Everyone Should Have 12 Projects Going At Once

... Or not. I seem to have fallen back into the pattern of trying to do a little bit on too many projects. While it's been fun to get my hands on some moldy oldies, and I'm all for resurrecting older projects to keep them familiar (plus try and finish them!) while working through new patterns, it's kind of overwhelming me and adding to random anxiety attacks that I Really. Don't. Need. Switching up the lineup occasionally? Good. Constantly bouncing between projects? Bad.

Soooo, here is my solution. I'm going back to working three at a time. I'll add in another WIP or start a new project when one of these 3 is done. Now, I do have one exception - the Wedding Present. As soon as the yarn and needles come in, I have to start it. And, I even have the first 3 up to be completed (by merit of them being the 3 projects sitting next to my computer)

1. Leverage Hat for Der Hubs. This one now has a deadline - October 2. I'd like it done in time for his birthday.
   
2. Scrap Bag. This is such an easy project and so close to completion, I might as well finish.
   
3. Skew Socks. One sock is a lonely sock - I just want these done so I can be wearing them.
   

So, there ya go. I can now identify when a manic episode is coming on by how many knitting (or crochet!) projects I have going at once.

Seasonal Crafting Experiment - 3 Weeks In

I was utterly blindsided by the realization that I am primarily a knitter (and crocheter). I am happiest when I am playing with my yarn, and while it's nice to occasionally take a break and make some cards or draw a bit, my heart is with my yarn. The experiment really only served to highlight how lost I am without knitting. I was getting nervous just thinking about packing away my yarn.

Yay for trying to find some stupid focus for this blog. Changing the name again.

About Last Night and An Itchy Rash

So, last night, seemingly out of nowhere, this giant ball of anxiety just appears and sits on my head, making me cranky and sleepless for the majority of the evening. This has persisted through today and is now polluting my Friday night as well. Bah. I have a glass of wine and a fun project on standby for when I'm done here. The rash is most likely stress - or I'm suddenly allergic to Percocet.

I'm here to see if I can make some sense of my head and let you into my thought processes a bit.

I'm stressing about my house being disorganized. I can feel the clutter coming to get me. Now, granted, my house is cleaner than it's been in years and I've got quite the routine down to keep it mostly picked up around the kids, but I can hear the lost boxes and forgotten closets calling to me. My utility room is waiting patiently to be transformed into Craftopia. I get unseasonably excited at the thought of reorganizing, putting things in their place, even a bit giddy at the prospect of freeing myself from years of moldy possessions weighing me down.

But I'm scared, too. Because I know I have trouble letting go and I know there are things I just need to let go of. Maybe I need to admit defeat and get rid of some of my more ambitious projects. A lot of the fears and indecision that lead to my Seasonal Craftiness in the first place are still apparent. I know that if I want to truly excel at something, I need to focus on the things I love to do and let other things fall away. Same for decluttering and reorganizing - focus on the things that really matter and let everything else go.

The other thing that gets me is knowing that keeping the house from getting recluttered will be a constant battle, and I'm not talking about the kids. I'm a pack rat by nature. My husband is a pack rat, the child of pack rats. I was too. Heck, my grandparents were pack rats. Through my own family, I got to see different aspects and problems of being a pack rat. My mom's mom held on to stuff - things that could be used again, sentimental treasures, craft supplies (always useful!) and furniture. My dad's mom was more of a hoarder - she would buy pretty much anything on sale at the grocery store and her basement was filled with canned goods, cases of soda and a freezer stuffed with food - most of which she never used. An upstairs bedroom housed the soap, cleaning supplies and paper towels. I also saw what happens when a pack rat dies and the kids are left to clean up. My dad and his siblings were left with a huge mess, essentially. Most of what was there couldn't even be donated - many of the canned goods were expired. My mom is coming up to a point, now that her dad is in nursing care, that she has to face the stuff and clean out the house. It terrifies her and I know it. I wouldn't want to sort through a houseful of memories and have to be the one to decide what's worthy of keeping, especially in a house with so much history. There are things from great-grandparents and even further back than that.

But you can't take it with you.

So, I turn my vision on my own family - what do I want to leave my kids with? What kind of home life do I want them to see? Completely organized is so ... sterile. While it would be great to always know where everything is, living in the cover of a magazine is stifling. I want the kids to see rows and rows of books in the living room. I want the kids to be able to poke through Mom's fabric, or yarn, looking for something to make or a request for something to add to my project list. I want my kids to come across the occasional cache of baby clothes, spurring warm memories of what it was like when they were very small. The sweater Mom made for me. The books Dad read as a kid. Andy's first painting. Maggie's first hat. Joan's beloved dinosaur.

