me, my hat and my shawl

[SusansSoulShines]

I made this shawl in Sept and the hat after it, the flowers on the hat are made from the same yarn as the shawl is but they don't show up well on the brown, but I finally got my button Sat at the factory where I got the yarn and the elastic and some quarters to line handbags with, this big beautiful rustic wooden button was not quite $1.00 and is just what I was looking for!!! So I hope you can tell what it looks like! I LIVE my shawl, and my hat has a big 20's brim and is a little flamboyant!! Hey, we only live once, and I'm living even with all of the misery!!









I'll post those on the blog and talk more about the hat too.. it's been sitting here on my mannequin head waiting for me to wear it, so wear it I will!! Monday I wear them when we go to to the dr. about Dale's hernia repair. I had to MAKE him go...and if I have to draw the blood myself, he's giving blood for some tests!

[Susan2014]

Susan I Love the outfit. Very nice work and color is lovely. Ty for sharing. Susan2014

[kl1000]

You are so beautiful! Nice thiings

[LI Roe]

You have such cool patterns and you do such a great job of modeling them. It is very apparent you love what you do. Keep it up!!!

Roe

[Lynda Fey]

Absolutely beautiful work Susan! The shawl and hat look wonderful on you! xoxoxo Lynda

[trueblue2007]

Very cute Susan. You will be the talk of the town!

[SusansSoulShines]

You have such cool patterns and you do such a great job of modeling them. It is very apparent you love what you do. Keep it up!!!

Roe

I really do love what I do, and I'm so glad it shows. I feel that my projects really do reflect my personality, and that's a good thing. I want this craft that I love to be a bit of a small business too... I need it that to happen in more ways than just financial.

[SusansSoulShines]

You are so beautiful! Nice things

kl1000, I've really never considered myself as pretty, much less beautiful, maybe normal or ok! I've always liked to blend in and not stand out in the past or be 'looked at' a lot for some reason, as silly as that sounds I guess, maybe I was shy, lol, which you'd probably never think of me as being now.. as I'm getting older I suppose I feel more comfortable with myself, so I feel a lot different. I do what I want, what the heck, I wear my shawls, 1920 cloche style hat, ponchos, jewelry I made, carry my crochet handbags I make - if people look at me, who cares?!

I'm proud of my crochet and myself, and nobody knows that I'm walking around in serious pain unless I'm moving extra slow or using my walker sometime, but at the dr's office, who even notices! When I was heading towards 50, and I'll be 58 this May, I was going thru bad times in a lot of ways. And the last thing I wanted was to ever have my picture taken again, esp since I never liked having it taken to begin with all my life!

I was trying to live without being in a chronic pain management program and getting constant physical therapy, but that wasn't going well for me. I felt like I was on the edge and about to go over from the anxiety of constant pain. Then I made some important decisions & got some things going better for myself, and my husband was so very supportive and wonderful thru it all, he was so much help to me. Yes, this is personal but not private.

I got involved with a good medical team and began to feel more like I was actually living instead of simply existing. I've been officially disabled since 1997 and that has been so hard to deal with, but crochet became my new therapy after some unhappy years of missing the creative projects and hand crafted arts I've always done. I am loving crochet very much, doing it daily, and feeling more like myself again, even tho I am quite miserable physically. It's a daily struggle, I am positive and determined, and have met many wonderful new friends thru crochet and it's so enjoyable. I actually smile a nice truly happy smile now and don't mind having my pics done or I do them on a laptop, and even post them online now!

Thank you very much for saying such kind things, that's really very nice of you!

[redhead]

Susan, you make a very pretty model. I want to encourage you if I can. You would never know you are in pain by looking at your pictures. Anyway just keep on keepin' on and you will be a great success! I love the projects you have posted. I only wish I looked half as good as you in a hat! Your friend on Crochettalk! Patty/redhead

[SusansSoulShines]

Susan, you make a very pretty model. I want to encourage you if I can. You would never know you are in pain by looking at your pictures. Anyway just keep on keepin' on and you will be a great success! I love the projects you have posted. I only wish I looked half as good as you in a hat! Your friend on Crochettalk! Patty/redhead

Thank you so much Patty, your kind words warm my heart. I never wore hats before but they had to sort of grow on me for me to like myself in them. When you make something you tend to like it on you more than a store bought piece! I never take pics when I feel really bad and I save making them for days when I've not done too much and can smile, and I've never liked having my picture made or seeing myself in pics in my whole life. The smile on my face is pure joy, for being able to be creative again like I used to be, and for having days that I'm able to make wonderful crochet pieces.

The happiness this type of 'therapy' brings me isn't possible to describe in words, I've never been do happy since I got as sick as I am. There are days that I can't function at all, and I try not to cry and met it take me over, and since I"m driven and determined, I never give up, and never will. I crochet wearing moist heat packs and cool gel packs, and stop to get up and do physical therapy that I've been taught to do at home.I said the other day on here that my husband said he feels he's getting the woman back that he married, always smiling and enjoying life. I'm literally thrilled to do crochet, blog about it all, and meet new friends who also love crochet. I guess my inner feelings show up in the looks on my face and even thru all of the pain & misery I am blessed.