Monthly Archives: January 2017

Motivation vs procrastination

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Are you a “self-starter”?  Or do you need outside motivation to get things started?  Do you procrastinate until  the very last-minute to begin a project?

Did you read my New Year’s post that “2017 will be the year to finally get my house organized and updated”?

I am in need of some major motivation and less procrastination.  Most of the time I have great ideas then fall short of achieving them.

Part of my problem stems from:

  • the financial situation – Can I afford to do this?
  • my ability – Am I biting off more than I can do without professional help?
  • the best time to begin – Will I be able to complete it within a reasonable amount of time?
  • my idea – What will Mr Aitch think of this idea?

If I promise something to someone else, I can get started right away and finish i.e. the Cheers to you Mitts.

I don’t seem to be able to begin without some type of deadline.  Self-imposed deadlines don’t get me motivated.  I need guests, or the promise of new carpeting, or remodeling the basement with paint and built-in shelving/cabinets/work bench, or help.  Mostly help.  It’s so much easier to clean out someone else’s stuff.  No sentiment associated with other peoples’ stuff.

Now as for the organizing part of my 2017 plan – our walk-in closet is in dire need of a major clean out.  That will take several days and our bedroom will be a total disaster during the entire time.  So I think I will tackle the smaller coat closet on the first floor as I know I can finish that in a day.

Today will be the first day!  I Can Do This!!!

I’ll let you know my progress on Wednesday.

Ungifted knits 2016

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Secret knits that haven’t been gifted yet include this beautiful. delicious, wonderful pair of mitts, a child-sized pair of mitts, a hat, and two ear warmers/headbands.

Don’t Skid, Honey mitts were so fun to knit.  Malabrigo Rios in the yummy Playa color is so soft and easy to work with.  The color is closer to the photos of the finished mitts…blues, greys, and some gold. I love it.

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These mitts have not been gifted as I’m not sure where they are going.  I broke one of the knitting rules: Knit something they want and will use.  I obviously had these mitts in mind for a certain person when I purposely bought the yarn and started to knit.  Mr. Aitch kept asking if the person requested these mitts and I kept making excuses about why I thought they would like them.

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So when the mitts were finished and blocked, I asked a person close to the giftee whether or not the receiver would want and/or use them.  The answer: “The mitts are beautiful but probably not.”  I’m OK with that and realize I should have listened to Mr. Aitch.

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I’ll just hang on to them for a while.

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Henry’s Hat is finished!  I had to reknit most of it but it turned out so nice.

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The already gifted mittens coordinate.

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The mitts and two Hot Mess ear warmers/headbands will soon be on their way.  Only one ear warmers/headband is finished as that project took a backseat to the other knits.

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The mitts are for my grandson using the same beginning as the felted mittens.  Both yarns are machine washable.  Lime green is Cleckheaton Country 8 ply yarn, 100% washable wool and the dark green is the same as the mittens, Lionbrand Wool-eze.

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The ear warmers/headbands are the same Red Heart I used for the mitts.  They have to be different so I’m not sure what I will do for the second one.  Maybe two-toned?

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Gifted Knit 2016 Part 2

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Still catching up on 2016 knits…

The other gifted knit was a pair of felted mittens for one of my grandson using a generic mitten pattern that I tweaked, made larger and then felted.

The wrist ribbing was knit with Lions Brand Wool-eze in a dark green that won’t felt and the hand part of the mitten was Cascade 220 in Primavera that did felt.

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Before felting, I drew around on of the mittens so I could see the difference.

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I felted the mittens by hand so they aren’t as “solid” and machine felted ones but I think they will do the job of keeping his hands relatively dry and warm.

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I filled two bowls with water, one cold and the other one HOT.

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The mittens soaked in the cold water for several minutes.

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Then dipped and swished in the hot water.

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Cold water…

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“scrubbing” the mittens to felt the yarn…

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…then back into the hot water.

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Add hot water periodically to keep the temperature contrast.  I had to wear rubber gloves to protect my hands from the heat.

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and repeat again, and again, and again until the item is felted to your liking.

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They didn’t felt as small as I thought but then again, I did this by hand.  Machine felting would have definitely been better but this was a small project and I wanted to have more control over the process.

The process took about 20 minutes of switching between the two bowls and rubbing the mittens together to get them to felt.

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They are a bit big but he can grow into them.

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If any one is interested in the pattern (I made up as I went along), just leave a comment below.

 

Welcome 2017

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Everyone else is jumping on the New Year’s bandwagon, so why not join them?

2016 included more travel than I’ve done in any other year, home improvements, lots of sewing and knitting and many, many other things not blogged about.

2017 will be the year to finally get my house organized and updated with new carpeting (hopefully), paint rooms that have not seen a paintbrush since we first painted twenty-plus years ago, travel, revamp the staircase, and knit and sew more for others.

Also on the list is to reupholster six, count ’em six, chairs…four of which will go to Colorado.

I want to pick up my calligraphy pen again and make cards and envelopes exciting again.

And travel.

On a personal note I will work toward becoming more positive and less negative, clean up my vocabulary/mouth, give more of myself to others, exercise more, eat less and get rid of 40 pounds of fat.

What are your hopes and dreams for the 365 days?