Update on ARNie and ChezCrochet.com

I am alive, but my health is still preventing me from reopening my store and selling my books.  Each time I seem to conquer one problem, another pops up.  We are managing the blood disorder, but the reality is, my immune system is compromised and that severely restricts everything I do.

For the last few days (that I know of), ChezCrochet.com has been offline.  I have been researching this issue, and I'm still in the dark as to what is going on with this company.  I've been with them decade, and only one time in the past, did their servers go offline, and that was due to a horrible storm.

At present, I am still trying to determine what happened, and in the days to come, what I should do about it in the future.  Whether that is to try to transfer to another host, which will probably mean rebuilding the site, which will be an insurmountable task with as large at it was.

Please know, that I'm not dead, like the disappearance of the site might suggest.  I'm still living at home, and doing as well as I can.

I do spend time on Facebook, and you can find me there.  I'm still stitching, but just for peace of mind and to sell a few things at 4 living history events I risk going to.  My office is now my hermitage, and I leave the house very little.

My ChezCrochet at yahoo dot com email is still working, but all of the ChezCrochet.com email accounts are offline, and I don't know how to retrieve them, yet.

Angela 'ARNie' Grabowski

Update on ARNie and ChezCrochet.com

I am alive, but every day can be a struggle with staying alive. I've been so pre-occupied with what I have to do each day, that I forgot to re-register my domain, ChezCrochet.com.

I took care of that today, and my site should be back up in a day or two.

I am still not healthy enough to sell my books or booklets, and as I can, I am researching other digital methods for the booklets... but this process cannot be anymore taxing than selling booklets, or I won't be able to do this.

I thank you for the prayers and good thoughts sent my way. There are days when I know that the only thing that got me through, was the prayers from all of you.

Angela 'ARNie' Grabowski

Finished Project Review... ARNie's Knitting-Knook

As I explained in another post, I had to put my hooks away, because that is my job, and my brain couldn't treat it as a hobby... consequentially, knitting became the hobby for several years.

This is the link to my Knitting blog, with most of what I've knitted over the past few years.

http://arnies-knitting-knook.blogspot.com/

Finished Objects Review 2012-2015

In 2013, I attended a living history event the first weekend of May.  Now understand that by May, my part of Texas is already reaching 90F.  Not that weekend... we had snow flurries on the Thursday- while I was setting up.  Consequentially, I took MY Tunisian Crochet stitch sampler shawl to keep warm, because that is my Winter Coat.
On Friday, the building my shop was in, had rock walls that took a long time to warm up... so it was cold in the building but warm enough outside to not need my winter shawl.  I left it in my chair in my 'little store' when I went to the chow line at lunch.

When I brought my lunch back to my spot, a lady was trying on my winter shawl. 
'How much is this shawl?'
'Whoa, wait!  That's my winter shawl.  I can't sell it.'
'Oh, I want one just like it!  It's so warm and soft.'

Well, it took me two years to complete that shawl... not because the stitching was that difficult, but because I would forget to work on it... or the stress of trying to make sure I'm paying attention to the stitches and the patterns... would wipe me out after a couple of hours.

The new shawl is on the left and mine is on the right.  Both are made with 6 skeins of Red Heart Amore in a cream color.

Finished Objects 2012-2015

This uses 3 of the 4 sides of a Corner to Corner Around the Block.  Done in Lion Brand Homespun in a dark burgundy color.  This is still available for purchase.

 

This uses a variety of soft and fuzzy yarns: Lion Brand Jiffy, Hobby Lobby's faux mohair, an odd ball of Red Heart fleck and some unknown boucle yarn.  A friend had eyed the shawl done in Bavarian Stitch, but it was too small for her.  Using similar colors, I stitched this one for her Birthday this year.

 

Another Corner to Corner Triangle done in Hobby Lobby's faux mohair yarn.  This is still avaiable for purchase.

 

 

Finished Objects Review 2012-2015

My first experience with AA's Bavarian Stitch.  Done in a variety of acrylic scrap yarns. I sold this one recently.

I have one more Bavarian Stitch shawl in a UFO box, done in sock yarn [lace weight]... but it's still UFO.

This is a Free Form Lace shawl done in Hobby Lobby's sock yarn [lace weight].  I sold this one.

 

This is done in a variety of Sock Yarns [lace weight.]  I had tried to knit the rainbow colored yarns, but they looked awful... and then I realized... all those small stretches of color would work much better in Crochet Corner to Corner.  This one used a lot of scraps... but I'll say that 2 skeins of Hobby Lobby sock yarn, using a H/8 [5mm] hook.  This is still Available to purchase.

 

Finished Objects Review 2012-2015

Crochet was my Job.  The Hooks and Strings put my brain in Work mode... and I've been in no shape to work for several Years.

I spent most of the last 5 years knitting, because I specifically made the decision to NOT design knitting, so I don't try to keep notes of what I'm doing... I don't rip out to make that transition easier for others to understand... I just stitch.

At the end of last year, I reconnected with my hooks, and the following is what I've accomplished.

I don't remember what I was trying to do with this, when I found it in a UFO box.  I worked a few rows in Tks/Tps edging to prevent the ends from curling and stuck a fork in it.   Done in Red Heart Amore yarn in winter white.  This is still available for purchase.

This is a Corner to Corner Triangle shawl XL size.  Done in Lion Brand Homespun in shades of burgundy, gray, steel blue.  This is still available for purchase.

 

 Another Corner to Corner Triangle Shawl that is XXL.  Done in Leaf Peeper Camo colors of Lion Brand Homespun. 


Still Available for purchase.