happy new year

ah - a new year. another chance for a fresh start & the freedom to make ridiculous claims of life improvement plans without the fear of sounding pathetic. Or maybe just sounding a little less pathetic! Either way - my posting these words here are a hint as to some of my life-improving-thoughts & lets just leave it at that for now, k?

not so much with the finishing...

so, i have been knitting for 10 years. (i mean "knitting-for-real" - i learned to knit about 28-ish years ago - but 10 years ago is when it stuck)  i hesitate to admit that, only because i have an idea about the number of knitted items that could have (and in my head - should have) come off my needles in the course of a decade(!).  the actual number of finished knitted things and this imaginary number aren't exactly in the same ballpark.  

there are lots of reasons why i don't do as much "finishing" as i'd like. (3 of those reasons call me mom).  but #1 on that list is all the starting i do!  the past week has been no different!  despite all of my enthusiasm and motivation to work on my "quilt-as-you-go-along" squares, i didn't.  instead i:

attempted to finish a baby sweater for a yet to be born little friend.  the labor and delivery is now finished & the little friend is here - the sweater - not so much.

bought tons of paper and a new papercutter to indulge/enable my little people's latest crafty pursuit...

made and stuffed the inner bag of a diy beanbag chair.  the little people cut up a queen-size memory foam mattress topper for the stuffing...

played with my brand new darning foot!  super fun, but not so pretty!(yet)

and while there was a little bit of quilt-square making, fabric cutting and buying that went on - these other projects all came first.  the reality of my life is that the making that i do must fit the day and the lives of those around me.  there are days that attacking a mattress pad with scissors is far more important than spending time at the sewing machine. and others when getting a few quick rows of knitting in between folding paper (and laundry) is the best i can do.  


so be it.

guilt-free

so, the yarnbrain blog weighed me down with guilt and had to go! all of those false starts, best-laid plans and optimistic "things-will-be-different-this-times" annoyed me. there is no room in my life for extra guilt (even on my best day i can lay down a guilt-list like it's my job!)

so after some quick name changes, blog exports and imports and new flickr connections - here we are again! a new guilt-free place to play!

as i go!

1st square, originally uploaded by jeegelouise.

i'm officially joining the quilt as you go along round 2! this is my first foray into the online 'along-phenom'. over the years there have been many knit-alongs i've thought about and i watch the virtual quilting bees with fascination...seriously - how cool is it to have other people make quilt squares for you! (i'm aware of the expectation that you in turn must make squares for other people and that's where i turn back) but since i've been collecting fabric for few months with this type of quilt in mind - i'm giving it a go!

it does seems utterly ridiculous to begin such a huge project when i have so little experience - but i can't fight the urge and the timing seems right! the problem will be in a few months (weeks?) when suddenly the timing seems very very wrong.  here's hoping some virtual accountability might keep that in check!!