Time is slipping BUT I'm still making things

This month has made me realise that time and the million things I have to do don’t really go well together. The balance we all have to face when being creative is this...

where do you find the time to make work for yourself, make work for your client, build your portfolio, and then work your pub job to afford the first three things? And then after that have a life that isn’t just work. It’s a constant push and pull, and it can be stressful, and it does put a little bit of doom in your brain. I’m at work thinking I need to get my illustration going so I don’t have to be here anymore. Then when I’m home after working all day, my brain is mush and I just want to be in bed asleep. So where is the time, and how do I find it?

I don’t know the answer to that. If I did, I’d probably be a full-time illustrator by now.

Finally, I finished my hood scarf! Sometimes halfway through a project I start thinking, wow that idea was way better in my head than in practice. And for this project, the size of the needle I used for the hooded scarf meant it took me basically two months to finish. I kept getting bored of it and getting distracted with other projects. But when push came to shove, I got there and I finished it. It actually felt amazing. It had been mentally weighing me down for a while, like it was constantly sitting in the back of my mind, reminding me I needed to finish it. And when I finally did, I felt so proud that I stuck it through.

I think one of the best things about this blog is that I can physically see my progress with knitting. Every month I get better, more confident, and more ambitious with my projects. I have very exciting news… I have very nearly finished my first ever jumper!

I know, I know—guys, thank you for all the commotion!!

So there’s a bit of a story with this one…Another one of my hobbies is scrolling on Vinted, and a couple of months ago I found this beautiful jumper. I loved the colours and had this vision of the perfect outfit to go with it.

But when it arrived (as often happens with Vinted), it was a weird fit and just not what I imagined.

So I decided I was going to make my own version which was kind of a big deal because I’ve never done a project like that before. With every project there are new challenges that test what you’ve learned. I learned how to make a seamless stripe in the round (sounds basic and it is but there’s definitely a knack to it). Since this is a stripy jumper, it had to be consistent throughout. I also learned how to do an Icelandic bind off (ooooh, fancy). I don’t think I did it right though, because it’s not stretchy at all and thats the whole point of that particular bind off. It’s okay though I’ve only got one more arm to do. But when you’ve spent two weeks doing one sleeve, the thought of doing another is not exactly appealing. It’s definitely looking like I don’t want to finish this jumper but I will.

And I actually completely prefer the one I’ve made, which feels like a really good sign that I’m on the right track. A few months ago I wouldn’t have even thought I could make something like this.

My New Year’s resolution is to make my dream jumper, and this is probably the first of many I make this year hopefully the first step in the right direction.

Another project I’ve been slowly getting through is a cushion cover. I love looking through all the tapestry patterns on Etsy they have so many beautiful styles. I started one just for fun, and then had the idea of turning it into a cushion cover. I chose this knight design, which I think is so pretty. I love that old medieval tapestry look.

I’ve started with the front, and once that’s done I can work on the back and sew it all together. I’m going to cheat a little and make a pillow to fit inside instead of buying one, just so I don’t have to stick to a specific size. Some say cheating, some say a hack.

Last year I bought a kid's camera that prints these little pictures honestly one of the best things I’ve ever bought. So fun on a night out. So I needed somewhere to keep all the photos, and I had this little book.

I’d been experimenting with knitting patterns and made a small swatch, and I thought… this is cute, I might as well use it. So I added a little button, and now I have a little sleeve to hold my photo book.

Here’s a little thing I made when I went out to do pottery painting with my friends. I’m really happy with how it came out. I tried to make something that didn’t take itself too seriously, something more illustrative and fun.

I feel like every day is different. Sometimes I have time for things, sometimes I don’t.

So ultimately I just do the best I can with the time I have. I don’t think there’s a 'right' way to juggle everything what works for one person won’t work for someone else. That’s why this blog is nice, I can see what I have done with my time and that’s encouraging, which I think is what I need. Time is always slipping away, but that doesn’t mean I’m wasting it. Sometimes you won’t finish things quickly and that’s okay. Sometimes it’s just about your intentions and what you need for yourself.

(sorry this blog is a couple of days late)

(time slipped away from me… but I guess that’s kind of the point of this one)

Niamh