Crochet Pattern: Re-Usable Women's Pads

I've been using these for over two months and decided it was nigh time to share the pattern I had gotten figured out.

This is a free pattern, that I'm sharing with you.  Please do not post this pattern as your own. If this looks a lot like a pattern you've seen before online, I'd like a link to that please.  I went hunting for a pattern like this back on this article and never found anything. If you decide to make and sell, please credit me.

If there are any problems with this pattern, please comment so that I can update either terminology or stitch count etc.

For your yarn I recommend using Lily Sugar'n Creme cotton and an F/3.75 hook.

Re-Usable Pads -
For heavy flows, make 2 ovals and one filler.
For medium flows, make 1 oval and one filler.
For light flows, make 1 oval.

Chain 24 foundation single crochet.

Row 1:
Chain 2 (does not count as hdc), 2 hdc in same stitch.  *1 hdc in next 22 stitches.*
In last stitch, 5 hdc to form the end. Repeat **.  3hdc in last stitch, slip stitch in first hdc to join.

Row 2:
Chain 2.
1 hdc in joining stitch. 2 hdc in next stitch.  *1 hdc in next 22 stitches*
On the end:
2 hdc in next stitch.  1 hdc in next stitch.  3 hdc in next stitch.  1 hdc in next stitch.  2 hdc in next stitch.
Repeat **.
On starting end: 
2 hdc in next stitch.  1hdc in next stitch.  3 hdc in next stitch.  Slip stitch join in first hdc.

Row 3:
Chain 2.  1 hdc in joining stitch and next stitch.  2 hdc in next stitch.  * 1 hdc in next 23 stitches*
On the end:
2 hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in next three stitches. 3hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in next three stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch.
Repeat **.
On starting end:
2 hdc in next stitch.  1 hdc in next 3 stitches. 3 hdc in next stitch. 1 hdc in next stitch. Slip stitch join into first hdc.

Last Row:
Chain 1, sc in each stitch all the way around, slip stitch join in first sc, fasten off and weave in ends.

Filler layer:
Chain 21 single crochet foundation

Row 1:
Chain 1, 1 sc in all stitches to end, chain 1 and turn.

Row 2:
Repeat row 1 until same width as ovals.

Assembly Notes:
Use a yarn needle and put two lines of stitching in the middle of the center stitch and edges.  Do not sew the edges shut as when you wash them, they won't be able to dry properly without the air flow.

"How does it stay it place?"
You can crochet simple ties using chain stitch, or even make wings. Fastening them with buttons or snaps.  That's up to you.

Toy Story...er... Emporium?

Written in conjunction with a future Blue Collar Prepping article, this is just me pulling together links of several dozen crocheted and knit toy patterns.  So feel free to share away if you'd like.

• Birthday Bear for a Prince                             
•  Love My Giraffe
• Wall hanging with Toy Pockets                       
• Toy Tote
• Friendly Snake (Knitting)                               
• Safari Kids (has 16 patterns for knit and crochet items)
• Happy Little Car, Plane and Truck                  
• My Ponies and Me
• Halloween Puppets (Separate link: Pattern Corrections)  
• Puppets for Play
• Juggling Balls                                                 
• Baby's First Bunny
• Huggy Bunny 
• Cute Bunny
• Polar Bear
• Buddy Bear
• Small Crocheted Teddy Bear (Free pattern from Ravelry)
• Teddy Bear
• Giant Panda
• Granny Square Teddy

That elephant has been in the room so long....

....it's turned into a damn skeleton.  And trust me, if you've seen what elephant skeletons look like you agree with me that they are the freakiest of the skeletons in the animal kingdom.  No holds bar even.

I'm going to dive head first into something here, that's been bugging me for awhile.  It cropped up, maybe a week ago.  It reminded me of a lot of anger I had, and still have in some small chunk that is chained up in a corner and that gets periodically taken out to do some serious exercise so that it keeps losing weight.  It's a little known demon of mine, that I've been working on starving to death.  However, when you know these kind of demons like I do... you know they take forever to die.

