16th of November Yesterday started off okay. I crocheted two bauble covers and I love, love, love them. These bauble covers always make me happy; they’re such a quick and satisfying project. I’ve made and given away many over the years, and they give me great pleasure. The pleasure is quadrupled when you get to see them hanging on the recipient’s tree year after year.
This brings to mind a couple of thoughts. One is about being careful who you give to; the second is about reconnecting with WIPs (Works In Progress). Not just crochet WIPs, any project really. Let’s tackle the gifting issue first.
The Pitfalls of Gifting Handmade
I will write about this at length at some point, but in a nutshell, be careful about putting time and energy into a project that’s for someone else. We can’t know each other’s tastes. Not really. Other people’s aesthetic might seem obvious, but that granny square blanket you spend 100-plus hours making might get relegated to the back of a cupboard.
Don’t be angry with the recipient, not unless they specifically asked you to make it for them, they chose the type of yarn, the colours, the pattern, the size. It just wasn’t for them, and you need to learn from that by not repeating, and accept their rejection graciously.
Reconnecting with Abandoned WIPs
My second thought is about starting projects and then abandoning them. You’re going through the stash to find that ball of yarn you just know is somewhere, which would be perfect for that gorgeous little pattern you’ve just spotted. And there’s the half-finished, abandoned, barely started, or just-needs-the-edging project that you previously abandoned—and suddenly that becomes the only thing you want to work on.
That’s where I’m at with an Indie Heart Crochet right now; it’s a WIP in need of putting away until I fall in love with it again. All I want to do right now is make Carmen’s oh-so-gorgeous bauble covers. There’s a deep satisfaction in making something from start to finish in an hour.
The Lure of Instant Gratification
A sense of accomplishment has been lacking of late—that something can be completed, seen through to the end. Something that doesn’t require any brain power, doesn’t have any conditions attached, doesn’t need additional tasks, isn’t contingent on anything else. Just pure crochet bliss. Instant, total satisfaction.
And so continues my journey into the reversal of cards today. I’ve drawn the Eight of Pentacles reversed.
Tarot Reflection: Eight of Pentacles Reversed
This figure has all the tools, and what lovely tools they are, an awl, set square and metal pincers—I don’t really know what they are, something to do with measuring? but they’re lovely. A book. The figure is happy in their work and they’ve worked hard, been very productive.
Now, I need to just turn that upside down.
- Liz Dean suggests: Doubting your ambition and direction.
- Sarah Bartlett says: Putting too much focus on work at the cost of your personal development.
- Tina Gong advises: When our passions turn into responsibilities, dread and procrastination can creep in. Take a rest. If all else fails, come back with fresh and renewed eyes.
Well, isn’t that just exactly what I was saying? It’s astounding to me how often the card a day is so pertinent. I wrote my reflections before picking the card, as is my way when I already have thoughts to reflect into my journal. But I can gain further clarity from the book interpretations.
I’m struggling at the moment, partly because I feel guilty for resting and not putting my energy, my heart, my soul into keeping up the momentum I’d created in the form of the timetable of the business plan. I feel disheartened and lazy on the one hand. On the other hand, I know that I can only do so much. Very recent times demonstrated forcibly that I was overdoing it.
I ploughed on though. I kept pushing through, trying to keep on top of everything until I was eventually capable of nothing. Things fall apart. Things have fallen apart, unravelled. And before they fell apart, I was cutting corners and leaving things undone, in need of repair.
But like those abandoned WIPs, I’ll fall in love with them again. I’ll have energy, heart, and soul for them. I’ll come back with a fresh mind, one that’s working. There’s been so much to learn along this journey, and as with so much in life, the lessons aren’t always immediately apparent.
New me knows this. New me understands to take a step back, wait until a way forward emerges. I’m not saying that it’s easy or without guilt or negativity, but it’s not complete failure. I can still feel proud of myself. I can put all of this away for a little while and allow myself to do that, wholly and completely. I can just make more baubles today.