Analysis Paralysis + Dusting off Cobwebs
I keep telling myself it doesn't have to be perfect.
Do you ever have so much on your mind you don't know where to get started? Me too. Perhaps I'm suffering from a bit of analysis paralysis.
The more I dig into all the different types of projects that I could work on, the more daunting it all becomes. There are SO many neat projects that my mom had either started or had the supplies to start, that I've been having trouble figuring out where to get started.
The list I shared in my first post seems like a good starting point, but I keep questioning if it really captures the essence of my mom's work. Is this the right sweater? Should I spin wool or a different fiber? If I spin wool, which breed should I use? When it comes to quilting, should I start with quilting one of the tops my mom had already finished or start from scratch with her fabric stash? Where do I even start?
What can I say? I want it to be perfect. My mom was notoriously a perfectionist, and I think she's not the only one. But if I'm going to do this, I have to get started at some point. And it's probably not going to be perfect. I know that I'll mess up and have to start over. However, I want to minimize that because I don't want my mom's projects to be messed up.
So while contemplating all the ways I could mess this up, I decided that I needed a harmless project to work on. Something to dust off the cobwebs with and prove to myself that I can do this. Without messing up one of my mom's projects.
Then I remembered that I had started a baby blanket years ago, but never finished it. It was meant for someone I was friends with back then, but I never finished it and we drifted apart as people do. Still, there in my attic was a bag with about 15 rows of a pink and green baby blanket waiting to be finished.
I was amazed at how quickly it came back to me. I was able to get in the swing of knits and pearls in no time and enjoyed every minute of it. An even bigger surprise was how much i enjoyed showing my husband the work that I was doing. While I thought the baby blanket was such a simple project, he was amazed that I knew how to knit at all. (Not that he didn't believe me, but he had never seen me knit before.)
A couple weeks later and - TA DA - a beautiful little blanket. Bonus, I also already found a great home for it. My good friend's sister-in-law just had a baby girl, who is having to spend time in the NICU. I know it's been a very trying time for the whole family and I just seemed right that they should have it.
Which brings me to one of my first aha moments of this whole process. I loved being able to pass the baby blanket on to a family who could use some extra love. I can only imagine that this feeling was a big part of why my mom loved making handcrafted home goods. I remember always seeing a sparkle in her eye when she saw someone's reaction to receiving one of her gifts. I am happy to be able to continue that part of her legacy.
Working on the baby blanket also gave me more clarity to come up with a timeline for the next year's worth of projects. In my timeline, I've included what I think I can realistically can finish, although there are so many more projects that I want to work on too. But I'm trying not to over commit myself, which I have a bad habit of doing.
On a side note, I'm really excited about hosting my mom's booth this weekend. Here are the details if you want to stop by:
Saturday, September 21, 9am to 4 pm
Ottawa Memorial Auditorium (Basement)
301 S Hickory St
Ottawa, Kansas 66067
Projects Timeline:
October-November: Fair Isle Sweater
December: Pair of socks
January-February: Spin a fleece
March-April: Sew a quilt from scratch
May: Finish one of my mom's quilts
June-July: Knit throw blanket(s) from the yarn I spun
August: Finish the weaving project on one of my mom's looms
September-October: Weave something new
November: Make items for a craft show
December: Host a craft show booth
Baby Blanket Info:
Pattern: Plymouth Yarn, Book 636, EBB03
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Encore, Knitting Worsted Weight, 75% Acrylic 25% Wool