Time, it has been noted, waits for no man, and time, it turns out, will not cut a woman any slack either.
When I got up this morning, there were just 50 days between me and the deadline for my 2011 North Carolina State Fair project. That and an orthodontist appointment for my youngest son.
Because my son is starting school later this week, the orthodontist opted to put both the top and and bottom braces on in one visit so that my son would not have to miss any school.
This meant that today, while I waited, careful to position myself within an easy distance of the Keurig coffee machine that is there to keep parents in the building, I ended up having two cups of coffee and almost three uninterrupted hours of time to work on my crochet.
Having brought my ever handy LifeSavers®-inspired project bag which I made specifically for this year’s state fair project project, I took out my 4.5 mm hook and crocheted the assortment of Bauhaus rectangles and Bauhaus blocks seen here:
After my son’s braces were on, I meet with the orthodontia technician who went over how to use all of the items in the “goody bag” they had prepared. Included in the swag bag was a packet of floss threaders:
It was hard for me not to notice how much like a beading needle the floss threaders looked except for the fact they were made from a somewhat easier to see blue plastic as opposed to a more difficult to see silver-colored wire.
When we got home after a quick post-orthodontia treatment trip to the grocery store for some much needed softer foods, I was able to see if the floss threader was a suitable substitute for a beading needle.
I started by threading worsted weight yarn through the loop of the floss threader:
I then put a bead on the floss threader:
Then I moved the bead down the length of the floss threader, collapsing the pliable loop:
Next, I gently pushed the bead onto the yarn:
Finally, I pulled the bead onto the strand of yarn and began the process all over until I had eight beads on the strand of yarn:
[
The upshot of today’s orthodontic/crochet adventure was that planning can be a tool to encourage serendipity.
Because I had my project bag packed and ready to go, I was able to get a lot of work done while I waited, possibly more than I would have gotten done in the same amount of time at home.
What could have been an aggravating experience had I not been prepared, instead turned out to be a very productive morning.
Now to prepare for tomorrow.
You probably have work more than if you were at home, because you had nothing else to do.
@Ysabeau you are so right about that!
Leslie, I must confess than, last week, for writing some articles I had to make for my publisher, I found no other solution than going to the park with a paper notebook to write them with a pencil… Finally it was faster than, ahem, to write directly with my keyboard with internet and a lot of things around.
A true crafter looks at an item not as it was intended, but how it can be used creatively!! Good job you. I hope son adapts to his new wire quickly and painlessly.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I discovered the floss threader thing years ago because I have a bridge and need to use them all the time. I also discovered plain dental floss works as a good bead string when doubled. I wrote the Butler GUM people about my use of their product and in a few weeks, a huge box appeared at my door. They had sent me a bazillion threaders and 25 boxes of floss!! 😀