Crochet Caddy

This simple crochet project helps to keep all of your crochet accessories in one place. It is portable, pretty, and handy. It requires only some leftover yarn.

Are you thinking gift yet?

Crochet Caddy 3 — Pictured: Crochet Caddy in a solid forest green color. It is about 5 inches wide and 10 inches tall. It is held closed by a small strap with a decorative 1-inch diameter white button.

Crochet Caddy — Pictured: Crochet caddy in open position. The inside is in view. It measures approximately 11 inches wide and 10 inches tall. Two stitch markers are in place on the upper left and a small scissors is tied in place next to them. Three threaded embroidery needles are in place on the upper right. Seven crochet hooks are held in place by weaving them vertically through the crochet fabric.

A longhand pattern for newbie crocheters and for ease of access with screen readers is available. Click on the link that follows:

Crochet Caddy – longhand pattern

Crochet with an Abacus

The abacus was invented in approximately 500 BC. It functioned as a counting device for centuries. It dates back to a time when written numbers did not yet exist. Merchants used the abacus to track inventory; farmers used them to count animals returning from the pasture. The abacus has evolved and been adapted by different civilizations and groups over the centuries. Essentially it is rows of stringed wire within a frame with a set number of movable beads on each row and column.

I have a Cranmer abacus. I took a course to understand its function and how to manipulate the beads. I am just nerdy enough to have enjoyed that course. But, the course is over and I have this nifty counting device at hand. I found the perfect use for it.

My abacus is my stitch counter. It also functions as my line-by-line stitch instructions. It keeps my place, counts my rows, and shows me my stitch pattern. It is handy, lightweight, practical, portable, and fits in the palm of my hand. It does not rely on electricity or batteries, devices, or apps. It is the handiest crochet accessory I have used yet, second only to the hook itself.

My Cranmer abacus measures 6 inches wide by 3 inches tall, and is held horizontally. The beads line up vertically in columns. It is divided by an upper row of only one bead in each column and is separated from the bottom section by a bar. The bottom section has four beads in each column. Since crochet is usually worked from right to left, my bead arrangements follow that same pattern.

Abacus-Hook-Hat — Pictured: My Cranmer abacus for my current project. It shows that I have completed 4 rows. The 5th row will be worked with 4 chains followed by a single crochet and this pattern will be repeated across the row. A crochet hook is shown above the abacus demonstrating the abacus to be about the same width as the crochet hook is long.

I use the top section to count rows. Every time I complete a row, I move one bead from the top section down toward the separating bar. When a second row is complete, I move the 2^nd bead from the right down. After I have completed 10 rows, I mark the 11^th row by returning to the far right bead and now moving it to the up position away from the bar. My abacus has 13 columns. I use the last 3 column of the top row on the left to count sections or other pattern-specific things.

Now the stitches. For these, I use the beads in the bottom section.

If I am crocheting a single crochet across the row, I move 2 beads up toward the bar in each column all the way across to the left. Two beads is my bead code for single crochet.

Abacus Pattern SC across — Pictured: Cranmer abacus. Top row has first 3 beads on the right moved down indicating completion of the 3rd row of the crochet project. The bottom section has 2 beads moved up in each row across indicating a single crochet is to be worked for every stitch in that row of the crochet project.

If I am working a double crochet stitch across a row, I move 4 beads up to the bar across the row. Three beads is my code for half-double crochet.

If I am crocheting a pattern, I indicate the pattern with one bead up for a chain stitch (to create a space between stitches) , two beads up for a single crochet, 3 beads up for a half double crochet, four beads up for a double crochet, and so on. If my pattern is 2 single crochets, 1 chain, and 2 single crochets, I move 2 beads in the first column, 2 beads in the second column, 1 bead in the 3^rd column, 2 beads in the 4^th column, and 2 beads in the 5^th column. I can see or feel at a glance what the pattern across the row will be. (Pictured below)

aBACUS v sTITCH — Pictured: Top row – 4 beads down indicates 4 rows have been completed. Bottom section shows the pattern to be worked for the next row which is 2 half-double crochets, a chain stitch, and 2 more half-double crochets. This would be repeated across the 5th row.

I can count my crochet rows and stitches until the cows come home!

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4 Things That Cause Me to Panic

You don’t have to be blind or visually impaired to experience panic, but it helps.

For me, there are 4 things that cause me to experience panic.

Subway Crowd — Pictured: The inside of a crowded New York City subway car. All seats are taken and there is standing room only.

1. Crowds. I do not mind crowds in a mall or at a concert. I do not mind crowds at the beach or in a packed subway car. I do, however, mind crowds greater than 5 or 6 people where I am expected to know at least some of the people.

I cannot see who is there or who is where. When I enter a room, I cannot assess the space and know whom to approach. I know these people. I belong there. But who is here? I have been known to strike up a conversation with a lamp, ask a mannequin for directions to a bathroom, and greet a golden retriever that was impulsively snatching food from a table. So I wait for someone to notice me, to greet me, and if that does not happen, I am overwhelmed with not knowing what to do and where to go.

I have avoided family gatherings most of my life. I did not attend my high school graduation, or my college graduation, I have declined invitations to weddings. My own wedding was limited to just 10 people including me, the groom, and a five-month-old baby; any more would have ruined my special day.

Smoke detector on ceiling — Pictured: A white smoke detector hung on a ceiling just waiting to sound its ear-piercing alarm.

2. Smoke detectors. I do not know why smoke detectors upset me so. We lived in a small apartment in Portland, Oregon, and there were 3 smoke detectors in our small place. Normal cooking set off all three smoke detectors – frequently. They were ear-piecing! I tried so hard to avoid anything that would set them off, but sometimes just the toaster would do it. Cooking makes my heart pound.

