After I wrote it down, I thought it would be nice to make one for myself. So I did, out of my very first official handspun yarn (my first “unofficial” handspun yarn was a series of silk hankies. )  This stuff is the first stuff I spun and plied. Sadly, I wasn’t particularly interested in much outside of “Look! I made yarn!” at that point, so all I can say about it was that it was a merino top, with sort of a maroon/wine/purple-y deal to it, spun somewhat haphazardly and plied together.  It sat on my shelf for a while (I thought it wanted to be a purse….I was wrong) until I pulled it out to make the scarf.

I have to say, as my first finished item of the year, I’m rather pleased:

Not only did it actually turn out ok at the point at which I said “ENOUGH!” (For the record, about 4 feet in.) But the pattern worked great with the yarn, and it goes really nicely with the shawl pin I bought as a gift but decided to keep when I realized it would hold swing-y pregnant sweaters closed.

There may have been an attempt at a hat version of the pattern to go with it, but I ran out of yarn, and the resulting hat I refuse to show, on the grounds that I look like a Shriner while wearing it. Instead, I may actually try my hand at it again, with some red yarn, because I got a red coat about 3 minutes after finishing my wine colored scarf. Red Coat + Wine Colored Scarf you would think would go together, but really don’t at all.

I’ve learned something  about myself recently: I really hate starting something, or working on something, when I don’t have the “perfect” tools.  I also frequently hold off on starting things when I don’t feel all the elements are in place to make it “perfect.” It’s annoying, and I never realized it was a procrastination tool until I thought long and hard about it.

Anyway, about a year and a half ago, I bought a spinning wheel from a friend.  It’s a good wheel, an Ashford Kiwi, unfinished.  It’s perfect to spin on for a beginner, and I have a high speed attachment for when I get to that point. (Which isn’t “when I get to that point, technically” but “When I get to the point where I remember where I put it”). I spun on it faithfully until I got too pregnant for words, and put it away until I could spin comfortably again after the boy was born.  Interestingly, between the time that I put the wheel away, and the time I got the wheel back out, I became obsessed with getting a new wheel. Totally obsessed.

I did some “research” (i.e., looked at the pretty pictures) and picked out a wheel, but financial surprises (we decided to redo the downstairs, etc) made me hesitate in buying it.  But I thought about it.  I looked at my Kiwi. I grumped (in my head) about my Kiwi.  I thought long and hard about the amazingly wonderful yarn I would make when I got this new wheel.  I thought about all the fiber I had in my stash that I would spin when I got the new wheel.  At no point did I decide to spin the fiber on the Kiwi.

Then, several months ago, I realized that I had this thing.  Call it a habit, call it a failing, I call it a tendancy toward perfection.  I like a clean journal. I would edit my letters before sending them to penpals in high school. I’d have to clean my craft room before knitting.  I’d….obsess over spinning wheels I didn’t yet have when I had a perfectly good wheel, which I still haven’t made full use of, sitting in my house.

So I pulled out the Kiwi, did some Google-fu, and started spinning again.  I’m not going to categorize every spinning post I write as “A Trip Around the Wheel,” but I’ve decided as I learn new techniques, and, er…take my wheel out for a spin (sorry), I’ll post a wee bit about it.  My goal is to learn something new about it every month, so that at the end of this year, when I do decide to get that new wheel (whether its the original one I wanted or not), I’ll know what I’m looking for.

The holidays are over, New Years is over….I’m actually looking forward to the next few weeks, as I can just get my own schedule back.  With a baby, just a few derivations from the norm can wreck havoc on a schedule – holidays are like one huge bomb in the schedule.  When I was younger, I used to say pretentious things like “I only make schedules so I can deviate from them,” but in all honestly, I love them now. (I do still like playing hooky, but its no fun when your life is all hooky, no schedule).

Anyway, I’m not really a resolution type person, but I was inspired by the post over at Craft Leftovers, and scrawled down three thing that I’ve been working on recently anyway in an attempt to give 2010 some direction. (2010: The Year We Figure Out How to Use a Map). Later that evening, Jason and I both mentioned that we wrote up some “resolutions” and shared them – and they were very similiar.  I figured I’d share them here, just to give a sense of what direction I’m going in this year.

• Less Digital, More Analog: This may seem wacky coming from someone who makes her living doing digital marketing, and who has several blogs and various social media profiles, but I have a very definite reason for this.  I consume a lot of digital media – I especially read a lot of blogs, websites and listen to a lot of podcasts.  I’ve found in the past six months or so, that I read a lot of blogs at the detriment to my own creative endeavors.  (I’ve also seen that I use reading blogs as a convenient substitute for actually being productive on a given day – I have the idea that I will read things that are inspiring and interesting, but in reality I tend to waste my time reading about Hollywood gossip).  I want to consume less “fluff” and put more into my digital endeavors.  That requires me to be a bit more analog – more time reading, creating and writing offline to help me put more in online.

• Body Awareness: I’ve had “lose weight” on my list since the Bean was born (and, ok, before), but instead of focusing just on losing weight, I want to make sure I’m listening to what I need – sleep, exercise, fresh air, food, etc – and do those things.  I also want to make sure I’m making good food for the family, and encouraging us, as a group, to move.