Growing up, I loved poking through my mom's stuff. I thrilled to finding some dusty artifact or old photo with a story attached. It gave me a connection to a past I never knew I had. It made people I'd never met real and living relatives more human. The things were a physical representation of the tales - a way to touch the past. Problem was, there wasn't much of it. We moved a lot and my mom was constantly faced with deciding what was worth packing and moving, and what had to go. Things got lost or destroyed in transit. So, I treasured everything. I held onto my own growing collection, in the anticipation of passing my own stories down. I became the next generation of pack rat. Now, I need to deal with it. I need to decide what things are necessary to tell the stories of my life and my family's life.

I just know that I want to leave them with the treasures, and not a reminder of how unhinged I really was.

Starting the Week with an Updated List

• I need to finish the card kit. I haven't made much progress recently and while the deadline is still a month away, I don't want it to get lost in the shuffle. I really don't have much left to do on it, and I don't want it hanging over me anymore.
• Amigurumi for my RAK needs to have pictures taken and get in the mail this week!
• Crochet dress - need to make my Knitpicks order and get more main color yarn - I ran out! Eep!
• The evil homespun blanket. This thing is gonna haunt me, I can tell already.
• I need to post pictures and the pattern for the Knit Apron v2. I also need to make a second, blindly following the pattern to test it. Still looking for a way to size it and considering a bottom-up version with ties and a button neck-strap as well.
• Finish the tea set for the kids
• Second Skew sock. Made some progress this weekend.
• $1.5 Cardigan - really wanting to have this done to snuggle up in for the winter.
• Jeannie Wrap - another one that I haven't picked up in a while. I really need to get my hands on this once some of my deadline-conscious stuff is off my plate.
• Scrap Bag: closer to being done than one might think. It lacks only a handle and edging - the body of the bag is done.
• Christmas cards - got some supplies together, as well as my leftovers from last year. Also need to start making the card list and the gift list for family and whatnot.
• Wedding Present: she likes the alpaca! Time to pick a pattern and order the yarn!
• Leverage hat for Der Hubs - started this weekend! With a slightly heavier yarn and modified the pattern a bit, it's goung to be a really dense hat, which hairless hubs should like.
• New projects for kids: girls stockings, new kilt hose for Andy (for next year's games), still need to find a pattern I like for sweaters and hats for all three.
• Newly discovered moldy oldie: the purple shopping bag.
• Noro gloves - half testing the pattern making the second glove. Also something I recently resurrected from the basement.
• Continue on the HUGE task of cleaning out the basement and building my Craftopia in the corner of the utility room. I started this weekend and I don't want to lose momentum.

Coming Up on Wednesday

Trying to put a little balance in my life lately, so I joined the Flylady group online. I started my baby steps, washed my sink last night. I didn't realize how nice it would look and how nice something as simple as a clean sink would make me feel. Now I know today, all it's going to take is getting the dishes done and a quick rinse to get back to pretty. I'll probably post from time to time on how I'm doing with that, too. Wednesday is apparently Anti-Procrastination Day, so I'm going to apply this to my craftiness as well as my housework. After I finish getting my swaps ready to go that need to hit the mail tomorrow, I'll be picking up the card kit that I've been surrepetitiously shuffling to the bottom of the list and try to get that more together. As for housework I've been putting off, it's laundry time. I'm going to hit the basement and get some of that stuff put away for once. I'm tired of having to search the dryer and the baskets for clean clothes.

So, in review - crap I'm not putting off any more today:

• Getting the laundry folded and put away.
• My card kit for the swap. Maybe I'll even tackle the big elements first and put those together.
• After the kids go down for the night, I'll go back to my crochet and make some more progress on the amigurumi RAK I started last night. One piece is already done and it's super cute.
• If there's time, there will be some stalking about the house with a camera as well.

Onwards to Wednesday!

The Weekend and Why My Camera Battery Sucks

OK, so I promised I'd tell you a tale of toddlers harassing cows. My parents recently moved to a new house Way Out in the boonies. Their neighbor actually has cattle. (Only a small herd, and Mom confirms that some of them disappear when neighbor's freezer starts to look empty) From my parents' back yard it's just a short trip down the hill and across a narrow lane to see the cows, who apparently like to hang out there and watch people in the yard. The kids spent most of the time at my mom's house playing outside, as it was an uncharacteristically nice day and we don't get out much.

Well, after some time outside, the cows wandered over to see what was going on. I said as much to my dad, who decided to take our poor city babies over and show them the cows (from the other side of the fence - I am well aware of how awesome it would not be had one of the kids decided to go under the fence). Andy thought they were great and interrogated my dad on the diet and lifestyle of cows for some time. Maggie was understandably wary and kept her distance. Joan was fascinated. She wanted to talk to the cows. Even after we brought them back to the yard, she'd stand at the top of the hill and yell at them "Hey! Ka (cow)! Wha-I!"

