Alphabet soup. It has been a difficult year for me, personally, and I find that I am feeling overwhelmed by all the things I've started, all the things I've wanted to start but couldn't see my way clear, and a number of designs I'm either working on or have in mind yet.
Which has created my alphabet soup: UnFinished Objects (UFO), Works In Progress (WIP), and Designs In Progress (DIP). My only good news in this would be that all three of these are the same things! That makes things just a bit less overwhelming. The other good news is, most of the projects are very, very, close to being completed. At which point, I'll begin the process of getting the patterns written up so they can be tested and checked by a tech editor, etc.
I have a great project that is at the top of my list to finish... but I can't even give you a hint what it will be. Sorry, but it's just such a great idea I want to keep it "under wraps" for now. Well... at least, to me it is a great idea. Even if no one else likes it, I can't wait to finish up the design and pattern so I can submit it for consideration to Knit Picks Independent Designer Program. If it should not be accepted, I'll make it available for sale via this blog and Ravelry.
I've got a pair of short-finger gloves in which the core of the pattern is done. I've only got to knit up the fingers in the first glove and make sure the "mirror directions" for the other glove is right and knit that one up. Then I'll be able to finish writing up the pattern and begin the process of prepping necessary before unleashing a pattern on the world.
I've finished the foundational design on a pair of child legwarmers and my granddaughter is getting a little impatient for me to knit the second leg so she can wear them to school soon. I've resigned myself to the reality that the prototype pair will have to be reknit again for submission cuz there is no way a five year old will wait for the rest of the process to be complete for grandma's end plan.
I've got a cowl that I've made a number of for my own use and as gifts for the past several years, but I'd like to write it up into a pattern because I think lots of other people will enjoy the process of making it as well as using it. I've not made a decision on the best Knit Picks yarn to use for the design. I've used Lion Brand Homespun in previous incarnations, but I'm anxious to "upgrade" the design from an acrylic-based yarn and translate the design from a bulky yarn to something lighter. I've made the design in the past in both crochet and knit, and will eventually make the knit and crochet design available using Lion Brand Homespun because it is such a great, fast, project for gifts and I rarely wear any of them without a compliment before I'm back home.
I've also already purchased the yarn for a felted bag pattern to design and write up. It is gorgeous in my head! I'm still toying with the best way to design the "picture in my head" into an actual project others will like to make too.
And I've not even mentioned the other projects I have in mind for myself that will probably become patterns too. One thing I'm learning about designing projects for others to make... it is a lot more time consuming than just making something for myself! I tend to knit and crochet the way I cook: a recipe is just the place to begin. I may or may not use all the ingredients in the recipe, and I may or may not use any in the amounts prescribed. There is an excellent chance I'll bring my own sense of flavor to the finished product. Which means, unless I take careful notes as I go, I won't be able to recreate exactly the same thing myself and neither will anyone else. Which isn't a problem if it is not my goal to create a new recipe, just something to eat. Designing a pattern for someone else to recreate, requires a lot more attention to detail and thought about how to word the directions so a stranger will comprehend accurately what they need to do to get the same results. Whew! That's not nearly as easy as you think when you aren't really thinking about it.
I wanted to start Wendy Knits Shetland Pi Shawl KAL, but another swarm of migraines and feeling guilty about the other unfinished projects have pushed that back. I've got the yarn and had already decided to make a Pi shawl of some sort, so that is still on the agenda. Perhaps, if there are a sufficient number of followers when I get to a place to start it, we can do it together. I hope to start it before the end of the year, but I probably need to be realistic that holiday knitting is just around the corner and I may not be able to start it as soon as I'd like.
I also want to start knitting socks before the end of the year. I've purchased yarn to make a few pair for my BearMan and this is primarily why I want to learn to make socks. I've got a bunch of sock yarn that I've been collecting, a little here, a little there, for almost three years. I also have designs on attending the Sock Summit in Portland, OR in 2011... so I best get to knitting! I want to have the basics down well enough that I can "pick the brains" of anyone willing to teach me their secrets and show me their tricks.
Basically, this has been a confessional. I'm hoping this will motivate me further to stay on task, wrap up all these projects, and get them in the queue towards completion and publication.
Please feel free to mitigate any of my consternation about my failure to be further along on my projects by sharing your own frustrations about yours. Heeheehee. "Misery loves company," right?
Joy in the journey,
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