TV distractions

I'm not one to sit still, even when we're watching TV.  We don't watch much TV with subtitles because I'm always looking at my work.   My favorite things to do watching TV are knitting and crochet.  I can knit sock rows without looking down...mostly and the same with crochet for things like afghans.  Anyway, I decided I wanted to do some thread crochet and for me, that means filet work.  I haven't done a lot of it, but my head understands it and I can follow the patterns easily.  And, it looks a lot easier than pineapple doilies.  This is supposed to be one square in a tablecloth, but I followed the pattern in reverse to make it a doily (yeah, right.  I did NOT realize I had reversed it til near the end when I realized it didn't have the open weave of the tablecloth in the picture.)

My goal is to make the work square instead of rectangular.  This piece is better than the last one I started.  I've had it in my head that I could block it square, but I don't think that works like I thought it would.  I can't get this one to stretch to square, at least not yet.  

This is the first piece I made, several years ago.  The squares in it look more square.  I made it long enough ago that I can't remember which stitch I used.  It's never been blocked either.  

Filet work is about open and closed squares.  The open spaces form a square and the closed spaces should be square.  If my tension is too tight, the stitches that fill a square are too short.  The most recent project used an extended double crochet, but I think the first project used a triple.  I plan to try a triple next time.  

There are a couple other UFOs lying around, but they'll likely have to be restarted.  I used a double crochet and they're extremely rectangular.  One was a huge project and after many hours, when I was about a third of the way through, I ran out of thread and before I shopped for more, I decided to learn more about filet work and found out I was mostly doing it wrong.  All those hours of work will need to be balled back up so they can be used in another project.  And, I've bought new thread to start that project over.  But, only after my squares are square.  Too big of a project to do it badly...again.

We cleaned carpets this weekend.  It's a holiday tradition.  The dogs were like 'we just got it to smell like we like it and now you're washing it away.  Stupid human.'  At one time, the cat was on the sofa with them.  It was the only safe place to lie about.

Thanksgiving is upon us.  There was some prep yesterday.  I decided to make my own bread for the stuffing and I made Rob's copper penny carrots, which have to sit a few days to achieve peak flavor.  And, the turkey is thawing and I hope yours is too.  Today is the only day I'm working this week...well, if you don't count kitchen work.  I plan to spend part of it in the yard, moving plants into the greenhouse.  The fight for space has begun out there.  We're not near freezing weather yet, but better to be prepared.  

I spent part of the week moving to a new social media platform.  I'm not so worried that Elon will crash twitter, but I'm also not sure I want to be using an Elon owned product.  And, the ads he's selling now are pretty objectionable and don't have relevance in my life and it can be surprising when you're scrolling and there's an advertisement from a preacher saying that if God says the moon is made of cheese, we should get our crackers ready.  Except God never said the moon was made of cheese.  And, why would anyone follow someone saying stupid stuff like that?  

Anyway, I'd let my twitter account get away from me and I'd become an excitement junkie.  I'd read for the latest "breaking news" and whether it was true or not, I'd get all twitchy about it.  And, when something bad happened, I'd be depressed.  I followed the mood of the people I followed.  This time, I'm doing it different.  I'm following lots of gay men like me and a few trusted political accounts that have proven accurate over time.  And, some people that are just interested in the same stuff I'm into or want to talk about how their day is going.  Less doom and gloom.  More food and pets.  

-----------------------------

I am heartbroken about the shooting in Colorado Springs.  People should not die just because they want to go out and dance and have a few laughs.  But some MAGA asshat thinks that if he can't have fun, no one else should get to either.  I can't get over the feeling that these guys want to touch other men in that special way and are too afraid to let themselves do it.  I know it's a cliche, but there's a lot to be said about "doth protest too much."

But, they get encouragement to act out from MAGA politicians trying to outlaw us and our trans brothers and sisters.  By speaking bad about us to excite their christian nationalist base, they endanger us.  And, they don't give even half a...well, you know what.  (we're trying to swear less)

As a gay man, it's impossible to look on MAGAts and christian nationalists as anything but an enemy to be avoided at all cost.  

Thank goodness there are good people like most of y'all out there.  Keep reading about it.  Keep talking about it.  Keep objecting, even if you can't turn it into a big deal.  A simple 'I don't think that's true' and walk away is enough.  

Everybody have a good week!  May your turkey be moist and your stuffing flavorful and your gravy turns out just the way you like it (or that the jar is easy to open).

Lane