Let me stop and explain "Wha-I!" This is Joan's multipurpose expression. It means (depending on the context) "What are you doing?" "What's that?" or a toddler version of "What gives?" (or the more grown-up "WTF?" if that's how you see it) If I'm working on the computer, she'll stand next to me and yell "Ma! Wha-I!" Sibling takes a toy from her "Anny! (or Mag!) Wha-I!" I've been known to exclaim at work when something goes wrong "Wha-I!"

So, back to the cows. Eventually, lunch time came and we went inside and ate, then made a mostly unsuccessful attempt to get the kids to lay down for a nap. But, new house + exciting things going on = no nap. We gave up and let everyone back out for more play time. Joan resumed her post at the top of the hill to see what the cows were doing. Of the four cows in the field, three of them were settled down, legs tucked up under them, for all intents and purposes, looking like they were napping. She resumes her yelling. "Hey! Ka! Wha-I!" She keeps doing this until two of the cows rouse themselves and walk away from the fence line, away from the loud little creature disturbing their nap. I comment to Mom. "I guess if Joan's not napping, no one is. Not even the cows."

Now, on to What Mommy Finished in the Car. The knit apron is done. Buttons have been sewn on, ends woven in and as soon as my camera battery recharges, there will be pictures. I missed taking pictures of the kids and my finished swaps (already in the mail) because of a suspiciously dead battery. I have also found the reason my battery seems to run down so quickly, after looking at the most recent round of pictures.

The three year old's been stealing my camera. I now have a table-level picture of his dinner from last week, along with several partial shots of his sisters, his toys, one of his aunt, and about twenty very-close-up pictures of his finger. I need a second battery. Or he needs his own camera.

On to the list:

• Embroidered bag is going in the mail today. Due to a lack of charged camera battery, there will be no pictures. I may have to ask the recipient to take one for me.
• Got my trading ATC's picked and planning on getting them ready to mail tonight.
• G0t my partner for the Tool ATC and I even have a card and envelope made up - just need to write a note, address and send.
• I need to finish the card kit as well. I haven't made much progress recently and while the deadline is still a month away, I don't want it to get lost in the shuffle. Plan on putting time to it next weekend.
• Amigurumi for my RAK. I'm planning to start it this week.
• Crochet dress - it's a few rows bigger now, but slow going. It keeps getting shuffled to the bottom of the list. This is why I'm making the 2T size.
• The evil homespun blanket. This thing is gonna haunt me, I can tell already.
• I need to post pictures and the pattern for the Knit Apron v2. I also need to make a second, blindly following the pattern to test it. Still looking for a way to size it and considering a bottom-up version with ties and a button neck-strap as well.
• Finish the tea set for the kids
• Second Skew sock. It's just a matter of picking it up on a regular basis.
• $1.5 Cardigan - really wanting to have this done to snuggle up in for the winter.
• Jeannie Wrap - another one that I haven't picked up in a while. I really need to get my hands on this once some of my deadline-conscious stuff is off my plate.
• Scrap Bag: closer to being done than one might think. It lacks only a handle and edging - the body of the bag is done.
• Christmas cards - got some supplies together, as well as my leftovers from last year. Also need to start making the card list and the gift list for family and whatnot.
• Wedding Present: I will attempt to win her over to at least a silk/alpaca blend and we'll go from there. I have a couple of patterns in mind - just need to pick the yarn.
• Leverage hat for Der Hubs - need to find a light weight yarn, as well as my really long size 1 needles.
• New projects for kids: girls stockings, new kilt hose for Andy (for next year's games), still need to find a pattern I like for sweaters and hats for all three.
• Newly discovered moldy oldie: the purple shopping bag.
• Noro gloves - half testing the pattern making the second glove. Also something I recently resurrected from the basement.

So there you have it - now I'm nervous I won't finish anything before my crafty season changes again. Well, I'll always need a carryover project - something to do in the car and when I just need to relax.

Twitchy ...

Feeling a bit twitchy today. My writing time is greatly diminished today as I started off badly, getting up for work 2 hours late. Grraaarr. I will get back with you all later and post the details of my busy weekend, including finishing the Knit Apron and telling tales of my daughter harassing some cows.

The Wedding Present

My sister in law is getting married next May. She's tickled pink (well, salmon, as there will be no pink in her wedding) and I'm happy for her. Sarah has been a good friend and a huge help to us, especially with coming over on Wednesdays to look after the babies. She started this when my son was 18 months old, so I could go to a local knitting group meet-up. When the girls came, she did the same, and even added a day so I could have some more time to rest, run errands or do some housework. Over the past few years, we've gone from not being terribly fond of each other to feeling something more like family. So, I'm anxious to use my crafty goodness to make something useful and pretty for her. After talking to her, I decided on a shawl. She'd like something warm and snuggly, no wool, and I think we're leaning towards orange/yellow/salmon colorways. But she's not a fan of having wool next to her skin. This drastically reduces my options for yarn, as everything I wanted to use is either wool or a wool blend.

