4 weeks past

It is so hard to believe that tomorrow I will be heading into my 4th week of being back at Disney. We have a tour day set up so that means an early day but at least they schedule it coming in from a 'weekend' so that isn't so bad.

I am starting to get settled into a groove, which is nice. Things should really start falling into place in the next week or so because life will be 'normal', as Hobbit was at my folks for the first two weeks I was at work and then Pokey was on vacation all last week. It was nice that she wasn't left home bored for the past month. She will visiting my folks again in July as well, which I know she's looking forward to because they always have a blast together.

If you follow my Instagram or Twitter feeds, this next bit isn't news but I am still excited about it. I found a charity, through the Disney VoluntEARs, where I can donate knit/crochet/sewn items! They take blankets, lapghans, hats, booties et al and donate them to soldiers, homeless shelters, and cancer/ill people. I have been on a hat rampage lately because it is in the round and requires little thought - or sight - on my part during training. I have made two ChemoCaps Eyelet Hats by JoAnne Turcotte. It is a pattern in my Knitting for Peace book that I just love - especially since the eyelets look like Mickeys.

I made this awesome green hat and another one in a beautiful grey. I think I will stick with cheerful colors going forward.

So I don't get pattern fatigue, I have changed gears and am currently working on a great pattern - Tutti Frutti Hat by Miriam Pike. I have made close to a half dozen of these hats over the past few months. I just love the mock cable banding and the cross at the top. Just look at these beauties...

This one I am making for the BlanketEARs, the Disney VoluntEARs charity group, is in a solid color and oh my word, that band just pops like you wouldn't believe. Look at how gorgeous it is in a completely plain color...

Okay, I should get started on my day. Granted, I just heard thunder rumbling in the distance so I may put off the outside errand running for a bit longer. We'll just have to see. I need to go to the grocery store. I could start the wash instead.. yeah, that sounds like a good plan. That way, I can start the sleeves of my sweater that I have been neglecting. I would like to have one on before the month is out.

No orders, please

Working on my DRC Shrug as fast as I can!

So I finished my first week back at Disney and it was fabulous! There were a few hiccups at the beginning but I have backtracked and recovered quickly, hopefully resetting expectations and moving forward with grace. Nothing too detrimental but enough that I was taken aback and decided that certain measures needed to be implemented going for forward. Just things that happen - some of my making, some of the making of others but everyone's perception is their own reality so you do what you can to shift it.

Anywho, I did have one thing happened yesterday that I had never have happen to me before - to my husband, yes, but never to me. People see that I make him stuff all the time and they ask if I will make something for them. His response is so sweet - "She made it because she loves me. She doesn't know you. I can ask but I have seen her list of things that she wants to make so it would be a while. There is a closet full of yarn in our house she has to work through first." He chuckles and people will either push the subject or just move on. If they push, he will usually pass the request on and I will honestly decide if I can or want to do it. Honestly though, in all my years of crafting, I have never been directly approached and I was taken aback by my knee jerk reaction to it. Here, let me set the scene for you...

Scene: Me knitting during a break. Fellow new hire cast member walks by and stops with a look a pure delight on her face.

CM: Ooooo, you knit?
Me: (raises face to CM and smiles while hands work feverishly) I do.
CM: Do you take orders? (eyebrows raised while mind races with ideas and requests).
Me: I do not (still smiling and feverishly knitting).
CM: What? Why not! (face no longer elated but suddenly cloudy and cross).
Me: It then becomes work and that takes the joy out of it. It becomes something that I "have" to do instead of something that I "want" to do. I do knit for people, out of love, but never for money.
CM: (flounces away, totally put out).
Me: (shrugs and continues to regain peace and shed anxiety through stitching).

End scene!

Yeah, I am not even embellishing. That is exactly what happened. I have never been asked by a stranger if I 'take orders'. Why would I take orders? If you bake, do you take orders? If you sew, do you take orders? If you draw, sing or play an instrument, do you take orders? Why does my hobby have to all of a sudden become a business - and what gives you the right to be upset when I say no?

This is what I do for my anxiety, for pleasure, for mindless activity - basically, just to live. I knit. I crochet. I do other things as well but they aren't as portable. It is something that I do that brings me joy. I have no idea where the mindset came that such things have to now turn a profit. I do it for the simple act of doing it. The act of doing it is what I love - and the fabulous pile of FOs that I create which I either keep, donate to charity, or gift to people I love.

