27 July 2011

...my kind of town -- but not today

So with the house empty, only a dog to tend to, I thought I would make a little jaunt down to Chicago for the day.  I had it all worked out with the pup for feeding and such.  My day bag was packed.  I was ready to go...save for the uncooperative weather.  We are getting the soaking rain the green things soooo needed.  It has made for a change of plans.  I had planned to have an inspiration day at the Art Institute, instead I've turned it into a "lets get this knitting pattern project going full steam".  Yes, after two years of talk, I'm finally producing something. 
Not that I've been at a complete standstill.  I know I've blogged many times about the "dear in the headlights" syndrome, probably to the point of causing anyone following this to just shake their head.  But that is my weakness.  Fear of success, fear of failure -- both ends of that scale affect how I attack a project.
I've designed an "identity" for my project.  Its to be called hübsch, the german word for pretty.  I thought I needed to combine my two of my loves -- the german culture/language and knitting.  They are the two things I think about to the point of obsession.  I have been messing about with a logo, setting up a FB page to introduce it and generate interest among peers, then attack the ravelry site (a step up from my own IT knowledge -- so that could take a bit more time, I'll be staring into those head lamps again...) and possibly etsy (...by that time, I'm thinking roadkill...).  I think though, that by blogging about it, it gives me some accountability, right? 
I have to get a grip on why I am doing this as well.  It will help me to keep things in perspective.  It is not capitalism or making a name for myself (although its always been a silly little dream)...its this innate drive to create stuff and then share it.  So many times I hear, "oh I wish I could knit..." "where did you get that pattern?" "can you make me one of those?"  I will be covering all those questions, comments and more with this project.  Plus it sort of feels good just to show it off. 

20 July 2011

...if only it were 100 degrees today

Yup, remember that dreamy wish you made way back in January?  Well, its taken a few months to come true, but today is your day! 
Holy smokes, is it ever warm out in Wisconsin!  Its forced me to stay in and finish that culling job I started with the files and paperwork I've accumulated all around my house.  But you know what, I think I've finally gotten through all the boxes and cabinets.  I'm probably far from done, but I am more at peace knowing that I have whittled it down to what appear to be the necessities at this time.  Now I can start going through each section one by one and organize it into something usable.  Like my ideas books and project boxes.  I really feel like I'm getting somewhere, and that if it doesn't get done before I leave this world, the people who are still here wont be embarrassed by what's here.
I'm more in a position to start working on notating patterns now.  I've found all my scratchings and musings about patterns I've designed and finished, hell I've even found the details like number of stitches to cast on and how many rows to knit, and where to decrease!  Magical...

11 July 2011

...the joys of culling

Well, I did not think I could ever do it, but I am now 90% through all my filing cabinets (and there were many) and I have probably TOSSED 90% of the papers I have been through.  Mind you, these are not the important household papers needed for taxes or insurance or investing.  These are files of things like projects, future projects, instruction manuals for various appliances, ideas for decorating, ideas for knitting, ideas for craft/beading projects, house cleaning tips (yes, there were articles about going through files on a regular basis in this folder!) and old school records for the kids.  The stuff in these files meant nothing to anyone else but me really, and they were scattered about the house in so many different filing systems that it was weighing me down greatly.  On a daily basis, I would think about what was in these files, how am I ever going to get to all these projects I've filed away, and how I would ever really find something I might actually need in all the unorganized chaos that was my filing system?  There were labeled boxes, file cabinets, desk top files, plastic storage containers, shoe boxes...I could go on...
But I've taken the big step to empty it all out, sort through it and get the files down to two small boxes.  Excepting one category of papers...I've yet to find a way to organize my "scrap-book" of knitting ideas.  I've got many manila folders and notebooks full of sketches, pictures and magazine clippings and I'm just not sure at this moment how I will organize it all to be useful.  Its a pile of lovely ideas that I am not ready to toss to the recycling bin just yet.  It is not as easy to decide between "keep" and "toss" as the other paper work was.  I want to put it in a large binder format -- that's my idea for now.  But there is so much I've collected that the prospect of doing this seems a bit overwhelming at the moment...
But I'll ride the wave of my success at parting with all the other papers that I've been able to part with and we will see where that takes me...