Option A: Go for a cotton, bamboo or silk, though it won't be as warm.
Option B: A textured cotton with a simple shawl pattern.
Option C: Win her over to the dark side with this yarn.

More later - patterns and other ideas.

Resting My Back

Ha! Even with the meds, I'm finding it nigh impossible to sit and rest my back like I should. I decided last night, since I'd gotten the kids down fairly early (a trend I hope to continue tonight) that I'd split my time and work on a handful of projects.

• Got the knit washcloth swap packaged up and ready to go - I'll go to the post office Monday so I can take anything that might get finished over the weekend as well.
• I am two rows away from finishing the Knit Apron v2. I will skulk about the house with a camera tonight and get pictures of it as well.
• Finished the main body of the teapot and lid for my crochet tea set. It's entirely too cute so far.
• Picked up my Skew socks again and got another inch or so on the foot. Most of the time I'd devoted to working on this was spent trying to figure out where I was in the pattern. (There is a sticky note now so I won't have to go through that again)
• Briefly touched the $1.5 Cardigan - once again, since it's been so long since I picked it up, I had a hard time figuring out where I was and getting going from there.

Still to do:

• Embroidery on the bag. I need to put some time to this over the weekend, as it needs to be in the mail by Wednesday and I still have to finish the lining and add a handle. Eep. Deadlines.
• Pick my ATC's to be traded - waiting to get my partner for this so I can pick something they might like.
• Get my partner for the Tool ATC and get that in the mail. I even have a card and envelope made up already - just need a person to send it to.
• I need to finish the card kit as well. I haven't made much progress recently and while the deadline is still a month away, I don't want it to get lost in the shuffle. Plan on putting time to it next weekend.
• Amigurumi for my RAK. Sorry for the lack of details, but I want it to be a surprise. Trust me, it will be adorable.
• Crochet dress
• The evil homespun blanket. This thing is gonna haunt me, I can tell already.
• Finish Knit Apron v2, post pictures and pattern, get some people to test and hopefully come up with a way to size it up as well.
• Finish the tea set for the kids
• Second Skew sock. It's just a matter of picking it up on a regular basis.
• $1.5 Cardigan - really wanting to have this done to snuggle up in for the winter.
• Jeannie Wrap - another one that I haven't picked up in a while. I really need to get my hands on this once some of my deadline-conscious stuff is off my plate.
• Scrap Bag: closer to being done than one might think.
• Christmas cards
• Wedding Present: looked at yarn online for this last night and finding a non-wool is going to be tough. I want to keep it something warm and snuggly, but my options are silk, cotton and alternative fibers like bamboo. I'm leaning toward a textured cotton or tape-type yarn, but I want a pretty hand-dyed color, not just a plain solid. Messing with the idea of combining silk and cotton. Need to look at more yarn.
• New potential projects: Mostly stuff for the kids. Hats, sweaters, socks. Plus I want to make Der Hubs a new hat and there was a Leverage-inspired pattern posted on Ravelry the other day. Hrmmmm ... First step I guess is getting the patterns picked out. I'm thinking these for the girls, in a Fall/Winter 2011 appropriate size. I'm really loving the patterns on Petite Purls and I haven't even checked out the Summer 2010 set yet. Oh, boy, I'm in trouble.

And Again With The Lists ...

I just needed to stop and keep track of where I am with my projects. Some got finished and I have a new project or so to add.

What I Worked on Yesterday:

• Finished my Tool ATC. It's adorable and my first time woring with illustration board. Michael's now sells a variety of papers cut down to ATC size and while I'll mostly keep making my own, it's nice to experiment.
• Got a few more rows done on the crochet dress.
• Finished my knit washcloth - now just to get my partner and send it on its happy way.

Still To Do/New Projects:

• Finish the embroidery and put a handle on the recycled clothing swap.
• Pick my ATC's to be traded.
• Waiting for partners to be assigned for Tool ATC and dishcloth swap, then I need to get those packaged up and sent off.
• Finish the card kit.
• Make the amigurumi for my RAK.
• Crochet Dress
• Homespun Blanket
• Finish the knit apron and post the pattern.
• Crochet tea set.
• Make second skew sock
• $1.5 cardigan (I want this finished before winter - I need a new sweater anyway)
• Noro gloves (before winter)
• Jeannie Wrap (sometime in the next year would be nice)
• Scrap Bag
• Christmas cards for family this year
• Wedding Present: Make the infinity wrap in a nice yellow/salmon color. I need to order some not-wool from KnitPicks. Also considering picking up a knit lace wrap on the side just for fun. Or the crochet entrelac wrap.
• Possibly make sweater/hat sets for all the kids (maybe plan this for next christmas)
• MORE SOCKS!!! I miss making socks and I want to use some of this time focusing on yarny goodness to make some more socks, especially for the kids and I'd like to have some new kilt hose ready for the boy for next year's games.

