I have a problem with finishing crafty projects. I tend to get to about 65% of the way done and then put it down for months. I have the same problem at work, too, although there I’m getting a paycheck which gives me the motivation to wrapitup. I’m not sure why I have this tendency; maybe it’s because the fun is really in getting started and figuring out how this is going to go, and then when project execution becomes a grind, I get bored. Or maybe I just get distracted, or maybe I’m just impatient, I’m not really sure. It doesn’t really matter; I get done what I need to at work and these thoughts aren’t about work.

Currently, I am working on an 1860s 18″ doll dress, an afghan, a puzzle, and a series of dishrags. All of these crafts are those little sort of crafty things; you don’t need them, you can buy them already finished, what-are-you-going-to-do-with-them-when-they-are-done? Why am I spending my life using up this crappy acrylic yarn that has already sat in my basement for a year? It’s just going to degrade and release more microplastics into the universe, I should just trash the whole roll. But then that’s a waste of past me’s $7.00, which I could have invested in a HYSA at 3% interest! Can I sell these dishrags on Etsy? How many hours am I spending doing on these crafts? How much is my time worth?

The next obvious thought is to realize that the joy is in the doing, not in the done. I’m not trying to make a profit, I’m trying to build a skill and do something relaxing. I’m trying to add a little useful-ness back into TV time. I’m trying to slow down and spend time doing something other than cram more facts into my brain. However, even this sort of thinking has been content-ized. There are so many Tik Toks glamourizing the “slow life.” I can’t even relax and do these crafty crafts without feeling like I need a more productive “slow life.” My knitting is garbage. The Civil War doll outfit market is saturated. What is even the point of cardboard puzzles.

I think mostly, I’m just happy to have the time to start and try a craft. There have been so many times in life where I haven’t had this time. I’ve been too busy. I’ve been too stressed. I’ve been under too much pressure. And right now, I have the time to look around and think – “You know what sounds like a good idea? Knitting crappy acrylic yarn into a dishrag.” I am celebrating having the space to start. And if they all end up unfinished – that’s okay. They will sit and wait until I have the space to finish them.