• Use what I have: I have this tendency when I’m either working on something, or stuck on something, or avoiding doing something, to think of what I don’t have, vs. what I do have. For example, I look up patterns to make out of my stash and find myself at Webs with $100 of yarn in my cart.  I (almost) took it to the extreme this summer when I was super close to buying a new spinning wheel.  I picked it out, I literally almost made the purchase, and then Jason asked me to wait. And so I did.  I looked back on it and realized I wasn’t using my current wheel at all – I was so focused on getting this new wheel.  Problem is, I don’t really know what the Kiwi can do.  This has inspired me to start a new series here focusing on my Kiwi, and what I do with it. My goal is to understand the wheel – technically – backwards and forwards, this year.  I also what to use what I have in my crafty endeavors.  It doesn’t mean I won’t buy anything for my creative projects, but I will try to use what I’ve got.

Holiday Open House @ 11005 E. Circle, Omaha, NE 68137  (View Map)
December 10th, 9 am – 8 pm
Stop in for cookies & coffee
Register to win a $100 gift certificate!

Right now, it looks like the weather is a-ok for tomorrow.  If its not, the open house will take place next Thursday! (At which time, you’d better make sure to get there early because I’m totally taking my mom so she can get holiday decorations for the lake house. It’s a big house, and we’re going to need a lot of stuff!)

Outside, morningtime.

We’re getting snow here in Nebrasaka – the first real snow of winter, though we had a wee bit of snow in October.  (I’m sorry, if it doesn’t stick, it doesn’t count).  Snow days don’t mean as much when:

1) You work from home

2) Neither you or your child is in school

However, I’ve decided to fully embrace the concept of a “snow day” (minus some work I have to get done) and do a few fun things.  I moved AJ’s bouncer down to the basement, made a fire, which is FINALLY getting going*, and am about to have some hot chocolate.  It just isn’t a snow day without hot chocolate.  If you’re interested in a do it yourself hot chocolate mix to embrace the snow day too, or you just want to pretend you’re having a snow day, here’s what I do (this makes one serving. Just double everything for more if needed):

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 dash chili powder (you can also use the cocoa/chili powder mix they’re selling now)

Whisk together while heating, pour in a cup.  If you have whipped cream, put some on top and then drop about ten grains of kosher salt on top.  Promise, the mix between the chocolate and the salt is fabulous….

I’m probably in the minority, but I love Mondays.  I also like fresh notebooks, new calendars and empty purses, so you may be able to see where I’m coming from. I also used to love the first day of school.  Monday’s have endless possibilities that you can just eat up.  I actually start to think of my goals for the week on Sunday night, and I enjoy writing down the things I want to get done.  But Mondays, especially Monday mornings, are fun because they have that air of possibility.

Each Monday, I like to make a list of the projects I want to work on that week – I put it in my little day planner.  I used to use a Franklin Covey planner, but then when I started freelancing, I realized that your standard FC planner wouldn’t work.  Using DIYPlanner.com, I hacked a little planner of my own. It has:

• Monthly page – for, duh, the month
• Weekly page – which lists, by project, the things I’m working on, and then also has a few open buckets for non-work stuff (family, crafting, things like that).
• Daily page – has my morning, afternoon and evening schedules.

But I digress. I have three crafty things I plan on doing this week. They are:

1) This sweater. I’ve just joined the sweater for the body, and I think it’ll be quick going from here.  The yarn is from another sweater that I ripped out because it look horrible on me.

2) This scarf. I made one a few years ago for a family Christmas swap, and everyone loved it.  I wrote out the pattern for a friend that is new to knitting and realized I needed to make one of my own!

3) Learning my wheel.  I’ve made a decision to make an effort to really get to know my spinning wheel before I buy a new one.  I’ll be writing about it as I move forward.

That’s it.  Three simple things.  Straightforward knitting, a little bit of learning, and a plan.

1 : conscious of benefit received
2 : expressive of thanks
3 : well pleased : glad

I’ve been through a lot of changes this year – among them, becoming a mom, going back to freelancing, and learning a lot about myself.  Since Jason and I decided that the traditional Thanksgiving AM tradition of the annual Belgian Society event – mass at 8 and breakfast until 11 or 12 – would be too long of a day for AJ, I spent a good portion of the morning thinking about the concept of thankfulness.  The definition above helped me hone some of my thoughts – specifically the part about being conscious of benefits received.

This time of year there’s a lot of focus on acknowledging and giving thanks for what we have – but how many of us recognize what we have?  This year, I’m determined to continue to look at what I have, make myself conscious of them, and be thankful for them.  One of the things I’ve always struggled with is the need for perfection – that is, everything has to be “just so” before I start something, or I think about something I’m lucky to have only to trot down the road of “What’s not good enough about it”-itis. Like so many people, I’m more conscious of what I don’t have than what I have. Because of that, I’ve written down the things I’m thankful for, and plan to think about them as often as I can – and catch myself if I drive down the road of “it’s not *perfect.*

So what’s on my list?

1. My family. I’m thankful that I get to wake up every day and see my son, and I’m extra thankful that I get to share him with my husband.