Today, I'm keeping my focus more on the knitting/crochet side as my back is still wonky and in need of activities that don't require me to stay hunched over a desk/sewing machine/drawing. Tomorrow, however, I need to pick up that embroidery and make some real progress so I can get that finished. So, today - knit apron and start the amigurumi for my RAK.

Yaay - focus. Now, to see what comes along and gets me all sideways today.

About Last Night

Yeah, yesterday/last night just was not working out for me at all. Back's still bothering me, and the medication I need to take to make it bearable also makes me woogy and sleepy. Fun. The kids were fine until bedtime, where everyone decided to freak out over something all at once. For Joan, it was the toothbrush. She decided that me taking away her toothbrush was an act of war and spent the next twenty minutes screaming her head off. Maggie seems to freak out over going to sleep in general and did her screaming every time I left the room thing. Andy decided he wanted to sit up in bed and play with his toys. Needless to say, the kids didn't go down until after 10. I did, however, have a very helpful little boy at dinnertime - Andy helped make dinner and carried his sisters' plates to the table, and helped rinse the dirty dishes in the sink. How wonderful.

What I Worked on Yesterday:

• got my postcard together for the PC swap
• worked on the embroidery some more
• knit a lot on the dishcloth - I'm into the decreases now and nearly done.

What's Left to Do:

• Finish the embroidery and put a handle on the recycled clothing swap.
• Pick my ATC's to be traded.
• Finish knitting my swap dishcloth
• Make my tool ATC.
• Finish the card kit.
• Make the amigurumi for my RAK.
• Crochet Dress
• Homespun Blanket
• Finish the knit apron and post the pattern.
• Crochet tea set.
• Make second skew sock
• $1.5 cardigan (I want this finished before winter - I need a new sweater anyway)
• Noro gloves (before winter)
• Jeannie Wrap (sometime in the next year would be nice)
• Scrap Bag
• Christmas cards for family this year
• Potential wedding present on the horizon (still deciding what I want to make - down to two choices and I need to ask the recipient)
• Possibly make sweater/hat sets for all the kids (maybe plan this for next christmas)
• MORE SOCKS!!! I miss making socks and I want to use some of this time focusing on yarny goodness to make some more socks, especially for the kids and I'd like to have some new kilt hose ready for the boy for next year's games.

Today I'll pick up at the Tool ATC and work my way through. I'm trying to rotate getting my hands on each project until everything is done. Obviously, the ones with deadlines will see my hands more often until they are done, but I'm also trying to get in a good mix of knitting and crochet that haven't seen my hands in a while, either. The toughest part of getting this seasonal crafting thing going is getting the back log cleared out first. On to the day.

What's Going On

First thing, I did screw up my back and after a trip to the doctor, I have brand new shiny pain pills and muscle relaxers. Second, I got them mixed up this morning and took the pain pill before I went to work and now I'm all woogy.

So, on to the list - what I've got on my plate right now (time sensitive stuff first)

• Send my postcard for the PC swap.
• Finish the embroidery and put a handle on the recycled clothing swap.
• Pick my ATC's to be traded.
• Finish knitting my swap dishcloth (trying Rowan Cotton Tape - it's a neat, soft texture)
• Make my tool ATC.
• Finish the card kit.
• Birthday card for a RAK.
• Make the amigurumi for my RAK.
• Crochet Dress
• Homespun Blanket
• Finish the knit apron and post the pattern.
• Crochet tea set.
• Make second skew sock
• $1.5 cardigan (I want this finished before winter - I need a new sweater anyway)
• Noro gloves (before winter)
• Jeannie Wrap (sometime in the next year would be nice)
• Scrap Bag
• Christmas cards for family this year
• Potential wedding present on the horizon (still deciding what I want to make - down to two choices and I need to ask the recipient)
• Possibly make sweater/hat sets for all the kids (maybe plan this for next christmas)
• MORE SOCKS!!! I miss making socks and I want to use some of this time focusing on yarny goodness to make some more socks, especially for the kids and I'd like to have some new kilt hose ready for the boy for next year's games.

Well, time to take my woogy head and do some work.

Thinking Out Loud

Note to self- no heavy lifting tonight. Stretch this to somehow include doing the dishes and picking up the kids' toys.

Things I Should Do:

1. Finish up all my swaps and take some time off of labor intensive swaps - stick to postcards, crochet and destashing for a while. Maybe do some more random nice things.
   
