A Creative Funk – part 3

My final few unfinished projects… this is part 3/3. You can read part 1 here for some context and part 2 here for my other WIP’s.

WIP 5 – Mosaic work. During the very hot weeks in July/August here in the UK I really struggled. The whole upstairs of my house were uncomfortably hot. So I avoided being up there, which is usually where I sew and I was too warm to knit and handle yarn. I was even too hot to sit on my sofa. The kitchen/dining area was the coolest place at 24C. So I decided to do something creative in there. So sat at my kitchen table I decorated a plant pot for my friend in mosaics. I really enjoyed it, so much so I planned out anther little project. Then another, as I started really enjoying it and loving the distraction from the heat. I left it all my materials and tools out so I could come back to it. Which I have done in fits and starts. I had a rare afternoon and evening with absolutely no plans or commitments a couple of weeks ago and spend the majority of this time working on a larger mosaic.

Since that burst of enthusiasm I’ve had very little time to continue and now it lays there taunting me, unfinished. In fact all 4 pieces I started after my initial plant pot are unfinished. My side-track into mosaics was very welcome at the time. Though I also feel it took me away from other things and now other things are taking me away from this. Maybe I have just taken on too many different things. I plan to transfer all my mosaic stuff into my small craft room, so it will not taunt me. I could schedule a day in the future to complete the pieces I’ve started. Maybe even setting aside 2-3 hours every other week to spend time on them, which should hopefully make good steady progress.

BUT first I’ll have to tidy my craft room. It’s only a small space (the box bedroom, with kitchen cupboard storage). It too often become the dumping area for all sorts of stuff. Cluttering it with more stuff, without tidying will be a distraction and I’ll not enjoy my time in there. This is a time and practicality issue. When I’ve needed to tidy this space before and it’s felt like a big mission, I set myself 10-15 mins a day to work on it, it usually kick starts the whole task and I just get on with it, or as least I make a little progress each day.

WIP 6 – Stripy winter cardigan – years and years ago I was given a bag of chunky soft but acrylic yarn. I’d thought I’d make a blanket out of it at some point, hadn’t happened. I had also been thinking about making some sort of cosy house coat/cardigan (I really wished I had one during lockdown winter 2020/21). I bit like a dressing gown but for everyday wear around the house. It can get draughty in my house and when I’m in on my own during the day I rarely put the heating on. I’m often in multiple layers, woolly socks, jumper, shawl and mitts. So I thought I could combine all these in one stash busting project. So decided to make a wrap over long cardigan, with a shawl collar, snug cuffs with thumb holes to keep my paws warms.

I was so excited to start this last winter though as spring approached, knowing it wouldn’t be worn until the following autumn, I just stopped knitting it. It somehow felt inappropriate to be working on it as the weather was warming up. However we’re now edging ever closer to chillier seasons and I’ll be wanting to wear it soon and I’m nowhere near finished, and I haven’t touched it since. This is also due to it being impractical to take to knit club, as it’s on the bulky side. With so many balls of yarn involved it would be a bit of a mission to take along each week. I may have to set myself a challenge of a certain number of stripes per week just to get me started again and I may find I just get back into it. The first super cold day will definitely give me a kick up the bum, but Ideally I hope to have it done by then.

WIP 7 – Curtains – also one of my a Make Nine projects. This was my stroke of genius last year. My house can feel a little draughty in winter (as mentioned above). This seems to come from around my front door and despite closing the door to the lounge the cool air gets in. I’d entertained the idea of a draft excluder, but knew I’d find it annoying. So decided to make a thermally lined long curtain to keep the draft out and add some interest to my small hallway. It worked well (it worked well during the heat wave to keep the sun heat out too). However I hung the curtain without finishing then hem, so it could settle into place and I could figure out the correct length…. 7 months later it’s still unfinished. I also bought enough fabric to make matching curtains for the top of the stairs. Which I’ve not done either. Hemming the door curtain is just sheer laziness. I should just get on with it.

The curtains at the top of the stairs are a little different. I need to decide how I’m lining them. I had a random amount of thermal lining left (as you had to buy whole meters) but it didn’t occur to me at the time to thermally line the other set too. So I have been pondering since February whether to buy more thermal lining (to make the most of what I have left) or buy standard lining which will be easier. It’s silly really it’s just decision paralysis on something that shouldn’t require this much thought. However the with colder weather coming, it should make me get on with it. Also thermally lined curtain on in the draughtiest area should really be a no brainer especially with the rising cost of energy bills, so I’ll have to figure out how much more I need (and hope it’s in whole meters).

Reflection on my creative funk

This isn’t by any means ALL my unfinished projects, but all 7 are things I’ve started recently with good intentions, then just stopped and struggled to get motivated as I mentioned in part 1. However, although this rambly writing has felt a little self-indulgent and possibly no one cares, it has helped me get a few things in order in my mind, and I realised a few things too.

Recently when I’ve felt “not bothered” to work on a project I had in mind for that day, I think what I’ve actually been doing is giving myself a break. All too often in the past I have worked hard to meet self-imposed deadlines, to the point I’ve not enjoyed the process as much, or stayed up late or rushed. At the time it feels a little defeatist, when I’ve made time for something and then not done it. I think I need to be kinder to myself and “strike when the Iron is hot” so to speak. Work on project when I want to and not force it. This is perhaps a bit of a new concept for me. Crafting and in particular knitting has always been what’s got me through difficult times and relaxes me when I’m anxious, it’s comforting. So not wanting to do it when I was feeling down was actually quite disconcerting, but maybe I was subconsciously making things easier for myself….

I’m posting the state of all my WIP’s on Instagram and will update my progress there too.

Thanks for reading
Steph Xx