Yellow

  Ah, yellow... Such a bright, happy color, isn't it? It makes you think of sunshine and flowers, lemonade and bumblebees... All those things that trigger memories of fun in the sun. Well, I'm here to tell you that I absolutely hate yellow right now. And blue, red, green, or any of the other colors that trigger horrible allergies for me.

yellow, crochet, bullion stitch

  I know, when you read that opening, you thought it would be a fun, happy post about summertime, right? Sorry. But I promise the griping will end soon. Right now, I have a not-fun summertime bug. And many years ago I was diagnosed with an allergy to yellow food dyes. Later it was discovered that I seem to be allergic to just about any color of a lot of kinds of dyes. Do you know why it really sucks to be allergic to dyes? Because they're in food, soap, lotions, laundry detergent, dish soap, aaaaaannnnnnnd cold medicine.

  To combat most of these problems, I've found quite a few brands that carry dye-free, fragrance-free products. And I make my own laundry soap, stay away from anything that looks artificially colored (no candy for me!), and spend tons of time reading ingredients in stores.

  I don't know what it is about yellow, but I'm definitely the most allergic to that color. It doesn't matter if it's in food or soap, yellow #5, 10, lake, or any of the other kinds of yellow dyes that exist. I even get a reaction from working with certain yellow yarns, like the one I'm trying to use up in tutorials. There's no way I could ever make something for myself with this stuff.

crochet, bullion stitch

  That would be a preview of the bullion stitch tutorial you were going to see soon, which was going to have a video. I took the pictures I needed, then had to charge my battery. I set up my area to film, but had a coughing fit. Uh oh, not good. The Other Half has been sick, but I never worry much about catching things. One good thing about having rheumatoid arthritis is the kick-butt immune system you get with it. I almost-never get sick. Almost-never. Long story short, I went from fine to so-sick-I-can't-make-a-video in less than an hour.

  I'm not giving up on the video, so I'm holding off on the tutorial. The poor Other Half has been to the store and the pharmacy three times, only to bring back something I can't take - They seem to put yellow, or my second-worst allergy, red, in every single cold medication. My usual honey and lemon natural remedy isn't enough for this crud. He found a dye-free cough syrup, but I need something that will help the horrible aches, pains, and headache that came along with the low-grade fever. But since he was actually told by a pharmacist that the dyes wouldn't hurt me because they were listed under inactive ingredients - OMG, where did you get your degree? - I'm done with finding a medication that will help. It's time to just tough it out.

  I tried to work out a motif while relaxing in my chair, since I'm kind of stuck on that square until I can make the video... Crochet, rip, crochet, nap, stare at the TV while nothing makes sense, crochet, rip again, work out a stitch count on paper, crochet, and nap some more. I was really happy with the design, but my stitch count is off somewhere. But, it's okay. Even though there will be more ripping back, I have it worked out on paper and it's going to be awesome.

crochet, motif

  So, I guess I was able to make something good out of my misery. I still haven't got the finished Mom's Afghan to dad, because I packed it in a bag as soon as I heard that first cough from The Other Half. The bullion stitch tutorial is on hold, and I'm not even working on what's left to be done on the Love Knot shawl. With the fuzziness in my brain, I can't seem to focus on anything that is supposed to be getting done. But hey, a weird design seen in a fever dream led to the creation of another motif. There's always a bright side, after all.

Happy Crocheting!
(PS - If you didn't catch on, I'm admitting to starting another project, even though I had set that goal to finish all WIP's before starting another project. You can yell at me if you want, but I'm blaming it on the cold.)
:)

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