It’s April May, and I thought I would review how my various projects are going.
1)The Fairy Queen coat: COMPLETED
This was a fun project, and the final result is pretty, and cozy. I wore it when we went out of town for a weekend. It is comfortable to wear, but a bit of a conundrum when I need to take it off: it’s too heavy to hang up and I don’t feel comfortable just leaving it in a pile somewhere. But it is perfect for spring days when I need a layer but don’t want to wear a coat or jacket. Plus, it is so very, very extra.
2) Bead crochet:
I haven’t tried this yet, as there are so many other things I’m doing. I may get to it later in the year, or maybe next year, it remains to be seen.
3) A doll inspired by our new adult group dance. I’ve made quite a bit of progress on this project. I love our dance and so do audiences and festival judges, so I was motivated to begin the doll. One good thing: the pattern I’m using seems to be creating a smaller doll that works up quickly, so that should leave time for all the details I am imagining.
4) Gift projects: Nothing major yet. Impulsively, I crocheted some “nests” for chocolate Easter eggs. They worked up in about 5 minutes. I filled some with chocolate and gave to co-workers and also made a couple nests for the girls’ egg hunt.
5) Sewing: plan altered. I found a large piece of free material so decided to use it to make a dress first. IN PROCESS. I expect this to be a learning experience, so I’m relaxed about it. A few points so far:
-People often comment that I must have a lot of patience to do handcrafts. This comment amuses me because I don’t need patience for things I enjoy, but for things I don’t. Having said that, my experience of sewing so far is that it requires a lot of patience, and I haven’t even started sewing yet.
- I bought a PDF pattern, and had to print 60 pages then piece them all together very carefully with tape , then cut out all the pieces. This took about two afternoons. I was also grateful for my yoga classes as I spent a lot of time on the floor squatting.
- after this paper craft was finally finished, of course I realized I didn’t have enough material after all for the long flowy skirt of the wrap dress pattern I chose. (I guess you can’t skip over the math part.) I decided to shorten the skirt panels by folding the paper patterns until they fit the piece of material. Not sure how long the skirt will be after this modification, but I’m guessing knee length or maybe slightly below.
Currently, most of the pieces for the dress (but not quite all) are cut and sitting on a pile on the ironing board. Not sure when I will finish the cutting and start the actual sewing, but I am most of the way there. Compared to yarn crafts, sewing seems to take a whole lot more prep and effort to even begin, but some of this is no doubt due to being a novice. Next time though, I think I will look for a pattern I don’t have to print and tape together, as that was a huge amount of work, though not unpleasant to do with a podcast playing.
6) However, a related task that I can check off is that I did indeed clean up and organize my sewing/yarn corner, confirmed the sewing machine is in working order, and finally bought a new ironing board cover. While my mind might contain a low level of chaos at all times, my supplies and working area need to be very tidy for any magic to happen.
7) Lunch prep is still going quite well, though staying ahead of the girls’ often randomly changing food preferences can be annoying. I also tried making shepherds pie, quite successfully. As a cook, I lean toward soups and casseroles: comfort food. I joke that I cook like it’s the 1950s or a funeral. Shepherds’ pie (inspired by a co-worker who brought her leftovers to work) is totally my style. I have also made some quite delicious fried rice a few times recently.
Something else I have been doing better lately is using leftovers, either prepared food or partially used ingredients.
8) The Divine Comedy: I have been finding it a bit of a slog and haven’t picked it up in a while. Wondering if an audio book might be better (though I do like all the pictures in my book.) I also can’t say I find it a particularly spiritual experience to read so far. It seems more about the author putting all the people he knows as well as historical figures and classical writers in their appropriate sections of Hell. This is an interesting project, and would be pretty spicy commentary for someone who was familiar with all these people. An updated version, featuring contemporary celebrities and politicians could be highly entertaining.
I also am aware of an online course on the Divine Comedy, which could help to make it accessible. (No doubt there are several, but I have listened to and enjoy Pageau/Rohlin’s work). It’s expensive though, and would also take time to go through, so I’m not sure, but maybe. I know the Bible (especially Old Testament) has been a lot more approachable and enjoyable when I listen with commentary (see here and here). I like to think I can just dive into things and figure them out, but the truth is my youthful literary education had plenty of gaps in it, and I can’t assume I have the background to access all these books.
9) Novels: I have not read any novels yet this year. I have come across various recommendations, but I’m not sure I will be able to track them down for when I actually want a novel to read. Maybe I should make a list somewhere.
10) Spending time with family members: hit and miss, could be better. Time very easily goes by without scheduling a visit. Plus other obligations, getting sick, all that stuff. Same comment with regards to getting inside a real church every now and then.
Anyway, now for emergent projects!
A) Working on a crocheted vest. Slightly obsessed with sweater vests lately, and not excited by the ones in stores. I found a good designer, and will likely make two of her patterns. But the current one is a brilliant sky blue, perfect for spring, and for working on the hour before going to sleep (often with a podcast on).
B) repairing things. Going to try shoe repair, and also a blouse that tore at work. More on this later, hopefully I can report success.
C) Spring wardrobe shopping. This might be more pampering myself than a goal, but the goal is to dress in a more interesting way every day. I have a habit of saving “nice” clothes for some hypothetical occasion, and dressing myself better in my imagination than I do in real life. I’m trying to actually live in what I own, and enjoy it. Plus, women have to reinvent themselves every five or ten years, at least I have observed that, and I am embracing the process deliberately.
D) Research on who/what to vote for: I completed TWO votes end of April, one of national significance and one of personal significance. I put the most effort into the personal one, and hope for the best in the national one. I’m not fond of political drama, and dread being pulled into it for any reason. But sometimes the drama finds me, though I avoid quite a bit of it by not engaging with the internet.
E) Digital fast (clearly not observing it during this writing). I participated in a sort of digital fast up till Easter. Basically I deleted my Substack app and limited time on messaging apps, because it seemed like these ones were the most tempting. There was some reduction in the time I spent online, but honestly not a huge amount. I observed that while the internet can waste my time, I also have an internal wish to waste time on occasion and if I am denied one outlet I will look for another. So if I’m not able to read my Substack feed I start googling fashion, for example.
But I do think that I benefited from not having my attention so fragmented, and I did make progress on craft projects, as above
F) (but not an F grade!) Yard work! On a particularly pleasant day of Easter weekend, I spent a solid afternoon doing physical work in the back yard. I had one goal, but ended up surpassing it, raking the whole yard and sweeping the patio. It was warm, thr birds were singing, and I was surprised how relaxed I felt, and even did not feel frustrated over the general shabbiness of our yard which persists despite any amount of labour. It really was joy in the process.
Summer seems just around the corner here, so more to come!
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