So it’s maybe been a while…

I looked at my last post date. It was in September. So what’s so freaking important that I haven’t posted since September? Well, I got a job. It’s not, like, saving the world or anything, but it suits me. In fact, I come up with new reasons it suits me more every day. I work three days a week, which is exactly the right amount for me right now. The Viv is in preschool, so I might pick up another day next year when she starts kindergarten. 

My New Year’s resolution was to stay off the computer so that I might be more product. So far I’m failing at that pretty miserably. It’s a work in progress. I picked my word for 2013. It’s Persevere. Why? I feel like I’m really on the right track on a lot of things, but I’m not there yet, so it’s a reminder to stay the course and not give up. My word for 2012, for the record, was leap. I thought it appropriate for a leap year, plus it was an encouragement to take risks and put myself out there.

While trying to get my feet under me with my new job and balancing housework, four kids and their activities, and my husband and his activities (he also started a new job as a high school band director, which is no small time commitment), basically all of my hobbies got dropped. I have a crocheting project that’s a massive WIP. I work on it in the car when I’m waiting for the bus or soccer practice to end. It’s a huge granny stripe afghan, which will hopefully be keeping us warm by 2015. At the rate I’m going, that’s a little optimistic.

I’ve taken only a very few photos lately – the obligatory Christmas shots and a rainbow on Monday. 

I’m feeling kind of down about that, but I’ve been coming to a bit of peace about that. I’m just not sure I am capable of being a professional photographer. I don’t really doubt my photography skills (well, sometimes), but I am not naturally a people person and I’m very shy about talking about my business. So I think I’m closing shop and taking photos for friends and family for fun again. I’m not sure yet how I feel about this in the long term, but for right now, I think this is the right thing.

I haven’t knit anything lately, but I did buy some yarn today to make a gift for my sister. I found this yarn that makes a cute scarf. I got it in a variegated purple and hopefully I can finish it in time for my sister to wear it this weekend for the Ravens game. She’s a major fan. Me, I like the Ravens – they’re my hometown team and I have a strong sense of place. Her? She freaking LOVES the Ravens.

What do I do?

What do I do? Whatever I'm in the mood for. Sometimes I obsessively take pictures, sometimes I bake more goodies than is good for me, sometimes I digiscrap - and who knows what else? Something new and shiny is always catching my eye. I think my actual hobby is finding new hobbies.

Somewhat improved...

I'm doing a little better facing things and cleaning and doing what needs to be done. I still sort of have my head in a little bit of sand but it's getting there.

I'm having a lot of fun digital scrapbooking right now. I've been trying to get into it for two years but my computer was too slow. I finally upgraded my RAM (which was fun in itself) and have been doing mostly quickpages with my photos in them since Christmas. I've started branching out and challenging myself to at least use pre-made templates that I put my own papers and things into. It's been good. I've had to catch up on my boy's pages since everything I'm drawn to has a funky retro floral look to it.

Do I really need another hobby?

Well, duh. Of course I do. Except this one isn't quite the same. I'm working on digital scrapbooking. I think it's something that I will genuinely love once I get the hang of it. I love paper scrapbooking, except for the mess of it and having to get out all my supplies and...okay, fine. I just love paper. And photography. So it seemed like the thing to do. But I can do it all on the computer, which is another of my loves (especially now that I installed new RAM and can actually run the program I wanted to use to digital scrapbook all along.)

So I might be getting rid of most of my paper supplies. And it doesn't freak me out like it used to. I haven't actually scrapped with paper in over a year. Seriously. The idea of giving up some of my favorite papers (that I loved too much to actually cut up anyway) makes me sad, but I'm thinking of framing them and hanging them as artwork. That way I get to love them AND not cut them up.

In other hobbies, sewing's in, knitting's out. I mean, not permanently. Just for Christmas. I'm still working on the rag quilts. Almost done. Except for the endless snipping to make the rag part. That's sort of tedious. I miss knitting, though, so I think it will be back in after Christmas.

