Crocheting Reality Check

I am surprised to see that it's been a week since I last wrote an entry. It doesn't seem like I've been that busy, but I guess I have. My best friend from high school, Maya, was down with her husband last weekend. We took Luke to the pool every day; he is turning into such a fish! He doesn't actually swim yet, but he has his first swimming lesson this afternoon. He loves the water, though...as long as he is still within an arms' length of the wall.

On one of the stitching boards that I frequent there was a recent discussion about helping Africa (extrapolate to any depressed/impoverished region of course) without sending money. Someone mentioned a cause where people crochet or knit leprosy bandages; apparently they are preferred over storebought for comfort, reusability, etc. Several people agreed to make some and I got excited and decided to join in also. I went to the local Michael's after work yesterday and purchased the correct size crochet hook (D and E) and some #10 white yarn. 1600 yards of it, in fact; I snatched up the last 4 of the 400 yard balls. This is the part where the reality check comes in: I sat down last night to start one. I have never used #10 yarn before; I've only used the standard (worsted weight I guess?) that you'd use with like a G or H hook. I am also very much a novice crochet-er. Well, nearly three hours later, I have it started: it's about 3.5 inches wide and (drumroll please) 2.5 inches long. Um, it's supposed to be 4 *feet* long. So, I figure, in another 23 days or so I may have one finished if I don't work on anything else. Yikes! I'm hoping that my skills improve so it isn't so torturously slow. In the interest of full disclosure I did spend more than an hour trying to do the first two damn rows. Once I got into row 3 or 4 it was easy, but I must have ripped out the first row probably 20 times or more. The website with the instructions said not to worry about it being "perfect", but I wasn't even aiming for perfect. Well, I hope it will get easier with practice. I have a long car ride coming up at the end of the month and I expect this will help pass the time.

In different news I have been really slacking in the exercise arena lately. I've felt really under the weather the last couple days; I don't know if I'm sick or if it's allergies, but I feel like crap. I was really disappointed to not make it to kickboxing yesterday but I just wasn't up to it.

Well, I need to get back to work. I have working hardware now (yay!) and it's time to verify that everything works. Have a great weekend, everyone. :)