2. My job.  I’m thankful that I’m able to do what I do, do it at home, and do it on my own terms.  It can often stress me out, but I remember that the me from ten years ago would be THRILLED at what I’ve done.

3. My talents. I’m thankful that I’m spreading myself out a little bit more and honing my talents in areas that I’ve been scared of before.  I’m thankful that I am starting to figure out what I do well and what I don’t and start making my way to appreciating both.

So there you have it folks. The list that took me many days to write.

They are offering $10 off a purchase of $20 or more for November if you use the secret pass phrase “Omaha mom” at the register. (You don’t actually have to *BE* a mom, just say the phrase).  The outlet store is located at: 11005 E. Circle, Omaha, NE 68137 and is open Monday – Friday, 9 to 5. They are also open on Saturday, December 5th and 19th from 9am – 1 pm.  If they continue the phase in December, I’ll let you know.

They also have some deals on their website this weekend for those of you not in the area:

• Thursday, November 26th:         1 Day Only, 75% off Fall/Harvest items and 99 cent Shipping on any order $25+ (Fall and Harvest Items can be found here)
• Friday, November 27th:         1 Day Only; 50% off select holiday decor and 99 cent Shipping on any order $25+ (Holiday Decor can be found here.)
• Monday, November 30th:        40% Off any Order and 99 cent Shipping on any order $35+

If you ARE in Omaha, swing by the outlet store – they have some great deals (and tell them I sent you. :p)

So far, I’ve baked bread and frozen it**, made cassaroles and frozen them, cookies and browned a ton of hamburger and meatballs for use in the future.  I have a long way to go (I’ve yet to blanch veggies and freeze them, like my mom did) but I’ve found that even having pre-browned hamburger ready to go to make into *something* cuts my cooking time in half. Since I got used to having a full meal as a kid (sit down, with multiple side dishes & a salad) I do the same thing for me and Jason.  It’s funny, because had I done this when I was working in an actual office, I think life would have been a lot less stressful.

Right now I’m collecting recipes that work really well so if anyone has any feel free to pass them along. And please, remember I’m in my post baby diet phase, so keep it light.***

*However, there are some ladies out there who devote a whole day to cooking ahead. I myself am not that disciplined, and enjoy just doing it when I get bored or get an itch to cook. I just double whatever I make.

**The secret to freezing the bread? Wrap it up in several layers of foil and/or plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag. This is my favorite bread recipe.

***However, I totally have become addicted to this Mac and Cheese recipe from Southern Living. I use bacon instead of parma ham, and the thing to remember is that this recipe? Is evil.

Knitting – In the past, I would watch TV obsessively when I was knitting.  Seasons of TV on DVD went by as I knit – I watched all the Stargates, Lost, Farscape, Firefly, Buffy, Futurama, the Simpsons (hey, I’m a nerd).  I finished my Icarus shawl by watching all three extended editions Lord of the Rings DVDs, one after the other in two days (and now can’t think of one without the other). Often, there was a glass of wine by me, and sometimes some cheese.  Things have changed slowly, but now I find myself knitting while watching a baby, or knitting after the baby is asleep, so I’ve given up watching TV and started listening to audio books (helpful, because I’m plowing through the audio version of The Wheel of Time). I’ve switched to tea and don’t knit for the marathon hours that I used to, but I still listen to audio books or podcasts.  If I’m with people, its different, but I find I really prefer to knit by myself nowadays. I think because its time for me.

Spinning – Now here’s one where I HAVE to have TV on. Or at least, TV on the computer.  The only chairs in the house that are comfortable for me to spin in are the high ones in our kitchen, so I watch past episodes of stuff on the computer and wpin away. Once Hulu goes paid, I’m not sure WHAT I’ll do, but for the moment, there’s me, my wheel and Hulu.com or DVDs. I  remember the cabled yarn I made before, during and after being pregnant got me through MANY seasons of the XFiles. I’m not spinning as much these days, but when I do it’s video watching all the way.  I find this funny because I have to look at my hands *more* when spinning than knitting.

Sewing – Silence. Kitchen Table. No talking. I might mess up. Actually, just thinking about messing up might make me mess up.  Each time I get out the machine, it’s a toss up as to whether or not something lovely will come out of the time spent – or if the machine will turn into a smoking mess.

Writing – Again, silence.  I hate writing when there is noise around. Sometimes, I’ll even stop when someone comes in the room.  At the moment, the dog is next to me, breathing and that may be just a tad too loud.

Cooking – Cooking is a fine line to walk.  Too much noise (and for that matter, people and animals underfoot) drives me crazy and makes me throw everyone out of the kitchen, but I find that a good portion of things that are required for cooking (like, oh, mixing, cutting, and washing up) are really boring.  I love a good podcast, or even a good audiobook, but I still haven’t figured out the right decibel level to make me not go nuts.  Too low and I can’t hear over the stove or the sink, too loud and I kick everyone out of the way.

So what do you do when you make things? Listen to books, watch TV, sit in EXTREME silence (those of you with kids are laughing right now).  Do share!

So what do you do? How do you make things? Anything interesting that I might not have tried?