Well start with the friends conversation (and darling, I know you'll probably look this over, if you beat yourself up over having caused me some pain, I'm going to hex your computer again. I've been needing to nail this to the wall for awhile now). He messaged me on facebook and launched himself in a massive apology.  He'd been going over old photos from when I used to Science Fiction/Fantasy cons (Hey I've been a geek girl for a long ass time!) and started to compare the pics of me to pics of me now.

I thought he was going to weep.  He finally noticed, after 4ish years.... how sick I had been.  I was in hell,

This is only one of two pics I have from
the con he was talking about.  

and thought I was hiding well enough to where no one was going to be to notice.  This picture was one of only two and the other one has a couple of things in it that if I ever find those items, they'll be smashed with a sledgehammer and burned promptly afterwards.  (And yes, that's a turquoise duct tape corset. I SAID this was a geek event, k?)

This was back in late 2009 I think.  I was still involved with a dipshit, that I'm only just able to even admit to myself that I was nothing more than a bed warmer and...well, yeah.  I'll let you choose a word.  He was smart enough to never lay a hand on me and never did much in public besides tolerate me.  In private, he was an incredibly fucked up individual.  And that, is as far as I'm going when it's about him.  Pictures of me from 2010 are probably just as bad.  I try to avoid looking at them honestly.

This friend... has been the only person to notice and then say something to me about it.  THE ONLY DAMN ONE!  I was balling my eyes out.  He had

Me and the fiance finally had our first cookout here in the
past month.  Bout damn time too.

noticed the difference finally.... out how many folks that claimed to be my friends?  It was surreal at how much it felt like I had just lost some kind of burden.  Yeah, that's me.  I'm a rather thin individual (and for those of you want to say too thin, go fuck yourself.  Genetics can and does play a huge role it.) but even my mom I think has noticed that I'm happier.

Salt Wash Utah area, from along the I-70 (IIRC).

That tends to happen when you have a good partner.  One that you don't try and change.  That you leave alone and respect them, respect their choices in job (as best you can, there are times some of his work is absolutely infuriating, but I'm doing my best to not nag him over it.  Do I fail? I think I do sometimes.)

It wasn't until about January 2012, when I finally got out of that last funk of depression that I start seriously looking at several of my relationships (as plural as in friends not just romantic).  HOLY FUCK!  I was friends with some highly abusive folks.  I looked at myself and saw where my own faults and things that I hadn't taken care of yet, had attracted that kind of low quality person.

I'd like to think I have shaken all the folks that weren't good for me at this point.  Maybe some of them found they didn't feel like we were compatible as friends anymore, I don't know.  I stopped talking to a massive chunk of the folks I used to hang out, shoved them away.  And I've done my best to keep it cordial and friendly at times, and yet again here, I admit there's been failures at this. I haven't had any kind of abusive relationship with anyone in about 2 years now.  Most folks will not understand how huge that is, but the Fiance knows and I know, and that's good enough for me.

Another part of the anger that got pulled up has been this whole bruhahaha over MZB, author and turns out according to her daughter finally being able to talk about, child rapist.

... I greatly enjoyed Mists of Avalon, I will admit that but there is a serious reluctance now to read anymore of her own books.  The reports of her activities have come out a time when I've been finding myself forced to deal with another unsavory fact about my own life again.

I'll keep it short: the church I grew up in, had a problem with some of the teenagers molesting and being sexually active with many of the younger kids.  I'm talking three, four five years of age.  And that didn't stop just because the kids got older.  These teens had in turn, probably been molested by teens when they been at that age.  I never really said anything to anyone, but I thought it was also normal.  (shudder)
A few weeks ago, I find out such things are not isolated incidences. They are pandemic apparently.  It was weird feeling relieved that I was not the only one.

"Damnit Evelyn, can't you catch a break?"

I did. Two years ago.  There's a lot more work to be done.  I want to have kids someday AND there's a part of me going "Look at this!  Fuck you evil pieces of shit!  Look at me, being a mom and not taking my past out on my kids.  Look at me using my past lessons, keep them from getting hurt like I did.  I am doing and I'm going to keep doing it!"

