What's On My Hook? #22: Double Crochets and Chains

Hey there!

I have been quite the busy crocheting bee lately ^.^  I currently have 2 blankets on my hooks. One is a tartan and the other is a granny ripple or chevron.  I'm working the base mesh of the tartan right now and I'm about 1/4 of the way through it. The stripe pattern on this one is more involved than the first one I did, so I'm hoping that the final plaid will be really amazing. 

From my Instagram: @nadiratani

I'm excited about the granny ripple/chevron blanket more though.  I guess because I've had the desire to do a chevron blanket for a LONG time, but all the patterns I'd see were done in single crochet.  Frankly, I don't have time for that. Plus I'm not a fan of single crochets unless they're in a tapestry crochet design.  Anywho! I only have one row of this blanket done as I started it last night.

From my Instagram: @nadiratani

A while ago, I wrote a post on about warm and cozy blankets I loved from Etsy (post >>here<<) and the first one was a yellow and white chevron. It has literally been chillin in the back of my mind since then! So as you can probably guess, my granny chevron is going to be yellow and white. 

There will most definitely be progress pictures of these as I go.  I'm hoping to be finished with these two within the next 2 weeks... hopefully.  I don't know how it's going to go with working them both at the same time.  But I have to get use to multitasking with my crochet if I want to be successful with a shop.

Speaking of this ever elusive shop, I need to really settle on a name.  At first, I wanted to call it Epiphaneia which is the Greek root of the word epiphany.  But honestly, as much as I love the word and how it feels on the tongue... it's really hard to spell. *shrug*  So back to the drawing board... or think tank.  The other day I thought Yarn Heart, but Lamar said that was "meh kinda boring."  Then I thought XXIV (roman numerals for 24- my birth day) or XII (roman numerals for 12- my favorite number)... I'm still brainstorming, but if you have any suggestions please leave a comment! I want to make this shop idea a reality.

Not So Blue Monday #20: God Moves

[It's a long one... but a good one]

Today presented itself as a series of unfortunate events that became illustrations of God's grace.

I woke up this morning with the plan of attending a job fair held by one of the area churches.  Since I've never been to a job fair and had no idea how many employers were going to be there I figured I needed to print more resumes. (This is the beginning of the unfortunate events.)  After getting dressed I pulled up my resume on Lamar's computer to print. But when the printing was done I saw that I hadn't pulled out the paper tray so all my prints were crunched up inside the printer.  :-/  So I took a breath and printed again.

Front pages successful... back page... not so much... Turned out I put the first set in the printer wrong so the text from the back printed on the front... *sigh* (double sided printing woes)...

Then the ink ran out.  Go figure.

Again, I started breathing deeply and praying "Ok, God. Please help me not panic."  I figured going to the library to make copies was the best option.  So I got all my stuff together for the job fair and went. When I got to the library, I went to put the car in park and nothing happened.  (The car's shifter cable is kinda broken and Lamar and I have been just pushing it back into place when need be.) So I got out and made the adjustment.

Library printing was a success. Huzzah!

Now I'm getting back in the car prepared to go smile my face off at this job fair.  My hair's still in place. I didn't get any smutz on my blouse from fiddling with the shifter cable.  My skirts still pressed.  Things are looking good.  Until...

The car won't shift out of park.

My immediate thought was "CRAP!!!! It's really broken now! What am I going to do!?" **deep breath deep breath deep breath** I'm in the car trying to breathe my tears away and praying desperately for help.  Then I looked up.

The library is right next to Advance Discount Auto Parts.  ^.^

So I go over and tell the guy what's going on and ask if he has something I can use to fix it.  He asks some car details and takes me on a walk around the store... I'm still praying silently for something I can use. I look down while he's telling me that they don't carry anything for Mazdas and my eyes fall on a packet of wire grommets...  Essentially, they are thick rubber rings.  I asked him if I could put this on the engine part and he said sure.

One fit perfectly!  

Off to the job fair :)  Resumes in hand, shifter cable fixed, clothes still clean, hair in place. I'm thanking God the whole way and thinking:

My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

The job fair was alright.  I'm suppose to get a call from the YMCA for a job in their summer program, so that's great.  But to me, the best part of the whole thing was meeting the recruiter for Sprint.  She was very encouraging while we spoke.  Her whole 'message' was be excellent at your level. Something I need to here these days.

So that was my day...

