The Annex at Neatly Tangled

Category: Life

My kitchen needs rugs

May 27, 2025 / / 0 Comments

So I’m making one.

We’ve needed a mat in front of the sink and for some mysterious reason, we’ve never bought one. We’ve always just thrown the dirtiest towel within reach down on the floor to sop up the water that escaped. This makes us sound like loons, but we got in the habit of spending very little on the nice-to-haves back when things were truly desperate and we’ve never entirely broken free of it.

This would be better if it had some nonslip material of some kind, but even plain cotton beats the hell out of a random towel. It’s coming along nicely:

This is painfully simple: chain until it’s long enough, do rows of sc, hdc,and dc in whatever order depending on what you feel like. Go until the damned thing is big enough.

I love this kind of project, minimally structured and great for watching TV.

It’s also a great way of getting back in the game. I’ve been slowly adding more crochet and knitting into my day, even if it’s just a bit before bed. I can’t work for all that long before my hands just aren’t having it, but that’s ok. Not a perfect world.

After this I plan to go on a finishing spree so stay tuned!

Making time for crafting

January 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments

I’ve put my foot down and started spending the time I need to spend to be reasonably satisfied in my crafty endeavors. I feel a little guilty putting the dishes off until I’ve finished another square (or doing them in the morning!), but that square is important. It is an expression of skill and craft that is worthy of your time and care.

Like many people, I’m pretty bad about making time for myself. There are kids and chores and social obligations filling the day. I’ve learned, though, that taking a bit of that precious time to work on a project brings such rich rewards that it’s worth it. It brings me peace, it helps center me to meet other challenges, it brings on a sense of accomplishment, and it’s just plain beautiful, both during the process and in the finished project.

I’ve started to guard my crafting time, even if all I can carve out is a round of ribbing on a sock or a pattern repeat on a scarf. It’s these little things that add to the day far more than they steal in mere minutes. Time is precious, and so are the things that bring you joy. Keep them close.

this & that

January 4, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Just now made another mistake on Grain. I dropped a yo instead of knitting it I think? In any case, everything’s secure, just odd looking in a spot. Won’t even notice in the fo.

Got some stitch markers from ChiaoGoo that are making things much easier where I’m using them. Proper tool for the proper job. You wouldn’t think a stitch marker would make much of a difference but it really eliminates a friction point.

I got my latest purchase from Knitivity today. It’s gorgeous as always. Pictures to come.

I got some Scarfie this week as well and thought I’d picked a pattern for it but changed my mind when I actually started working it up. So that can be stash for a bit while I work on other things.

I’ve been doing a lot of gaming this week. I think my hands appreciate being asked to do something else.

And there’s even more going on but that seems like a good list!

Last Burst of Summer

October 5, 2023 / / 0 Comments

It was 87 degrees today! Not weather for a lap full of crochet. Looks like it will be cooling down into deeper fall over the next week, which delights me. It’s been a beautiful summer but I’m ready for things to get cozy.

With the warmth the last couple of days there’s no crochet progress to report, but I did plan out another project and order the yarn. It’s for someone close to me so I feel I should be cagey about it, but if all goes as planned it should be fantastic.

What I have been doing is gaming. My other huge hobby is video games, and most of the time it’s The Elder Scrolls Online. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s an MMO and like all MMOs it’s a crazy time sink. I have to be careful of it as there’s a ton to do and it’s easy to let hours pass. Instead of cleaning my house today I decorated one of my virtual ones. It does look amazing however.

As I really get back in the crochet groove, though, I find I have less and less time for it. The game can’t compete with the rhythm of the stitches and the fabric growing under my hands. It’s a kind of satisfaction that you can’t really explain, and I can’t express how glad I am that I picked it back up.

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