Create 365

I'm in awe of some of my arty friends, who are so productive and create such loveliness. Even some friends of mine who have been posting about what their naughty Christmas elves have been up to, complete with pictures.

Glancing through old posts, especially those from this time of year, I despair at myself; the same old aims pop up time and again. Lose weight, exercise more, earn some money, learn how to do all sorts of things, get everything sorted out, get a grip!

I spotted a post in which I talked about peyote stitch bezels around stones and the offending articles are still in the UFOs box, where I left them years ago when I couldn't decide how to create the bails. I had another look at them when a crafty friend came round for a cuppa and decided that I would not be able to get a pinch bail or even a jump ring into the beadwork, (because I didn't 'cheat' and use a strip of double-sided tape around the stone, so the beadwork is as tight as I could make it). Beaded bails it is, then.

With the turning of the year at Yule, and thinking about my recent creative impulse, I set a goal. I need to be more productive and to do a major de-stash, so I am going to make, create, renovate, repair, alter and complete 365 things.

I have an appalling record when it comes to personal goals, as they often dissolve and disappear within a month, displaced by important and urgent stuff or other interests. Given that I need to be smarter about the goal setting, I decided posting every day and having a photo of every object would be unfeasible and unsustainable, so I'll post periodically and keep a running total. Although 365 is one object a day, I probably won't complete one a day, but I shall have to try to produce more or less 30 things a month just to keep on track. If I run short of time I might start making lots of earrings (although that at least will help de-stash the beads and give me something to sell!).

I've a long list of crafty things I want to try, and have been saying for years that I should pick my art things up again.

Choreographies will count. Making/repairing elements of the garden will count. Making everyday meals will not count, nor will making a mess (something I can do with no effort at all!) I've also decided that blog posts won't count unless they are tutorials or patterns, but I do need to complete a lot of draft posts too.

So that's a major aim for the year, to bring things back into use and create lovely things. How do you think I'll do? Feel like joining me? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

A little pre-Christmas crafting

I'm having some sort of crafting hyperactive attention deficit, feeling compelled just to start something as the idea occurs to me. I've no idea why that is, but of course it's resulted in more WIPs than ever. The need to create some stock for a local Christmas Craft Market may be part of it; one of those opportunities which arise, to which I said 'Yes!' and then started to wonder whether I was up to doing it, when other stall holders seem so professional and focused (and don't just offer whatever has fallen out of their impulsive, compulsive crafting!).

Looking back over my books of design doodles and ideas, I realised there are so many which I haven't created. Why not? Lack of confidence, time, decision-making? Too much attachment to perfect outcomes? That needs to change.

For the past few years, I've been intending to experiment with some of the knit and crochet Christmas decorations so generously shared on Ravelry, and perhaps create one of my own. I made a couple of the 'pint-sized pines' and 'tiny trees' patterns and played with some little Fairisle pattern bags, which were unexpectedly time-consuming. Oh dear, my colourwork technique needs some work! I tinkered with making a mini-tree with purl-ridge swirls, but the decreases need some work to create an even shape. I also bought some tinsel yarn to try to make cork-bottle topper trees, and that seems to be working.

 

Clockwise from top left: Alpaca sweater, various little Christmassy things, including the swirly tree, Cup of Tea socks, Danube socks (still!) tinsel starting a bottle-topper tree, wavy Baktus scarf pending decisions about finishing the ends. There are other WIPs/UFOs elsewhere, too.

Another of the things in my ideas book was to make some gift tags out of old Christmas cards. I used to do this, but it was rather haphazard, just cutting around pictures so that they ended up all sizes and shapes, and using a standard hole-punch left a rather large hole. I thought I might offer packs of tags for sale, so they would need to look tidy. So I made a few cardboard templates and used a small hole punch with goldfingering as a tie. I think they look lovely and made 12 sets of a dozen tags for the craft fairs.

Finished sets of gift tags

I hope they'll sell; they may not, but it has given me some impetus to dive into my craft stash and be more productive. Tutorial (with a downloadable template, if I can work out how to do that) to come!