Hand Work in the New Year

My only real resolution this year was to do something creative every day. I actually have been pretty good about my goal. I just haven't blogged about it.

I've done a lot of crocheting. None of it has been very complicated, but its been pleasurable. I've made a lot of dish cloths and fingerless gloves.  I don't have to follow a pattern to make them and they are good for using up a lot of my scrap yarn.

Around the holidays I made a concerted effort to get rid of 100 things. Anything was fair game, large or small.   There were lots of odds and ends that were easy to part with, but when I pulled out my old piano keyboard, I just couldn't let it go. My daughter learned how to play piano on this keyboard 25 years ago and it still worked.

Every now and then I've pulled it out and plunked around on it. I can play by ear, but I would expect it isn't the most pleasant sound for anyone else who might hear it. So, I decided that I would learn how to play it properly this year.

Taking lessons from someone after work seemed inconvenient so I bought a book and video training system for learning at my own pace. Self motivated learning suits me well, and I have been diligent about practicing.

After playing the old keyboard for a few days, I discovered that the old girl had developed a few irritating glitches, so the purchase of a new one followed immediately.   It arrived two days after I ordered it, so I didn't miss much practice time.  MY how these things have improved in a quarter century! Wow!  The sound that comes from this new keyboard makes the practice so much more pleasant, as I don't sound as much like I'm playing on a kid's toy.

I'm enjoying my hand work goal this year, and wish I had more hours in a day to do it.