Recatching the Bug

Back when I first began learning to use proper quilting tools, I set a goal to finish one quilt block a day. That was before I met The Lizard. I think I got about 18 blocks done before we began dating. Twelve went into a charity quilt. The rest may be tucked away somewhere; I can't remember.

Soon after The Lizard and I began dating, the dime-sized bone chip of unknown origin made contact with my sciatic nerve, I was rushed into surgery, and the bullet-sized gap in my nerve put a long hiatus on quilting for me. (As well as affecting just about everything else I do!)


A few years ago, I set a goal to design a snowflake a day. I think I did 16 snowflakes the first time I tried to achieve this goal. The next time I decided to try, I got 22 snowflakes done and patterns written, plus a few more designed but never written.


Back in 2011 I joined Starfleet Fiber Arts Academy on Ravelry, mostly because I'm a huge Star Trek fan, but also because I crave challenges that encourage me to finish my WIPs. (Works in Progress.) (... and other projects)




Star Fleet Fiber Arts Academy challenges include the Ravellenics, in which crafters try to complete as many projects as they can (with wonderfully creative categories such as Lace Luge, Sock Hockey and Mitten Moguls) during the Olympics.


Last year, I joined the quarterly quilting UFO (UnFinished Object) challenge on Ravelry because I have too many quilt tops in progress on my quilt rack and a store-bought quilt on my guest bed. Although I've not finished a quilt for that challenge yet, I did make good progress last quarter on two WIP projects.

Of course, I have this ongoing personal goal of publishing a new snowflake pattern every Monday...

I guess at some point, it's okay to say, "TOO MUCH!"

But I've really been enjoying the transition from continually looking for new ideas and new projects to "What can I finish tonight?"

Even though they weren't quilting projects and there were no suitable Starfleet missions for my WIP snowflakes, I had a great time finishing up snowflakes that had languished inside clean pizza boxes for up to five years. I felt so rejuvenated and so ecstatic each time I finished a tiny WIP. Some of them took the better part of an hour, but some literally took just a few minutes. So they had suffered in unfinishdom for years, all because I had flitted like an icy butterfly to a new flake.

So I'm not going to pull back just yet. I still have to finish a bunch of quilt tops. I have another pizza box of wilted snowflakes that need attention. And then there are the leg warmers...


Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention... I joined a 13-in-12 sock group last year because I LOVE knitting (or crocheting) socks. The goal was to make 13 pairs in 12 months. I asked if leg warmers would be acceptable, and they said yes! I finished four pairs of leg warmers and have worn one pair about a dozen times now. I made one pair of socks (shown above).

My personal goal was to design and write patterns for 12 pairs of leg warmers. I finished making four pairs but did not write the patterns. Grrr. Cycling season set in, and given my previous year of disc pain and the heat of last summer, that goal got stuck in a crack in the basement somewhere until December when the basement flooded...


A few days ago I received an invitation to renew my goals for the 12 pairs of socks in 2014 challenge. My done leg warmers won't count in the new challenge, but on a personal level, the goal of completing the other 8 pairs of leg warmers in a year seems so much more realistic. Plus, I can get those babies I already have yarn for done. Having a monthly goal (and knowing how to manage emotions when goals are not met) will help me stay focused and hopefully finish yet another multi-level project.

Plus, all this stuff keeps me from getting bored with snowflakes.


Done. What a magnificent word! I love to type it. I love to say it. I love to announce it when I finish weaving in the final end of something I've put my heart and soul into. I love to sing it! I love to dance it!

I guess it's somewhat like crossing the finish line of Ride the Rockies. Miles and miles of thread or yarn (or maybe even fabric and batting), sometimes with the emotional equivalent of flat tires, bugs in my eyes and running out of water along the way.

The hardships make the finish line more memorable, more enjoyable, more invigorating.

WIPdom is about do become WIPdone!

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