Knitting-rosemaler: Balancing my hobbies

The topic for today is: Do you both knit and crochet and if so how do you balance the two? 3KCBWDAY7

Currently I do not crochet, except occasionally to finish a knitted garment, though I did a lot of it in the 70's and 80's before I picked up knitting again. I also used to sew a lot. By the 80's and 90's I was making most of my own clothes and sewed a lot of gifts too, then I suddenly lost interest in sewing. I sewed doll clothes for a while and then stopped doing that. Hobbies do go in phases for many people.

Knitting is such a versatile skill. You can knit things that are useful and comfortable to wear, especially if you live in a cold climate, such as Duluth, Minnesota. You can knit things for babies and children or dolls, you can knit toys and accessories and you can carry knitting and knit almost anywhere. I especially enjoy knitting with my knitting group. We meet every Tuesday. I hardly ever miss a Tuesday unless I am out of town, which has been a lot this year. (see my travel blog)

The hobby I have to balance my knitting with is Rosemaling. I have been rosemaling for 11 years. I started in 2001, by taking a class at my local Michael's store. It was a 3 or 4 week class--one evening a week. Not really much and the teacher wasn't that great, but I decided I wanted to keep at it and learn more. This teacher convinced me to join the local Rosemaling Society, so I did that in 2002, I think. Through them I have been exposed to more rosemaling and some very good teachers and painters. I have taken a lot of classes and am developing a style of my own. I have done some commissions and special projects, which has forced me to hone my skills more.

Here's a link to our society's web site. The Twin Ports Rosemaling Society.

How do I balance the two? The rosemaling isn't portable and takes up a lot of room. When I am painting, I spread out all my equipment on a large craft table in my family room and it's kind of a mess. I pack it all away when I am expecting company and then don't like to get it out again, because it's so much trouble to get it out and put it away. I need a studio. So I do the rosemaling in spurts. I sign up for a class and get into it and may continue at home for a while after that until I put it all away again. When I have a specific project I get it out and do that. My most recent project was a panel I did for our home in Normandy. I do all my own designs and paint freehand. I use either acrylics, gouache or oils. This one is done in gouache, which, I think are oil paints that you dilute with water. I have no idea how that works. I need to learn more about paints.