I'm
struggling with focus when it comes to knitting, designing knits, and selling my handknits. I can't stop starting a project ... I'm currently working on 12 projects (and also have a wide swath of hibernating projects) ... see my ravelry page
Cloudheights to see some of my current projects:
 |
| Camber - Norah Gaughan |
 |
| Quoin - Norah Gaughan |
 |
| Strip Study - Veera Välimäki |
I love Norah Gaughan's Spring Collection
Norah Gaughan, Vol 14, which has so many creative top-down designs. Besides the pullover,
Camber, which I'm making in an Ultra Alpaca color Creamsicle, and
Quoin, which I'm making in a Remix color Buttercup, I also have yarn set aside to make the shawl
Chock, and the pullover,
Azimuth. I also have a project that I keep at work to knit on my lunch break called
Stripe Study. It's a really fun knit which is going quickly despite the lace weight; I'm using Malabrigo Lace in two colors of navy, light variegated and solid. So that's three out of my 12 current projects.
As far as designing goes, I do have a handful of ideas I'm working out. As soon as spring started I had a number of ideas for summer berets and concocted the following hat based on a vintage crochet design. I call it
Down To The Seaside based on a Joni Mitchell lyric from Song To A Seagull. I used Patons Classic Merino for my first attempt but it turned out to be a bit heavy with two sections of large bobbles and worsted weight wool. I ended up finding a nice lightweight DK wool/plant fiber blend called
CEY Verde Woodlands which I used on my second try. I used a smaller needle and a smaller bobble, actually a knot, that worked out to be much lighter and more appropriate for a summer tam.
You can find these hats at my Etsy page,
Cloud Heights Designs, but as I said, I'm also struggling with my Etsy site. I need more product but as I get sidelined with wanting to knit what I feel like knitting, I am not thinking about what my shop's focus should be, or what my brand is. Etsy is holding some workshops which I want to start watching, and I also want to finish reading the book my daughter bought me,
Craft, Inc., which is a great tutorial about turning a craft hobby into a business.
Focus is the main ingredient to working toward success and creative fulfillment and also deciding what I really want to do with my time. It's about doing what I love to do, being creative and creating objects that are of quality design and beautiful to look at and wear.
Here are a couple of more designs I have in the works: A Mesh Top made of organic cotton, and a utilitarian design of a Dust Mask, to help me deal with my allergies while cleaning!
Thanks for looking and reading, Sue
