Patti O'Shea's Blog, page 22

Lace Knitting, Blech

When I first began knitting, I didn't know much of anything, but I was pretty fearless. And if I made a mistake, I'd just unknit back to where I messed up, fix it, and move forward.

I met another knitter online who didn't knit lace. She knew how to do it, but chose not to. I didn't quite get it. Lace knitting looks beautiful. It's light, airy, delicate. Why wouldn't you knit it if you knew how to do it?

But she picked patterns that didn't involve lace. This was a very advanced knitter. She was knitting way beyond where I'm at now and this is years after the fact, so it has nothing to do with skill. It was personal choice.

Now I've been knitting about six years. I have this shawl pattern I've been working on forever. I'd start something new except that pretty much all my needles have projects on them (in the needle sizes I'd need), so I have to finish something and this shawl is the farthest along.

I was in a striped section. Small, delicate stripes which meant a lot of color changes. Lots of the same basic stitch. Boring. At last I hit the lace section. This should be more interesting, I thought.

And I realized why that other knitter hated knitting lace. It's a PITA, and if when I make a mistake, it isn't the easiest thing to fix with all the yarn overs and slip-slip-knits and knit two togethers and other things like this. I plan on adopting her policy of not knitting any more lace patterns. It's too stressful and I'm knitting to relax.

This shawl? The lace section is a hot mess with a lot of mistakes. I'm not fixing them. At this point, I just want this thing finished.

Here's an example of lace knitting. This is from a small scarf I knit in a beginner's class I took:

Phone Games

Unfortunately, when I titled this post Phone Games, I wasn't thinking about the match three I play on the elliptical or while I'm waiting in line somewhere.

The phone games I'm talking about has to do with all the requests for my phone number. There are a lot of sites now that are making it a requirement to put in some kind of phone number. Ugh! Do not like. I used to just put in my dad's cell phone number because he always had it off, but we let it go because it was always off and it was silly to pay for it.

Adding a second line to my mobile account would double what I'm paying, so that was a non-starter. Then I remembered Google Voice was free for people in the USA. Perfect.

I signed up, chose my number, downloaded the app to my cell phone, and figured I was set. I started putting this number on all the sites/places that demanded a phone number for no good reason.

And then Google threatened to take my number away from me because I never used it.

That was a massive fail. So now I'm messaging with myself regularly, sending memes back and forth and whatever else I feel like sending at the moment, just to keep the number active.

This is my latest phone game and it's not fun.

The Chair Project

Over the weekend, I began my chair project. I blogged about redoing the cushion in my old, ergonomic everything deck chair back in June, but didn't have time to do anything about it until now.

I searched online to find out how to cut foam and discovered I could use a bread knife. I ordered a cheap, $5 model from Amazon. I was a little skeptical, but it actually went through the foam easily. Not neatly, but easily.

I removed the cover from the old cushion. This ended up being super easy because my desk chair didn't have the cover stapled on. Instead, there were little tabs that the fabric hooked onto and some string that tied it into place at the back. That was a definite win since I didn't want to pry staples out with a screwdriver.

Once I had the old cushion out, I put it on top of the new foam, traced around it (leaving enough room for a lip), and then got out my cheap serrated knife.

Up to this point, everything was going easier than expected. You know what happened next, right?

I put the new foam down on the chair, sat on it to test it out, and discovered the foam I'd ordered was too low in density. I might as well be sitting on the old foam because it was going to be uncomfortable in a short amount of time. My first thought was to cut out a second piece of foam and stack them, but immediately I said no, why don't I put the new foam on top of the old foam. Then I'll have two layers.

I tested this idea out and it was perfect! Then I tried to pull the old seat cover on over the two layers of foam.

It didn't fit.

So I started looking online for a new cover. I didn't find anything that inspired confidence that it would be large enough to cover two layers of foam.

After I finish this post, I'm going to try to compress the foam as much as possible and force the old cover to fit around it. If that doesn't work, well, I can make a new one, right? I have a sewing machine and I have fabric and elastic. It doesn't seem as if it would be a difficult sewing project.

Medals, Medals, Medals

I haven't shared medals in quite some time. I'm still earning them. Lots of them. Enough to make the place I've been hanging them collapse. I moved the medals that fell to a container and now I'm reloading the shelf brace with new medals.

Yes, I still need to get the handyman to come and install my medal holder. I'm trying to come up with enough for him to do because he charges a flat rate per hour whether it takes him ten minutes or fifty-nine minutes and I don't have enough work yet to justify having him come out.

The medals in no particular order.

Final Hours for Special Fan Pricing

This afternoon (Eastern Time), the price of Wicked Persuasion will be going up to it's regular, permanent price. If you'd like to save, pick up your copy right away!

