Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

I've blogged before about how crochet is good for our health; and lately, I've been seeing lots of references about how many have turned to art endeavors during the Covid-19 pandemic to maintain a healthy outlook.   Personally, I used the "free time" I felt I had been given during the pandemic to  dig deeper into my artistic abilities, and to enjoy the challenges of pushing myself to create. I even gave water painting a try! Now seems like a good time to re-visit the topic, both by looking back at our realizations that crafting is a healthy activity; and thinking about how we have found that crafting continues to help us cope in healthy ways, post-pandemic. Christine Boland in Fashion United writes: " Thanks to the pandemic, we've seen a rise in all things handmade, not only in fashion but also in interior design. This has brought about a renewed interest in traditional techniques used for and evolved over centuries by indigenous communities who live close t...

Thank you to Bethany Leigh or this beautiful photo! Where to begin?...Well, how about at the beginning! So much has changed for me since I was last here with husband, Alan. It seems like not so much has changed here in Ajijic, Jalisco Mexico, northwest of Guadalajara on Lake Chapala. We moved from a Chicago suburb to Indianapolis in late 2015. Alan died in July 2016 after a long illness and I have blogged {LINK} about it. I am so grateful to have my entire family near me. We have so much fun together and my grandchildren are just the best! Kiddie Kwotes: Chloe (9)-"Gigi, you are really old, but you have a young soul." After our trip to the Stutz Bearcat Museum, Jack: "That was the best museum I've ever been to!" Both Alan and I left a little part of our hearts in Ajijic When we left for the last time in March 2012! We owned a house here for five years and the plan was to live part time in both Aijic and Chicago taking advantage of the best climates of e...

from CBS New, April 6, 2018: Syrian Women Remember 'past before the past' with Art... on display at Moncton Library. srwah-al-hamoud Srwah-al-hamoud shares that "The first time I felt happiness in a long time was when my crocheted multi-colored flowers and pineapples were unveiled at the Moncton Public Library. She called it the 'past before the past' when she used to crochet for fun and relaxation, when crocheting wasn't her way of keeping bad memories of war and loss at bay.'" srwah-al-hamoud Art Therapist, Dominik Robichaud, conceived the idea of the exhibit and says, "I hope art can help women heal from the war they've left behind." Aliaa Obaid-repurposed book pages Follow this link to learn more about these strong women's stories. Photos courtesy Hadeel Ibrahim, CBC.CA

Monday, October 28, 2013 Soon it will be one year that I started my volunteer job as coordinator of a Cancer & Crochet Support group at my local hospital. Today, I want to celebrate the life of one of our members who died last week. Even though Judy was in hospice, she continued work on her goal of making 100 caps for the premature babies at the hospital. She reached and exceeded the goal with 125 hats! During her last ten days of life, she attended a special event hosted by my CGOA chapter in her wheel chair with oxygen; she also came to the support group. She was one strong and determined woman and we will miss her terribly! I've long known the value of crochet as a healing tool and a method of relaxation. I reviewed books that cover this topic beautifully: Crochet Saved My Life and Contemplative Crochet. Recently my friend Rita, an art therapist, came to share with the group. Rita, Art Therapist, leading group This was the group's first attempt at thread croch...