2. Pack up my paper-crafty stuff under the table for the time being. Retire the cricut and the sewing machine to the basement until they are needed again.
   
3. Make sure I've got all my current projects on Ravelry. Try to use that more as a tool for keeping track of my projects than here. That *is* what it's for, after all.
   

Time to go resist the urge to get all crafty and rest. I really did hurt my back and I do not wish to make it worse before naptime's even over.

The Seasonal Crafter - Laying Out the Plan

OK, so here's my plan. Three months at a time, I'm just going to focus on one aspect of my craftiness. This will allow me to work on my skills, really challenge myself and let everything else fade to crafty background noise for a little while, without having to completely give up on anything. Maybe I'll find along the way that I'm not as fond of some things and that I'm fine with just doing the occasional project. Maybe I'll find that once I can settle down and open myself up to just one thing, that my projects will start speaking to me again, and I'll find the thing I was meant to do. Maybe this is all a huge mistake and I should just take up carpentry.

Back to the plan. First the rules. (Gotta have rules, right?)

1. For starters, while I get this going I know I have projects in various veins that are on a time constraint and need to be finished regardless of the season I am in. These will still get done. (Most of them are swaps, because Swap-Bot ate my brain and I can't have it back just yet.)
2. To help with my focus, anything I'm not currently working on gets relegated to the basement. Yes, I know this also means that once every three months, I'll be this crazy unpacking monster while I change gears. This will turn out to be a good thing. Trust me. And it will get the random piles out from under my kitchen table and behind the couch.
3. I'm not going to be uber-strict with this. Just because it's yarn season doesn't mean I can't take a weekend off here and there to make a card for a birthday I forgot about or maybe knit a washcloth during paper season. Just - not so much.

My seasons of crafting:

* Spring (February - April): Fabric. This is perfect because it lets me get started on all the fun summer dresses I'd like to make for the girls.
* Summer (May - July): Paper. Cards, altered books, envelope madness, drawing and painting, all here.
* Fall (August - October): Yarn. Here is where the knitting and crochet go and also where I will start this mad experiment.
* Winter (November - January): Finishing. Here's where it gets kind of weird. This season, with the end of the year approaching and a new year welcoming all sorts of crafty mayhem, I'm going to devote to finishing projects. I'll pick one from each craft (yarn, paper and fabric) and work on finishing it. This would also be a good time for a mass destashing and cleaning out my supplies.

Well, that's it. My plan is laid out and I have a lot of cleaning up to do. Plus, I get to start in Yarn season.

Fragmented

I'd really like to get back into sewing.

I'd also really like to jump wholeheartedly into any one of the things I love to do. My problem is that there are too many things I enjoy doing, and I don't want to let any of them go. Even writing in here. I'd love to say "OK, I'm going to focus my energy on knitting (for instance) and writing a fun and engaging blog about knitting. I'm going to hone my skills, pick up new techniques and start writing patterns. I'm going to become a stellar knitter and let everything else fade to crafty background noise."

Oh, how easy that would be.

So, let's say I become a full-time knitter, so to speak. What of my crochet, then? I've been crocheting much longer than I've been knitting. Right now, even, I've got more crochet on the to-do list than knitting. Do I let my rebuilding drawing and painting skills fall aside again? I used to be able to draw really well - and I enjoyed it! Drawing was once a very calming and centering activity. Do I give up my paper-craftiness to knit more? How about that sewing, too? Sewing seems to be the one thing that I've always wanted to do more of, yet I never seem to find the time to focus and work at becoming a better seamstress. How do I justify focusing on just one thing when I love to do it all?

I wouldn't need a crazy schedule that gets all messed up if I could just focus on one thing at a time.

My fragmented crafting life is affecting my real life as well. I have boxes and piles and stashes all over the house. A box of unfinished knitting and crochet behind the couch. A bag of half-completed sewing sits under the kitchen table, right next to the bin of paper crafts I'm sort of working on. My utility room is monument to my crafty disjointedness. (Is that even a word?)

So, I worked this over in my head last night, hoping that putting some sleep on it would clarify. It did, sort of. I have a bit of a plan, and I'd like to try it out and post about it here. My idea is "The Seasonal Crafter" - I'm going to try just focusing on one aspect at a time, shifting with the seasons. (Or every three months, since summer seems to last for five months around here) Obviously, it will take some time to see if it works and I'd need to really commit to sticking to the plan over a long period. But I want to try. I want this to work, and maybe along the way I'll find out just what it is I was meant to do.

I'll go into the specifics later. For now, just let this sink in and let me know what you all think.