I was sorting through the cloud folder to which my phone uploads photos because it was getting overwhelming and needed to be sorted. While I was going through the pictures, I found the original idea for Deck and Frankie's book.

What the idea was and what I wrote are basically the same. It's really not too surprising because I would have had weeks with this percolating in my head before putting anything down on paper, but I thought it was sort of interesting.

What surprised me is that I wrote it down before I finished Wicked Deception. I didn't remember this, but the picture I took has the date on it. I'm sort of surprised that I had such a clear idea of Persuasion when Deception was still being worked on.

I can tell you that this didn't happen with Wicked Suspicion, the next book in the Paladin League series. I knew who the hero and heroine would be, but I didn't know much more than that until Persuasion was in copy edits. Not just revisions, actual final, just before publication edits. I was writing the back cover copy while my copy editor was working.

Nyx and Case weren't nearly as helpful as Frankie and Deck, but since Frankie and Deck immediately went mute afterward and pushed me tight against my deadline, I'm hoping this means that the opposite will happen with the next book and that this hero and heroine will be cooperative. It's not looking good so far, but it's early yet.

Here's the original idea for Wicked Persuasion--the first time I wrote down anything about this story.

The picture has text which says: Special Forces Captain Decker Nguyen.

Deck had one night with Francesca--his best friend in college--and then ghosted her. By the time he realized it was the biggest mistake of his life, years had passed and it was too late.

Now the Special Forces team he leads is undercover and he's playing the role of mercenary--then he sees Francesca again. Deck wants a second chance, but he can't come clean about what he really is and Frankie has no time for mercenaries. Can he atone for ghosting her, win her back, and keep his team's operation on track?

Wicked Persuasion: Final Days to Save

Special fan pricing ends on Tuesday. If you haven't picked up your copy of Wicked Persuasion yet, you only have a few more days to save!

Frankie and Deck were amazingly close-mouthed about themselves and they left me fumbling around for far too long. But as I wrote their story, I understood why they weren't in any hurry to open up. I knew what happened between them. I didn't know the fallout afterward.

I didn't realize just how pivotal Deck ghosting Frankie was in both their lives. How it changed both of them.

This is one of the reasons I enjoy telling stories. Learning why the characters do what they do.

When I learned the set up for Deck's book--that he'd slept with his best friend on the night of their college graduation and ghosted her--I couldn't believe it. Deck wasn't the kind of person who would do that. Not the Deck I knew from the first four books in the Paladin League series. But I knew it was what happened and I knew it weighed heavily on him.

But I'm like Mr. Responsible? Or maybe that should be Captain Responsible. I couldn't imagine him pulling this stunt. I became more astounded when I learned he did a lot of partying in college. Again, I was like Deck? Really? I couldn't imagine it.

I kept writing, though. I learned not to fight my characters. If I write something they don't like or is something they wouldn't do, I will literally not be able to write much farther until I fix what that something is. I can cite instance after instance. These two had already pushed me up against the deadline with their reticence, I didn't have time for a work strike, too. ;-)

And then, as the story unfolded, I realized how much Deck had changed. He revealed things I didn't know when I began writing the book. These discoveries are so much fun!

Tote Bags: WTF?

I love the tote bag pictured to the left. However, this picture is now four or five years old and the bag is beginning to become worn. I would like to buy the same bag again, maybe with a zippered top this time.

LL Bean does not carry this tote bag any longer on their website.

I've been all over the internet looking for something similar. I never imagined it would be difficult. All I wanted was a simple tote with two pockets at the top of the bag for a reasonable price.

Apparently, I've asked for too much. ::confused face:: Many of the bags have no pockets at all or one simple zip pocket which isn't what I'm looking for. If they do have the slip-in pockets like this one does, they'll be positioned at the bottom of the bag. Why?

Then there's the size issue. I don't want a laptop bag. I don't want a travel bag. I'm not looking for a purse. I want a medium size tote bag. The one I have is 12" x 13" x 6" and it's exactly the right size.

Next issue? Price. I have actually managed to find a few bags that appeared to be what I wanted. I just needed to spend $250 for "vegan leather." Dude, that's vinyl and it shouldn't cost as much as real leather.

There is an option at LL Bean (again) that's a bigger than this bag by a few inches. Not optimal, but I could live with it and it has the pockets I like in the position I like. It also has a zipper on top which I've decided I need since I have to keep slamming on my brakes when I drive in Atlanta. (A story for another day.)

The reason I haven't bought it yet besides it being slightly bigger is the price. With tax, I wouldn't be surprised to see it going over $100. So I'm mulling this one over. And searching the internet some more for a bag that meets my criteria.

I wonder if I could sew my own?

Arrivals and Departures

Wicked Persuasion released on Tuesday! This is your reminder to head over to Amazon and read/buy now!

