You know that it's been too long since you've posted when readers start to e-mail you and ask if everything is all right, or if your blog is defunct. Thanks for your concern, really. All is well. Just busy. There are many things keeping me occupied of late, but most of the busy-ness concerns the issue houses, or homes, as it were.
We (and by this royal pronouncement, I really mean Special K) decided to renovate our downstairs bathroom. There was nothing wrong with it, really. He just wanted to tear it apart and re-do it, I guess we all can't find fulfillment in quilting.
I didn't have that much to do with this whole process. I did help pick out sink fixtures, and as any designer will tell you, that really is the most important part of the process (I have no idea, I am making that up, but it sounds about right).
Shortly after the bathroom was completely done, We (please to note royal pronouncement and above disclaimer) decided that We should get a new house three towns away. So we put an offer on a house and then put our house, the one we are currently living in, with the new sink fixtures, on the market. And then We started packing out our house to stage it.
My home has been turned upside down. I can't find anything. My books are organized in such a way that while they look pretty, finding anything is impossible (I might have broken out in hives as the real estate agent gleefully started assaulting my books). And my craft studio is so organized that it isn't even useful to me at this point (if you live in organized chaos, this makes perfect sense to you, if you don't well, use your imagination). This is a problem, because Halloween is around the corner and I have to make things...and I can not find scissors.
But there has been no navel gazing. I have actually completed quite a few projects. And I will start telling you about them next week. But for now, I need to find a another new home. Not for me, for some yarn.
I celebrated a blog anniversary at the end of August, it was a quiet internal celebration of self-reflection, ahem. In any case, this blog turned 4, and better to celebrate late than never. I have two skeins of yarn. One is novamade (hey, that's me!) handspun(worsted weight, about 100 yards in pinks, oranges and yellows--the fiber is New Zealand Perrendale) and the other is a fingering weight merino/cashmere blend from the Knittery (I bought this a while ago when the seller was in Australia and sold hand-dyed yarn) in the Orchid color way. To get a shot to win the two skeins, you just need to tell me what major things are going on in your life right now that might be hindering your crafty pursuits. Just leave a comment on this post by noon (EST) October 15th. We will either do the random number generator or one of my kids will pull the name out of a hat or something, they seem to be into that sort of thing right now.
Oh wow a new house! that's huge! I live in organized chaos and don't know what i'd do if someone else organized my space. (or forced me to organize it)
At the moment the major thing going on in my life that is hindering my crafty pursuits is a relationship-related something that hasn't been decided yet but has nevertheless caused me stress and sadness and worry. And I seem to keep finding myself sitting with knitting on my lap staring into space. Which surprisingly isn't doing anything to finish the yoke of my sweater.
So... that was a downer. Yay pretty yarn!! Yay new house for you!!
Posted by: Lori | October 08, 2010 at 05:54 PM
love these pictures. hmmm, what has been hindering my crafting? reading for my comprehensive exams, my landlord mentioning that he might sell my building...i need to make more time for knitting and spinning -- keeps me calm. plans to do more of it this weekend, at least! good luck with your house!
Posted by: barefoot rooster | October 08, 2010 at 06:06 PM
My house has been torn up like yours. We have been repainting a living room and reorganizing it to make it a "little less cluttered." The furniture from the living room ended up in the room where my yarn stash is housed thereby making it almost impossible to get to my stash. We are now finished and moved back in so I can begin to knit once again.
Posted by: Ronnie | October 08, 2010 at 06:08 PM
Grad school has definitely put a kink in my knitting. All this work to do! So much guilt! Such a flexible timetable, and yet no time! I think I need to get off this train and knit.
Posted by: Elizabeth | October 08, 2010 at 06:20 PM
Congrats on your decision! We recently moved as well : )
I have end of year exams coming up in less than a month as well as the fact we are bringing a new pup home from the pound! I'm having trouble finding time to knit up these three birthday gifts for early November and study, let alone the pup!!
Posted by: Maya | October 08, 2010 at 06:21 PM
Good luck with the house selling and purchasing!
Taking care of a little baby certainly hindering any kind of crafting/blogging about crafting/etc. But I love him so much I'll forgive him that!
Posted by: Valerie | October 08, 2010 at 06:24 PM
My crafty pursuits are hindered by the fact that I just moved to a new town and started a new job, I am living in my aunt's guest room, I have no craft room, and I am under constant relationship stress with my boyfriend, who is in medical school 10 hours away from me.
It's enough to make a girl take up something easy, like watching television.
I hope that your house sells easily!
Posted by: Hannahbelle | October 08, 2010 at 06:24 PM
1. Five people in a 2.5 room apartment with no dedicated craft space (not even a closet).
2. One of those five people is teething and might start walking any minute.
3. I am lazy.
And that's about it.