If someone has a baby, I craft for them. If someone has a tragic event in their life, I craft for them. If someone gets married, I craft for them. It is such a personal experience and present that I don't ever do it for profit. That would tarnish, for me, what I find beautiful about it.

So no, I don't take orders... but I will teach you so you can make whatever idea you had swimming in your head. My lunch is at 7 pm, meet me in the break room... you'll be glad you did.

Wednesday Wound-Up

Ahhh, Wednesdays... the day where I gather up all of my projects that are in progress and pass judgement on them. "I love working on you". "You are still in time out and I hope you are thinking about what you've done". "Hello, new beautiful project". You may be smiling, giggling even, but you know you do the same thing at some point. So what do I have going on - all of this...

We will start with the oldest first - my Henslowe Shawl. Still love it, just need a break from it. I'll pick her up again soon.

Next is Pork Swinewalker, whom I would like to finish for Pokey for our anniversary. I'll work on him this weekend.

My GGB Socks are on hold while I learn how to do either an afterthought heel or a fish lips kiss heel. Need brain power.

My February Lady Sweater has a completed body and is just needing sleeves to be picked up. I'm thinking this weekend.

I cast this on yesterday because I will need a shrug for my sundresses at work. I hope to have it done before the month is out.

Those are all of my current WIPs wound up in one tidy spot. I hope to have new updates for you on them next week. I have no idea how my crafting time will work out since I just went back to work full time outside of the house. I can tell you, last night when I rolled in the door at midnight, I did not feel like knitting at all. Hopefully, once I get used to it, that will change.

What all do you have laying around on your hooks and needles?

I can share my secret!!

Finally, I can share what I have been keeping secret - though rather badly, I admit. I quit my WAH job and went back to being a Disney cast member!! Today was my Traditions but I am finally home! I peopled so hard today - I even made a new friend!! Oh my gosh. I am exhausted but in a good way. I'm not peopled out like I thought I would be but peopling at Disney has never worn me out the way it does peopling in the world... I'm sure that probably doesn't make sense but it does to me so there we go.

So here is my day in pictures. I did my best to photograph the bits I could. I couldn't take anything in the Utilidors because that is grounds for instant termination but everywhere else I was allowed, I took pictures. My day started like this...

Disney University - where bigger dreams come true and people get perfectly pixie dusted.

Affectionately known as "DU" where I do have Mousesters and a Ducktorate but I am going to get new ones I think. When you walk in the door, you are greeted by Pluto...

Hey pal!

Yep, he's coming out of the ceiling and saying hey. Then, I walked down the hallway to my classroom and ran into Goofy...

Garsh! Be careful, Goof!!

Once there, we covered the boring bits of Safe-D first  and then, after our first break, we were told that we had mighty big ears to fill and the only way we could do that was...

I think I held myself together pretty well... well... I tried to anyway and that is what counts.

With our own set of ears! Naturally, I put mine on and wore them all day. I can neither confirm nor deny that they are still on my head right now. After a few more Disneyfied orientation bits, we broke for lunch. When had gotten back from our first break, we had to change seats to meet new people and that is when I met Barbara and Zuiy who are going to be at the DRC with me!

Barbara, me, and Zuiy - your Guest Service Specialists

Yes, I was stupid happy all day so ignore my scary over the top smile. I learned that Barbara was a cast member at the DRC the same time I was, we were just on different teams and in different segments. She was also morning part time and I was evenings full time but we had seen each other around. She was so much fun.

After lunch, we did our Utilidor tour and spent a little (very little) bit of time in the Magic Kingdom looking for "good show". My table even voted me to be the leader, which was strangely honorable to me. Then we came back, learned a few more Disney things and our boss came to visit to see how things were going...

Nothing beats having your boss applaud your work on your first day!

He was clapping because they asked a trivia question and I got it right (surprise, surprise right). He gave me a Minnie Mouse figurine. After that, he brought in a box which had the final piece to make us "officially" part of the family...

I'm back!

I am so stupid happy to be back home, I can't even explain it. Now, I'm at my home home and my fabulous husband is making my favorite supper - burgers and tots - which I don't have the heart to tell him that I had it for lunch but I can eat it every meal so I'm good. Today has been perfect. Now to put on my pjs and just stupid smile the rest of the day away.