Confessions of a Control Enthusiast

This post is going to get personal. Just so you know. Not in a weird, icky, tabloid way; I'm just going to discuss some stuff that's going on in my life and some of my own inner struggles. It's not going to be one of my happy, perky crafting posts.

I am a control enthusiast. I borrow that term from Joss Whedon, who used it to describe himself in the commentary on some episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I forget which one. I loved that term, because I feel like it describes me better than the more usual "control freak." I am enthusiastic about controlling things. I like to have plans, I like to know what's going to happen when, and I often have a real difficulty dealing with having my plans changed. It's something I struggle with a lot lately, since babies and three-year-olds rarely adhere to any kind of coherent schedule and don't generally consult me about what I think their itinerary should be today.

Well, today, a bunch of stuff in my life totally derailed. I don't know if I've mentioned it here, but we're moving to Virginia because my hubby's being transferred to a new position in DC. This is really exciting for us, and we've already gone there and found a new apartment. We were told that our travel-down-there date would be January 27th, and then Larry would have the 28th off to help unpack, and he'd be able to start work the 31st.

And now those plans have all fallen through. The moving company won't get here to pack up our stuff until the 28th and, according to them, it could be several days -- up to two weeks! -- before they deliver our goods. I don't know what kind of Mickey Mouse moving company this is, but frankly, I think something is rotten in the state of Connecticut. This is but the latest in a long series of screw-ups, mistakes, and fall-throughs involved in this transfer. Everything seems to have gone awry that could possibly do so, from lost paperwork to bank snafus to illnesses.

And I realized tonight that maybe this is a message from God for me. A reminder that I can't control much of anything. I can call myself a control enthusiast, I can make plans all I want to, but in the end, God "works all things after the counsel of his own will." (Ephesians 1:11b) The truth is, I need to stop trying to control my life, my children, and the US Department of State, because that's not my job. It's God's job. I need to quash my hubris, quell my pride, and stop trying to do his job for him. Because, clearly, I'm no good at it at all.

So, with much prayer for strength, I am going to try not to make any more plans about this move. I am going to just deal with each day as it comes and trust that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) We will get moved to Virginia, our worldly goods will be delivered to our new home, and in another month we'll be smiling as we realize everything worked out after all.

Hand Knit Hand Me Downs

My friend Julie from This Cosy Life has had an awesome idea. Those of us who knit and/or crochet occasionally make something that doesn't fit its intended recipient, that doesn't turn out quite the way we wanted, or that we're just plain tired of. What do we do with those handmade items? If we give them to a thrift store, will the person who acquires it know how to care for it? But throwing them away is wasteful, and storing them forever is impractical.

So Julie has created Hand Knit Hand Me Downs, a Flickr group for people with hand knitted or crocheted items that they no longer have a use for, but that still have good wear in them. You offer them for free, only asking that the recipient share a photo of the item being worn/used. Anyone who knits or crochets can join and offer or ask for items. You can join the group here, and also with the complete rules for joining.

I've joined, and I've already thought of several items I'm going to offer once I've finished moving. So in a couple weeks or so, lol. Speaking of moving, we went on our hunting trip and found an apartment, so won't be long and we'll be living in the great state of Virginia! Woo!

My First Treasury for 2011

The title is "I Want You, I Need You, Oh Baby, Oh Baby!" That's a line from the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, one I quote quite a lot :-) The first four items illustrate the title, and the rest of the items carry out the burgundy-and-grey theme. I hope you like it!

2010 in My Rearview Mirror

It's been such an amazing year! My daughter came into the world, my son turned three, my brother graduated from law school, my husband got a new job that he'll be starting before long... and my shop has done me proud.

I don't know about you, but the last few days of the year always make me introspective. What went right this year? What didn't? What do I need to work on in the coming twelve months? What do I want to improve on?

I know my parenting skills need work. I lose my patience too often, even my temper sometimes, and I need to get better at maintaining my cool. I also need to take more time for Dano -- he's had a rough ten months, having to share his world with a noisy little stranger. I try to spend Mercy's morning nap time with him, doing whatever he wants, but lately I've been squeezing laundry or dishes or checking email into that time slot, which is not at all fair to him. Having my Mom here the last week and a half illustrated very clearly to me how much he's missing having lots of attention -- he soaked up her time with him like a happy sponge. Sure, all kids want more attention than they get, but I feel like I've been capitalizing on his ability to amuse himself too much lately. So no more multitasking during Mercy's naps unless it's truly unavoidable.

Creatively, I've had an awesome run. I've nearly completed my fifth novel -- one of my aims for January is to finish the first draft so I can let it sit for a few months, then see if I think a rewrite would make it viable, publishable material. Who knows -- by the end of 2011, I may be on my way to getting a novel published!

As for my more crafty creativity, I've done well there too. I've had satisfying sales with Huggermugger, I've created some new products, and I've got ideas for more. I want to collage more composition-sized notebooks, try out some new hat patterns, maybe even branch out into something altogether different. I'm currently crocheting a cardigan for myself, my first attempt at crocheted clothing if you don't count hats, scarves, and mittens. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Happy New Year!

Yarn, Glorious Yarn!

I took Mom (and my kids) to the local yarn store today, A Stitch in Time. What bliss, what joy! I bought a yarn winder and swift! And also a bunch of yarn, including this really interesting kind made from corn fibers. It's really soft -- I can't wait to use it to make some things for my shop!


I also bought yarn for a custom order for a baby hat, which is what you see on my swift and winder here. It's a lovely super-wash merino, with pretty pinks ranging from dusty rose to delicate pink. I'm going to start that hat as soon as I've posted this and linked to it on my Facebook page.

Tolkien Treasury

I created a new treasury last night, and it's quite possibly my favorite treasury I've ever created. It's 100% Lord of the Rings things! I call it "Souvenirs from Middle Earth" because it's the sort of things you might buy while on vacation... if you could vacation in Middle Earth. Here it is:


If you're a Tolkien fan, or generally a fantasy fan, there just might be something there you'd like to spend your Christmas gift money on :-)

Finally -- Facebook!

I have finally made a page for my shop on Facebook. I know, I know, took me long enough, right? But better late than never. My page is here, and I'll be posting all kinds of stuff there. Like what? Like new items when I list them in my shop, a link every time I post here on my blog, news about sales I run, treasuries I create or am in -- all kinds of stuff. You can even request custom items by posting on my wall! And who knows, I might even run a giveaway for my FB fans only. Anyway, it'll be the quick and easy way to stay up to date on everything Huggermugger! And you can "like" me right from here by using the handy-dandy tool in my sidebar.

In other news, I'm all excited because I've sold enough items since Thanksgiving that I will be able to buy my very own yarn ball winder and swift! If you don't know what those are, here are a couple pics. Basically, any time I buy awesome yarn that's sold in hanks instead of a ball or center-pull skein, I have to wind it up into a ball in order to use it. Which takes a looooong time by hand. But with a winder, it takes a matter of minutes. You loop the yarn hank around the swift, then attach one end to the winder and crank the little handle, and before you know it, you have a beautiful, center-pull yarn cake. Wooo! I can't wait.