Titi was made in the image of Christian.
I have a heck of time finishing projects. It’s not just procrastination, but also a small dose of boredom and a great deal of resistance to finicky detail. I get excited once the end is in sight, and somehow lose that edge that keeps me focused – and the project falls off my radar.
Because of this personal proclivity I tend to work best with multiple tasks; and this applies to practically everything I do. I like to tidy house haphazardly allowing one thing to lead me to the next (I admit that for deep cleaning I’ve come to appreciate the speed and efficiency of a speed cleaning onslaught), I read piles of books at the same time, and once I start cooking I am most content when I’ve got every burner going.
The downside is that it takes me longer than it should for me to complete tasks, if they do get finished. Most of the time I don’t mind this. I’ve got Titi to repair, another heavy baby doll (Wallace) almost finished, a baby vest almost knit (for Christian), four sandwich wraps cut, a batch of cloth menstrual pads ready for the serger, and half a dozen wet bags ready to be sewn. It’ll all get done and I won’t be bored for a minute of the project-making. I expect it all to be done before the end of May at the latest.
The only glitch is that I have to get that doll repaired right away. TiTi, the doll in the picture above, is the doll I made for my niece Nabi Grace. And while Nabi Grace loves Titi, apparently his woolen hair has been shedding and causing some eczema. So Titi was mailed back to me for a hair transplant. (He’s been amazingly upbeat about his prolonged bedrest.)
I got cotton yarn, but cotton is never going to be as hairlike as mohair, so I thought I’d try a new hair type – crocheted. The crocheted wig I’m making for another doll is working out beautifully. But the cotton crocheted cap for Titi never stopped looking like a bad yarmulke, so I pulled it apart. Next I tried embroidered hair, which was recommended for dolls of young children. Also a complete failure. So now I’m back to making a (time-consuming) cotton wig with my hair tool and I can’t find it ANYWHERE.
Normally I would deal with such frustration by putting Titi aside and starting a new project (like a knit pig!), confident that the hair tool would show up sooner or later. But because Nabi Grace’s second birthday is next week, and Titi already has a new set of clothes, a hooded towel, and a pair of velcro diapers to travel back with, I’ve refrained from starting something new and tried to channel my energy into finding this hair tool.
This is excruciatingly painful for me to be stopped on one project. EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL.