Time Struggles

It's been quiet on the blog lately. I do have several projects in the works, but nothing's ready to show yet. And it doesn't help that the two projects that are making the most progress are the only two that have to be kept secret. One of those is a pattern that I hope to release mid-August, the other is a gift I hope to finish around the same time. That will then free me up for other things, I hope.

I'm at a point where it's hard to plan what to knit, and when and where to knit it. For the first time since college, I have a job that affords me the opportunity to knit at work (we'll call it Baboushka). However, if I knit something of my own design at work, it would legally be Baboushka's intellectual property. I doubt Baboushka would choose to take any action unless it involves lots and lots and lots of money, but I don't want to take that chance. (And if I do somehow make lots and lots and lots of money from knitting patterns, I think I would like to keep it.) So better safe than, sorry, right?

So in my head I have two knitting queues: Baboushka knitting and Creative knitting. Knitting other people's patterns, and knitting what I make up. And there's also the queue of things I'm dying to make, like Array and Color Affection. I've even bought the yarn for these two. But how do I manage my time so that I can get everything done?

Right now, the Baboushka knitting queue consists of two overdue baby sweaters, and a scarf. The scarf was tacked on recently by the request of a coworker, who has been teasing me about knitting him a scarf. I thought he was just messing around, until he facebooked me outside work and was more direct about it. Which is fine, I don't mind. He's offered to cover the cost of the yarn, the project itself shouldn't take too long. But now that I've taken this request, will there be others? Will they keep me from knitting the projects I see on Ravelry and have a burning desire to make? Don't get me wrong, these projects are all things I genuinely want to do. I'm not sure how to do it.

Because I also have non-knitting projects I'd like to do. I want to sew a jacket. I have a pattern, I have the material. But not the time. I also want to make a quilt for our bedroom, to tie all the colors together. Same thing, I have the fabric, the pattern, just not the time. Because I also have to sleep. And eat. And spend time with my husband and my other people. And attempt to keep the home place reasonably tidy, and keep us in clean clothes. And work. Working does come in handy when it comes time to pay for things. Somehow I'll figure it out. Someday.

Harvest Home Farm Artisan & Fiber Festival

On June 16 my mom and I attended the Harvest Home Farm Artisan & Fiber Festival in Whitehall, WI.

There were sheep far away in the pasture.

And blueberry bushes!

These brothers were checking out the llamas.

And there was a sheep shearing demonstration! Shortly before this, I had read something about shearing and was intrigued. When you've shorn a sheep, the fleece is supposed to be in one whole piece; I was trying to figure out how they do it. The answer is complex, but to grossly simplify, you start with the underbelly where the fiber length is too short to use, and throw that part aside. Then, starting with short strokes around the neck and face and other nooks and crannies, then do the bigger areas. That is, again, grossly simplified. They do not do it in one continuous stroke of the shear, like I had thought. The wool more or less stays together as it is shorn, so it easily stays in one piece. And after several sheep, you have a big burlap bag of wool and some freshly shorn sheep.

Rounding out all the wedding posts

One half of our smallest attendants: Logan and Amelia.
Not pictured: Leo and Kinsey
©Marcus Kantz

©Marcus Katnz 

Logan poses while his mom (Nicolle) straightens him out.
©Andi Stempniak

Ben got the guys cuff links. From left to right: Dinosaurs (Alan), a comic book character I don't remember (Michael),  a Tardis (Ben), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cam), and Legos (Carl, my brother). Not pictured: University of Michigan (Ben's dad), pigs (Carl, my Gramps)
©Andi Stempniak

The Orchestra/My Cousins: (L-R)  Anna, Emily, Sarah and Ben Bachmeier.
©Andi Stempniak

Our moms lit our individual candles.
©Andi Stempniak

Gramps walks me down the aisle
©Andi Stempniak

Ben and his brother Mike have the same expression!
©Andi Stempniak

My accessories
©Andi Stempniak

©Andi Stempniak

©Andi Stempniak

I can't believe my luck.
©Andi Stempniak

©Andi Stempniak

He's a comedian!
©Andi Stempniak

©Andi Stempniak

©Andi Stempniak

©Andi Stempniak

©Andi Stempniak

Maid of Honor Paula, myself, Maid of Honor Kelsey, and Nicolle.
©Andi Stempniak

Best Man Michael, Ben, Groomsmen Alan and Cam.
©Andi Stempniak

Our joined families:
My brother Cam, my brother Carl, my grandpa Carl, my grandma Kathy,
my mom Barb, me, Ben, his mom Anne, his dad Jim, and his brother Michael.
©Andi Stempniak

Place Cards

We elected to assign tables, but not individual seats. This project was probably the simplest and had the best return on investment. It didn't take much time and the supplies didn't cost much, but it had major impact. And Ben got really involved in this one, too!

©Andi Stempniak, https://www.facebook.com/stempniakphoto

We started with a printable place card kit from a craft store. The cards are already perforated, there is a slight crease at the fold line, and there's an embossed square around the edge. I found a stamp that resembled the flower on the invite, and a peach chalk-based ink. After a few test runs, we were in business.

We found it was best to stamp the cards before printing them. With the chalk-based ink, we found you had to be careful in handling it or you get chalk residue on your hands.

Cake

That cake topper I made a while back? Here's the cake.

Flowers

In planning the wedding, flowers were a bit of a stress. In most things (photographer, DJ, baker, etc), we loved either the first or second one we approached and quickly stopped looking. So when we had to meet with three florists, we had begun to worry. We shouldn't have. 

The third florist, Vicki of Eevy Ivy Over, was everything we could have wished for in a florist. She got me. She understood the mental picture I had developed, and she improved upon it. 

See, even our ring bearer was impressed!

 All photos ©Andi Stempniak, https://www.facebook.com/stempniakphoto.

Table Numbers

We wanted to do something cool with table names. Something awesome, and original, and us.

We couldn't think of anything.

Eventually, we settled on actual numbers, with the words written out in French.

Why French? It's been a big part of my life. I started studying it in high school, participated in Concordia Language Village French Weekend programs, traveled to France with a group from my high school, and then went on to be a counselor in CLV's French summer camps, to major in French, and to study abroad in Paris. More recently, it's been used to pronounce wines correctly, and even more recently, taking Quebecois phone calls at work.

But that wasn't enough. That is, it wasn't enough for my own satisfaction.

Table 12; ©Andi Stempniak, https://www.facebook.com/stempniakphoto

I wanted to make them myself. Each one is unique and involves a lot of patience and glue. I would not have even attempted this without my Cricut.

The front side (pictured above) consists of individual cut-out letters and die cuts glued to an 8" x 8" sheet of scrapbook paper. That exact size doesn't really exist commercially, I had to cut them down. The backside is much simpler, just a sheet of scrapbook paper (same size) with a die cut numeral. Sandwiched between the front and back is a sheet of card stock paper (same size), for stiffness.

A visual, in case you didn't get all that

It was time-intensive, but it was something I felt compelled to do.