Sunday 13 December 2015

Procrastinate Now!

The top strap section of a tea towel top worked in a plum colour.
Almost finished tea towel top!
The school term has finished and I'm settling into a more relaxed pace with more time to crochet but I have to ask myself, "If I want to get the crocheted projects done in time for Christmas Day, why am I getting out the sewing machine?"


Honestly!  What is wrong with me? 
The new tea towel top that I have been designing is almost done (I am up to the strap and border) and yet I have spent my time reading, weeding and cleaning (and sleeping)–anything but actually crocheting! 


Sometimes when life slows down, one notices little things that are normally overlooked when speeding through the weeks.  One of those little things was 'shouting' for my attention and it relates to our newest family member: Max
(who is sitting at my feet, warming my toes as I type this).


Max, a tri-colour orange, black and white Dutch bunny is eating leaves from the flowerbed.
Max in the garden.

On second thought, it probably relates more to the fact that my family and I are lazy careful with our energy expenditure!  Let me explain:

Autoimmune diseases like lupus cause fatigue which can severely limit one's energy reserves.  To save energy and time, I have tried to organise my home so that the tools and products are stored close to where they get used.  I have no tolerance for wasting precious energy going from room to room fetching and carrying when I need something.

A plastic bag of straw. It is being held closed at the top by a wooden peg.
A mini straw bale for
daily freshening of bunny bedding.

 
Thus, the mini bales of straw and oaten hay for Max which started out in the shed, have made their way into the corner of the family room; permanently, it seems!

My problem is that they can look quite unsightly. Also, once the bags are opened, it is difficult to close them up again whilst the bale is still quite full, leaving them vulnerable to insect infestation–not that we have insects all over the place, no!  I just don't want the potential for any creepy crawlies or flying insects to get into the feed (see Spring Stories).  

The smell of fresh oaten hay is quite lovely if you like the smell of the countryside but I don't want my family room to smell like a barn!

On Saturday, instead of grabbing my basket of half finished crochet projects, I grabbed the roll of calico from my craft corner and made a drawstring bag!

A calico drawstring bag in the corner next to the bookcase. The neutral colour blends in to the decor and hides a mini bale of oaten hay.  There is a circular opening at the top. It is drawn closed by a home-made twisted cord.
This drawstring bag takes care of the visual clutter of hay bales.
Much tidier, don't you think?

I'm pleased with myself because the whole project, from start to finish, was done in one day.  Usually fatigue forces me to work sewing projects in stages or to abandon them until another rare day when the forces of energy, time, environment and inclination coincide.

The neutral colour of the calico blends in well with the corner of the room reducing the visual clutter.  I can pull the top closed with the twisted cord made from three strands of remnant 4-ply cotton, which keeps the smell in the bag and the insects out. 

This bag was for a bale of oaten hay.  I look forward to making another for the straw soon.  Let me know if you would like me to blog the process and I will do it with the next bag.  I didn't bother with this one because I was hurrying to get it done 'before my batteries ran out'.

So that was Saturday!

Leaving Sunday (today): with the cleaner corner, I could concentrate on my crochet again.

An above view of my workspace as I design the tea towel top. Clockwise from left: a glass of water, a yellow ceramic candle holder, a plastic sleeve for a folder, a black laptop computer, black mouse, graph paper with my notes and a blue pen lid.  In the centre is the tea towel top strap section against a page of graph paper. To the right is a snaplock bag with two reels of thread. On the paper in the bottom right corner is a green-handled crochet hook and a ballpoint pen.
A 'slice' of my workspace today.


Related Posts on Lupey Loops


"Spring Stories & Spider Stitches", 22 November 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/spring-stories-spider-stitches.html

"Messy to the Max", 29 September 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/messy-to-max.html

"Resources for MCTD: Mum's Crazy Tiredness Disease", 5 October 2014: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/resources-for-mctd.html

"Eighty per Cent", 1 November 2013: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/living-with-chronic-illness-eighty-per.html 

7 comments:

  1. Max is just adorable! The bag is a great idea and I am totally with you in the energy thing, you should see my chair in the lounge, or rather you should see around my chair in the lounge!!! Have a great week. xx

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    1. Haha, Sharon. I can picture your chair surrounded by craft accoutrements. I have a corner like that but if it works, what's wrong with that? :-)
      You have a great week too - wishing you plenty of energy to do what you want to do. xx

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  2. I love the idea of a crochet Tea towel top. Thankyou for your visit and lovely comments. Have a wonderful Christmas.

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    1. Have you ever made your own tea towel or hand towel tops?
      I have been making a number of them as Christmas gifts which means I cannot reveal them until they have been received. The purple one in today's post is a more complex design and I have special plans for that one. More news in the new year. Wishing you a beautiful Christmas and everything good in 2016.

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  3. I can relate to the procrastination. During this exhausting heat wave I've done absolutely nothing in my studio. Max is a cutie and the calico bag is a fabulous idea. I believe its time well spent on your part

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    1. Oh indeed, Ilka! I've used the time to stay indoors and catch up on correspondence. I've been too tired to crochet and my eyes won't focus. It is hard to get enough sleep with the very early mornings and late nights which is when I try to get everything done for the day while it is cooler (albeit 30 degrees C / 86 F). Next week will be frantic as I try to finish off the Christmas errands that I can't do this week. I believe it got to 42 today - not sure if it got to the forecast 44 (111 F) but I will be happy if we get away without any major bushfires or power failures. Fingers crossed. If I don't catch up with you beforehand, Ilka, have a lovely Christmas and I hope to see you in the new year.

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    2. P.S. I am thrilled to see you in the comments. Thanks for saying hi!

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