Keeping Busy Craftily

A side effect of this week being busier was that I got less knitting done, but I’m pleased with what I’ve achieved through the week overall. I managed two squares last week but only one this week, the red, orange and yellow one. Annoyed by my failure with tension down the middle of it though. Last weeks were the blue rainbow and one of the blue squares. 14 squares does not a blanket make but 12 is roughly the size of Freddie’s blanket. I’m thinking that 4 times 16 might actually be not much less than a blanket and that maybe I won’t actually need 140 after all. Now I’ve got more colours, it looks less discordant to have so much together. I think it will need to have alternate plain colours to look okay but perhaps the rainbow effect will be okay. If not, I guess I’ll end up with more than one blanket! I’m edging each one with a crochet in inky black as I go. It has a strange sort of mourning ritual to it which I quite like but actually it will just make it easier to stitch them all together.

The costumes blogged below were definitely worthy of a creativity badge this week. They owe a lot more to my ex-stage manager days in that they are costume not clothing and a bit of a bodge (Billy Haynes, you’d be proud of me!) but I designed the cloaks myself and what they lack in seamstress-ness they make up for in wardrobe mistress-ness 😆 I really loved Maddy’s the most, as it is quite good but this photo of Fran is properly spooky!

I’m properly proud of this tree picture too, which is the first thing apart from my family tree that I like well enough to think I’d actually put it for sale and not be mortified.

I need to wait for some linen to come to back it and frame it for real but I’m pleased to feel my knack for at least making things look good has started to come back.

Lastly, I’m setting about NaNoWriMo which I last did in perhaps 2005 – we didn’t live here anyway, so it must be at least then. I think I had Josie, but I’m not absolutely sure. I’m making no promises to keep at it or to finish because November is such a hectic month for us and it is going to mean getting up early and trying to write a bit everyday then and catch up at weekends, but I need, badly, to write again and so this will at least be a prompt to try. I’m going to be so cheesed off if I die before I can say I’m a published writer and the only way to make that happen is to do it. The girls are giving it a go, so I need to do so as well, or I can’t really complain if they don’t keep at it.

What can I say? Yes, I’m diverting myself a lot but honestly it has to be better than crying.