I want to say multiple Flax Sweaters could be referred to as Flaxen, similar to how the plural of Ox is Oxen, but Flaxen is an adjective (meaning “like flax”) so I don’t think that could be the plural. I’m guessing the plural is simply Flax, because it’s a collective noun. A quick google search or an online dictionary would probably put the question to rest fairly quickly, but what fun would that be?
Anyway, I’m thinking about multiple Flax sweaters, because I finished one and started another this week.
I also made more family portrait ornaments, and moved permanently out of the office space that I used to occupy before the pandemic.
It’s a roundup of the little (and big!) moments I have captured all week. Some of these images are posted on Instagram, but many aren’t posted anywhere but here. Some days there may be no photos, and other days there may be multiples. It’s more laid back than the Project 365s of previous years. You can learn more here 🙂
Here’s a very short video, featuring 1.5-second moments from the week. Please enjoy these festive early December moments:
Saturday
It’s the weekend, so it’s back to ornament-making. I have one more batch of orders to fill. Today, I’m working on two ornaments for one family. The first is of grandparents, mom, dad, and three daughters. The second is mom, dad, three daughters, and their two dogs. I use specific cutters and measuring tools to make sure the sizes of heads, bodies, feet, arms, etc. are all consistent from ornament to ornament, and among all of the people within an ornament.The first of the two is ready for the oven, and the second will be ready to bake once it’s assembled.
Story for Saturday
Tuesday
The latest batch of ornaments is all packed up and ready to ship.
I finished the Flax Sweater I was knitting for my son for Christmas. So why am I wearing it now? Well, I threw it in the washing machine instead of blocking (because superwash wool, and why not?) and it came out with some pretty egregious runs in the fabric 😬. I’ve had a few days to think about it, and I’ve decided I can probably salvage it. I’m wearing it while I consider my options. I will still give it to Aidan if he wants such a fragile pain in the neck of a sweater. And if he doesn’t, I kind of like how it looks on me 😁
And on another note, my polymer work got a nice little boost today: featured on Polymer Clay Daily … it’s been twelve years since I have made something worthy of that honor 😜
Wednesday
I cleaned out my cubicle today. The office building where I worked in the Before Times is being repurposed, and none of the leases are being renewed. The company is moving headquarters out of state, and all employees are now permanently remote. Yay! Working from home, FTW! Cleaning out my cubicle and leaving the building for the last time was a little bittersweet, but mostly it is a good thing 🙂 And in unrelated good news, I repaired that sweater I posted about yesterday, and it’s not terrible, lol!
Friday
Saturday can’t come soon enough. In some ways, this past week of having so many ideas, but little opportunity to express them reminds me of the years I spent at home with two little boys. I was busy enjoying their childhood and running a polymer clay bookstore online (anybody remember Polka Dot Creations? 😊). I’d have all of these ideas swirling around, but by the time everyone was in bed and books were packed up for shipping, I had no energy for creating. But still the ideas persisted, kept me awake at night. I’d come up with a plan, mentally run through the steps of how to make what I wanted to make, but I wouldn’t touch the clay. Until the Clayathon started happening every year. I’d pack up my pasta machine and gather with a dozen or so other polymer clay enthusiasts for a Winter weekend at the Jersey Shore. Within minutes of unpacking my supplies in the Days Inn conference room, creations were exploding out of me. I didn’t have to spend any time thinking about what I wanted to make, or how I wanted to achieve my goals, because I’d had months of that before. I was freakishly prolific during those early Clayathons. Just ask anyone who sat next to me 😁And so, on a much, much smaller scale, I’ve been feeling that way this week. Work has been a bit intense, and when I am done for the day, it’s dark. And I’d much rather plop myself down on the bed with a mystery on TV and some mindless knitting. The polymer ideas I’ve been collecting, are patiently waiting for their turn to be realized. This weekend, it’s happening. First thing Saturday morning, I’ll be at the dining room table, cranking out the pieces I’ve been thinking about since Monday. I’ve got a list of gifts I’d like to get through, and now I’m also thinking about earrings for me. I’ve been wearing stud earrings for the last couple of years, because they don’t get tangled up in face mask ear straps, but this new sweater I started for myself (a variation on another Flax Sweater) is making me think “hair in an up-do and dangly earrings.” This millefiori cane (“Lush Jubilee”) will be involved for sure. Here’s to crafty weekends (and getting through Friday without losing one’s mind)! 💟
Thanks for helping me celebrate the week! If you want to see some of this stuff as it happens, please feel free to follow me on Instagram ♥
TWiP: Three Weeks in Pictures (2022) Sometimes you just stop fighting it, and put all of your eggs in one basket. Or, more accurately, all of your photos in one post.
TWiP: Mod Floral Taxes (2016) I feel like it's pretty much been flowers and taxes around here lately (which is <em>half</em> nice...).