All right Anger demon, back in your chains in the corner.  I do believe you've lost a good several pounds.

Little things

Car update: Close to a 700 dollar repair.  Timing chain and they went ahead and replaced the water pump while they were in there.  It didn't wipe us out completely, but damn close.

As for personal things going on... I am liking these re-usable pads I've crocheted up.  I gotta be honest though, part of this down I've been feeling here the past few days, has me wondering if maybe it's a bit of a withdrawal from the chemicals in the pads...???  Such things really make me wonder at times.

"Isn't crochet to hole-y?"

Nope not really.  The 100% cotton is what I used and no problems so far.  Don't think I'll have any big ones either, but you never know.

Oh yeah that down I'm feeling... I have no idea.
  It could be frustration that it seems like we're stagnating on getting out of California...
 Missing folks I used to see frequently....
Concerned for friends who seem to have something bothering them... or that I know what's going on and they've had as much progress as we have...

I really hate plateau's.  At least when you have an up or down, you know where you're going.

And the geocaching we're started doing helps with the restlessness.  Though we need to do it a bit more and I need to get my damn shorts out of shortage.  It gets too hot here to rough it in jeans.  I'm sure a couple more years would have me acclimated .... but I don't plan on being here longer than past September/October.

Captain's Log Stardate: 05.26.2015

Not how I was expecting to be spending my memorial day.

Before I get into my stuff, my love and respect to those of my family and friends who are finding themselves sorely missing someone (or several) on this day.  May you remember them fondly, and the edge of the pain be blunted by good memories.

All right, this adventure escapade started on Friday with confirming with my fiance that yes indeed I would very much like to go out of town with him.   We had even laid plans to go spend Weds and Thurs after his work was done, Sequoia National Forest and State Park. Saturday was filled with the usual preps of packing clothes, double checking hiking and camping gear and setting up the food.  Saturday, I was so blasted excited I didn't sleep much.

Sunday we were on the road by 5:30 am.  (Yes, I am capable of rolling out of the rack at a decent time.  I just don't like to.) Hisperia CA while over several hills, according to the fiance unit, is still basically LA.  I'm inclined to believe him honestly.  Once we got there, we hit the road to head to Paso Roblas CA.  The route, took us through Tehachapi, CA.  We decided to stop at the Loop, and hit our first two Geocaches there.  From there we headed to Bakersfield... and that is when Murphy hit.  We had stopped for dinner, and after leaving the place made it a couple of miles before the car just suddenly died.

We managed to have enough momentum for him to guide the car into the parking lot of a Pep Boys, that had a full service auto. (Thank the Gods for small pieces of Silver.)   The car would turn over (crank) but wouldn't start.  We had just put that morning into the engine two new quarts of oil.  By the time we had everything checked out, the oil was dry and pretty decent sized hole had formed somewhere in the engine.

Not what we needed.  Not only did we leave most of our cash back at home, which is as I'm writing this 100 miles to the south of me currently, we still have to get to Paso for his work.  Unfortunately here in the couple of hours we find out if the car can be fixed and if it's worth it.  If not worth it, we are throwing it up onto Craigslist and hopefully selling it to someone here in Bakersfield, and washing our hands of that vehicle.  Which means once his work is done in Paso, and we get home, the rest of the week will be spent car hunting.  And buying a new car thoroughly destroys every dime of the money that we had saved up for moving.

I'll give you the ballpark sum, 1300+.  That was what we needed for a moving truck, towing doily, and half way to our security deposit for a new place.

Then to further complicate things, funds that should have appeared in my account by Saturday morning from Etsy, are no where to be found currently.  They are frozen in transfer.... due to today. ....it's a computer system.and not an actually person doing the transferring.

A friend managed to loan us some money, however without my money from Etsy... we couldn't get a rental.  So we spent last night, in the car, in the back parking lot of the Pep Boys.  For those of you who know this on par with my life it seems, I did manage to get more sleep last night than on I had on Saturday night.

