Time to add some embroidery. I will be getting video of my process so that I can share my experience with embroidering on crochet and some tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way. That’s the plan, at least.

My goal with the embroidery color choices was to 1) have them compliment the coral-light pink colorblocking at the top, and 2) have them stand out against, not “sink” into, the charcoal colorblocking. You’d think that would be simple against such a dark color, but other dark fibers can blend in easily. Ideally, the embroidered details will be easy to see at a bit of a distance, so the darkest I’ve gone is that copper-y color bottom left; still in the skein.

I’ve been quite motivated lately, and I’m hoping I can keep up the momentum. Sometimes even if I honestly probably have time to get a little work done while my kid is playing – a bit of crocheting or illustration – I’ll tell myself it will still be too difficult and it’s not worth it. My son will probably need my help with something just as I get settled in, it’s too hard to focus in little pockets of time, I didn’t get much sleep last night and I’m too tired right now.

Or I’ll finally get tom my desk at naptime or bedtime and find myself just sitting there instead of getting work done. But I want this, right? And I like what I’m doing. Sometimes all it takes is one step to get started. Go ahead and open that program I’ll need on my computer so that when my kid is asleep I can get right on to editing, crochet even if it’s just minutes at a time. Every little stitch counts toward a project getting done.

Back in the throws of postpartum depression, before we really knew what was going on (we being my husband and me), I found it incredibly hard to start even the simplest of tasks, because any little interruption from the baby was too stressful. It was easier to not even start, at least until the tasks piled up and the guilt kicked in. Oh, PPD, you are a beast. But I digress. Things are much, much better now, if not only for the fact that I’ve learned to identify how I’m feeling and why, and that kind of helps me move forward and just try. There are still old habits that have stuck, though, as mention above. It’s all a process, getting better. It takes time, and that’s okay.

I’m excited for the plans I have for this summer, business-wise. I’ve just got to stay on top of it, remember I enjoy the work, and work hard in the moments that I get.