Mr Hook, myself and a sorrowful tale...

there are cat people,

there are dog people

and then

there are 'inbetweenies' like myself,

who even if their lives depended upon it, could not bring themselves to choose between the two.

i liken the same way of thinking to crochet...

there are 'roundies' like michelle,

there are 'squaries' like ingrid

and then

there are 'inbetweenies' like emma

and where do i place myself in my opinionated assumption of 'crocheting folk', well let's just say i strayed from the path of 'squaries' once before and that straying ended up in the trash can.

a year and a half on, i dared to stray again and dearest readers, i do believe that for one moment in time, there was a flicker of hope,

a short lived evening, filled with a lifetime of 'circular crocheted' possibilities to come

and then the flicker died...

no amount of recounting the increases,

no amount of blocking offending shape,

no amount of ironing it's 'extra' ripples,

for crying out loud,

no amount of praying to the 'roundie' gods up above,

could save my little mat...

my moment of 'never destined to be an inbetweenie' came late on friday night.

by monday morning, having studied the art of 'avoidance' for several days i faced the truth, my heart sinking in the realization that 'me and Mr Hook' were 'squaries' through and through.

but do not shed a tear for me and Mr Hook, for there is a happy ending to my doomed 'flying high for a moment' sorrowful tale .

yes, it's true, i perhaps will never own a crocheted circle of good proportions made by myself,

but at least my 'ripply circle' has been saved from the 'inevitable' trash can dumping.

for a good home has been found...

a home that appreciates the finer side of all things crocheted, whatever their shape or color

and so it would appear, little olive is most happy with her new crocheted frisbee and so far the frisbee hasn't made any complaints either...

she is thinking that some days it must be exhausting being 'little olive' ~ Tif

beavering...

yes, that's what i'm doing today dearest readers... i am beavering away with the help of Miss Ethel and my trusty hook, Mr Hook.

i am looking to add a few wares to my little store by the end of the week...

amongst my picture offerings for your perusal today, i have my little 'everyday' tags

if i were to tell you that they are not just any old 'ordinary everyday' tags for they hold a secret,

you may perhaps be thinking that Tif has finally flipped her lid.

and that maybe quite so,

but i like to think that my little set of 'everyday' tags are so much more than just 'tags', thus being 'multifunctional' and we all know how we love a bit of 'multifunctional' in our lives.

for these little sweeties can be placed upon the wall

brightening up a little area and then when all is said and done, the party is over, quite frankly you are bored with them (if there ever comes a time, of course you may never bore with them, choosing to live together forever and ever. which pleases me greatly)

but just in case you do find 'boredom' at some point, then take them down, locate your little bit of yarn they travelled to your door in and the voila! cut it into strips, add the yarn to the tags and use them to cheer up a package for a friend. i don't think really one can ask much more of an 'ordinary looking' little tag with special powers...

i'm quite happy with how they turned out.

also joining them, will be a garland or two made from recycled yarn and barkcloth,

a couple of 'rambling' frames similar to this one,

and more sets of 'every eventuality' cards,

i do believe it will be a nice little update for my empty shelves

she will be back tomorrow with the sorrowful tale of a 'crocheted circle' and her inabilities to stay 'in the round' ~ Tif

a thrifty tale...

once upon a time...

in a far off land, there lived Tif.

she lived in a shed surrounded by an acre of moss and now it would appear at least 10 different species of mushrooms and toadstools. why this is Tif does not know, she can only imagine their appearance has something to do with 'pesky gnomes' all over the globe 'planning and a plotting' to descend this christmas upon Tif and her shed.

Tif was an avid thrifter and would often take a trip, leaving the shed and it's contents behind, to go forth into the 'real' world looking for treasure.

one such day, Tif found herself in the furniture department of her local thrift store, now Tif knew this was usually a total waste of her thrifting time. only twice had the 'angels chorused all around' upon discovery of 'items with potential'.

once with her little sewing stool

and

once with her little set of drawers.

Tif thought perhaps her dearest readers may not believe her tale of 'furniture crappity crap department' woes and so armed with camera she recorded the evidence. knowing that even a jury and a judge would have to record a verdict of 'guilty' to the crime of 'articles with over priced tags for what they are'.

evidence #1

evidence #2

evidence #3

and so it was that Tif wandered into the area of 'crime', knowing she would soon be wandering out but then something caught her eye. piled high with other 'discards that stood little chance' she noted legs worth noting.

mid century legs no less...

"i see... a table shaped like a coffin", quiped Tif's second eldest child, as she discovered her mother pondering the little table

Tif looked at the table and the table looked at Tif.

the table tried hard to look like 'potential' and not a mini coffin lid,

Tif noted the table was trying hard and so she tried hard to find the 'vision' inside her head of what this little 'please take me home' table could become.

but she only saw a glimmer of potential,

trying not to notice the tables heartwrenching sobs, she shoved it back under the shelf and left empty handed.

the next morning Tif awoke in her shed surrounded by her clan, her critters and a 'vision' in her mind of what the table would become.

making her excuses she left the shed and it's contents to figure out their own sunday breakfast and headed back to the thrift store, hoping that no one else in the meantime had spied those good looking legs.

the little table sat just where Tif had left it, the coffin top all beat up and stacked high with other 'horrors' for sale.

"i'm back" Tif whispered, "i'm sorry i doubted your potential"

the little table smiled

(actually it didn't, but i think if it could smile it would have, so let's just say it did)

Tif paid her $15 and took the coffin table home

of course she had to listen to the usual "what is that?" and "why? seriously" questions for the rest of the day but she just smiled a smile to herself and went about her usual sunday chores.

and so it came to be a few days later, with the help of her trusty paint brush, a dwindling supply of glossy white paint and four coats later,

the ugly duckling with 'little potential' became a swan

Tif is most happy with her table and her table is most happy with her.

the end

and the moral to this story being, do not figure a 'chorus of angels' will appear every time and do not under any circumstances doubt your instincts in a thrift store, if you see a glimmer of potential, then that is all one needs...

she sees the sun is out, but alas that is not going to help one 'pesky sick' squirrel doing his dying act outside her studio window ~ Tif