CRAFTNICITY

Dish Network, Where My Stitches At?

The other day, my husband and I were talking about the good old days in television -- when it went black at 2:00am, when there were only a few UHF/VHF stations, when you couldn't figure out which way a newscaster leaned politically because they actually brought the news.

Lately, I've been thinking about the lure of having a lot of channels yet nothing on that I want to watch, especially since craft shows are what I want to watch. I got Dish Network because there were options and I was feeling like cable had a monopoly going and therefore didn't have to give good customer service. We started conservatively with 50 channels. But in order to get the DIY channel, which had my two favorite shows (Knitty Gritty and Uncommon Threads), I'd have to get the 150-channel package. Sold--reluctantly--but, sold!

Then slowly but surely my shows disappeared. Something about ratings. Slowly but surely DIY shows started looking more "manly." But I don't want to build a new deck. I want to see designs and designers.

So I turned to PBS. Years and years ago (before Food Network and HGTV), I used to watch cooking and craft shows on PBS. Knitting Daily TV airs somewhere on PBS stations...but not here. That's because in my area, it airs on UNC-MX, which is digital cable.

I guess it's embarrassing to admit that I've never written a Congressman, but I'm considering writing Dish Network. In the meantime, I'll check out the listings on PBS or maybe learn how to build a deck.

(Photo courtesy of Gerard Eviston)

Is It Big Enough?

What is your big, bold, bodacious, creative dream?

What if you made it bigger? 
 

(Carrie and Danielle originally asked a version of this question. I hope it helps you expand.)

Amateur or Professional?

If you create

but don't sell your creations

can you consider yourself a professional?

Whassup?

What's up with me?

• I'm still sketching, doodling, reading, knitting, taking classes, and writing. The main difference in my life is that I've starting writing parenting articles and essays. I have articles coming out in regional parenting publications this summer. I'll make sure I share the links.
• I'm picking up my book proposal I started about 1-1/2 years ago. I think I've got a pretty cool knitting book idea. Hopefully a publisher will think so too. My goal is to finish the proposal by the end of this year.
• I'm a featured blogger at Triangle Mom2Mom on Fridays. My blog, Like Night and Day, gives a peak into my life with boys who are 10 years apart and who have special needs.
• I will be writing a guest column for the Durham News from time to time.
• Oh yeah. I bought a Mac. I have never used one before so I'm learning as I go. Plus, I always heard that once you go Mac, you don't go back. ;)

What's up with my family?

• You know, my younger son was diagnosed with a mood disorder last year when he was 4. He will start kindergarten this summer and we're working really hard to get him stable. What has helped is the consistency of following a daily schedule so he knows what to expect and following a behavior contract we came up with. It lists 2-3 goals, consequences, and rewards. It is still a daily challenge that I'm up for some days. Some days it wipes us all out.
• My older son started high school. Attitude + high school = teenage angst. Enough said.
• My mom is kind of in a holding pattern. Between dialysis and all her medications, she rarely if ever feels good. But she is a survivor and she will be okay.

What's up with Craftnicity?

• We've taken some twists, turns, stops and starts. Mainly the inconsistency is due to my family issues. But I still have plans that for the blog that I'll implement slowly.
• One change is the frequency of posts. The plan is to post 2-3 times a week. Posts will continue to be book and product reviews, interviews, some questions to ponder (think Arsenio Hall's things to make you go hmmmm...)

So, what's up with you?

Productivity One Pomodoro at a Time

I've always heard people say that once you stop looking for love you find it. Well, the same must apply to productivity tools. After all the timers, planners, gadgets, and books, I had an epiphany.

Multi-tasking is for suckers.

While multi-tasking is heralded in our culture, it simply doesn't make you more productive. Once I stopped looking, I stumbled on The Pomodoro Technique™. Did everybody know about this but me? I may be late to the party, but I'm so glad to be here.



The Pomodoro Technique™ is simple (from the website):

   1. Choose a task to be accomplished
   2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
   3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
   4. Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
   5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

My tendency was to do five things at once and then wonder why nothing ever seemed to get finished. So I've been using this technique for everything from housework to sketching.

I've learned a few things from using this technique:

• You can be creative and productive at the same time.
• Single-tasking in this way won't impede flow, which is something creative types may be concerned about.
• It has actually helped channel creativity. After working with the technique for a while, I'm able to estimate how many Pomodoros a task will take and plan my day even better, making room for all the creative projects I've been putting off.
• The other thing I've noticed is that my posture suffers terribly when beading, reading, knitting, etc. A lot of times when I'm doing something intense, I don't notice that my back or neck is hurting.Hearing that buzzer after each 25-minute Pomodoro gives me the chance to stretch.
• Even creatives want to get things done.

