At Loose Ends

I'm sure not all creative types have anxiety and mood swings, but it does seem to be a bit more prevalent in those who are. I simply couldn't focus today, knowing I should be doing something worthwhile and managing to do almost nothing. It could be stress, but it could also just be good ol' fashioned out-of-nowhere nerves. I suppose that's a bit personal to share, but there you have it.

Actually, I have a theory about where most of my fidgety crochet bouts of invention come from. Of my five godkids, would you like to guess how many of them have their own afghan? Zero of them. That's right - none. And they SHOULD! I mean, it would be exclusively theirs. No more arguing over who is using which blanket when they stay over. It would be handmade by someone who loves them. And they're always so cold. I can barely turn a fan on and they scavenge for sheets and hoodies. I think my fidgety bits are really just procrastination. "Hey, I should finish that first one I started on... Oh, I have a new idea on how to make that necklace thing work. Let me just get that done right quick." Ugh.

Without further ado, I present to you... Fidgety Bits

I made this a few nights ago, actually. But in any event, this is my favorite stitch pattern worked up in alternating colors. I originally did this to show the different stitches to you since it's hard to see in one color. I kind of like it in two colors.

Another attempt at necklacing. There's a fairly popular pin on Pinterest with five or seven links in blue. I failed miserably on my first try. That whole idea was scrapped, glared at, and eventually cut right in two. Perhaps a bit over-reactive in hindsight. This one is too tight/circles too small, but at least I figured out the basics of where to start.

Oh, look. Another basket. This one even has handles. I have a Basket Formula that I follow, but this one came out a bit wonky. I made this mainly because I've had this skein for nearly a year. It's a bit loud, a bit bright for my taste and I wanted to be rid of it. I couldn't imagine anyone wearing these colors, so I made it into a basket. It holds a Caron One Pounder with room to spare. (And yes, that's the beginning of a granny square afghan hiding in there. And no, none of the kids wanted a blue blankie.)

The magically orienting camera. And -wow- did it do some weirdness with the colors. The paper is blue, the flower middles are light pink, the odd flower out is gray. Fluorescent lights and bad cameras, I guess. Those are two more flowers, each done with a different stitch on the petals. A baby flower and a loopy flower done as before. A new type of bow/bow tie that I actually quite like but need to write out, and the previously seen circle necklace.

Maybe a better view. I made the multi-colored accessories as possible tie-ins in case someone wanted to use the basket as a prop. I also was just trying to use up the skein. The gray (I swear, it's gray) flower was supposed to be another necklace attempt, but I pretty much just didn't feel like making it.

 

 

Oh! Do you remember my friend who was first interested in the necklaces? Of course, that was just yesterday. Then again, if you're reading this in reverse order, you haven't gotten to that part yet... (so, um, spoiler alert?). Anyway, I gave her the necklaces and the red and white toddler shirt. She texted me oh-so excitedly to say thanks. Quite made my day, actually. :) 

Maybe tomorrow I'll buckle down and get productive. One can dream, I suppose.