We moved three years ago. There is only one smoke detector in our current apartment. The first time I used my oven, the smoke detector went off. I have not used my oven since.

Scooter Kid — Pictured: A pre-schooler on a scooter. He is protected with helmet and elbow guards. When he is around, I need those protections too, and more!

3. Kids on scooters. Little kids on scooters scare me most. They roll themselves along the sidewalk at a faster pace than they can handle. They cannot steer to avoid objects in their way, including people. The parents or guardians are often far in the distance, sometimes calling to the seemingly deaf wee ones. These kids are essentially untethered and unattended. When they are headed straight at me, I usually do not know until they are near enough that I feel the air movement they generate. They do not comprehend the meaning of a white cane; they do not understand that their path is not automatically cleared for them. I have redirected quite a few of these speeding demons with my hand or body just in the nick of time, or not. I am afraid those little speed demons just might kill me one day!

Public Bathroom — Pictured: A public restroom with a lineup of sinks opposite a row of stalls.

4. Public Bathrooms. Public bathrooms drive me crazy – even without considering all the germs. First, they have to be found. Just ask. It’s over there, wherever there is! Too many are too dirty and I flat out reject them, immediately. But the nice ones – the ones that are clean and tidy and everything appears to be in the right place, best I can tell, – those are the ones that too often baffle me. I hate the ones with automatic flushes that flush before I am ready. Then there are the ones with delayed mechanisms to get the flush going. After waiting long enough to feel like nothing is going to happen, I start looking for the flush handle or the button or the pedal or something. Then on to the sink. Where are the faucets? I wave my hands here and there and if I am lucky, a measured amount of water appears, but my timing is off and I missed it. So I try again. Look for the soap. I do not think I even once have succeeded in getting the soap dispenser to dispense. Then on to the hand drier. Sometimes I pull a cloth towel through a machine; sometimes it turns out to be an empty paper towel dispenser. Sometimes I place my hands in a magical place and hot air loudly gushes forth. And sometimes I wave my wet hands here and there and nothing more happens.

Push, pull, press, wave here, wave there, hurry, wait…you know what? I’ll just wait.

OK, VIPs. What terrifies you?

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Thank you! I will be in touch.

Renee

Novel Characters

Confessions of a Guide Dog: The Blonde Leading the Blind — Pictured: Book cover – Confessions of a Guide Dog

Are you looking for a good book?

The following list of novels features characters who are blind or visually impaired. All of these books stand out as great reads and are recommended. This list is a work in progress. Additional books featuring characters who are blind or visually impaired will added to this list as they become known. This page can be accessed at any time under the BOOKS tab at the top of this and every page on this blog.

Click on a hyperlink if you are interested in reading my review.

All the Light We cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Blind Curve by Annie Solomon
Blindness by Jose Saramago
Confessions of a Guide Dog by Mark Carlson and Musket
Girl, Stolen by April Henry – young adult
Seeing by Jose Saramago (sequel to Blindness)
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Image result for all the light we cannot see — Pictured: Book cover – All the Light We Cannot See

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Spice Things Up

Let’s spice things up!

: Pictured: 3 large filled spice jars – curry, cinnamon, and cumin – all labeled with bold black marker.

So for anyone who likes to cook and for those of us who do not cook at all, spices are essential to making things taste great. And spices are expensive, too, so we do want to use them with some care. We want to be able to use them with some inkling of knowing what we are doing, and without any waste.

: Pictured: There are four spice jars – curry, cinnamon, and cumin and paprika has joined the others. The paprika is being prepared to be labeled. The label for the paprika is on the table, ready to be applied to the jar.

I prefer a labeling system. I take 3 by 5-inch index cards and cut them in half horizontally so that I then have two 1-1/2 by 5-inch strips from each card. With a bold marker, I write the name of the spice across the strip and then wrap it around its spice jar. I secure it in place with a rubber band. With that system, I can keep my spices on the shelf above my food prep area and I can usually make out what each bottle contains. Braille can be added to each card, either alone or in addition to the big bold writing. The label can easily be removed when the jar is empty and that label can be placed on the new jar.

When you are working in the kitchen, add some pizzazz- with spices, and be comfortable with what you are doing and how you are doing it. And enjoy!

How do you find the spices you need?

It’s Me!

Time for a meet and greet!

Can We Talk?

Do you see what I see? Can you see what you can’t see? What is it, and how do you know?

Assistive devices for vision impairment can be very helpful, and very expensive. CCTVs, braille writers, magnifiers, and audiobook players cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars, to name just a few things that could help blind and visually impaired people. Even audiobooks can be beyond our budget. Too often, even tools that can help us with our daily activities and special needs are not even made available for us to try, or even know about. And then, can we afford them? We must rely on word of mouth, and even then the results can be disappointing. It is not like I see what you see, or that you see what someone else sees. With vision impairment, we all see (or don’t see) the same things differently.

Talking about different devices can often lead to success. Even better, there are so many common household items and stationery supplies, and even things we never gave much thought to that provide so much benefit. Sometimes we just have to think outside the box.

For example, did you know you can cook perfect bacon in the oven instead of a fry pan and avoid all the hot oil spatter? Did you know a child’s whiteboard can be the perfect tool for your notes and reminders? Did you know you can easily connect your tablet to your computer screen or TV so you can benefit from greatly enlarged print and images? Did you know there is an online group that gives away used audiobooks and braille books, magnifiers, and more?

We have a lot to talk about. So let’s explore together.

Thanks for joining me on this journey.

Talk to me. I would love to hear from you!

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