More Thoughts on Goals

I haven’t made any goals related to crafting or hobbies. That was a deliberate choice. I spent a LOT of time on hobbies last year… handwriting drills with a fountain pen, brush pen calligraphy, dip nib calligraphy, bullet journaling, knitting, cross stitch, embroidery. Apparently I don’t need additional motivation to pursue hobbies!

I do like the idea of a monthly project to learn techniques. The problem is that I currently have several cross stitch projects in my queue that are either gifts for others or for myself, and I’ve found that it doesn’t lend itself well to rushing given the quality level I want to produce. The 2 big issues I come across when trying to optimize my cross stitching speed are:

• The thread twists and so stitch coverage is poor. Instead of the strands laying side by side to be flat and provide maximum coverage over the fabric, they’re twisted together so they’re lumpy and cover less space. The stitching motion naturally introduces twist with each sitch, so the solution is to periodically un-twist the thread.
• Possibly due to twisting, the threads do not pull through the fabric at the same rate, causing an extra loop of thread sticking out on a stitch. This causes the thread ends to be uneven, making it difficult to thread the needle’s eye as well as creating uneven shapes because that loop of thread is not flush against the fabric. The solution to this is “railroading”, or passing the needle between both threads before stitching into the fabric. Some people are fine with only railroading the top half of the stitch, but currently I am testing out the results from railroading both halves.

That’s not to say I won’t set goals for myself with my hobbies. The things I do want to do include:

• Finishing the Spencerian handwriting worksheets.
• Producing frameable brush pen and dip nib calligraphy.
• Sewing clothing for myself that fits well.

These could fit nicely into a monthly goal series. I’d just have to pick up high quality paper and potentially fabric/thread. I’ve already got the worksheets printed out, last year I practiced a lot of calligraphy, and then I have a stockpile of sewing patterns I’ve been meaning to attempt. As a secondary priority though, I’d like to get my major goals sorted out first.