Friday, December 4, 2015

Designing with Children

This morning I have the rare opportunity to be home with only 2 of my 5 littles.  And, I've got the littlest of the littles, to boot!  My husband took the day off to take the oldest three to the opening day at the ski hill, and so I will spend the day "stranded" at home with no car, two kids that are happy to just play all day, and knitting needles in hand.

On every other day I homeschool those oldest three children, which means my days are spent on a schedule to make sure that my kids get all the work done that they need to.  Math worksheets, writing assignments, science experiments and piano practice fill every moment of my life, it seems.

Finding time to design amidst the chaos that is my life is difficult, at the best of times.  I sneak in a row here, a row there, usually while sitting in front of Netflix late at night with my husband.  I see inspiration in all the world around me, and have filled notebooks with rough sketches and ideas that will probably never come to fruition, because I just don't have the time. I've turned down direct offers to collaborate with yarnies, because I know that I can't live up to deadlines.

But, in my crazy days I still do find time for it, because I love it. I love the process of seeing something that inspires me and working out in my mind and on paper just how it would look coming off my needles. I love knitting, and re-knitting until my vision and my project actually work together.  I love seeing my kids wear my sweaters, and brag that their mommy made it. I love hearing from people on Ravelry how much they love my designs.  I really do love what I do!

So, what's the secret?  To be honest, if I want to design more, I have to do less elsewhere.  That's the reality.  I don't read much anymore (Audible is my best friend!)  My floors have not been vacuumed for longer than I care to admit, my bedroom is a disaster, and my laundry is never, ever done.  It's about priorities, and I just value knitting over a tidy house, I guess.  Don't judge. Of course, my house gets a quick once over every time my mom comes to visit!

An and example, let me give you a tiny sneak peak (without the peak) of what I've been working on for a while.  Since September I've been knitting two sweaters for my new design. I've run out of yarn on both sweaters, and had to order more. Then they shipped lace weight instead of worsted.  A million other things came up, and a design I meant to publish on December 1, is still on my needles, with a release date more likely in February.

And such is the life! I promise it's not a complaint, it's just the reality. And, I love it. I love every part of it: the designing, the knitting, the homeschool, the mothering, and even the frantic cleaning when my mom drops by!

So, look forward in a few months for Harvey, my next installment of my Little Old Man Collection. And, if it takes a little longer than that, forgive me!

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