February 22nd, 2020
It’s not usually a Weekly Wrap unless I lament how little time I had for the things I enjoy, or how much time I managed to waste. But! This week is different. This week, I learned a new skill.
And this week, it’s possible I bit off more than I can chew. 😳
Beyond the Blog
I’m actually really, truly excited about the new skill I picked up this week: embroidery! It struck me out of nowhere, the urge to make pretty pictures by stabbing linen with a needle, and so far, so good!
I have actually gotten a little ambitious, though, and started with an octopus design. A blue-ringed octopus, to be precise. One I drew myself. I never do things by halves, do I? But take a look at my progress from just the first couple hours of learning to stitch!
[SpongeBob Narrator Voice] TWO AND A HALF HOURS LATER…
(Given that this is my first project and I'm teaching myself, I'd say I'm doing pretty good!) pic.twitter.com/Z4TjZ4ti97
— Meaghan 💛 (@hailandwellread) February 20, 2020
At this point, I feel pretty good about my back stitch, and I think I’m making good headway with my stem stitch for outlining the whole project. Since I’m struggling with book sleeves right now (I have to set the sewing machine on my floor since there’s no other space in the house currently, and it makes me feel like a contortionist, trying to sew neatly that way), embroidery is quickly becoming a fun way to channel my non-writing creative energy. It also feels like something I could really excel at, which is a satisfying feeling.
Other than getting stabby, though, I haven’t done a whole lot besides go to work and back, and watch a lot of YouTube videos about hand embroidery. I’ve really fallen down the rabbit hole on this one, and if this blog is going to get new content, I suppose I better pull myself back out. Then again, it’s been nice to recharge, get some spoons back after the draining couple weeks I’ve had. 😅
Posts This Week
Blood Water Paint Review — T5T Bookish Habits
The Week Ahead
New blog posts! Perhaps a finished floss octopus! More scheming in general, and maybe more work on my desk. My dad was away for a mini vacation this week, so I didn’t get to do anything with that, and I don’t know enough to complete that project alone. If all goes well this week, though, we can make more progress, and hopefully hit that “done by the end of March” mark I’m aiming for.
Having that desk means I’ll be able to sew book sleeves and other things again, and I can’t WAIT. Crouching on the floor to sew is a nightmare. I may be in my early twenties, but I’d like to spare my knees the pain. I already stand all day at a retail job, thanks.
Outside of the textile creative realm, I’m hoping to read a couple more books, and hammer out more blog posts. They’re in desperate need of writing (this week ended up being slim because I pushed some post ideas back in order to let myself chill out and breathe), and March is around the corner. With March comes spring, and the sun, and hopefully less of this seasonal bleh feeling. Give me back extended daylight, please and thank you.
And while it isn’t next week, we are two weeks away from the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team: DX release, and four weeks out from Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I damn well need my ducks in a row before then, because GUESS WHAT I’LL BE DOING.
(If you guessed “spending all your time playing video games and hoping your real life responsibilities will vanish for a hot second?” then you’re right on the money. Give yourself a gold star, or a pat on the back. Or whatever makes you feel good.)
So there you have it, a week of stitching now and a week of stitching ahead, plus some scribbling. I am a professional in all things, clearly. Anyway, I hope you had an excellent week, and I’ll see you around in the week to come! 💛