Time Management - Again

I know I've written quite a bit about time management.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that I am still trying to figure it out.  It's one of those things, I've determined, that the experts in such things can provide guidelines for, but one size does not fit all.  Everyone has their own set of distractions that need to be kept in check in order to get your work done, especially if you work at home.

One of the best guidelines for me was so simple, my jaw dropped when I read it.  Shut the door.  Three simple words.  Whereas I was working in the living room at the time, this proved to be impossible. I began to notice how many times a member of my family would enter the room to ask a question, turn on the television, argue over what channel to watch, etc.

This led to this summer's main project - build a studio.  I have been wanting to join in the Vermont Crafts Council's Open Studio Weekend, but needed a studio.  Now was the time.  Unfortunately for me, the studio was completed too late to join in the fall Open Studio Weekend, but it will be open for the spring.  The studio itself is heated, so I can work in there all winter long.

Hopefully, this will bring an end to the little distractions that make it difficult to work.  I had a sketch/swatch accepted by a major magazine this summer that included a zipper.  I had a good idea of how I was going to work up the sample, but it still had to be reworked a few times to get it right.  I did not get to the zipper until the day before I had to mail it back to them to be received by the deadline.  Wouldn't you know, I could not get that zipper in the way it was supposed to be?  Once I had the whole thing together, I discovered other issues that should be reworked as well.  I mailed it in, as I was out of time, only to receive a letter from the editor a week later that it could not be used due to various design issues (including the zipper).  The editor was kind enough to send it back to me.

I am still reworking that design.  I figured it I had that much trouble putting in that zipper, other people would as well, so I am trying to make it easier to do.  The next time I submit it, it will be right!

Tying Up Loose Ends

When finishing a project, one thing you should never ever do is tie up loose ends.  Knots are bad, as they are unreliable and leave a hard little nub in the work.  If the knot comes undone, there is not sufficient yarn to reattach it.  Instead the ends should be woven in.

What exactly does that mean?  When ending one skein of yarn and starting another mid-row, leave the ends, or tails, at least 2 inches long on the outside of your work.  There are many videos on the web describing exactly how to thread these tails, one at a time, into a yarn needle and weave it in.  An important note is that the idea of doing this is to not see this end when you are done.

I saw a beautiful full size afghan at a county fair last year that they offering as a prize for a raffle.  It was apparent that a lot of work had been put into it.  Yet the ends, although woven in, were painfully obvious as they were woven into the adjoining color.  The red yarn end was woven into the adjoining yellow, etc.  This distracted from the final effect.  I couldn't believe that someone would put that much time and effort into something and not finish it properly.

Another fair entry was a nicely crocheted sweater.  It appeared to have holes in it that upon close inspection were actually where the ends were pulled too tightly before weaving.  There is a simple solution to this error - hold the stitch the tail is coming from between your thumb and finger while weaving.

You want a finished crochet work to have continuity.  Stitches of the same type should all be the same size.  Ends should not peek out.  It may take time and practice to find a technique that works for you, but the end result is well worth it.