If that printer hadn't have run out of ink I wouldn't have had this testimony to share.  I think this is long enough.  I hope you got through the whole thing :)

The Gallivanting Files: Sip & Knit Yarn Shop

Before I left Huntsville, I was beginning to go to actual yarn shops for little specialty yarns and whatnot so of course I wanted to find one here in Orlando.  Anywho, the first shop I visited is called Sip & Knit and it's about 15-20 mins away.  Not too bad. 

The sheep invasion begins!

From the name, I thought there would be a cafe area or something, but alas, there was none. :-( No sipping.  And I was hungry too, they could've really gotten me on that one, haha!

Do not remove under penalty. LOL!

This statue made me laugh out loud when I got out of the car ^.^ Very welcoming! I want to yarn bomb it... Maybe that'll help me make some yarny friends... not sure. Meh.

While I was there, I decided to do a quick video walk around in the back of the shop.  The yarn was so pretty and colorful and soft! *.* I want it all. Yep. Definitely. All.

So... I didn't end that video at all, lol.  Hopefully you can hear me. I was whispering because I was the only person in the shop and it was really weird walking around filming. 

All in all, it was a nice shop. The owner was really friendly and gave me a tour of the store to make sure I understood their shelving and labeling.  There was also a shop dog! A little cairn terrier called Tucker.  He barked at me at first and then after deciding that I was ok, brought me his toy platypus.  I felt honored ^.^

I don't know how often I'll shop there, but they have knitting classes which I'm considering taking.  Maybe I'll go on one of their free knitting nights and meet some people.  I mean... that is on my list of things to do this year.

Peace ^.^

Granny Patchwork Blanket Reveal!

Sooo.... I was planning to write this post earlier today, but that was obviously a fail, lol. It's okay though.  I hope you had a nice Friday and have good/fun plans for the weekend.  I've been very productive, so that's always good.

Now, onward to the yarny goodness!  ^.^

Monday, I showed a few progress shots of my latest blanket design and promised to have the whole thing done by today.  I'm very proud of myself because I finished it yesterday! (color me crochet addict, lol) Hurrah!  So yeah, all that's left to do is to run it through the wash to soften the yarn up.  I do this because I use a lot of red heart super saver acrylic yarn and sometimes it's not the softest fiber out there. But after a trip through the washer, it's good to go.  So there's a little tip for anyone wanting to use acrylic but worrying about the feel.

Tuesday: All squares finished and laid out

In order to get the piece finished within my time limit, I crocheted in a bunch of places.  I wish I had a Books-a-Million close by cuz I'd totally post up in there, but alas... Anyway, since Lamar started playing in a teacher's basketball league, I've been lugging my bag-o-yarn to the gym to watch the games.  I've gotten some strange looks, but maybe those strange looks will turn into sales one day...

Wednesday: Joining squares at Lamar's game

Originally, I joined with whip stitches, but I didn't like how it looked.  So I frogged it and switched to single crochet in back loops only.  Doing this left a really nice finish on the front of the blanket.

This is the blanket all joined together.  (So stinkin proud of myself for getting all the blocks joined at the bball game!)  It came out really nicely.  And I'm really feeling the nonsensical mix of colors. :)

Later Wednesday night, I got down to the business of edging the whole thing while watching American Idol...

Let me take a moment to jump on my soap box and say Candice Glover singing Lovesong killed me! Gah! She got all up in that song and made her bed!  I got chills.

Okay, back to blanket edging, lol. I did go with my first inclination of 3 granny stripe rows and one scallop and here's a progress of the edging.

Wednesday/Thursday: This was totally 2am, lol

I finished the edging at some ungodly hour of the night.  And decided to forgo weaving in the ends for now.  I hate weaving in ends...

This is me after I finished all the edging... suh-lee-py

So here is the final blanket........ drumroll please.........

Thursday morning: TA-DA!!!

Ta-da!!! I haven't measured it with the edging, but before the edging the blanket is 4'x5'.  The edging is about 3 ish inches, so final measurements of this blanket are about 4.5' x 5.5' Not bad :)  Seeing the blanket finished really makes me feel like making money from my crochetwork isn't such a far fetched idea. :) Yay.  Well that's all for now.  The next blanket I work up is going to be a tartan design.  So keep your eyes peeled for that!

Peace!

