Birthday Bonanza

My birthday was a week ago today. I posted about it then and described the gifts Ed got me and promised pictures soon. Had thought a day or two. But here they are. Finally.

At top is featured the craft bag that served as a gift bag. Ed was so pleased with himself over that. I've been using used gift bags as craft bags for my crochet projects for a year and a half now and before that, since the mid eighties at least, I used them for other crafts and a variety of other things including storage containers. You could say I have a thing for gift bags. So when Ed saw the craft bags shaped like gift bags but with the addition of pockets and a zippered top he knew I'd love it.

The bag holds 9 full balls of crochet thread with enough room on the sides for slim items like pattern books and the clear plastic zippered pouches I use to hold small projects in process and as project tool kits. The tool kit pouch is sticking out the side pocket in the picture but usually is inside. That pocket has a Velcro fastener. The pocket on the other side zips closed. Then on the narrow side there is one of those net pockets with elastic rim which can hold a water bottle or baby bottle. I've seen bags like these used as diaper bags but this was being sold at a craft store



The lavender thread was one of the items in the bag as I had been talking about a project I needed it for. There was also a size 6 crochet hook which I meant to put in the picture but forgot. I had lost my size 6 a couple weeks before. Probably under the bed on the wall side which would make it irretrievable without moving the bed which can't happen without moving the bookshelves on the other side out of the room which isn't going to happen until we move into our own place. So Ed replaced the hook.

The projects pictured are not the usual bookmarks. The blue and white one folded inside the pouch is the mat or book cover I posted about a few times already. It is about 3/4 finished now. At least in terms of the crochet. There will be the tail tucking and there are a lot of those. 2 per stripe. There will be around 30 stripes.

The other projects seen there are coasters. Two different sets of four intended as Xmas gifts. They are shaped like mini throw rugs and will have fringes on each end made of embroidery floss. The two on the right are in shades of purple and the one on the left is browns and blues. No two will have the colors in the same order.

This coaster concept came out of my imagination as I worked on the bookmarks and was trying to come up with something I could make for the non-readers on my gift list. The effort involved in each one is about double that of a bookmark.



OK these weren't in the bag but came in the mail inside the birthday card from my Mom and sister and nephew. Mom writes that she saw and wanted these for me as she knows I collect baby dolls and dolphins and she thought these might be useful as bookmark decor. With the babies I could probably thread a narrow ribbon or braid between their crossed legs but the dolphins will need to be pierced somehow to create a secure attachment. I thought maybe a noose of thread around the tail but that would probably not hold for long.



And here are the headphones. The real gift from Ed--the craft bag being 'just' a gift bag and the thread and hook 'just' something I needed and would have been picking up soon anyway bday or not. The headphones tho are the 'big ticket' item which he'd had in mind for weeks as I had been complaining for months about the tinny sound (also tiny) of the ear buds and the way ear wax had to be cleaned out frequently and of the way his cheap headphones I occasionally borrowed felt like they were slicing my ears off.

I can't remember the last time--if ever--I've had headphones this nice. Not only is the sound better than I've had in a long time, they are so well made in other ways. Especially the cord between the appliance and the phones. It is well reinforced in all the places that typically short out after a few months use in cheap models . Besides which the cord is thicker, stronger and more pliable so it would take a lot of abuse to break the wire inside.

I have been using them more than my crochet hooks all week and that says a lot. Sort of. Since most of the time I'm crocheting I'm also listening to music, an audio book, a news pod, a YoutTube playlist or watching a movie it doesn't take much use without a hook in hand for it to exceed that. But point made.

Not to belabor it but I can say I've been wearing them more than my eyeglasses all week. Now that is really saying something.

FYI if you're curious about the brand and model: Sony Dynamic Stereo Headphones MDR-V150. And this is not a quid pro quo product review. We paid for them.