Well, there goes the timer. Gotta go stretch.

(Photo courtesy of payhere)

5 Ways to Finish with Steam

Looking around at all of my unfinished projects is sobering. I see you and I know what the problem is. I have "startitis," craft attention deficit disorder, or what the Yarn Harlot calls "frenzy of intention."

And I am not alone.

I know of only a few crafters who complete a project before starting another. Most of us juggle between several projects, working on a little bit here and there. But that makes sense to me.

Small portable projects, like a pair of socks, can be worked on while in waiting rooms or in the car. Larger projects or those that require more intense concentration are worked on at home. Okay, it works when it's manageable. But that's not all we have going on.

The real issue is that we're over-stimulated. We search online communities, buy craft magazines, electronically download patterns and go on yarn crawls...a lot; always drawing our attention to the next project.


For those who'd like to curb this craving, there is hope, here are a five ways to manage "start-itis":

1. Reduce the Stimulation
   Limit yourself to reading craft magazines, visiting yarn or fabric shops, or pattern "window shopping" until you've completed a project.
2. Don't Queue
   I love the online knitting and crochet community, Ravelry. One of its coolest features is that you can find projects you intend to work on and queue them. But they end up sitting there ready for you to start, calling your name, (kind of the way chocolate chip cookies do when you're watching what you eat). Rather than have a long list of queued projects (or cookies in the pantry),use the favorite feature (another cool feature) and queue only the one that is truly next when you get to it. It's less tempting to stop what you're working on and start something new.
3. Cross "Train"
   I've found that I tend to put a project down and look for another one when I bored, e.g., doing repetitive stitching,or when the piece requires too much concentration, e.g., reading a colorwork chart. To stop the urge to start another project, We may want to take a page in the athletes' handbook.In the same way that bicycling may help an athlete's performance in skiing (building the quadriceps), reading a craft-related book or working in a different medium may stimulate you enough to come back to a project and complete it.
4. Make it a Game
   Create a challenge that rewards you along the way from start to finish. During the Winter Olympics, Ravelry ran its very popular and creative Ravelympics. During Ravelympics, which had the same beginning and ending date as the 2010 Olympics,knitters and crocheters picked a project or projects and entered events in the hopes of joining fellow crafters on the podium of finished projects.
    
   And, I did it. I'm a Ravethlete. I chose Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts and finished them, something I probably wouldn't have done had I not joined. Challenges like this are great fun and they work! It felt great to cross the finish line and get my medal. Look for fun opportunities that challenge you (and give out cool medals).
5. Anticipate Your Project's Goodies
   Carefully select or create projects that give you something to anticipate from beginning to end. If you love knitting lace, for example,work on a project where the lace comes at the end. With the Endpaper Mitts I just mentioned, the pattern called for beginning and ending techniques that I had never done before.

By developing a few simple routines and strategies, you'll be able to reduce the number of works-in-progress and create excitement about finishing.



(Photo courtesy of mdove64)

Kids Just Don't Understand

At home, I'm a free spirit. I laugh and joke and do silly dancing with my boys. It's freeing, playful and fun. My intention this year is to bring that sense of joy and abandon to my creative life.

But, that was until my 5-yo son got hold of some scissors and cut my knitting.

I knit a two-stranded hat. All that was left for me to do to finish it was to weave in the ends of many strands of yarn and make ties for the ear flaps.

It happened so quickly.

"Look mommy!"

He stood at the top of the steps -- hat on his head, scissors in his hand. He had cut off all the ends -- ends that will unravel the entire hat if you pull it just a little -- ends that were about six inches now cut down to one inch.

Okay, it's not that major. I looked up how to weave in the ends when they are too short. The instructions were to simply weave the tapestry needle through a few stitches and then thread the needle and pull through. Easy enough. But that's not the point.

I thought everyone understood the rule -- don't mess with mama's knitting.

My 15-yo understands. The other day he said, "I bet if I fell 50 feet, you'd say don't fall on my knitting."

Doesn't he know that I'd check to see if he was hurt after I rolled him off my knitting? Gosh!

What Does Your Most Creative Year Smell Like?

How creative do you want to be this year?

I guess the better question is how will you allow your creativity to manifest itself this year?

Creativity is natural, but we all know that it can get stifled by life's circumstances -- no time, no money -- whatever.

Last week, I listened in on one of Artella's member teleclasses called "Creative Calensure." It focused on ways to move intention to action in order to ensure that we would have our most creative year yet.

We were encouraged to look at what having the most creative year of our lives would feel like, look like, taste like, smell like, and then plan a variety of projects for each month. It was a cool way to look at setting intentions and goals.