What I Did Get to Do Last Night

Well, things got marginally better after naptime. I tried a new dish with the kids for dinner and everyone ate pretty well. Sister in law came over to help with the kids so I could get the garbage out, pack up lunch for today and fold some laundry. Bath time went reasonably well, though Andy's started the irritating habit of stalling bedtime from the second he gets in the tub until I'm actually picking him up and putting him in bed. He had to brush his teeth twice last night. Well ... at least he cares about dental hygiene. The girls were a little more active than normal, but everyone was reasonably asleep before ten. Then it was crochet dress and new episode of Psych for Mommy!

Total side question: How the hell does an 18 month old soak their pillow - twice! - in what appeared to be drool alone? I think Joan's licking her pillow at night.

OK, now back to the craftiness. I finally got to work on the crochet dress. The pattern says that the dress is going to end up loose-fitting, but it just seems like it's turning out so wide. Now, my critters are skinny anyway and pretty much anything I make for them in the right size ends up wide on them. But it's been happening a lot more lately, especially with knit and crochet patterns. I had recently finished a knit dress in a size 2T that looked like it would be a leaner fit and long enough for them at two. I'm going to end up remaking it - adding length and getting rid of some stitches across the body. It seems like it's too short and too wide. (I tried it on my son for reference - he's probably still mad at me for that.) Now, this dress. Am I doomed to never be able to pick up a kids pattern without having to alter it from the start? This time, I'm going to trust the pattern and let it go as it is. If it fits, great! If not, we'll just scrap it and make something else.

Now, this is mostly for me and some for you - my current list of WIP (knittting and crochet) and I'm sure there will be more to add as I go on.

- Crochet Dress (the one I've been on about today)
- Hideous Homespun Granny Square
- Knit Girls Apron (nearly through v2!)
- Crochet Tea Set
- Skew sock (one done, still need to finish #2)
- $1.5 Cardigan (no, still not done yet)
- Noro Gloves
- Jeanie wrap with Noro sock yarn
- Scrap Bag

Well, that's all I've got for now. Next time, we just might delve into the wild world of swapping!

Greetings from Helena, HB!!

Wow, so things went to crap pretty fast this afternoon. My back started hurting while I was still at work, which always puts me in a good mood. I called Der Hubs to make sure there was nothing we needed from the store. I was not crazy about stopping on the way home, but I didn't want to go back out during nap, either. I wanted to work on my cards and make happy. He assured me there was nothing we needed. Yaay.

So, I make it home just before two. The remnants of lunch are still on the table. The kids are still in their PJ's and still very wound up. Somebody needs a diaper change. I don't know where anyone's sippies are. Anywho, I get all the babies upstairs and in their cribs - Andy after a ten-minute argument over whether he could take his toys with him. (No.) Naptime started at two o'clock. By three, the girls were asleep and Andy was nearly so, so I slip out of the room and head downstairs to craft. My back is still killing me and I'm debating the wisdom of spending an hour bent over a table working with paper. I go to get a drink and make a quick lunch for myself.

Oh, hey, look. We're out of milk. I tell my husband I'm headed out for milk (he, too, is napping before he goes to work tonight) and suddenly my list has gone from one to four things. I decide to not mention how not two hours ago, he told me we were fine and there was nothing I needed to get from the store. I opt instead to seethe while driving to the grocery store. Sometimes, it's just not worth the trouble to fight about it, even when I'm right.

Well, then, we're back. It is now quarter after 4. I made a quick lunch for the two of us and I'm getting ready to settle in and crochet while I catch up on House on the laptop. At this point, I'm not going to get the garbage done until after dinner. My back hurts too much to work at the table on the cards. I'm just going to let the kids sleep until 5. At least I'll get a little time to myself.

***

OK, I quit. Maggie's up. See, this is why I can never plan anything. The second I know what I'm doing, the universe conspires to make it not happen.

Oh, and I'll get out the Cricut tomorrow.

What I'm Doing This Week

So, it's Wednesday already. Yaay. So, here's what I'll be doing for the rest of the week:

*Wednesday:
Nap Project: Getting out the Cricut to make pieces for a set of cards I'm doing for a swap (there will be pictures, but I won't be able to post them until my partner gets them - I don't do spoilers)
Nap Chores: Trash Day (pickup is Thursday AM)
Night Project: Working on the crochet dress I recently started - I scrapped the lacy dress in favor of this one. I'm liking it much better, though I've learned I really need to count my stitches.

*Thursday:
Nap Project: More working on the crochet dress (remember, I'm taking things one project at a time for a while so I can get my head back together
Nap Chores: Laundry (yuk!)
Night Project: Embroidering a recycled clothing bag for another swap (once again, pics will come but not until my partner sees it first!)