Lamar and Caleisha at the Fair

Hey there :)

This past Tuesday, Lamar and I went to the Lake County Fair for dollar day.  It's been like 6 or 7 years since I've been to a fair and even longer for Lamar.  It was really nice to get out and do something with him ^.^

Anywho, we rode a couple rides and played one of those rigged fair games and had a genuinely good time together.

I couldn't help the hand holding picture... I'm sappy... I know :)

The first ride we rode was called the Orbiter or better yet Spin-Around-Til-You-Puke. I recorded video of us and Lamar was trying to look all cool, but then we just ended up laughing hysterically through the whole ride. Good times.

Yay! Fair lights!

Lamar said that the fair people were trying to give people seizures from all the flashing lights and whatnot. chuckle
 

My intention was to continue filming, but I accidentally took a picture.  I like it anyhow. Yay for accidental photos!!

Next, we rode the Ferris wheel. I must confess, I was holding on to the bar in our basket when it stopped us at the top. Heights are not my friend... and since I knew the little basket doors weren't that secure... it was mildly terrifying. Just saying.  Lamar loved it though :)  We took pictures from the top and as long as the thing was moving I was fine.

I think that lady under the tickets sign is smiling at my camera... weird...

Of course I dragged him onto the Gravitron... but it's really more fun when you're little.  Not as much gravity to pull against you and you can move around and whatnot... However when you're a grown person like us, you kinda just stick to the wall and have your face smooshed back.  It was Lamar's first time riding it too.

Lastly, we got on a ride called Speed.  It was aptly named because I'm pretty sure it took the workers longer to strap everyone in than it took to ride the ride... meh... It was fun though, another pendulum with a spinning base kinda deal.

After riding all these things, we still had one ticket each left so we went to the "house of mirrors"... Color me unimpressed... maybe my expectations of a house of mirrors were too high. *shrug* I did almost run into a wall though. So I guess they got me lol.

 

Oh yeah... on the way out, we saw they had a seal show.  You could take a picture in front of their pool and the seals would come and pose next to you. It was really cute. I bet they reek of fish...

Last but not least, here is the film of our trip.  I'm having more and more fun with Windows Live Movie Maker... who knows, maybe I'll actually make vlogs instead of dreaming about it, lol. Anywho, enjoy!

An Abundance of Blankets ^.^

Well... it's been nearly 2 whole weeks since I last wrote anything. (bad Caleisha!) I suppose I should do a little life update before I get into the craftiness.

• I am still looking for a job. Next Monday I'll be going to a job fair.  Hopefully, someone will hire me and hopefully I'll be happily employed.
• Last week I had a brief chat with God about my current joblessness and was promptly chastised with this statement, "You complained when you were working about not having time to make things to launch your shop, but now that all you have is time you complain about that.  Use this time to get designs and stock done."  So of course I shut up and have been doing a lot of brainstorming and designing.
• I've been getting more familiar with the local thrift stores. Most of them are small mom/pop shops, but they have a charm to them.  More on that another day ^.^
• The dogs are really enjoying being able to lounge outside in the sun.  We've developed a ritual of sitting outside after I get up.  I'll read blogs, watch youtube, and work on shop stock while they run around and sniff things.  It's very peaceful :)

OK. On to my recent craftings!  A couple weeks ago I started a granny hexagon blanket using thrifted yarn.  Obviously, the thrifted yarn ran out and I had to pull yarn from my stash to finish the blanket.  Well that was until the stash yarn ran out.  I though "Oh that's no biggie. I got it from Joann's!"  So I hopped in my car and drove the 20 mins into town to Joann's... There was none in the store.  So I called the other Joann's only to be on hold for like 15 mins.  Later on, I persuaded Lamar to take me the other way across town to Joann's #2 to get the yarn.  We got there and there was none there either! Turned out they don't sell it anymore. So I had to get yarn that was as close to the colors as possible... which wasn't even that close.  -_-  [enter crafter's lament here]  It was a sad day in Caleisha-land.  Anyway, I finished piecing the blanket and put a couple border rows around it. I'm still going to add maybe 3 more border rows to it, but I'm done working on it for now.

The whole blanket.

In this picture, you can clearly see the 2 shades of green and the 3 shades of blue in this blanket... Arg!

I redid the layout for my future hex blankets so that they're not such an awkward shape. As is, this blanket measures roughly 4'x6' ish... Not really a snuggle-under-me shape, at least not for adults, lol.  The modified version is much better.