Then today, much to my horror and disgust,  I found the disposable pads... do not react well the human bodies sweat.  It was starting to break down, I was developing a rash and I suspect I was developing a low grade fever.  I suspect this because I normally do quite well in the heat.  I've been known to carry a sweatshirt with me in the summer time because of how badly I freeze in some places that like cranking up the AC.  The day's temperature hadn't even begun to rise and I was doing not so good.

I had started making the re-usable cotton crochet pads just yesterday, and it was a good thing that did.  Switched them out almost 3 hours ago.  The rash is gone, and my temp tolerance is back where it should be.   Consider me converted for most part.  (And yikes!!! I know what's in the disposable but sheesh!)

And we are still currently waiting to know what it is exactly that is wrong with the car.  And the diagnostic costs 90.  Think our day could quite worse before getting better.  *shrugs*  

Head first into the Rabbit Hole!

Oh goodness.... Yeap, as I am wont to do, a new rabbit hole formed and in the shape of New Orleans, Louisiana folklore and curses.  (For those of you just cringed over the curse part, no no no this is not me looking to learn how to do them in so much as I'm a knowledge whore.  And this was a very deep and fascinating rabbit hole.)

New Orleans is known for a lot of things.  That parade that gets beads and candy thrown at people (and in some cases you end up finding out just how nice your boobs because of much loot you end up with.  Not my story, that's another person's tale.)  Voodoo, Voodoun, Hoodoo and a variety of other magickal practices from as broad of a background as any traditions and schools of magick.   Like anything, there are massive amounts of misconceptions, embellishments and just outright wrong bits and pieces of information associated with the area.

(Did you know that there's a tale of imported wives from Europe having brought *vampires* with them?  And that there numerous reports of people who have no other way of explaining several strange encounters?)

One of the first things to pop up that I immediately dove into due the small background of paranormal investigating was the Legend of the Rougarou.  Now, if you've seen the show Gator Boys, you'll remember that they pranked one of the crew with this tale (and did it rather well IMHO).   

The Rougarou -

"In the Cajun legends, the creature is said to prowl the swamps around Acadiana and Greater New Orleans, and possibly the fields or forests of the regions. The rougarou most often is described as a creature with a human body and the head of a wolf or dog, similar to the werewolf legend.

Often the story-telling has been used to inspire fear and obedience. One such example is stories that have been told by elders to persuade Cajun children to behave. According to another variation, the wolf-like beast will hunt down and killCatholics who do not follow the rules of Lent. This coincides with the French Catholic loup-garou stories, according to which the method for turning into a werewolf is to break Lent seven years in a row.

A common blood sucking legend says that the rougarou is under the spell for 101 days. After that time, the curse is transferred from person to person when the rougarou draws another human’s blood. During that day the creature returns to human form. Although acting sickly, the human refrains from telling others of the situation for fear of being killed.^[2]

Other stories range from the rougarou as a rabbit to the rougarou being derived from witchcraft. In the latter claim, only a witch can make a rougarou—either by turning into a wolf herself, or by cursing others with lycanthropy."   - Wikipedia 

Unfortunately, the best source I was able to find for this creatures legend, was Wiki.  Many of the other sources were a bit too frivolous for my tastes and didn't seem to really bear out any useful information that hadn't already been presented in the Wiki Article.

Marie Laveau-

What is an article on New Orleans, without the woman called the Voodoo Queen?

From "The Voodoo Museum" website:

"What little evidence that actually exist about her life, the larger body of knowledge about the lives and culture of Creole free persons of color in New Orleans mixed with scraps about Marie Laveau that do have gives us a extra insight into her life. She was born the product of a brief plaçage arrangement and was probably raised by her mother and possibly her grandmother. She spent most of her adult life in a plaçage relationship, which was very typical of Creole free women of color of her era. She was Catholic. In fact, reports seem to indicate that most observant Catholics in New Orleans were usually the free women of color. She managed an extended family taking in grandchildren, nieces and nephews and perhaps orphans.  She was probably a practical nurse, or femme traiteur. 