*Friday:
Nap Project: I'm going to sew! I just dusted off the sewing machine for the first time in ages last weekend and I'd like to get back in the habit. If the bag I'm working on is ready to have the lining sewn in, I'll do that. Otherwise, I'm going to finish the dress I started ages ago for the girls (yes, even if it doesn't fit anymore - I'll save it for the next person to have a girl) If there's still time, I'd like to start cutting out another dress from the rest of the fabric - in a bigger size this time!)
Nap Chores: Basement & Living Room (again!), make the grocery list
Night Project: I think I'll split my time between working on the cards some more and finishing that apron so I can finally post the pattern!

So, there it is. I feel a little better already.

Pardon Me While I Get My Head Together

A wonderful thing has happened recently. The kids are sleeping - and well! They all take a decent afternoon nap and go to bed at a reasonable hour - in their own beds! Crazy, huh? Well, this has opened up a fair chunk of what might be called "free time" for yours truly. And it has shown me how utterly incapable I am of putting myself to bed before midnight. Or staying on top of projects. Or not generally freaking out and not knowing what to do with myself when I don't have babies crawling all over me. Eep. So, in an effort to get all that under control and maybe even put this writing thing to good use, I'm coming up with a plan. Now, some of this magical free time will have to be sacrificed in the name of housekeeping and generally not letting things go to crap. But, for the rest of it, I think if I know ahead of time what I'm doing, then maybe I can just settle down and do it. And get to bed before midnight. So, pardon me while I spend some time getting my head together and enjoy watching me go slightly more nuts.

So, first things first - just how much time are we talking about? Well, in the afternoon, the kids nap for about two hours all together. A half hour of this usually gets eaten up in putting them down in the first place and sticking around to make sure everyone gets to sleep. So, an hour and a half. Let's shave off another half hour for stupid housecleaning. I could do more, but I really don't want to. The house isn't bad and I also get a fair bit of stuff done in the afternoon when everyone's up and playing. That leaves an hour in the afternoon for my crafty pursuits. I can use the sewing machine and the cricut in the afternoons - the house is naturally loud enough in the afternoons that these wouldn't disturb the kids upstairs. Bedtime is a bit different. I can reasonably get everyone down by ten, if not nine thirty. So, an hour - sometimes more. Friday nights I don't have to turn in early, so maybe even two hours there. But, I have to keep things quiet.

Now, for the division of projects. Probably the easiest thing to do is divide along type. Hrm - there's the knitting/crochet yarny goodness, I have some embroidery going right now, there's sewing to do, and of course paper craftiness. Paper craftiness and sewing are best done in the afternoon, and the quiet things (yarniness and embroidery) are best done at night. Now, Fridays I may delve into some paper craftiness just because I can. But that's neither here nor there.

Now, as for projects. This is where I tend to lose my mind a bit - what to work on in these bits of happy time. This goes for the housecleaning, too. If I don't already know what I'm doing, I tend to get a little crazy and try to do it all or I freak out and end up doing nothing. Yaay, schedule time. Let me work out a plan here, then I'll let you in on what I'm working on this week.

*Mondays:
Nap Project: Paper Craftiness
Nap Chores: Basement & Living Room (Toy Control)
Night Project: Yarny Goodness

*Tuesdays:
Nap Project: Sewing Machine Fun
Nap Chores: Kitchen Madness
Night Project: Embroidery

*Wednesdays:
Nap Project: Paaapperrrr (Cricut Day)
Nap Chores: Trash Day (pickup is Thursday AM)
Night Project: More Yarn (yay!)

*Thursdays:
Nap Project: Knit in the Afternoon! (I need something nice to make up for having to do laundry)
Nap Chores: Laundry (yuk!)
Night Project: Back to Embroidery

*Fridays:
Nap Project: More Sewing
Nap Chores: Basement & Living Room (again!), make the grocery list
Night Project: Leave this open for now - This can be my whatever's the most pressing issue/whatever I feel like working on most

Well, time to get to work, so I'll get back to this later and we'll talk about what I'm working on this week.

The Whole Picture

I feel like you're not getting the whole picture if I'm just talking about my knitting. I used to knit a lot more (and I'd like to again), but right now there's so much more going on in here than just knitting. So, I'd like to open my blog up to more than just knitting. I want to show you the things I've been making at the kitchen table. I want to talk about Crafty Night with the kids and show off my own beginning attempts at painting. I want to not feel like I'm cheating discussing my new-found love for crochet on my knitting blog.

And then I remind myself why I started doing this, and it had less to do with knitting and more to do with sharing. And I want you to see the whole picture, the whole me.

So, look forward to more than just knitting. I'm also going to play with formats until I find one that works for me. And, expect more of me stalking around my house with a camera - there's a lot to see in here (plus the kids are friggin' adorable) and I love pictures. Who knows? I could eventually work my way up to posting on a regular basis.

Until next time (which will be sooner than you think)

Eviebits