Batteries, Blocking and a Craft Circle

I have a little portable radio that runs on 4 AA batteries.  The first indication that the batteries are running flat is that I struggle to dial in a station.  Within a day or two, the radio will start up and run for about 20 seconds before dropping in volume to barely audible.  Well, that's how I'm feeling today.  My batteries are flat.  I've been struggling to stay focussed, to sequence simple, everyday activities and today I'm at the point where I fire up for a few minutes, then waves of tiredness come over me and I feel my energy drain rapidly.  There's a reason- about a week ago I ran out of B12 tablets and I haven't got around to getting more. Apart from the lack of physical and mental energy, low B12 makes me crave food.  It's not the same feeling as hunger; I can't really explain how it feels.  It's as if the subconscious knows that food is where the energy comes from but the lack of B12 means I can't unlock it so I instinctively want more.  B12 deficiency can be quite serious; apart from the lethargy and weight gain from over-eating, it can lead to pernicious anemia (LINK).  I may drag myself to the shops this afternoon to stock up.  The sooner I start, the sooner I'll feel better.

Well, as far as craft goes, I'm still in the red.  Red Lucette, that is.  Over the weekend, I managed to block her.  Blocking is probably my least favourite part of the process and so much seems to hinge upon getting it perfect.  As my yarn is 50% wool, 50% acrylic, I wasn't sure about blocking.  I'd read somewhere that anything made up of 50% or more acrylic can't be blocked.  Just to be sure, I did a quick search and turned up this article on Bead Knitter Gallery which convinced me that steam blocking was the way to go.  I'm glad I did as the side edges aren't curling in and the fabric has come up a lot smoother.  The lace is still not quite flat in some places; I hope that isn't a problem once I'm wearing it.

 
Since this photograph was taken, I've sewn the shoulder seams and commenced picking up for the neckband lace.  Halfway along, life became rather distracting so I've put it aside for now until I can concentrate.  That probably won't be until I have a few doses of B12!!

Lots of coffee and tea is going down here, in fact it's time to heat up the coffee machine again, I think.  I still have a Science lesson to do with DS13 and a trip to the chemist as well as the usual dinnertime shenanigans to get through.  This morning I made some Apple Breakfast Bars from Chet Day's blog.  Despite the 'breakfast' part of the name, I think they will go quite well with afternoon coffee.

Have you been sewing, knitting, jewellery making, scrapbooking or creatively crafting?  If you'd like to link up, just add your current crafting blog post to the widget below.  Leave a comment too, if you like so that I'll notice you've dropped by.