Okay... So wow here we are at the end of December and I said I would update right around Thanksgiving. Well after a blizzard, sickness, more snow and then a death in the family, here I am again, finally.
Let me start with Merry Christmas!
I hope that the love of Jesus is warming your heart not just in this season, but all year long.
Time Management
This time of year is a great time to talk about time management, because there is so much to do and with the new year just around the corner it is time to start thinking about adding more good habits to your lifestyle.
When the children returned to public school, after being home schooled for two years, this fall I found myself with about 40 hours a week to fill. There is only so much cleaning and cooking to do in a day, so my fiber arts should get some more attention now, right?
I wasn't getting any more completed than before. I was actually overwhelmed by the amount of options I had to work on. I decided I needed a schedule. I made a daily schedule and broke the day into one hour blocks. There was time for designing each day, then dying, crocheting, knitting on a certain thing... I made a schedule for Monday and Wednesday and then Tuesday and Thursday. Fridays are special. I scheduled time to work on newer skills I have acquired and don't use often enough.
There was time too for Bible study, lunch of course and "free time". I did this excise and stuck closely to it as life allowed for a couple of weeks. I no longer do this schedule because it was just enough to get me motivated to see what I could really accomplish. I have completed more objects in the last 2 months this way than I did over the summer. My new skills are still mostly sitting, but I will get there.
Update
Right now I am trying to complete items so that I don't carry as many UFOs into next year as I had this year. More on those and that next time.
The Kool-Aid dye book is still moving along. I've started experimenting with the slow cooker and am having great results. The next challenge is to find a thickener for hand painting the fiber. The tech work is still getting almost daily time for the Seasons Collection.
I received an email from the editor of Spin-Off magazine in November and I have been hard at work on a new submission for the Summer 2016 issue. I spun and knitted the item in two weeks! I will block it tonight, but you will have to wait until late spring for a picture. Sorry.
YARNIT!
There is this wonderful tool, if you haven't heard of it yet, you are missing out! It is called the Yarnit. I now have two. Here is their website: theyarnit.com
This is the greatest invention. I use it for knitting, crocheting and spinning! It comes in many colors for both the dome and the base. It includes a strap that you can attach and walk while stitching. In spinning I use it for plying. I make a plying ball from which to ply and these guys hold them right where I need them for either wheel or spindle.
The first photo is my yarn in a plastic baggie, before Yarnit, and the second is my yarn in the Yarnit. It stays clean and safe inside the dome. I take my Yarnit everywhere and can't wait to get another! By the way they are American made.
Well that is all for this go around, there will be more pictures next time and lists. Until then stay warm and Merry Christmas!
