Hello, all. My name is Julie, but my friends call me Jules.

I have always been a grammar junkie and closet writer. When I'm not putting words together (hopefully, in a creative manner), I love to read - anything, and everything. The subject doesn't matter, as long as it holds my interest through the first chapter. I'm definitely not an elitist when it comes to reading material, although there are genres to which I gravitate.

For most of my life, I've kept journals. Not well, mind you. I start them, keep them faithfully for a few months and then wander off to something else. There was never a format, for me, that made it easy. (This was before personal computers and the Internet.) Then, in 2005, I started blogging - sort of journaling for public consumption.

Titled "Random Musings of a Curious Mind," it's a collection of miscellaneous thoughts and opinions. I find it keeps me focused and gets those words, rolling around in my head, born and breathing. Some days it's a bit like giving birth - a struggle to process all of the feelings and ideas. Other times, it just flows as naturally as a river. I just never know which it will be. But it's always fun getting there.

http://www.jmarkafghans.com/pages/blog.html

Over time, I discovered that writing non-fiction is much easier, for me, than short-stories or poetry. I haven't decided if I lack sufficient imagination or simply prefer the more logical process of compiling tips, how-tos, and top-10-reasons. Either way, I guess it's best to write to your strengths.

And that is what I try to do.

My passion is ...

words; I love the sound and power of them.

I know too much about ...

liver disease, after caring for my fiance through his transplant.

My parents always told me ...

Don't ! Which is probably why I always - do.

My childhood ambition ...

was to be a lawyer. The law has always fascinated me.

My favorite memory ...

is gathering raspberries in my grandmother's garden. She pretended not to notice that the pan was always half as full as it should have been.

Why I write ...

because I have to. The words gather in my mind and push at me until I give them release.

My first job ...

was bussing tables at a cafeteria between high school and college. It wasn't much of a job, but I met some really interesting people and, somehow, managed to become a lot less introverted.

My best moment ...

as cliched as it sounds, was the birth of my children. There is nothing more amazing in life than finally meeting the beautiful little life that has been growing inside you for nine months.

My inspiration ...

is the absurdity of life.

Hobbies & Games > Yarn & Needle Crafts How to crochet a v stitch

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When we first learn to crochet, all of our efforts are focused on learning the basic stitches: chain stitch, single crochet, half-double crochet, double crochet, etc. After a while, we look to add some other stitches to our repertoire, for variety and more interesting patterns. The V-stitch is an easy addition.

As the name implies, a V-stitch is shaped like the letter V. It leaves a small space in the pattern, for an open look. Unlike the basic stitches, where we crochet in each stitch from the previous row until our work is the size we want, the V-stitch is just a bit more involved. ...

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