my creative space

It's been a while since I've joined in at our creative spaces. I've been wanting to. Intending to, even. But somehow my intentions and reality don't always meet. Other things get in the way. Or distract. And lately, I've been choosing to spend my time off the computer. It's too easy to lose track of time and find that you haven't accomplished anything at all when you're online. We've all been there.

But today, I'm popping in at our creative spaces. I've finally gotten around to finishing a couple pieces that had been languishing. This scarf:

and this cuff bracelet:

I'd finished crocheting them both, but needed to "finish" them. Details like weaving in ends and sewing on buttons sometimes cause my creative momentum to stall. So I wove in the ends and sewed on the buttons. I even got around to photographing and putting them in my shop, something that I haven't been doing a lot of lately. I have more to go. Lots of things in progress and unfinished.

I've been thinking a lot about that. WIPs. UFOs. My creative space is filled with them. But which are they? Are they Works in Progress or Unfinished Objects? Can the terms be used interchangeably? I hadn't really thought about it before, about how significant the choice of words can be. And it is significant. Works in Progress conveys a sense of continued action. Unfinished Object sounds as if those unfinished projects have been discarded, partially finished and forgotten. WIPs is more hopeful. And I'd like to think that I'm hopeful. I intend to finish these in progress creations, even if I do find myself starting new ones instead. And, yes, with my work table lined up with those pieces I still need to finish and a looming deadline for my Handmade Joy Exchange, I find myself unable to resist starting a new project.

Although, perhaps, I shouldn't call this a "new" project. I bought the yarn for it a long time ago, so in reality, this is just another WIP that was just a lot less progressed than some of the others. In any case, I'm loving making these squares. I'll be turning them into another throw. Eventually.