Unfortunately I don't really have that great of news to report on the home-front - and the health-front.  I have been absent for the week due to a serious decline in health.  Yes, sorry to report it, but once again things are not adding up to the happy spring fever I am used to having at this time of year.

I am dying to get the gardens taken care of before our next bout of snow, I'd love to get seeds and flowers planned, I'd love to get the yard cleaned up and raked, but so far all I've accomplished is looking over the back of the couch out the window at the gardens, messy yard, and clouds that look a lot like heavy snow will be falling sometime in the next 24hrs.  But, at least the sun is shining.

Before things took a turn for the worst, I was able to whip up this little sweetheart for my crochet hooks.  It is not finished yet, but it is on its way.  I didn't have to buy one thing to get it made!  I puttered about my messy quilting room and came up with the fabrics, a pattern idea, and the matching crochet cotton.

Not too long ago I found this neat little crochet cotton edgings pattern set at a quilt shop.  The edgings are used on burp cloths for babies in the pattern, but quite obviously can be added to anything for a pretty touch.  The crochet cotton I chose is a pretty coral pink and is a bamboo/viscose blend.  Very soft, in colour and texture.

 

 

I stitched around the outside edge "in the ditch" with the crochet cotton instead of using the blanket stitch as a base.  I wanted to see how well the back-stitching would hold up since the blanket stitch changes the look of the edge of the piece itself.

I haven't ever used crochet cotton before, in fact I think this is about my 4th thing to ever crochet (maybe 5th, but my brain is not on full capacity right now!), and I wasn't sure how it was going to work out.  Even with knitting I usually use much heavier yarn, so it was going to be totally experimental.  I like the shell pattern, so we'll see how it finished up.  I am going to add hand stitched lines to divide the pockets that will hold the hooks in the same crochet cotton.

Here is what's going on right now as I finish up this post - Chloe and I are watching The Dog Whisperer while resting on the couch...  So, what is it exactly that has made things to awful for me?  It was definitely a mystery for some time, even to the doctor!  Friday evening I knew things were not going well when my body started to ache like I was coming down with the flu.  By late Saturday afternoon I was almost completely immobile with severe pain over every inch of my body - even my skin - and I was unable to feel my fingers due to numbing.  Um, not so good to say the least.  An ambulance ride to the hospital and lots more tests, pain, and craziness revealed that somehow I contracted the deadly C-dificile (a complete take-over of good bacteria in the intestine by bad bacteria with terrible and sometime life threatening results).  So more antibiotics, liquids, and bland diet.  

You can't tell since this project is so huge, but I have actually added six more rows since my "lost my mojo" post earlier.  Thanks for the encouragement!

Needless to say, not too much in the way of...  Well, anything....  Has been accomplished over the past week.  I was back in the hospital yesterday again for two more bags of IV fluids...  Three visits in four days to the hospital sure takes it out of a gal.  Thank you all for your emails and kind comments.  All your encouragement is so heart-warming and it really does make a difference in my day.  Thank you!

Until I have the energy for another quick hello I'm going to watch a movie or two, rest, and maybe find a crochet needle if I'm up to it...  No quilting for a while I suppose.

Heather