I write the characters who are in my head, talking to me. Since I was working on Wicked Persuasion until the end of July, you might be wondering how long Frankie and Deck hung out in my head? Or really, how long does any hero and heroine stay around?

It really depends on the couple. Frankie and Deck are my most helpful type of hero and heroine. They stayed through the entire process of writing and revisions. They left before edits, but even though those were light, they came back while I was working on them and then left again when they were finished.

I appreciated this.

When I was writing for New York publishers where there were months and months and months between turning in a book and getting a revision letter, those heroes and heroines would leave. Trying to convince them to return was often difficult. Then we'd go through this again with the months between revisions and edits.

I've also had the opposite situation. Finn and Zo didn't want to leave. It's possible I was part of the problem, too. I had them with me (off and on) for at least ten years before I wrote their book. I might not have wanted them to go. But they were with me from their book, Wicked Intention, through the fourth book in the Paladin League series. That would be Kyle's book, Wicked Deception.

It can be hard to write one set of characters, say Kyle and Mari, when Finn and Zo are still sharing with me.

Usually, though, there's a brief overlap as one couple continues to talk while I'm trying to listen to the new hero and heroine. It can last a week or two. Since I'm usually getting to know the new h/h at this point, it's not too intrusive to have the previous h/h around.

It's when I'm trying to write the new h/h that it can become a problem. Not always. For example, while Finn and Zo were around for two more books, they mostly stayed in the background and didn't interfere when I was working.

But where I'm at right now is my perfect transition scenario. Frankie and Deck stayed with me through every step of their book, but as soon as it was finished, they bowed out and passed the stage to the next h/h. I appreciate that.

Wicked Persuasion Book Birthday!!!!

Today is the day! It's Wicked Persuasion's book birthday!!!

I'm so excited to introduce Frankie and Deck to the world.

The original plan for The Paladin League was to end the series with Kyle's book, but Deck showed up and I knew he wanted his story told. He wanted his heroine. And when I found out about the woman from his past, I understood why.

He wanted a second chance with her.

Wicked Persuasion gave it to him.

I hope you'll give the book a read, and if you enjoyed it, tell other readers about it so that they can enjoy it, too.

A Special Forces officer has a second chance with his first love…if he can keep her alive.

Special Forces Captain Decker Nguyen doesn’t make big mistakes, but he really messed up when he made love with the woman who’d been his best friend. And then ghosted her.

Now, years later, he sees Francesca again. In Puerto Jardin. While he’s undercover as a mercenary and on a high-risk op to topple the empire of an international arms dealer.

Francesca “Frankie” Lewis believes she put Deck out of her head and heart. Until she sees him again. But she’s not falling for him a second time, not when it took so long to put the pieces back together after he disappeared.

Besides, she’s working. The Paladin League sent her to Puerto Jardin to track down the Lost Treasure of Trujillo. But her team isn’t the only one searching for it and others will kill to find it first. With her life on the line, the only person she trusts with her safety is the one man she wants to avoid.

Deck is determined to win Frankie back. He just needs to keep her alive and convince her to take another chance on him.

Wicked Persuasion is a stand-alone romance with a HEA. There are references to events that happened in earlier books, but it's not necessary to read them to enjoy this story.

Indulge in a protector hero who's in Special Forces, a second chance romance between former best friends, a heroine who is an archivist (not a librarian, secret agent, or superhero), action, adventure, and romance. And don't forget the rest of the Special Forces team, some of whom will have their own stories coming up

Mistakes Were Made

FYI, Wicked Persuasion will be released on Tuesday, August 8th.

I'm a perfectionist. When I do something, I want it done right and I want it to be done well. I also expect myself to be good at things immediately, which is completely unrealistic.

It's why I don't draw. What I want to create and what I get on the sketchpad bear no resemblance to each other, and while I know I could improve, I also know that I will never reach the level I want to be at. I wasn't okay with that and I've more or less given up on ever making art.

When it comes to knitting or sewing, though, it's another story. I've accepted that I'm not going to be perfect and I've also decided I'm okay with that.

Why sewing and knitting and not art? I have no idea.

I've also accepted that I don't have to do everything within the craft. For example, lace knitting. I can do it, but it's stressful and not fun for me, so why do it? I've started to pick projects that don't involve this particular thing. I did have a shawl started that has lace and I (of course) made a mistake. And because it threw the stitch count off, I have to unknit the rows involved and try again.

This is why I don't enjoy lace knitting.

On the other hand, I love knitting cables. It's one of my very favorite things to knit and I'm choosing more projects that require this.

Sewing? I haven't done enough of that yet to know what I like and what I don't like there, but I'm still determined to get a T-shirt done right. I keep messing up the darn collars. Which is okay for shirts I wear around the house, but I really can't wear them out in public because they look funny.

I'm sure the next T-shirt I try will be better.