Too Soon to Tell!

Do you want to know why you haven't seen any finished crochet here for a while?

I promise there are good reasons

—some can be shared and some need to wait—

but the main reason can be summed up in two words:

 

secret projects!

It won't be long until I can tell all. Meanwhile, here's something exciting that might give you a clue:

Look what arrived in my letterbox—
4 exhibit cards for the Royal Adelaide Show!

Yes!  I have actually entered crochet in the 

Royal Adelaide Show (RAS) for the first time ever.  

Can you believe it?   I am not sure that I can believe it yet.

For years, different people have suggested that I enter my work in the show but it was never something that appealed to me:

• I didn't feel the need for a prize to tell me that I could crochet well.  
• Past horror stories of prized work getting damaged or going missing from other Australian shows did not help.
• That was beside the fact that I wasn't well enough anyway to attend the show or rely on my body to be able to deliver and collect the work on time (risking my work being discarded).  
• My illness precludes me from paid employment and my very tight household budget make entry fees too frivolous an expense to justify.

So what happened?  

Apart from continuing encouragement and cajoling from others, especially from friends who have entered shows before, I was reassured that my concerns about security and handling of work have been addressed at the RAS.  

Now that my children are older, it is easier for me to get there and the entry fees are not exorbitant.

If I did well at the show, it would be a lovely way to add value to the crochet that I sell at Gallery M and a way to say "thank you" to the gallery's curator for choosing my work in the first place.

The final persuasive words, that I could not really argue with, were, "You never know, you could win some prize money and buy more yarn!"

I had to laugh at that because the yarn stash is so large already but a yarn winder or some stitch dictionaries etc. would be most welcome additions to the craft corner.

In the end, my curiosity got the better of me. Entering a show is something I had never done before and if I'm unable to exhibit at Maker Faire this year, then why not try the Royal Adelaide Show instead?

This year, I am entering four different  projects in the 'Open Art and Craft' competition.  The class on the top exhibit card is 439 "Creative Crochet: any original article designed and made exclusively by the exhibitor."  I will not divulge the details of the other cards because I want my entries to be anonymous.

You can see the list of classes in the 'Lace, Knitting and Crochet' section of the 'Open Art and Craft' Prize Schedule on the RAS web site.  Some of the prizes have been generously provided by Yarnarama. (We met Charmaine from Yarnarama at the Stitches and Craft Show back in 2015.)

This past week, I have been under pressure to finish my entries so wish me luck! 

I am way behind the eight ball with my timing!  That's the other reason you haven't seen much crochet on the blog.   
I haven't had much time to crochet at all.  

Some have been fun reasons like going out on weekends to the football, AVCon and other community events. Some have been family reasons like helping my youngsters prepare for major activities. Then there are the health reasons, the usual suspects: fatigue, flares, appointments and trying to juggle everything plus run a household where unforeseen events push me to my physical limits. 

In the past month, I was also confronted by a crisis in which one of my health support providers announced the closure of services.  Again, I found myself having to fight to maintain access to a service that is integral to my wellbeing. 

This circumstance was all part of the government's restructuring of disability support services in this country. Some bureaucrat made a decision without fully understanding the ramifications of it for the people who need the service.  

The stress of the whole debacle was detrimental to my health.  Firstly, the news was horrifying enough as there is no other service provider that is suitable for my needs. Where was I to go? 

I was then compelled to follow up with various authorities and lobby Members of Parliament to represent the needs of myself and, as it turned out, the 200 other people affected. Meanwhile, my energy was taken up with researching other possible providers,  working out a new plan, meetings, phone calls and emails. 

Eventually, the decision was overturned and the services will remain open. For now. A small win.
The powers-that-be say that I will still be able to access services but everything is subject to change.

I am so angry after all that stress was created and energy lost. They are days of my life I will never get back and I don't appreciate it.

That is why my entries for the RAS aren't even finished.  They need to be delivered for judging later this week (panic stations!) and one entry still has work to be done!  Talk about cutting it fine. 

This may be the first and last year I enter the show because I can do without the deadline stress but it is my own fault. I purposely entered an item that was unfinished so that it would motivate me to finish it. There would have been plenty of time had it not been for the health crises. If the work gets finished on time, the entry fee will have been worth it!

Tell me, have you entered craft competitions before?

Related Posts on Lupey Loops

"Out to Lunch", 7 August 2017: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/08/out-to-lunch.html

"Etsy Adelaide Community Market", 1 August 2017: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/08/etsy-adelaide-community-market.html

"Crochet at AVCon", 28 July 2017: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/07/crochet-at-avcon.html

"A Mum's Day Off", 26 July 2017: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/07/a-mums-day-off.html

"Maker Faire Adelaide 2017 Call for Makers", 8 July 2017: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/07/maker-faire-adelaide-2017-call-for.html

"Adelaide Stitches and Craft Show", 9 May 2015: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/adelaide-stitches-craft-show.html

 

Links

Royal Adelaide Show: http://theshow.com.au/

Yarnarama: https://www.yarnarama.com.au/