Crochet Spider

I feel like my blog is now turning into a crochet blog! I become more obsessed with crochet everyday.

Anyway, when I was a child, I crocheted a spider - I just did it as I went along (I guess that would be "freeform" crochet?). Here is a picture of it (it is over 25 years old, so it isn't in great shape!).

On Sunday I decided to see if I could still do it - so I crocheted this black spider. However, I am at a loss as to what to do with it's face. I need advice! Does anyone have any ideas? Should I do the same thing as with my old spider, with felt eyes?

Tunisian stitch shawl

I bought these really cool Easy Tunisian Cable Hooks on ebay a few months ago. They are sizes M, N, and P which are large hooks that you don't see very often with cable hooks.

When I received the package I took out one of the hooks, and it immediately broke! The end of the hook, where the cable connects, just snapped. Later, when I was using one of the other hooks, it too snapped, in the same place. I emailed the woman who sold it to me, and she gave me a discount. She looked into it and found out that the company (Annie's Attic) had discontinued the item (perhaps because of design flaws??).

So I bought some Duck Tape (yes, Duck Tape, not Duct Tape) and taped the cable back to the hook, and was able to make one of the patterns that came in the package. The Duck Tape surface is smooth and didn't "catch" any of the yarn as it glided over the hook, so there were no problems with the yarn getting caught or frayed.

Black Elk quote

I was reading a book called "Goodbye, Friend" by Gary Kowalski (about losing a pet) and saw this quote:

"We should understand well that all things are the work of the Great Spirit. We should know the Great Spirit is within all things: the trees, the grasses, the rivers, the mountains, and the four-legged and winged peoples; and even more important, we should understand that the Great Spirit is also above all these things and peoples. When we do understand all this deeply in our hearts, then we will fear, and love, and know the Great Spirit, and then we will be and act and live as the Spirit intends" - Black Elk

More information on Black Elk is here.

Food

I love to eat. I mean I REALLY love to eat. What is it about food that is so appealing? I know we need to eat food for its nutrients, and shouldn't that be the only reason? Ancient people ate food to survive. I eat food because it tastes good. Often during the day I think about what I could eat next, when I could eat next... and it most often involves food that has lots of sugar. I can't drink just water. It has to be water filled with sugar (i.e., Kool-Aid, or Soda). I can't eat just a granola bar, it has to be a granola bar filled with sugar and chocolate.

Chocolate. I don't think there is a day that goes by that I don't eat any. I keep chocolate bars in the pantry in case I am seized with the urge to eat chocolate. I keep chocolate chips in the refrigerator, and eat handfuls of them at various times during the day. I feel like it is "fuel" or something.

Growing up, my parents let me and my siblings eat pretty much what we wanted. Food was always a big part of our family, especially sugary foods. I know now, that it was their way of saying they loved me, and perhaps I still eat sugary foods because I equate it with love. I am not big on psychotherapy anymore, since I have been through lots of it and still don't feel like it has helped, but there may be something to it in this case.