29 November 2013

In which I talk about refocusing, and show three projects in varying states of completion

It comes in fits and starts. I find myself bursting with ideas and beginnings and yarns and excitement, and somehow life cools me down, and four weeks later, I find myself looking about disappointedly, hardly having finished anything, still a little bit excited, but stagnant.

I need to give myself a break. I'm not going to instantly become someone who updates a blog on a regular basis. I'm not going to suddenly be completing patterns every month. My brain just doesn't respond to time constraints the way it did when I was still in school. Post every Friday? I'll find a reason not to. Get all the old patterns updated by the end of November? I'll find something more compelling to work on. It's good and grounding to live in the moment, right?

So, how can I make my working style work to my advantage?

I single out things I want to work on, things I want to change. I need to be focusing on the work and the process more than the deadlines, because, to be honest, I'm going to ignore the deadlines anyway. Less 'spend x amount of time on x task per week' and more 'how much time can you spend doing x task this week'?

I'm also trying to change the way I exist online. The passive-ness and endlessness of Facebook is getting to me. Blogging might be a resource in this change, or I might find myself using Twitter or Instagram more. Or just getting super into Ravelry!

So bear with me, because I'm still figuring this all out. What I can say for sure is that I have many exciting new patterns (as well as the less-interesting-but-seemingly-necessary-more-professional-republishing-of-old-patterns) and excitement and ideas to share. 

When, I don't know, but I'll share them as they come along.

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On a more physical and less ponderous note, here are three interesting things: 

  
(1) A finished shawl design! Due to the timing of the year, I'll probably focus more on getting wintery things out soon and this will likely be put off until spring begins its approach.


(2) An in-progress mitt design! This is the swatch. The first one has been made. Pattern and mate forthcoming.


(3) The first specimen in my new method of knitting organization. Commute socks! Always ready to be knit, not too complicated, and requiring minimal elbow movement to pacify my CTA neighbors.