Now this, is my current project. (Interestingly, when I started writing this I immediately thought it was Wednesday since this is a kind of what's on my hook thing... chuckle.)  Anywho, my current blanket project is a design based on the Babette Blanket.  I've done 3 different sizes, but this one will be the smallest measuring 4'x5'.

Granny square goodness!!!

There is no logical color scheme for this one, so I suppose you'd call it a stash buster blanket.  Ideally, the for sale blankets will have color schemes.  Or maybe they'll just be customizable by the customer.  *shrug*  I like how the blocks go together but not.  If that makes any sense.

Tools and layout

I'm really looking forward to finishing this blanket. So far I'm roughly a third of the way through and if I'work diligently, it can be finished and edged by the end of this week.  I think I'm going to do that.  So Friday, I will have this blanket done and ready to be shown on here.  (...so it is written, so it shall be done!)

That's it for now.  I'm going to pack up my stuff and go back inside as the sun is blazing down on me and my black computer is really hot... this probably isn't good for the wellbeing of my laptop huh... *shrug*

Oh yeah, I'm going to get back on my writing game... there is no reason for there to be 2 weeks of silence on this blog... I'll do better :)  Peace!

Hexagon Blanket: Crafty Update

It's been a little bit since I've done any crafty blogging on here... It has been a run of moving and how I'm feeling posts. So! I'm here with an update on my latest project. ^.^

During my first week here in Florida I (in true Caleisha fashion) went to visit the local thrift stores. Unfortunately, the thrift stores in this area are nothing compared to what's available in Huntsville... le'sigh... One of the shops I went to was a St. Vincent De Paul store called Second Chance.  It's the third largest shop I've seen so far, after Goodwill and Salvation Army.  Anywho, in Second Chance, I found a basket of yarn balls (HURRAY!) I was a good girl and only got 2 for $0.50 each a blue and a green.  I decided to make a blanket. I created a granny hexagon motif and ran with the colors. It reminds me of flowers a bit.

Layout and pattern notes.

The layout I put together called for half hexagons.  Creating that pattern took me like 2 days! But I got it and whipped up the pieces I needed.

Thrifted yarn and hexes.

I've been crocheting and watching thrift haul videos on Youtube. It makes me happy to see that at least some people have awesome thrift luck.  (Gah Florida!)

Also in true Caleisha form, I buy a teensy bit of yarn and decide to make a huge project out of it... It's not like Jesus is going to miraculously multiply my yarn supply. Luckily, I had similar colors in my stash so I didn't have to buy any new yarn. Yay!

This is the progress shot, complete with Kiva in the middle :) The white bordered part is the middle so this is only half of the piece.  I'm seriously considering adding an additional line of hexes to the left and right sides to make it wider.  What do you think? 


So yep, that's what I've been up to crafty-wise. I'm going to start doing some blanket designs soon.  I've decided that that makes more sense than making hats and whatnot in Florida.  Everyone can use a blanket. ^.^

Well I'm off to wash the dishes or something. I hope you're having a great Wednesday!
~Peace

Goodwill Clearance Center

I have been trying not to write another depressing post, but I can't think of anything else to write about. *shrug*  It's going on 2 weeks in Florida and some days are good, but on other days I don't want to get out of bed.  I don't have friends here.  Well, evidently I know a couple people around here, but "here" is a huge city where I'm just a speck.  

Ehh... On a lighter note, I went to the Goodwill Clearance center today. It was a completely different thrifting experience to say the least.  If you've never been to a clearance center it's a big room with large bins with clothes chucked all over in them.

There is no organization whatsoever.  No size buckets or anything... It made me nervous but was like a supercharged treasure hunt.  The clothes are sold by the pound.  $0.99 per pound.  Ah-stinkin-mazing!

While I was in there, I noticed that most of the people in the building were just standing around looking.  Now I don't know if you've been somewhere with a lot of strangers standing around suspiciously, but it makes shuffling through clothing really hard. 

Turns out, they were all waiting for the new stuff to be brought out.  And when it was it was like someone just chummed the water! Sharks to a bleeding whale! I just sat back and watched the madness.  I tried to get video but one of the cashiers stopped me.  I only got a couple seconds.

Just pay attention to the people grabbing things and forgive my shatty camera work.  It looks like they're just throwing pieces of clothing over their shoulders!  It was like a bunch of piranhas! Anyway, let me show you what I managed to get.

