Paved with the Best Intentions
I feel like there should be a term that us crafters use, similar to "my eyes were bigger than my stomach" that applies to the experience of planning to make WAY more things than capacity allows, particularly applicable at Christmas time. Maybe my "ambition was bigger than hours in the day" or my "holiday making list and the accompanying yarn that I have bought may well bust out of my cupboard and smother me in my sleep". Catchy, no?
Whatever the term is, I have hit that point again. I had Such Grand Ambitions. Socks for all my beloveds, hats, mittens, even a blanket...all now sat neglected in a pile, pushed to the side by a stack of deadline (paid) makes and a Christmas schedule that may require us to hire a logistics company just to ensure everyone is where they need to be, with appropriate costumes/party equipment/food and presents.
I even wrote about my top tips for handmade Christmas giving in my column in last month's issue of Simply Crochet - thinking that if I committed it to paper for thousands to read, I couldn't back out, but here I am at the end of November with 1 gift finished and a mountain more not even touched.
Feeling especially dejected about it all yesterday, I decided the best thing to do would be to estimate roughly how long everything would take me to make and then schedule it all in. I can confirm that this is not to be advised because relising I have about 20 hours left of making on someting that needs to be in the post on Thursday is a very quick path to the pit of despair.
Then, I decided I would compartmentalise everything. I bundled my projects into their project bags and placed:
a simple pair of socks next to the computer for thinking/waiting for the internet to load knitting
a more complicated but still semi brainless pair of socks in the kids swimming stuff for the 3 hour marathon we do at the pool on a Tuesday.
a small hat in my handbag for just on the go making
that big deadline piece next to the sofa where I have loaded up - 5 hours of my latest netflix obsession (Jessica Jones), the Adele interview I missed and a couple of films I have recorded.
My children think I am crazy, Kevin thinks I am overly ambitious, but I feel like at least with a plan, I can find a way forward...
...or not. Then I will thank the Universe for Amazon Prime.
