In the United States, where I live, today was Thanksgiving. And, as it happens, scientific research is finding that giving thanks is not only good for the soul; it also provides tangible health benefits that have the potential to improve their daily lives.

With that in mind, I have lots of things for to be thankful for, not the least of which is my chosen craft: crochet.

And thankfully, today was not so busy that I wasn’t able to fit in at least a few moments with my hook and yarn and make some forward progress on my 2012 stash down challenge, because, as it turns out, I need this November to be about a thousand days long if I am going to make a noticeable dent in my stash.

The first item on my crochet-to-do list was the day’s African flower hexagon. Using some of the same yarns as yesterday, I finished work on this hexagon:

While I am not convinced that the bright yellow of the final round of the hexagon works in this instance, I am willing to wait until the light of a new day to make a decision.

The other front burner project is a future felted fat bag crocheted from some vintage Red Heart yarn I picked up in last year’s major stash acquisition.

I made substantive progress, as can be seen here:

and after this photo was taken, I was able to get at least a half dozen ends woven in (the breaks in the yarn are, I believe, the result of moth damage of the past 30 or 40 years since the yarn was first spun).

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but no doubt, there will be something in my day for which I can be thankful.