My total cost for 3 shirts, 3 sweaters, a dress, and 3 bags was a whopping $6.58! Crazy right?!?  Some perks of the pieces I picked: the peach sweater on the right is 100% cashmere, the blue blouse is 100% silk and the blue dress is from Ann Taylor so it could have originally cost anywhere from $40 to $60!  Oh! And the tapestry bag in the top right corner is a perfect replacement for one I thrifted a while back, but was unable to get the smoke smell out.  This one just smells a bit old. Nothing a day outside won't fix ^.^  I'm pretty proud of my first visit to a Goodwill Clearance Center.

The BIG Move

Hey there!  I am alive in the super sunny state of Florida ^.^

Bye Huntsville!

My room looked so big after all my stuff was out.

I made the trip from Huntsville to Orlando with Lamar a week ago Sunday.  We drove the 12+ hours toting all of my stuff and the pups.  Lucky for me, they slept the majority of the way.  Before coming up to Alabama, Lamar check out 2 copies of The Hunger Games audiobook for us to listen to on the road.  Let me tell you, the movie is completely different! The audiobook lasted us the whole trip, which was great. 

This cover is awesome! And the silly guy in the background is pretty cool too :)

We stopped the next morning in Valdosta to visit the $3 book store.  It was a reader's dream!  I got a copy of Commitment by Elizabeth Gilbert for $0.50! Whaaat? Yep $0.50!!  After leaving the bookstore, we went to an antique shop. There were a lot of pretty little things, but everything was SO expensive...

Lots of old tea tins.  Awesome, but too expensive for my tastes.

Antique working spinning wheel.  I want one SOOOOO bad!!!

Candy colored glass vases

I love colored glass. I'd like to have a collection one day. We'll see.

 We made it to the house late Monday night and unpacked the truck into storage a few days later.  So far, I've put in a couple job apps and have a strong shot at a photography position at the JC Penney portrait studio. (Please pray for blessing in that area!)  I also dropped an app at a nearby Animal Hospital.  I'd actually like both jobs. Kids and animals are great!  OK, that's it for this post, I think it's gotten long enough.  In the coming days, I plan to get settled into the guest room, put in some more applications, and make myself useful around the house (there will be much sweeping and dish washing).

On Moving

Hi :)

Last night (well 1:00 this morning) one of my friends asked me to pick him up from work. On the way home from dropping him off, I found myself mindlessly driving home. Past my favorite thrift store, my Alma Mater, and then along a stretch of road that is peppered with memories of ex-boyfriends.  Cul-de-sacs where my first and I had our verbal knock-down-drag-out fights and also spent time soul searching and star gazing... The path my second and I walked having our first great conversation...

Huntsville is littered with my dating past.

And I can't wait to get out.  

I didn't really think about how much the memories of old boyfriends and interests bubble up in my mind based on where I am in the city.  Even when I'm with Lamar, I'll think "Hey, that's where Paige and I had our first date." Or something like that.  I'm excited to be in a new city that will be fresh for the making of memories with only Lamar. (excuse the sappiness here please ^.^)

I'm glad for the experiences of the past, but it's time to fold Huntsville up like an old quilt and set it away in the attic.  It's been an interesting 9ish years with lots of growth.  I have the feeling now, that I get when I realize that I only have a couple pages left in a good book... I don't want it to end, but I know it has to.  Then when you read the last paragraph and close the cover, you sigh.  And you're glad it happened.

Poems and New Music (Thanks Shakti!)

So Shakti left a link to the song "Addict with a Pen" by Twenty One Pilots on my self-injury post and I really like it. There's a part that seriously compelled me to write. It goes:

"but you specialize in dying
you hear me screaming father
and I'm lying here just crying
so wash me with your water"

I put the song on repeat to see what it would channel out and this piece started coming.  Then I thought of a student I met at the last poetry show I was in (I did half of a poem about depression, but had a panic attack and didn't finish it- I'll share it soon).  He came up to me after the show and said that my piece touched him because he suffers from depression too and it's reassuring to know that he's not alone in it.  He gave me a hug and I wanted to cry.

Anyway, as I was writing tonight, he came to mind so I spoke to him.  When I finished the piece, I read it back and definitely cried.  I hope you can feel it.  And if you know anyone struggling, share this with them.

