Maybe just one more…?

Despite having many MANY projects on the go, I couldn’t quite resist picking up just one more.

I can’t recall how I first discovered Awesome Pattern Studio. I think a friend may have done one of the cityscape designs, or the local yarn shop posted about their stock of different designs, or maybe I came across them when perusing various online craft shops. However it may be, I have always liked the designs and found myself tempted despite never having done cross stitch before (except perhaps a small kit when I was a child). I’ve always told myself I really don’t need to start another craft, and just enjoyed looking at the designs online.

A few weeks ago, I was thinking about things to keep the boys occupied at home and the local yarn shop posted about kids craft kits. We’d all just enjoyed watching the Sewing Bee, and Pumpkin was doing a little sewing project as part of his schoolwork, so I thought they might enjoy a little cross stitch kit each. I enquired with the shop, but sadly the designs the boys had chosen were no longer available, so I abandoned the idea. Only, I found myself coming back to it again and the boys were still keen, so we looked on Etsy for something similar. They ended up choosing the Drama Llama and the Snuggle Monster cat designs from Ellbie co.

So since they were getting lovely cross stitch kits, I figured it was only right that I have a project to work alongside them so I could learn too and be on hand to help them should they need it.

Helllooooo Awesome Pattern Studio!

The kits arrived and I spent a few hours quizzing my cross-stitching friend for tips, and perusing ‘FlossTube’ (apparently that’s a thing for cross stitchers on YouTube!) to learn how to get started and then together we jumped right in.

The boys kits are quite advanced for them – I didn’t realise til we unpacked them that they’re suggested for 14+ – but both of them seem to have got the hang of reading the pattern and making the stitches, so I think they’ll be fine as long as they keep working on them.

And mine? I absolutely love it. It’s easy to pick up and put down, but kind of addictive too. I can just do a few stitches, or sit for hours! It’s got a pull to it because I’m enjoying seeing the shapes emerge and the way the colours play together, and it’s weirdly soothing and meditative, which is exactly the kind of project I need right now.

Pick a project!

Knitting a baby blanket at the start of lockdown was great as it really gave me something to focus on and keep me emotionally and mentally level. Since then, my creativity has been all over the place as I’ve struggled to focus on any one thing for very long. That’s not to say I haven’t been creative, it’s just that it’s been channelled in so many different directions that I don’t have much in the way of anything finished to show for it.

We’ve made some progress with our study, which we’ve been working on for about 3 years now! Mr Jack is using it full time for work now, but at least he has a good desk to use. We’ve also put up a bookcase in there which is intended to house as much of my crafty stuff as possible, sewing machines, fabric, notions, yarn, knitting and anything else you can think of.

Speaking of sewing, the boys and I enjoyed watching the Sewing Bee together this year, and as a result I’ve started following more sewists on Instagram, and discovered The Fold line website and its related Facebook group which is such a helpful resource.

I have lots of fabric lined up for various projects which have never quite made it to the cutting board. I’m hoping I might work my way through a few of them, but it’s hard to find the space to lay everything out when everyone needs the table for school work and activities and family meal times.

I have managed to produce a pair of Hudson pants which, while far from perfect (they may yet make their way back to the sewing machine for some alterations) have been a welcome addition to my lockdown wardrobe. Next up will be an Ogden cami using a black and green rayon challis.

I have of course also made a few face masks, but need to churn out a few more now that they’ve been made compulsory in shops here from next week.

I’ve enjoyed watching a few gentle TV programmes, including The Repair Shop where professional craftspeople lovingly restore precious family heirlooms and items of sentimental value to their owners. And I’ve taken inspiration from Your Home Made Perfect, where two architects use virtual reality to showcase their designs for the remodelling of people’s homes.

I’ve been learning how to use SketchUp, a computer aided design programme, which will be useful to me for my job, but has proved brilliant for helping me redesign my living room, for which I’ve had ideas rumbling round my head for a couple of years now, but have previously been unable to pin down to a coherent overall plan. It’ll be another long term project to get it all done, but we’ve already started working on it.

Then there’s the kitchen. We’re not making any drastic changes, just adding in one new drawer unit and moving an under-counter shelf unit around, but it’s been anything but straightforward to do. Why is it that the jobs you think will be easy almost never are!?

There’s been homeschooling and school related projects, growing veggies, planning woodworking projects, (I miss work and power tools!) and Pumpkin is desperate to build a go kart.

Amongst all of these, and other projects I have still been knitting, very slowly, a pair of socks for Pumpkin, the pattern for which had been in my Ravelry queue for several years. This week I finally cast them off, completed the detailing and sewed all the ends in. It does feel good to finish something!