 Her daughters each continued in the plaçage system. She was remembered as well for her humanity and charity as much as anything. She owned slaves. She was apparently able to support both her father and her plaçage partner at times when they were financially distressed. She never went to school, or learned to read or write, or to sign her name. She spoke French. She lived in a Creole world, a tri-part caste system that afforded her a unique and respected status as a free person of color. Americans, black or white, were a foreign race. She was a social and political liberal and humanist with desire to heal, to sooth, to nurture and to do good works. Not her father, but her grandfather, was white and he was not a member of the Louisiana Legislature but had been a member of the old Spanish Laveau Warehouse Cabildo and at one time was appointed acting Mayor of New Orleans.

 She grew up in a world where Voodoo was neither alien nor uncommon in day to day life. In all probability she learned it from a relative, perhaps her mother, a grandmother, or a mentor. She was a very spiritual person who blended, in the Creole way, Voodoo with Catholicism, especially the saints.  Her gris-gris, like the sacred and blessed symbols and objects of the church, were meant to call upon the saints and spirits for their help and to carry their blessings forward. Voodoo was an extension of Catholic practices and Catholicism a focus toward the same Bon Dieu (God), natural and familiar, to Voodoo. She was the African mother, the Creole wife and the true daughter of New Orleans. 

Today, it is not in the least unusual to hear from people who attribute both favors and miracles to her intercession. Not unlike the Saints, her spirit still listens and blesses with humanity, justice and love. In all Voodoo, in all places, in all times, she is the Queen."   

Then I found this site "Voodoo on the Bayou" that had some of the obituaries shared on their page, that the above article mentions.  I must admit, they weren't exaggerating about the lavish competing stories part.

Can't go without the Wiki article on her either now can we?

And for now, that's were I'm going to end this particular entry.  These were the two aspects that fascinated me the most, and I hope you enjoy the bit.

Our Constitution of the United States.

My dears.... hear me.

It's what binds us.

It is what protects us...
as
Gays
Straights
Bi's.

As.....
Christians
Atheists
Pagans
Muslims
Sikhs
Hindus

Respect for this document, this legal binding social contract, it and the Declaration of Independence, this is what has allowed so many of us to be to exist.  To be able to speak up against injustices.  To be able to learn and grow and advance as individual humans.

RESPECT for ourselves. That which lets us look in the mirror every day and swear to ourselves we can do this.  We can find others who are not shy about letting us borrow their shoulders so that we can rest awhile from our personal demons.

Respect for other religions.  Other beliefs.  Have you not spent time thinking over ideas wondering if they fit?  Testing to see if they "click"?  Can you even be honest with yourself over your beliefs, be they faith or idea or religion/faith/path???  Or did you just accept them?

Without the freedom we've had be protected by these founding, unchanging documents, many of us would not exist.

You want to see some change?

Stop. Voting. Along. Party. Lines.

Stop voting like a Republican.  Stop voting like a Democrat.  Vote like an American.

We are Americans, in our hearts and more immigrants are American than folks who are born here.  Because you've decided that you will accept whatever your political party tells you.

The direction you want for us, regardless of political or religious bent....

 it equals death.

I don't care who you are, what you believe in.  If your beliefs threaten my right to life....  I WILL FIGHT YOU.

I will fight you every step of the way and if I must help set the world on fire, I will.  Because you are not born to be a ruler or a slave.  You are you.  Nothing more and nothing less.

I will fight you regardless of being republican or democrat or green party or independent or libertarian.

If you seek to harm ANYONE's rights... be their freedom of speech because they are anti-gay/abortion or if they are gay/atheist, I will fight you and stop you from infringing ANYONE'S RIGHTS.

Be it their right to carry whatever they please to defend themselves from humans who've made the choice to be evil.  I will fight you.

You hear me?  Because OUR constitution is built on the concept of the individual and the mature individual.  And a mature individual protects EVERYONE'S rights.