-Untitled-

this isn't so much for me as it is for
-you-
sometimes you bleed to remember life
and recite common things
colors of trees
to make sure you haven't lost it
-you-
pass through each day
missed by everyone around
none to hear you
they don't see you
-scars-
self inflicted slits gracing wrists and
thighs and

fleshy parts
-you-
never press deep enough though
burn just enough to feel the sizzle
drag blade teasingly to pull the blood to the surface
desperately trying to bring yourself back to
-life-

These are the lies it tells you:
YOU'RE ALONE
NO ONE will understand
they'll think you're CRAZY
YOU ARE CRAZY
NO ONE cares
you're too BROKEN
YOU'RE ALONE
 

but I've felt that - feel that
have heard those same lines
filled my nights with wailings
those heaving heavy tears

that come up from the base of your spine
called out to God so many times
only to find myself crumpled outside a church
palms to heaven

face to earth
willing God to come down and touch me
hold me
me- this speck of dust
awash in the expanse of the universe
"but you specialize in dying
you hear me screaming father
and I'm lying here just crying
so wash me with your water"

i had a vision once
i was standing on a cliff
my toes over the edge
and everything in my rational being said
jump
it made perfect sense
so i did
hoping the earth would embrace me
sweetly kiss me swallow me
but instead
i landed
suspended above everything
my left hand traced a lifeline heartline

knees rested on callused skin of a carpenter's son
he caught me

as my right hand slipped through a ragged hole
he caught me
held me up as my sorrow slid through that same hole
he held me
kept me from killing myself too many nights
just so i could get up and say

you are not alone

Here's the song. Thanks again, Shakti, for sharing this with me. It felt good. :)

~Peace to you~

Self-Injury Awareness: My Story

On Facebook, I get updates from the To Write Love on Her Arms page. Today is Self-Injury Awareness day.  I didn't know there was such a day, but I'm glad there is. It makes me feel like as we go forward, less people will be alone in their struggles.

I was a burner throughout my junior and senior years of college.  I had this whole belief system about it in my mind which went like this: yeah things suck, crap happens in life and it hurts, but if you can take the pain of a burn then this external pain is nothing. No one is going to hurt you as much as this burn will.  You see, when you get a burn, it hurts initially- the burning part.  Then it goes numb.  Then it starts hurting all over again, a throbbing constant pain- the healing part.

I felt a sense of relief and control after adding a new burn to my wrist.  It was something that I made happen... which was a big thing when I felt like everything else was out of control.  I wore a ribbon around my wrist so people wouldn't ask about my 'collection.'  Most people assumed it was a fashion statement.

Me circa... umm... 2006ish

I would take an x-acto knife and hold it over a candle or lighter, then hold the blade on my wrist until I couldn't feel it anymore. Eventually, I collected two neat rows of burn lines.  I also used incense sticks by pressing the red tip into the skin next each of the lines.  The scars became some sort of reminder- a "you can do this" nudge everyday.  Every time I looked down.  Healthy? No. Do I understand it? Kind of.

Most of the scarring has faded as they're over 5 years old, but if you look to the bottom left of my tattoo, you can see some of the remaining incense burns and along the center line of my tattoo is the worst of the scars.

I decided to tattoo the Wawa Aba Adinkra symbol over that particular scar as a testament to the whole ordeal.  The depression, the burning, and coming out of it. The Wawa Aba is a symbol for a person who perseveres through hardships.  I wanted to be able to see that encouragement instead of the reminders of that low.

Even now, when I find myself getting really down, I'll still get the urge to pull out a lighter and 'control' something.  Most times higher thought wins and my lighters stay where they should.  I'd love to be able to say that I never burned again, but that's not true.  But I can say that I've only done it a couple minor times since stopping in 2008. Hurray for me :)

So yeah, that's my self-injury story... It felt good to share.  I think the biggest thing that can help others struggling with depression and it's "coping" mechanisms is showing them that you're there.  Maybe they need someone to listen to them rant or just sit and play a video game.  Maybe they need someone to insist they come shopping or come do anything.  Depression has a way of swallowing a person up and blinding them to reality.  It sucks the colors from everything and the pleasure from everything.  It's a beast and sometimes we can get caught by it in the worst way.

You might know someone dealing with something like this.  Even if you're not sure what the case is, being a true friend is strong medicine no matter what.

The most powerful statement for a person to hear (at least for me) is:  

I see you and you're not alone.

Peace ^.^ Have a wonderful weekend!