The things that make me happy...

I was just walking around the farm (um, yeah, we're moving to DH's family's farm, did I mention that? The move is in progress) the other day thinking, gosh, it's been a while since I've had a good computer virus to chase down. Not that I want anyone to purposely get a virus on their computer, but you know, if one should appear and I could eliminate it, that would really be nice.

And then Tom comes up to me and says oh by the way, the computer's really messed up. Stuff's popping up all over the place. I was way too excited about it. But really, it's true. It really makes me happy to fix a virus (a term I'm using to represent any badness that affects one's computer). So I got to spend an hour or so last night taking care of the latest. I'm pretty sure this need to fix the computer myself says something about me. I get obsessed with finding whatever's wrong and really don't rest until I get it just right.

Yes, as my brother-in-law would tell me, I could just switch to Mac and then I wouldn't have this problem. But I like PC's. I really do. I have switched to Firefox, though, and I love it. No pop-ups and the whole tabbed browsing thing - which really works for me.

Happy Ash Wednesday...

So Lent has officially begun and I'm starting on my destash/no new stuff. So far, so good. Although I did go to Wal-Mart for the first time in months and they have beads! But no, I was good. I even resisted the last minute trip yesterday to get some blue cotton for a baby sweater - you know, in case I'm having a boy. Three ultrasounds say girl, but all were more of the "we don't see anything sticking out so we'll guess girl" variety rather than "hey, that there is a girl!" like we had with Miss G and Miss S. I did get some pretty variegated pink yarn for a little sweater.

Why is that I was all set with a name for our baby, boy or girl, before the ultrasound, but now that I've heard it's a girl, I'm completely changing my mind. I don't even know where to begin. I'm sure we'll come up with something - we have four whole months, but I'm feeling clueless.

Preparing for my Lenten destash...

Last year for Lent (despite being one of the least observant Catholics I know), I gave up buying craft supplies of any sort. It kind of worked for me. I came up with new ideas, saved a lot of money (sort of - the post Easter spree I went on probably made up for the savings).

I'm vowing to do the same thing again this year, but a step up even. I'm going to make an effort to use up my stash. Stashes. One per hobby, since I don't seem to be able to resist creating a stash. Mainly that's because I find nothing more frustrating than getting inspired to create something and having to wait until I can get to a craft store. I have such a large yarn stash that I could probably knit through the end of the year, at least, without running out. I'm a pretty slow knitter, but I have a ton of yarn. Not even including the really horrible acrylics that I've donated to my kids' craft box.

That doesn't even take into account my fabric stash. Or my scrapbooking stash. Or my half-started random project stash. Or my newly growing bead stash.

Since Lent begins in two weeks, I'm writing lists and figuring out if I need to up my stash to make it through my self-imposed hiatus from buying. Because how else is one supposed to go two months without buying new craft supplies?

Like I need a hole in the head...

Yeah, that's how much I need another hobby. Seriously. But I got all these gift cards to the craft store for Christmas. So I gave in to the hobby that's been teasing and tempting me for about a year. I started making beaded jewelry. I'm not sure I love it, but it's a fun new thing to do for now. I bought a kit to learn the basics and see if I was even interested in going any further with it. I made the pieces in the kit and now I'm kind of hooked.

I was a little...concerned that DH would freak out at the idea of my taking on yet another hobby, but he was surprisingly supportive (good damned thing, considering how supportive I am of his toy-collection obsession). He likes it when I wear jewelry and I like wearing the things I've made, so we both win.

And can I just take a minute to talk about how much I love that a two-loss team won the National Championship? All you BCS idiots who want to talk about how we don't need a playoff can blow it out your ears. We NEED a playoff. Never has this been more clear. I've finally figured out (and once I did, I'm not sure why it took me so long) why the conferences are fighting it so hard - they stand to lose a lot of money. With the exception of the national championship game, all those top (high-dollar) bowls have conference tie-ins. So my suggestion that the top tier bowls become the semi-finals puts a lot of conferences at risk of losing a lot of money. Somehow, I'm sure it all comes down to money in some variation.

