In Training

Huzzah! The Animator’s Wife has finally pulled the yarn back out of the old crochet trunk! This calls for a celebration! And just what do I have to thank for this momentous occasion? Why it’s time for the 2008 Crochet Games of Ancient Greece, and The Animator’s Wife is currently in training.

The Crochet Games are being hosted by Crochetville. The rules are to begin a challenging crochet project during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing on August 8th, and finish it before the closing ceremony on August 24th. For her challenge, The Animator’s Wife will be crocheting Robyn Chachula’s Rugged Vest. Why is it a challenge? It uses thin yarn and a small-ish hook, which makes it more time-consuming and thus more challenging to finish in a two-week stretch. Like the Rock-a-Star Baby Blankie, it’s going to be another race to the finish!

The Animator’s Wife is diligently preparing for these great games. She’s already bought the yarn and winded it into balls, taken all of The Animator’s measurements (for he is the intended recipient of the vest), and gathered all her supplies. And now we play the waiting game...

Hope Bracelet

Now that the excitement of illness and injuries is over, I can finally get back to the things that really interest me. Like crochet!

I think I am starting to go through yarn withdrawals. Maybe that’s why I had that bout with the cystitis. It’s supposed to be caused by stress, and while cabin fever isn’t exactly stressful, it can certainly be nerve-wracking! And I’ve had more than my fair share of cabin fever lately. The birds by our window were all but drowned out by all the rain we’ve been having lately (they are only now coming back to reclaim their nest), and The Animator’s Wife hasn’t been home much to let me help her crochet. There’s not much for me to do around here except sit around and stare out the window. Even Osiris bores me lately.

I do find The Animator’s Wife’s wire crochet projects interesting though. Today she made a lovely bracelet from pearls and amethyst beads. It wasn’t as much fun to watch her make as when she works with yarn, but it’s different, at least. I thought it would be nice to share the pattern with everyone else suffering from cabin fever this summer. Really, the best cure for boredom is to try something new. And hopefully The Animator’s Wife will start using yarn again soon.

Finished Size:
8” circumference

Skill Level:
Easy

Materials:
2 yd 28g artistic wire
6 5-mm rice pearl beads
5 5-mm gemstone beads
1 metal toggle clasp
Size C-2 (2.75 mm) crochet hook
Needle nose pliers
Wire cutters

1. Fold wire in half to create one 1-yd length of wire that is double-thick.

2. Thread beads onto the double-thick wire in the following pattern: 1 gemstone, *1 pearl, 1 gemstone, 2 pearls, 1 gemstone; repeat from *.

3. Carefully make a slipknot with the wire, leaving a 3-inch tail. Tighten the slipknot onto your crochet hook.

4. Ch 3.

5. Slide 1 bead up to the crochet hook and ch over it. The pearl should now be “caught” in the ch stitch. This is called a beaded ch stitch.

6. Work 3 non-beaded ch stitches.

7. Repeat Steps 6 & 7 until all beads are incorporated. Finish off, leaving a 3-inch tail.

8. Grasp the bracelet at either end and pull firmly in opposite directions to flatten the wire stitches. This will give the bracelet a neater appearance.

9. Using the needle nose pliers, thread the beg 3-inch tail through the T-piece of the toggle clasp, sliding the T-piece up to the first chain stitch. Wrap the tail around the base of the T-piece at least 3 times to secure it into place. Trim the excess with wire cutters. Repeat for ending 3-inch tail and O-piece.

Abbreviations:
beg beginning
ch chain
g gauge
mm millimeter

©CrochetKitten.com 2008. All rights reserved.

Catfight!

Let me start by saying that when I said we should all get sick more often, I was just joking. Well apparently my crazy brother Osiris and The Dog thought that was a great idea, and sought to do injury to each other last weekend. Allow me to elaborate.

Our cousin Coco La Boosh came to visit us for the holiday weekend. She’s a cute little Shih Tzu, with a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that is almost feline in attitude. I might almost even consider befriending her, though I am not normally a fan of dogs.

Anyhow, on Thursday night it appeared that Coco La Boosh had an interest in befriending me as well, and after she and The Dog went out for their evening walk, she set her sight upon me and chased me into the bedroom. Of course, I knew she was just playing around, but Osiris, who had been on edge since she first arrived, did not find it funny in the least bit and smacked her in the head on her way down the hall.

Stunned, Coco stopped and stared at Osiris for a second, and that’s when Osiris lost it. He screamed, “You stay away from my sister!” and chased Coco back into the living room, where The Animator’s Wife was working on the July CrochetKitten.com update. She watched them in bewilderment for a moment--I don’t think any of us have ever seen Osiris so deranged! Then as soon as Osiris leaped on Coco’s back and latched on with his claws, The Animator’s Wife scooped Coco up to get her away from Osiris.

But Osiris wasn’t going to give up that easily. He leaped onto The Animator’s Wife’s back and continued to swat at Coco from behind! At this point The Dog, who had been watching in astonishment, mistakenly thought Osiris was attacking The Animator’s Wife, and immediately transformed into Guard Dog mode. He leapt at Osiris, pulled him off The Animator’s Wife, and barked, “You stay away from my mommy!” After tussling for a few moments, Osiris came to his senses and strolled to the balcony to calm down. The poor Animator’s Wife was more than a bit shaken up.

It was quite a scary situation for a moment, but I must say I am impressed by the love there is in this family. Osiris was just protecting me, and The dog was just protecting The Animator's Wife.

Injuries were minor, thank goodness. The Animator’s Wife has but a scratch on her hand...

...The Dog has a small bite wound on his neck...

...and Osiris lost a claw. And as for Coco and I, the innocent instigators of a situation that got way out of hand, we’re fine.

Well, I’m mostly fine. I went back to the vet yesterday to see if my urinary tract infection had cleared up, and it turns out I never had a urinary tract infection at all. The new diagnosis is “idiopathic cystitis,” which is an inflamed bladder. That means whenever I get stressed out, my bladder becomes inflamed, and I have to pee more often.

And if last weekend wasn’t stressful, I don’t know what is. Osiris and The Dog are okay now, though. The day after the big fight, Osiris rubbed up against The Dog and apologized for being so crazy.