Do Other People Do This?

It started with a sweater pattern,  Bauxite by Samantha Stadter. (Love her stuff by the way!)  Liked the look of the piece, though with an eye to making it slightly less over-sized.

Then my brain had a suggestion; "What about making it sparkly?  We saw that Alux over at KnitPicks...it would make a lovely top for a holiday party!"   

Logic then chimes in; "We haven't been to a holiday party in at least five years.  We don't need a holiday party top."

But by then, it's too late, the outfit design is off and running.

A black velvet skirt would look lovely with the soft, sparkling alpaca!  After searching for just the right black velvet skirt ready made, fabric is ordered.  Before I check out, I realize the sweater is possibly a bit revealing in the back, I should find a camisole to go under it (like the designer suggests).  After much searching ready made items,I pop a yard of linen silk in the color closest to the yarn I've bought into the fabric.com cart, muttering to myself about having a pattern around here somewhere.

Oooh! I have Santa Jack earrings!  And red heels that match!  If you finish that Heads Will Roll shawl you would have a matching sparkling wrap.

Hmmm, needs green.  How about a vintage style hair snood?  Has to be just that right shade of green though.  I'll just head over to Potion Yarns and see what she has in stock.  That Forgeries of Jealousy is perfect!  And it's in a merino silk blend?  Perfect!

Oh goodness! I almost forgot.  What about stockings?  They should have sparkle too, but not be overly distracting.  H&M is the only place with any in stock right now, black and sparkles should work out nicely.

It took ten minutes for my brain to throw together the outfit.  It took an entire evening to find all the bits or the supplies to make them.

All the pieces finally arrive.  Fabric is washed.  I draft a full circle skirt pattern using measurements from the Mood calculator and dig out a rather old Vogue lingerie pattern, playing mix and match with pattern pieces to get the v-neck I want in front and in back.

The skirt and camisole are cut out, just awaiting sewing.  Yarn is wound and knitting is in progress, (though I am wondering if I can find a different lace chart for the snood, maybe I'll just roll with the original).

But the holiday party outfit that I am unlikely to need really is in progress.

It's a glorious combination of color, texture, and sparkle waiting to be completed.

This is how my brain works.  Entire projects, outfits, or other sorts of designs pop, ready to be made, into my head, despite (or perhaps in spite) of all other things already in progress.

This is why most surfaces in my house have some sort of project in progress on them, usually multiples. All still adored, randomly worked on for an entire day, then put down in favor of something else, though only temporarily.  Another idea will strike and I will have to write it down, draw it out or research supplies.  Possibly, I have everything at hand, then another thing will be started, smiled over, and completed at some undefined point in the future or in the next hour, depending on the item.

The one thing I cannot do is ignore the ideas. If I don't acknowledge them, the inspirations become distracting, popping into my thoughts when I should be doing laundry, worrying about what is for dinner or working on the thing that was causing the distraction yesterday.   Thus my piles of lists, notes and sketches for things to make is a collection that rivals my store of craft supplies bought to bring the ideas into reality.

This is my normal.  I know there have to be lots of others out there.  How do you deal with it? 

The Lamentations of a (Spoiled and) Easily Distracted Knitter

I have been knitting for the better part of fifteen years.  It became my primary craft choice almost immediately.  I have been buying yarn pretty much monthly...for fifteen years.  I tend to buy yarn specifically for certain patterns/projects.  What this really means, I have enough projects kitted up to knit without purchasing anything for the next five to ten years. 
I am also not a monogamous knitter.  On any given day there will likely be at least a dozen projects on the needles being semi-actively worked on.
Normally, this is not an issue.  I get teased a bit as I am constantly surrounded by a hill of works in progress, but that's about it.
For various reasons, I am having to curate my projects and projects in potentia down to something a bit more travel sized.  I have done this before without any problems. 
This time, however, the duration of the travel time is not definitive; could be a month, could be almost a year.  Cue my brain whimpering, "But what if I run out of yarn?!?!"
Which is why the "travel stash" has been whittled down to a solid years worth of projects (minus three shawls and a sweater likely to be finished in the next few weeks):

My brain knows that this amount of yarn is just impractical.  That square bin in the bottom photo?  It's an eleven inch cube(yarn is squishy and it has no lid).  Almost exclusively hand-dyed indie yarn.  My entire collection of Potion Yarns and Nerd Girl Yarns sit in that bin with some random Blue Moon Fiber Arts and (now) Verdant Gryphon.  That is an art collection made of yarn!  And while yes, it is "just stuff" I also really like the people who run those shops, so I get a bit emotionally attached to the yarn.  Some of the skeins were a limited edition, others discontinued.  Running out and buying another skein is not an option for most of them.

The question is rapidly becoming, "Do I have one bag big enough to cram all that yarn in?"
Then I can honestly say, "But it's only one bag."

Not knitting, more personal reminder

At first, you press forward as usual and think nothing of it.  New situation?  No problem.
Then the attention starts; negative and some a little too positive.  So, you dial yourself back. 
Clothing becomes a bit more standard, (it's fine, you have little kids anyway).  You retreat from conversation (most folks don't care to discuss plants, tarot cards, or the fact that you know all the lyrics to every song on (the original) Blue's Clues).
Socializing becomes awkward on a good day.
Twenty years later, you are pretty much a hermit; leaving the house only when necessary.
You have outwardly become the quiet, obedient spouse who is considered rather odd and tends to make people uncomfortable when they try and talk to you because awkward at best is your current normal.
Then, you realize the situation is shifting again. Your kids do their own things, clean up after themselves and cook dinner for you twice a week.
The structure and rules, (oh so many assumed and unspoken) your life has followed the last two decades are being phased out.  Change is in the air.
Your wardrobe has been steadily improving.  And while being social with anyone for longer than two minutes is still awkward, your sartorial choices help with conversation.
You've started writing again. The light bulb over your head clicks on as you remember all the different things you are able to do and make...and you can't exactly pinpoint when or why you stopped.
Conforming to what other expect you should be suddenly chafes terribly.
The urge to run down the street cackling with a comet tail of yarn and Halloween decorations is strong.
Instead, you will put out a few more holiday decorations, grinning and humming to yourself...probably making the neighbors uncomfortable. 
You feel more Morticia Addams and less awkward hermit.  Let's call it progress.

I finally finished something...and it's gray

Finally got one of the multiple gray items off my needles!  It's not blocked, there are still a few ends to weave in...and there are sparkly bits that need to be sewn on, but my twist on Julgran is done!

It feels like it took forever...so, maybe I shouldn't cast on two sweaters and a giant shawl in the same color at the same time.
Said shawl is now about two feet across a side.  Happily, I have made it to the final chart.  Sadly, said chart is patterned on every row and has beads.  It may take me awhile to finish.

The picture was taken over a week ago, as that is halfway through the fourth chart.  The pillow, for scale, is fifteen inches across.

Daughter has decided to try her hand at yarn dyeing.

Obviously using a color palette far more exciting than my own.  She has knit with her little samples successfully and my kitchen survived the process.  Wins all around I think.

Technically, these bits and bobs are for my Halloween costume...

I make no promises they won't be part of my wardrobe rotation year round.  The shoe clips are just standard hardware with faux raven skulls from Fire Mountain Gems glued on.  The skeletal cameo bowtie is from Historical Emporium.

Truthfully, right now most of my time has been spent doing things like cleaning out and reorganizing closets (woo) and doing the same for the garage (woo extra hoo).  There was the panicked purchase of a new electric kettle when the old one refused to boil water for my morning tea.  The bonus being that now my kitchen glows like an '80's restaurant when I put the kettle on!