It has been almost a year since my last post.  I reread the last post. I had forgotten that I had bared my soul on the internet.  Oh well, that's what blogs are for. 
I have not crocheted much of anything new except for some earrings and bookmarks.  I have started making things for my Christmas list.  I know it's early but as I have said before I never know if I am going to be well so I plan ahead.  I have made more skulls. They are very popular.  I am selling the pattern for them. They are super easy to make. I will try to add a link to Ravelry so you can buy the pattern from here. I will have to research it a little.  It's been a long time since I have tried to do much on the computer but surf the net.
I haven't attempted to make any bags this year.  I have been on the down side of my illness. "What goes up must come down."  Part of the reason for me having the blues is that my craft room is currently occupied.  As wonderful as it is having my daughter move back in with me, I really miss my craft room.  Our home is very small. It's about 1100 sq. ft.  I had the room stuffed with yarn and craft supplies. The sheds are full so I had to stack some boxes and project bags in my room and in the living room and I did leave some boxes of yarn in the closet of my former craft room. 
I am coming out of the depressive phase slowly.  The nice warm weather with lots of sun has helped me a great deal.  I tend to get SADS during the winter season.  The other reason why I am climbing out of the hole is because I am finally getting my meds stabilized. My attention span is better and I am able to concentrate and remember things better.  I have never had a great memory but the illness and the meds have made the short term memory worse.  I am not getting any younger either and I am sure that is a contributor but I like to blame everything on the meds. 
When I get some free time and my mind is clear I will try to add some pictures and the link to my Day of the Dead Skull pattern.

It has been too long since I last posted anything in my blog. 
Blame it on my illness.  Even though I have to admit that I have an illness to overcome I am not without faith.  My basic premise on faith concerning sickness and disease it simple. It goes like this:
          1)  Sickness and disease are not from God
           2)  It is not God's will that we be sick
           3)  Sickness and disease exist because of the Fall of Man
           4)  The New Testament claims that Jesus healed ALL  their diseases
            5) The new Testament also claims that the great Heroes of Faith did not always get everything they were promised while living on this earth. Case in point -- Abraham was promised that his "descendants would be as numerous as the stars".  That did not come true until many years after his death.
           6) We have nothing to lose even it all circumstances say we are going to die of illness and disease.
            7) God promised us "four score and 10" if we walked in obedience to the Lord.
            8) Many of the problems we have involving bad health are self induced. 

I just came back from a "bad episode".  I am bipolar or manic/depressive.  Bipolar is the new name.  There are two different categories for bipolar.  Rapid cycling and one that is not rapid cycling.  I have been diagnosed for 13 years with the latter.  

It has always been a real challenge to bounce back from an episode because they last anywhere from 3-6 months long and the after effects even longer, not to mention how devastating an episode can be for my family.  My illness prevents me from being able to make long term plans.  Shortly after an episode I cannot even make short term plans.

The doctors tell me that every episode is a little worse than the episode before it and having experienced first had, I believe it.  I didn't, at first, but now I do.  Most of the time a current episode will be worse that the episode before it but not in every case.

I want my life to reflect the faith I have in the Power of God to heal us.  It is so natural that are bodies, under normal circumstances, heal themselves and we take it for granted.  Our cells rejuvinate continually and we don't even have to think about it and we forget that all healing comes from God.  Even natural healing comes from God.  "Every good and perfect gift comes from God."  I don't want to forget to thank my Lord for helping me through the "thick and the thin" and I have been down this road before so what can I do now but thank my Lord for getting me out of a bad spell.  It takes very long most of the time even though I have experienced instantaneous healing before.  In my case, instantaneous healing has been the exception but not the norm.

