A little of this, a little of that

This was honestly the best photo I had

This big thing on my mind lately is this skirt I've been working on perfecting the design of. I've figured out the waistband, I think, and Now I've just got to decide which hem treatment I like best and settle on a limited palette for the pattern, as well as a definite length instead of the two I've been waffling between. See, my biggest issue has always been that I have so many ideas, it's hard for me to capture one and really polish it up into something worthwhile. Once I finish one thing, I'm ready to run off and start on the next thing, and the next, and the next. The only reason I don't have more UFOs is because I really put a lot of pressure on myself these last couple of years to make myself finish something for once before I'm "allowed" to move on. It's paid off in that I have more finished products to show for all  my work, but I wonder sometimes how that affects the quality of my work. Not noticeably to me, but would I notice? Isn't that just always the way?

I think this one might be my favorite

 At the same time, I wonder if that's a bit how it is for all creatives? All the artists and craftspeople I've known over the years have always had their hands in more than one cookie jar; it seems like we just can't help it. If we're not working on one thing, we're working on another. Maybe I'm asking too much of myself? Could it be that (shock and surprise!) it's a bit much to ask one individual to be naturally skilled at every part of the production process? Maybe it makes more sense to have one person who comes up with ideas and another to execute them and another to write them up reasonably and another to market them, and another to have great ideas for the photographs (a definite weakness of mine!) and so on? But that would certainly drive the cost per pattern up significantly, so I'm back to doing it all myself, at least for now.

Hmm, or maybe this one?

For now, I need to spend some time ruminating and deciding which elements I want where and how that would impact the overall design, and how I'd like the overall feel of the design to be, and on and on and on... I'm back to the problem of having too many ideas. Plus once that's done I need to get the test knitting organized, and I'm not so good at organizing. I do it all the time as a teacher, with both children and adults, but when it comes to getting volunteer adults together, especially to do something that benefits me, I'm always too timid, thinking to myself "well, I don't want to be too much of a bother, I'm sure they'll offer to do more if they're willing..." But of course, this is not how human nature works, so I'm always shooting myself in the foot a little bit. Guess I'll have to work on pulling out my teacher voice/attitude when it comes to promoting myself!

In addition to all that, my birthday was this weekend,so I got myself a little something. It's a skein of Merino Lace Light from Hikoo that I bought at my LYS. I don't often go because it's a bit of a journey to get to (local is a relative term, after all...) and in addition to the gas required to get there, all of the beautiful yarns are technically out of my budget, even though they are reasonably priced. But they had this 100 gram skein for just $17, which I think is pretty reasonable for such a pretty 2-ply lace weight yarn. The cake is small, but incredibly dense. I'm thinking of making a lace scarf or possibly a hat. Or a shawlette or capelet? It's so hard to choose. I think I'll go to the library tomorrow and borrow the (singular) stitch dictionary and thumb through it. If more than one thing strikes me, I'll take it home and do some swatching. I do love the beginning of new things...

Let's try something new - Motivational Mondays

Hey guys. I've been trying to come up with ways I can keep on schedule, and I think a prompt is a good way to make sure I have a coherent post each week, instead of subjecting you to my rambling. (I'm an expert rambler ;D) So let's give this a try.

This was a quote someone handed me on a college campus a little while ago, and it stuck with me. It was handwritten on a business card (the other side was to the campus mental health services) and there was no attribution, so I imagine the girl handing them out came up with the sentence, and it just.. really stuck with me. I could totally relate to this quote.
Everyone has something in them that sparkles; something they're good at, or something or someone they love that just makes their whole being shine. But there are a lot of people out there who dull your sparkle, whether they mean to or not. Anyone who's ever been mocked for a hobby ("knitting is for grannies," anyone?) or affiliation or their appearance or really anything knows the sting of someone dulling their sparkle. It's hurtful and can really make you feel like a dull piece of nothing, not worth anyone's time or attention. But you're not. You're a beautiful, sparkling, shining, wondrous thing, and anyone who can't see it isn't worth your time. This week, try to focus on all that's good and wonderful in you. Hold fast to the sparkling things that make you you. And don't let anyone dull your sparkle.

Bunny Hat Update

The Bunny Hat(Ravelry Link) started life as a newborn hat that I made when I first started getting baby fever. I never did end up getting my daughter into one, but a lot of that had to do with how much she hated hats as a young baby.

However, as a preschooler, she loves dress up, and the idea of this hat came back to me. How cute would it be to see her in this hat now? Very, I decided, and since I was already doing the math to size it up for her now, how much harder could it be to figure out all the math for all the sizes? Turns out, not very, much to my pleasure. It is a pretty simple hat, after all. So, this is now available for sale in sizes micro-preemie (about a 5" head circumference, and with an open top in case your baby needs wires or tubing access) all the way up to a 24" circumference, which should fit the average teen or adult. Get it while it's hot!