Tuesday, 7 February 2017

Crafting When I Want To Be Painting


Winter crafting continues in much the same vein here; my Wool and the Gang Rose Cardigan, Angus's blanket and my long forgotten (I think it had a cobweb on it) My Sweetiepie ABC Sampler.

My cardigan is a pleasure to work on (that dreamy cotton!) but it does feel a lot like making a blanket. Long rows, up and down, all the same. But I know it will soon be finished and the thought of wearing it motivates me.

I continue to plod away with Angus's Granny Stripe blanket. I think he'd actually forgotten I was making it, poor love, and so the other day I showed it to him. He looked crestfallen. "I was hoping it was going to be black and white." he said. "But it's not. I suppose I can cope." Great.  Crochet blankets take a really long time to make. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I find that I get bored and lose interest, to the point where I no longer like the yarn, colours or pattern any more. It turns our Angus does too.

The cross stitch sampler can wait until spring. Every now and then I pick it up and half heartedly stitch a little, but I'm never in the mood, I'm too tired or the light isn't right. I'm not worried though, I still love this piece and I know I'll pick it up again and enjoy the stitching when the time is right.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that I've fallen out of love with my winter projects, with crafting, but I haven't at all. It's just that I am completely consumed by thoughts of decorating and painting. It's all I can think about and I am obsessed with redecorating all our bedrooms this spring and summer. I have virtually no budget but a huge amount of energy, ideas and enthusiasm. I want to rip up our hideous, stained carpets, paint walls and floorboards, give orange pine furniture a new lease of life with a lick of paint, move things around, refresh and renew. It's the time of year. I always get like this when spring is round the corner. 

18 comments:

  1. We have rooms and cans of paint waiting hoping we'll soon have the energy to get going. My craft projects are moving at a snail's pace, but I'll get them done eventually.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We have nearly 2 months of winter left, and we have hardly begun with the wintry weather, so I'm still very much in a cosy frame of mind and enjoying it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We have a list of rooms to decorate too. I only wish I had a fraction of your energy and motivation! Your craft projects are all looking fabulous. xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. We still have to paint parts of our new extension. Both of us hate decorating so it will be a while. Your projects are coming along nicely, even with the distractions! I am looking forward to seeing your crochet cardigan. x

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a lovely pictures! I am looking forward to your cardigan.
    Here winter starts again so a prospone my springprojects for a while
    Have a nice day, Manon

    ReplyDelete
  6. Aaaw, poor Angus - didn't he choose the colours like Bella chose those for her blanket?
    And I might get that totally wrong, but I thought you'd decorated and painted every inch of every wall in your house when you moved in not so long ago. Stained carpets have got to go, of course, but all that extra work that comes with painting when you are already living in a place... shifting stuff back and forth... whew! But I understand - if it is something you really want to do, and you have the time and energy, go for it :-)
    Whatever you'll be doing, I am sure it will look great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are quite right, we did paint everywhere when we moved in. I am only going to repaint the walls, as they have taken quite a battering in only two years! The ceilings and woodwork are fine. It sounds more of a job than it actually is. :-)

      Delete
  7. Oh Angus, he has made me smile. Maybe black and white next time..? A bit of home decorating energy is a good thing isn't it. I'm wishing you well with it all. CJ xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. I did smile at Angus' comment... but poor you! We have many rooms in need of decorating, and unless we get on with it the few we have already done will need redecorating. I have all the enthusiasm for planning, but when it actually comes to the doing, well I would rather be crafting. Hopefully when it becomes more springlike enthusiasm for the doing will increase...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Once you can get a bit of decorating done, you'll probably want to craft again. Yes we do sometimes lose interest if the item is big or the same old, same old over & over again, but we push on and then we can enjoy the finished product. I think the rug is lovely & your embroideries are cute. Look forward to seeing everything come together over the coming year. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I always feel like I need to follow wherever the current passion is leading me. No point in fighting it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. We are in the process of decorating too. It's so nice to give a space a new lease of life. I know what you about crochet blankets, I have one stuffed in a bag that I pull out occasionally. I've been working on it for two years!

    ReplyDelete
  12. We're currently in the throes of an exterior painting project, which is so much work but it's already looking a million times better so that keeps us going. I've been updating decor indoors too: new curtains in kitchen and living/dining rooms, new bedding for the kids, some new wall art for a few rooms. I think I let it go too long; things were looking shabby. It's nice to see your projects, even if it's not exactly what you wish you were doing. The cardigan is looking really nice. Thanks for joining in with my party. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. We have quite a bit of house maintenance that was overlooked last year because we rebuilt the cabin and then I have had a frozen shoulder since July so things are half finished - hey ho! I continue to make things instead! Jo x

    ReplyDelete
  14. the colour of your cardigan is gorgeous! x

    ReplyDelete
  15. I adore reading your blog & following you on instagram thank you so much for sharing your ideas, thoughts, projects and recipes. 2016 was a particularly difficult year for me after losing my lovely dad to cancer. At times I felt utterly bereft despite working full time, being mum to 4 wonderful kids & having a really supportive husband, however I found your blog posts a much welcome distraction so thank you once again.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Maybe Angus wanted a badger blanket?

    ReplyDelete
  17. I just love the colour of that yarn! A soft pinky-grey which reminds me of the colour 'oyster' from the 1930s.
    Margaret P

    ReplyDelete

Hello there! Thank you for leaving a comment. I read them all and I always try to answer questions, although sometimes it takes me a while.