Craft Enabled, Domestically Disabled

Weekend crafting

My T-shirt class went AWESOMELY this weekend. Everyone showed up on both days and everyone made stuff! YAY! Best class since the first one.

I have been feeling kinda jaded the last few times I did it because most people would only show up for a day, make a shirt and leave. Which hey, whatever works for ya, but made me wonder if I should cut the thing down to one day. (Which it will be this summer, at least.) This class liked having it for two days ("I finally feel like I'm getting my sea legs" after one day was mentioned), so... hm. I'lll have to discuss it with the manager.

In other news, the #12 skirt is going to be the most evil project ever, probably the worst since the fire skirt. It's about 200 less stitches cast on, but I had to start it over AGAIN on Sunday and it took 2 1/2 hours JUST TO CAST IT ON AGAIN. SO irritating. If I'm lucky and get anywhere with it it'll probably take me all summer. I timed myself doing one row and it took 41 minutes!

Yarn burnout, part 2

I really want to make this skirt. However:

1. You have to cast on 450+ stitches TO START THE THING.
2. Most of it is done in size 5 needles. You finish it in EVEN SMALLER NEEDLES. Why do some knitters love tiny-ass needles? Size 5 is bordering on carpal tunnel for me and god knows you don't feel like you're making much progress when working with them. Plus even FINDING size 3 needles of any sort is a pain in the arse.
3. It's really slow and tedious going to make. I tried making it last year, kept screwing up the various eyelets, and I finally just frogged it because there was no way I could recall on what row I was on by now after it hibernated for a year.
4. Now I somehow can't even manage to CAST THE FUCKER ON without my needles slipping off and me having to start all over again. WHY MUST IT BE SO TINY?!?!

Yarn burnout?

Not really, but I am kind of in a lull between projects. I am trying NOT to go out and buy new yarn for the forseeable future...which is annoying when your primary thing to make is clothes and that usually requires about a thousand yards of the same color yarn. And if you've only got 200-300-400 yards of any given color around the house, what the hell do you make?

Ugh. That is not fun. I am trying to find stripey sweater patterns.

I am also debating re-starting up two projects that I put into hibernation a year ago because they were complicated. Very cute garments (though one of them I really don't have the "right" sort of yarn for...but that would involve lots of spending money again), but jeebus h. christ, complicated. However, since I am likely to be stuck on a family vacation from hell next month with not a thing to do (out in the middle of nowhere), maybe I should suck it up.

As a sewing instructor, this makes me laugh and laugh.

Regretsy sewing machine. Note labels like "wet felted cooter", "golden snitch," "fuckstick," "cryhole," "flux capacitor..."

WEF wrapup

I used to make around $100 for working two days at WEF. Last year in one day I made half that. This year? $16. Mostly the aforementioned cheap pendants, though one set of earrings ($5) and one necklace ($8) went.

Honestly, I think I need to quit doing this. It's not fun to sit there all day instead of having fun, and at this point it's not worth my time to do it, on so many levels. And nobody can afford anything even at cheap prices, apparently.