Like trying to figure out what to have for dinner...

"What do you want to have for dinner?"
"I don't know. What do you want to have?"
"I don't know. What are you in the mood for?"

That's how my kids have been about their Halloween costumes. Completely indecisive. Miss G says something different every single time someone asks her. Miss S is still easy. She just says she's a "frincess." That we can do. I even have a ready-made Cinderella from when Miss G was that age. Perfect. Mr. T wants to be Spiderman. But without the mask. He hates having things on his head, always has. Of course, there's still 29 days for them to all change their minds.

This is why I'm not sewing costumes this year. I did two years ago and they turned out very nicely. But in the long run, I may be crafty, but I'm also pretty pragmatic. Sometimes buying off the rack, while cheap-looking, is just more cost and time effective. If I can't find T H E dream costume, then we can talk making one (like two years ago, I couldn't find Belle for Miss G). But if it's made on a shelf for a reasonable price, I'm probably gonna buy it. Same goes for curtains, clothing, etc. I only make what I can't find elsewhere, which does happen since I tend to get these artistic visions in my head that I can't always find in real life.

So what's everyone actually going to be? Ask me on October 30.

The Anti-Craft Craftster

I do a lot of hobbies that would be considered by some to be - and there's just no other word for it - crafty. That word makes me cringe. I'm NOT crafty. I just like to knit. And crochet. And sew. And make stuff. That does not make me...crafty. Ugh. I think it's because of years spent with my mother attending craft shows have burned into my mind that crafts=country. And I'm SOOOO not country. I'm retro, I'm modern, I'm classic, but I am NOT country. Which is why I don't do much knitting (etc.) for the house. It almost always reads as country. Even a crocheted afghan has to work hard not to be hokey and country. The only stuff I would (ugh) craft for the house would be retro kitschy - you know, aware that it's hokey.

I suppose I should say that I mean no offense to fans of the country look. It's just not for me. At all. I doubt my retro-vintage-modern eclectic look would suit you either. Different strokes and all that. That's fine. So why do I still have to stop myself from screaming "I'm NOT crafty!" whenever I hear someone tell me I am? Too many years spent at those craft shows, I guess. I recently went to one with my mother-in-law and nothing has changed in all the years since my mom stopped selling at them.

I hereby resolve to work on my preconceived notions of crafty. I will endeavor to find the good in being a craftster. So help me, DIY Network.

Somebody stop me!

I'm totally in love with felting. Check out this freaking adorable bag I knitted in - this is the best part - ONE DAY!

Pre-felting:


Post-felting:


It's small, but cute. I think I'm going to give it to my cousin for her birthday. She'll be four. The same age as my middle child. I have a cousin who is younger than two of my kids. A first cousin. My family's weird like that. My uncle is only nine years older than me.

But what I really wanted to write/talk about was my obsessions. I get like this. And it worries me. Right now it's knitting (and felting the knitted item). I latch onto something new and it consumes me until I get sick of it and then I never touch it again. I have loads of crochet stuff in my basement that I haven't touched (except to revisit it from a knitting standpoint) in a year or more. And sewing stuff, from back when I was obsessed with sewing. And scrapbooking stuff from when I was obsessed with that. Now scrapbooking and sewing are still things I like to do, just not as often as my original obsessive phase had me doing it.

So this worries me about photography. I'm exploring taking my photography to the next level and then I can't get un-obsessed. But as I told Tom last night, I think there's just so much to learn about photography that I'll just never learn it all and that in itself will keep me interested. For those other things, at least in part, it's the challenge of learning something new. I rarely make the same recipe twice, having conquered it once. If I don't get it right, I will make it all the time until I get it the way I want. And then never make it again.