Stitching and crafting update

Recently, as you may know, I have been throwing myself (fearlessly :)) into crocheting. Learning new stitches, conquering new heights, making new... blankets. Yep...
I am happy to say that every new blanket comes out better than the previous one, and that means I am learning well. (That's right, if I don't compliment myself, who will?) But - a picture is worth all the words, so here come the pictures.

Diamond blanket/shawl.

 So far I have made four blankets, and this one is by far my favorite. Working with the yarn was a pleasure - soft and warm, but sturdy; also, I loved the diamond design.

Christmas afghan

 

 

This one was more difficult... to photograph. It was, perhaps non-photogenic, or camera-shy, or, maybe, the camera had something against it. I know that such terms do not even apply to inanimate objects, but after working on pics for over two hours, I had to come up with some explanation. No matter what I did (flash, extra light, etc), the camera turned bright and happy red on the blanket into "Scorsese red" dots, while green spots became duller and were reminding me strongly of the color of a swamp. Ugh!
In the end, I asked Joe for help. Technology tends to listen to him: computers boot up instantly, printers start printing, cameras start.... doing what they do. And it did...

Green NOEL decoration

 Finally, I have tried my hand at making ornaments. I watched a Master Class on it, and, after weeks of doubt, tried.

 Besides the embroidery bit, it took a piece of felt, two pieces of card stock for support, and some cord. While it did not turn out perfect, for the first attempt it was not too bad, eh? What do you think? :)

Have a good weekend! I am going back to my stitching.

The season for tearjerkers?

Recently, everywhere I go online I find various tearjerker stories: a baby talking to his mother from inside her womb, a little boy who can't afford to buy a doll... In the end, we find out that the baby was getting aborted, and the boy was buying the doll for his little sister so "mommy could give it to her when she goes to heaven...." Each story is aimed at a particular issue: abortion and loss/poverty/giving in these two instances, "daily miracles" of love and forgiveness, and treasuring friends over possessions. The list of topics can go on, and on, and on. At the end of each story, as if to add guilt to tears, the post asks "to re-post if it touched your heart or do nothing if it did not."
I guess my heart is just untouchable, because I never re-post these stories. For one, I do not believe in chain letters, and that's what these stories basically are. The people that posted these did not write them, they just hit "re-post" (or "share") and made it "theirs" for the day. And while hitting "Share" shows them to be sensitive and understanding, what does it do for anyone - except overload internet?
That was "for one"... For "two" (sounds too weird), over the years I have come to recognize all the stories that get posted. It seems several stories - always the same - go out every year around September - beginning of October, they reach their peak around Thanksgiving and slow down right after Christmas. The story about the little boy with the doll was seen by me every year for the past ten years. My once-sensitive heart was aching the first time I read it, but eventually sympathy gave way to cold recognition of a gimmick.

Which is what it is... A gimmick, an advertisement of sympathy and compassion - online, for everyone to see. Instead of doing something real - hit "Like" and "Share" in your corner of virtual space. That's just...

This says it all.