Why I'm not boycotting Hobby Lobby

I'm going to take a bit of a departure today from my usual post of mostly pictures and a few words to ruminate on something I've been thinking about for a while now.
After a good month of consideration, I've come to a conclusion concerning my feelings about the Hobby Lobby and Supreme Court issue.
Anyone with an Internet connection can avail themselves of in depth analysis and details from many viewpoints on what actually happened, but I will attempt to sum up. The Affordable Care Act provides contraception at no cost to its users. Hobby Lobby is a Christian-run corporation and they take issue with providing drugs that they believe cause abortion (even though they do not - Plan B prevents implantation, it doesn't abort a fertilized embryo that has already implanted into the uterine wall). In a Supreme Court case, it was decided that the craft store company doesn't have to facilitate birth control for its employees.
While I believe all women have a right to care for their bodies as they see fit, up to and including safe abortion, after consideration I have decided to continue shopping at our local Hobby Lobby. Does this make me a hypocrite? It's possible, but here's my reasoning.
Hobby Lobby just opened in our community, providing needed jobs to a community with an unemployment rate between 6 and 9 percent in 2014. I won't attempt to speak for the employees of our local store, but I would guess that they aren't put off by the corporation's conservative stance. I will continue to patronize our local businesses before Hobby Lobby when I can. I am lucky to live near two wonderful local fabric stores, but unless I want to drive to St. Louis, Hobby Lobby and Walmart are the only places to buy yarn. I prefer not to buy yarn on the Internet - I like to know what I'm buying for sure.
Also, the customer service at our Hobby Lobby is really dang good. The employees are helpful and kind. It's hard to project the corporation's agenda onto them.
Honestly, at this point in my life, I'm starting to feel a bit politically - not apathetic, but weary? I feel like no matter how long and loud people debate, no one's minds are changing. Our country is polarized and I don't see that changing any time soon.
I know my dollars are basically the only think speaking for me right now, and at this point, I choose to put them into my community.

Starting "Stitch-Cation"

I'm three squares into my afghan and feeling confident I'll be able to finish it by the Sept. 1 deadline.
I've been having a bit of trouble learning the stitches, but I'm not ripping up every single mistake, because I will never get done that way. So by the first half of the first square, I seem to be catching on.
If the squares I've finished are any indication, this is going to be a very thick, warm blanket, and I'm probably going to be sweating when I'm doing the border.
I have to learn 10 new stitches, and make 20 squares for a 4x5 afghan.
I believe this project will be an excellent stash buster. Before I went through and picked my yarn for the project, I had no idea I had so many skeins of red heart yarn. Some of them are quite vintage as well - at least two of the variegated skeins were given to me by my mom when I was just learning to knit in high school, and who knows how long she had them. It is kind of fun to think about that - how many little projects a ball of yarn went into over the years. I don't know, maybe I'm a nerd.

The final 15 flowers!

Once again, apologies for late posts. There was the 4th of July, social type things, and my child decided not to let me crochet ever again. Also, I traded in my iPhone for a different phone and I've been reloading all my apps and learning the ropes.
If you've ever switched from iPhone to android or otherwise, you know it takes some getting used to.
Also, I finished off the flower patterns this go-round! I did 15 this time, so it took a bit longer, even though I think I'm crocheting faster.

Since I did so many flowers this time, I think I will just give my thoughts generally about the batches of five. As Inigo Montoya says in "The Princess Bride," "There is too much. Let me sum up."

The Eight-Petal Flower, Large Cluster Flower, Button Gerbera, Hellebore and Traditional Crochet Rose

Favorite: The Hellebore. I like the big, fat petals. Second favorite is the large cluster flower because I get to exercise my cluster-making abilities.

Least favorite: the eight-petal flower. It's just homely. 

Thoughts in general: An easy batch. None were too time-consuming. 

The sunflower, Irish crochet leaf, four-leaf sprig, fern leaf and picot leaf

Favorite: the sunflower and the Irish crochet leaf

Least favorite: the four-leaf sprig. I did it wrong somehow and had to kind of just fake it and sew it together while I was finishing off. 

Thoughts in general: I don't like any of these leaves as well as the one I did way back in patterns 6-10, but the picot leaf turned out better than I thought it was going to. 

The puff stitch flower, simple loop flower, six-petal flower, carnation and chrysanthemum

Favorite: The puff stitch flower. I think it's cute as heck. And it's a new skill! Though I have done popcorn stitches before, i don't know if I have technically done that stitch.

Least favorite: the mum. Though it looks delightfully like the photo in the book, I really hate these flowers that involve long chains of... chains. 

Thoughts: What the hell would you use the carnation for? It's ENORMOUS, like a small cabbage, and unwieldy. It is nice and ruffly, but I can't imagine incorporating it into something wearable. 

So, with these 15 flowers, I have successfully completed one-fourth of the pattern book. The next section is trims, but I really want to take the Crochet Crowd's Stitch-cation challenge, which is to complete a 20-piece afghan by Sept. 1. I also am working on a very important and special secret project, which isn't really a secret as the person receiving it most likely doesn't read this, but just in case I'm going to stay mum. There's no time limit on that, I don't think. But it's going to be really special. I will take pictures of the process so I can write about it once it's done. 

The point is that I'm going to be a very busy little crafter this summer. I will keep you updated!

I have also been working on my Etsy shop a bit, the link for which is on the right side of this blog. I have labels, business cards, and products... all I need is for someone to buy something! I would love input on what I should do - do you like what I have in my shop so far? Do you think I should incorporate some of the patterns i've learned? I'm dying for feedback, folks. I want nothing more than to find a way to stay at home with my daughter during this important years, and if I could also find a way to monetize my passions, that would just be perfect. 

Finished market bag!

Last night around 10 p.m. I finally finished my market bag for the Crochet Crowd June Challenge. I am extremely pleased with it! 

I can't seem to get a picture that shows the sparkle in the red yarn, but it does have a sparkle to it. 

All in all, it did take me about 10 hours to complete, I believe. I think having the deadline helped me, though I would have been better off starting earlier.

I already had this bow finished before I decided to do the June challenge, so I stuck it on at the end. I think it goes well!

I didn't have trouble with this pattern once I figured out what they meant for the star stitch. 

I'm going to return to my 200cfet challenge, but I think I'm also going to do the next Crochet Crowd challenge, which is an afghan. I started an afghan once, and never finished it, so it would be exciting to accomplish that. 

I'm starting on the next batch of flowers today, so I will update again soon!