Happy Birthday Eriq

Obviously, I should have posted this two days ago (January 4) but better late than never. January 4 would have been Eriq's 56th birthday. Strange the dates, numbers and random things that are significant. I decided to make a cap in "Eriq colors" so I found a skein and went to work. The cats slowed me down, as they really like to do, crocheting with cats is fun!

I mentioned in my last post that I wanted help setting a goal for this 2024. I appreciate the comments, both here and on social media sites. I have had votes for 12, 18 and 24 so anyone else want to vote? Since I haven't been able to figure out the technical difficulties, please feel free to send email or use Facebook or Instagram to send comments or questions. 

Merry Christmas!

Has it really been over 3 years since I posted? I've never enjoyed writing like Eriq did but I found blogging to be a good way to share information and some of you may still find time to read what I post.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with family and friends and are getting ready to take on 2024. 

I still crochet and donate caps, but I haven't been super intentional about a specific number completed or having special dates or deadlines for donations. I also hadn't had any requests so I have just completed and donated them here and there. Recently, my mom asked if I had any she could take to a center she visits and I was happy to have a place in mind and I was able to get some made before we visited at Christmas. I dropped off the pictured caps and they are heading to BSW Sammons Cancer Center in Duncanville.

If you are still reading this, I am asking for your vote, how many caps should I make as my goal this year? 

Option 1: 12 caps (2024 will mark 12 years since Eriq died)

Option 2: 18 caps (one for each year we were married)

Option 3: 24 caps (it's 2024 after all)

World Kindness Day

2020-need I say more? This has been such an unbelievably crazy year. Then, the school year started again, while in the middle of a pandemic, with no real relief in sight. This brought additional chaos and uncertainty for our household. I've struggled to find a work/life balance and I haven't had the energy nor motivation for many things, including crochet. 

But here we are on World Kindness Day and I'm reminded that giving of myself always makes me feel better. Yes, it helps the person or the people that I have helped but I also am the recipient of something, the good feeling I get when I do something for someone else. Recently I had a rough time planning a Veterans Day event, people kept dropping out and I was left with too much on my plate and an event to plan. But I kept working on it and other people stepped up and helped and I was rewarded with some appreciative veterans and knowing that I helped some high school students see what an impact they can have. 

So, the moral of this story (blog) is get out there and be kind. 

In Memory

During this pandemic, zoom calls have become the way to celebrate birthdays, play games and generally connect in a way we haven't been able to do in person. The advantage is this allowed for people to "gather" that never would have been able to do so in real life due to their varied locations, from all over the world to all over the United States or even just all over Texas. During one of these sessions, I chatted with Nancy for the first time in several years. 

Nancy lost her battle with cancer at the end of September. She was a crocheter herself so I never made caps for her to wear but I am making some in her honor. She loved the beach and darts so I have started working on caps in blues. I have to say, the darts idea is harder than I thought but I'm still hoping to come up with a great idea. Anyone have a great pattern for a dart themed cap?

Special Request

 

It's been a few years since I had a special request. Over the years there have been several but the most recent was this past week. The request came from the sister of a friend via Facebook. There are certainly positives and negatives with social media, but I get many of my requests and ideas from someone that I wouldn't otherwise. Here in 2020, with the chaos of this year, it's proven even more of a resource. The recipient's favorite color is peach and she likes bright colors. For this request, I learned some new methods in mailing and set up an account with USPS for some better options for mailing packages. I can send from one to about five caps for the same price, so my new goal is to get a minimum of 5 ready for each new request. 

If you know of someone that could use some caps, please contact me and let me know how I can help. 

Kerrville

I never was a good writer, maybe because it something I don't really enjoy. Despite writing other on older blogs and then this one, I don't feel like I really got any better but perhaps if I start working on this blog again I can improve. That being said, it's been two and a half years since my last post. Despite the lack of posts, I continue to work on caps and find places to donate. Since we moved to Kerrville a few months ago, I found a new local place to drop off a few and I finally went today. They had this great crochet decorated hanger and it was empty so I filled it up with my caps. This hanger design is perfect and I am going to look into making one that I can take to a donation site that doesn't have one. I left about a dozen caps and hope to need to refill the stash soon.

July travel

 This past week we made our annual trek to visit family in Kansas for the fourth of July. This year, we were able to be away for an entire week, with a couple of days of driving each way. Of course, I brought along yarn and hooks for the time in the car. I wasn't very focused on crochet this time for some reason but I managed 4 and a half caps along with another several small bags and purses that I was finishing up for other projects.

One other stop we made on the trip was at the cemetery. The last time I went, there was a wasp nest that nearly scared me to death as I was moving the flower vase. Thankfully this time I was able to clean up a bit (the cemetery does a great job with maintenance) and close up the vase without any unexpected visitors.