It helps me move forward when I'm part of a group with one intention. I like the structure of having a group or class, as long as you can do what want within the group. Having a little bit of structure in my chaos works for me.

Here are 3 ideas that may help you have your most creative year:

Creative Every Day Challenge
What I love about this challenge is that it forces you to widen your definition of what being creative is. From the website, "It doesn't have to be something art-related. Your creative acts could be in cooking, taking pictures, knitting, doodling, writing, dancing, decorating, singing, playing with your kids, brainstorming ideas, gardening, or making art in the form of collage, paint, or clay...or whatever!" Love it!

Fiber Arts/Mixed Media 2010 Monthly Experiment
Play with a new art technique each month. If you have a lot of magazines and books, this is a great way to actually use some of the techniques to create something that stretches your imagination.

Set a Submit Schedule
It may be time to take your "big girl/boy pill" and submit your work (play). I have always been interested in the ArtBra calendar and exhibit by A Way to Women's Wellness. By the way, the deadline to submit to the 2011 calendar is April 1.

It seems like everyone is looking for submissions. Once you figure out things you're interested in, you can look for projects and check each one's submission guidelines.

(Photo courtesy of laffy4k)

Learning from Lace

Today, I'm excited to be part of Donna Druchunas' blog tour for her soon-to-be-released book, Successful Lace Knitting: Celebrating the Work of Dorothy Reade. My knit pullover, inspired by Indian tunics, is one of the knit designs featured in the book, each design an interpretation of one of Reade's lace patterns.

Each designer was allowed to choose a lace pattern. When I first saw the lace swatch, I envisioned a woman standing with her hands outstretched in triumph or celebration. Once I started knitting, the floral pattern seemed to reveal itself.

I prefer to make things that I'm drawn to or connect to in some way. For me, this beautiful lace patten was about celebration and renewal.

The lace in the pullover I designed mimics the detailed embroidery generally found on the yoke and hemline of traditional Indian tunics. I pulled out a simple eyelet pattern from part of the lace and used it to add a little interest throughout the body. Although the lace is more of an accent in the pullover than the main feature, I think it still makes a statement.

I wanted to create a sweater that felt light, so I chose to work with skinny yarn. I chose Jagger Spun, The Maine Line yarn in fingering weight. Unlike a lot of knitters, I don't have a huge stash and I had never worked with Jagger Spun. But based on yarn reviews and its vibrant color selection, I took a chance. Once I started knitting, I knew I had made the right choice. It is a soft, lightweight wool that knits up beautifully.

I have to admit that I never considered myself to be much of a lace knitter. I had knit a few eyelet patterns here and there, but the thought of knitting and blocking lace, recovering from any mistakes, and reading those charts...well, I just knew that was never going to happen. But you know what they say about saying "never."

I was surprised that I found a flow to knitting lace and even reading the charts. I have learned to love it and have learned so much about lace-knitting from Dorothy Reade's style. Not only did I reach a point where the knitting began to make sense, I felt this wonderful anticipation of what the lace would reveal next.

If you'd like more information about Donna Druchunas' book tour and other exciting announcements, visit her blog, Sheep to Shawl.

Creativi-TKO: Life 12, Creativity 0

Last year, my creativity took a whooping. I wrote about it, was inspired by others', read about it, made notes about it and even dreamed about it. In other words, I did everything but make time for it in my life.

On the other hand, life was a bit rough for my family. My mother's health declined considerably, my younger son was diagnosed with a mood disorder, and my older son started high school. But hey, why not me? Life happens. The challenge is how to work with it and allow creativity to flourish and nurture us especially during tough times.

But I am tired of getting my butt kicked by life, so here's my plan:

1. Balance structure with non-structure. I've joined Susan Sorrell of the Fiber Arts/Mixed Media group in playing with a new art technique every month. I've got technique books about everything from creating chain mail jewelry to paper yarn. So I think I can come up with some new things to try. 
2. Get out more. I will be leading a creative workshop I'm calling "Make Yourself at Home" during Mother's Day weekend (May 7-9). As much as I'm thrilled to be part of this weekend retreat, I'm just as excited to be away for a weekend -- sans family. I can't think of a better Mother's Day gift, 'cause Mama does need her space sometimes.
3. Shout it out! I tend to hold my creative projects pretty close to home. I don't know whether it's that I've got so much going on that I'm embarrassed to look so scattered and crazy, or whether I'm just too insecure to share. Maybe it's a bit of both. Regardless, I think I'll start showing and telling my own story more.
4. Finish stuff. My finishing energy doesn't even come close to the high of starting something new. It's no wonder that I've got a lot of unfinished projects in the closet. It's time to get excited about completions and not just beginnings. I'll need some good luck with this one, but I'll give it a shot.

(Photo courtesy of Evil Erin.)