Posted by: Annika | October 08, 2010 at 07:03 PM
ok, that handspun is just too beautiful not to comment!
what's hindering my craftiness at the moment? let's see... well, i'm hunting for tenure-track faculty positions. i'm trying not to stress about how my fiance and i are going to both pursue careers in academic science... in the same field. i'm planning a wedding. i'm training for an endurance mtn bike race (which i have no business riding in). i'm dealing with a dear old car that just blew its head gasket. i'm fretting over a dear old dog that insists upon eating things like sponges and fiberglass - and is sick. again. so... my yarn isn't quite getting the attention it deserves! (but, i think moving houses is harder than all of that put together - good luck!)
Posted by: Robby | October 08, 2010 at 07:30 PM
Well, writing a knitting book and publishing it myself has left me with very little knitting time as of late. But I'm having a ball, nonetheless! Good luck with moving!
Posted by: Mandy | October 08, 2010 at 07:58 PM
My crafting is being seriously hindered by the exact same reasons as yours is! We are attempting to sell our house and find a new one at the same time. With a 17 month old. Super fun! Oh, and I'm pregnant so all I want to do is craft for the new babe! Also, is that a Tokyo Subway Map quilt I spot in one of the photos? Whatever it is, it looks delicious.
Posted by: Heather | October 08, 2010 at 08:02 PM
Is it OK if I think this contest is a little bit ironic? :) Nevertheless, I am glad things are well with you. Right now I have no time to craft because I am typing really weird math homeworks (and taking the corresponding classes) because I am unemployed! Also because we are going away to a wedding for a week, and also doing the renovate a bathroom then sell the house type of thing. Good luck selling your house!! Also, have we seen that green quilt with the colorful stripey things on it before? Because, it is spectacular!
Posted by: Bex | October 08, 2010 at 08:16 PM
Hello from New Zealand! (So strange to see our little nation mentioned in such illustrious company in the wide world of wool). What's keeping me from knitting? Crazy-busy changes at work, ensuring two clever teenagers revise for their end of year exams AND teaching same teenagers to drive (Step one: fork out a fortune for the learner driver licence) (Step two: buy a second smaller car to learn in). Something Novamade would be a treat indeed!
Posted by: Jacqui17 | October 08, 2010 at 09:14 PM
Hey there! Nice to see you! Good luck with the moving and stuff!
I'm actually having a hugely productive month, all things considered. Mostly it's the 40 hours every week that I'm paid not to knit that are getting in my way. Unfortunate, that.
Posted by: Elli | October 08, 2010 at 09:18 PM
Good luck with your move!
Work is hindering my crafting right now. I work for a seasonal business, and fall is the busiest time of year.
Posted by: ikkinlala | October 08, 2010 at 09:52 PM
Oh my goodness, that's a lot of stuff to be dealing with!
What's hindering me now? Two words: POTTY TRAINING. Oh, do I loathe it.
Posted by: Julie | October 08, 2010 at 10:04 PM
I just started grad school this fall at a top ten music conservatory. Nothing prevents a person from crafting more successfully than the pressure to work harder every single day than you have ever worked before with the constant reminder that if you don't, you will forever be unemployed...
Posted by: Yarndude | October 08, 2010 at 10:52 PM
We just finished a move to a new state. Email me if you want a message about which professional moving company to NOT use. Our stuff was over a month late, and when it arrived things were not pretty. (The moving company is sending out someone to assess and repair the damage.)
Posted by: Kat | October 09, 2010 at 12:58 AM
The major thing going on in my life that is hindering my crafty pursuits at the pain in my left shoulder. I'm healing it with acupuncture and hope the pain is going away so I ca go back to my knitting again.
Posted by: Catrin | October 09, 2010 at 03:47 AM
I'm trying to knit a sweater as part of a knitalong but I come home every night exhausted because I'm working more hours and I'm taking classes as part of the second bachelor's degree I'm working on. At this rate, I'll get that sweater finished just in time for summer.
Posted by: Mary | October 09, 2010 at 10:13 AM
A month and a half ago I moved from Wisconsin to Tennessee, and just as we started to get settled in, we brought home an 8-week old australian shepherd mix puppy. She is a joy, but so much work. We've had her for almost three weeks and the sum total of my crafting has been about three inches of a garter stitch scarf. I'm getting ready to make her a dog bed cover - quilted log cabin top, duck cloth sides and bottom. She may be fully grown before it's done, but she's just as happy sleeping on the pile of old towels for now.
Posted by: Phoebe | October 09, 2010 at 03:37 PM
Just not enough time in a day to knit like I want too!
Posted by: Lennie | October 09, 2010 at 08:51 PM
It's a mix between chasing an 11 month old and total exhaustion!
Posted by: Kelly | October 09, 2010 at 09:17 PM
Hindering my crafting right now is my 7 and a half month pregnant belly and the fact that I've got complications this pregnancy (complete placenta praevia & I'm anemic right now), so I'm beyond tired besides being just pregnant and trying to not chase around my 2 toddlers as much as possible, since I am on modified activity. Good luck moving!
Posted by: Robyn | October 09, 2010 at 10:13 PM
Congrats on the new house you guys! You've got so much going on lately, scissors should be the least of your worries.
xo!
Posted by: Minty | October 10, 2010 at 02:12 AM