Janni From the block

Don't be fooled by the cats that I got!

[jannifromtheblock]

New Year. New Goals.

My creative energy is back, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I went through such a drought at the end of 2015. I was wondering if I had completely lost my creative mojo, and that would have been the worst thing ever. It would have been for many reasons, not even counting my load-bearing yarn and fabric walls. Yes, it was that bad. The break was exactly what I needed. I started off knitting all of the things. I knit and knit and knit and knit. I knit so much that by the day after Christmas, I had to stop knitting because my hands hurt. It felt great.

And then I did some sewing! It felt great to be back at my machine. I have two dresses almost done! I just need to drop in some hems and tack down some lining. I used the same pattern for both and zipped through them. So now there will be a Halloween print to go with my Next Generation print. But let’s be honest, I am going to be rocking that TNG print ALL SUMMER LONG!

This is going to be my year of renewed making. I will start keeping track and listing my projects, it will help keep me from abandoning projects and leaving UFO’s (unfinished objects) in my wake.

In light of all of this, here are my crafty goals for 2016: Make at least two new dresses a month For every dress I sew, I get donate one store bought dress Complete 12 pairs of socks over the course of the year No new yarn for 2016 Stick to my modest sewing budget Make a pair of pants that is worthy to be seen in public I’ll keep you updated!

[jannifromtheblock]

MAKE IT SEW! So for a big chunk of my adult life, I’ve always wanted a wardrobe of simple cotton dresses in awesomely odd fabrics. Learning to sew, properly sew, has made this a possibility. 

The end of 2015 my sewing slowed down a bit. It could have been the weather, the arrival of our pup, or just settling into the new life. But it also could have been my attempts at making a more adult wardrobe. My last two projects were out of more mature fabric selections. They turned out beautiful, but I needed a palate cleanser. I needed something that would get me back to the roots of why I love to sew. 

So I sat down and picked out this gem from my ever growing fabric stash. It is everything. Flattering and celebrating one of the shows that shaped my early nerdy ways, this one practically flew off the machine. I may have a bit of a crush on this one.

[jannifromtheblock]

Make it sew.

[jannifromtheblock]

Clearing the creative decks

In order to embark on this creative endeavor, I needed to clear out my crafting queue. I am guilty of having a ton of UFOs (un-finished objects) just waiting to be done. There is always an excitement when you cast on or cut, so many possibilities of what it’s going to be. But I can tell you that by the the time you get to that second sleeve or hem, you are just sick of looking at it and want to chuck it out the window.

So in the past two days I hunkered down and wrapped up three projects. A pair of rainbow socks was the easiest, I whipped through those in under two weeks. A pink wool dress got a hem and some trim around the neckline. And I finally finished the orange mohair sweater that has been darkening my dresser. 

Last night I went thought my Ravelry queue - that’s my list of knitting and crochet projects I want to do. I cut out about thirty things I know I will never make. It was a little thing, but it felt really cathartic to do. It also gave me some ideas for my next project. There were so many amazing things that I forgot I wanted to make. 

And now with a clear slate, today is all about deciding what make. 

[jannifromtheblock]

Settled in, but not settling.

Hey Guys, Sorry I have been out of the loop. The whole moving, buying a house, starting an intense-but-incredibly rewarding job, cohabitating with my amazing partners, adopting a dog, getting a car, healing old wounds, and producing two out-of-state shows has been a whole lot of work. But I am back! And after all of the challenges of the last year, I feel better than ever. There have been wonderful highs and terrible lows, but I survived! 

And now I am feeling creative! My mind is racing with things I want to knit, dresses I want to make, and stories I want to write. Yes, I want to write. I have always been on the editing side of things and it’s time to try life on the other side of the table. I have ideas, inspirations, plans, and a writing partner all lined up. 

I promise to share more of my creations, struggles, success and failure, and ramblings. Now to start the longest block of time off I’ve had in four years. 

[jannifromtheblock]

My first full week as a Minnesotan has ended. It’s been pretty a total rush and today I found myself pretty much unable to do much but sleep... and it felt great.

It’s been a bittersweet week for me. I love my new job and all of the awesome new people I meet every single day but I do miss things about California. I used to think that moving to a new place meant that old friendships would fall away but technology has made things so so good. I text and message with my closest pals all the time so I haven’t had much of a chance to miss them.

Mostly, I miss my man and my kitties. They will be here in about two weeks but its the longest we have been apart and yeah, it kind of sucks. Get here soon, Schmoopy <3

[jannifromtheblock]

I have decided that Waffles the dog is going to be my new dog BFF. Waffles welcomed me during my first interview at work and I believe we are destined for greatness.

I also met a cat on a leash on my walk home.

[jannifromtheblock]

Welcome

Here is where my journey starts. Follow this East Coast girl with a West Coast heart as I settle into my new life in the Midwest. There will be all of the feelings as I leave my old life behind and start anew. There will be pictures of food, cats, and vintage clothing. And there will be my hilarious antics which you know and I hope love.