I know that many issues between me and my Lord have been settled because I no longer ask why.  That's one of the questions I will ask my Lord when I get to heaven. Why.  I also know that God has been healing me in spite of my last episode because I have my joy back and it comes from deep inside my soul.  Gratefulness comes natural to me as it once used to be.  It is true what the Bible says.  "The joy of the Lord is my strength" and I get to experience that strengthening day by day.  That is not to say that I am patient about it.  I am still human and have my faults but my journaling today is not to point them out to you.  Maybe on another day but not today I will share my weaknesses with you.

The final thing I wanted to say was that I can finally experience the feeling of joy and happiness without feeling guilty.  A small part of me wants to go there but I will not anymore.  Being able to experience peace and joy is very valuable to me.  Today is a happy day for me. Tomorrow may be a different story.  Maybe I will have a bad day tomorrow but I am not expecting to receive bad luck anymore.  And if I do I know that all I have to do is wait a little while and the problem will be resolved.  As I walk in obedience there is a reward -  joy and peace in my life and healing too!

Entering another season

I have been crocheting less and listening to music more.  Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.  I tend to get into the music and the lyrics.  The lyrics from this Fleetwood Mac song written by Stevie Nicks seem to really hit home these days

http://www.songlyrics.com/fleetwood-mac/landslide-lyrics/

--can the child within my heart rise above?

--can i sail thru the changin' ocean tides?

--can I handle the seasons of my life?

i don't know.....

A Light Read

I wanted to mention a new book that was just released a few months ago.  Every crocheter has to have one.  It's an easy read and they call it an "essay collection. . .specifically for crocheters."  Filled with humor and sarcasm. 

It's called Hooked for Life, Adventures of a Crochet Zealot by Mary Beth Temple.She is an author, designer and the host of the Getting Loopy podcast. She has requested when buying the book to click on the Amazon link at her website.  I  am a third of the way through the book and my favorite essay so far is "Greetings from Mount Yarn."  If you have a "mount yarn" you have to read the book.

The Allotrope Ciliated Bag in Crochet

As mentioned earlier, I wrote a pattern.  And then I wrote another one.  The new pattern will be available on Ravelry in a few days.  I have a wonderful group of internet friends who have volunteered to test the pattern for me. (I can't mention their names because I don't have their permission) It's good to have a few pair of eyes to catch the mistakes and give you feedback.  
This pattern is for a bag which is super simple to make.  It's a good design for a beginner and I want the pattern to be easily understood. 
There is a story behind the name of the bag. If you are curious go to your online dictionary and look it up. The Free Pattern for the Allotrope Ciliated Bag in Crochet can be found here. You have to be a member of Rav to get to it.   

Day of the Dead Crochet Skull Pattern

This is my first pattern. I've added a link to my blog today. It's a free download on Ravelry. I made my first skull for my son. After he saw it he wanted a whole set in different colors to use as coasters in his new home. A friend of mine suggested a Day of the Dead set. My other son wants it appliqued on the back of his jacket. Then there are totes and sweatshirts and biker jackets it can be appliqued on. Someone else I know wants to frame her skull and hang it as a piece of art on her wall.

Enjoy! I would love to hear your ideas.

Pulling Out My Hair

I don't consider myself a designer. I'm more of an improviseur but nevertheless I have converted a couple of knit designs into crochet designs. They are simple designs and if they were not simple I wouldn't have been able to convert them because I do not know knittenese. And if there were more felted bag patterns offered in crochet I wouldn't have had to do it in the first place.
I have been asked to write patterns for several of my designs (do I dare say the word) to share with my fellow crocheters. I never wanted to write a pattern. I enjoy the time crocheting much more but after being asked several times I decided to write a pattern. First pattern was just a coaster pattern. Maybe 5 rounds. O.K. This takes some time but I can do it. The second pattern was a bag. Wow! The competition is fierce and I'm offering these patterns for free. Is it worth the time and the hassel? I don't know.

The picture above was provided by Dorothy Ada, a long time friend who has a great sense of humor.  She was one of my pattern testers and decided to embellish her skull. I thought the picture fitting for the title.