Tag Archives: declutter

Stardate 20110101

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I don’t know how Star Trek came up with their Stardate but this is my take on that.

Update from 2010 knitting: I forgot to mention the 7 Swiffer covers and apple cozy I knitted.

I’m sure everyone has some goals/resolutions for the new year.  Some of mine are knitting related, some are general craft related, and some are personal.

My list of 2011 goals include:

  1. Declutter the basement.
  2. Design and follow-through with a craft room in the basement.
  3. Repaint our bedroom, the kitchen, and family room.
  4. Finish the felt ornaments I started for Christmas 2010.
  5. Start (and finish) a secret project before February 1.  I’m waiting on some yarn and that’s why it’s not started.
  6. Make belated birth gifts for some 2010 babies.
  7. Revisit my WIP list and do something!
  8. Figure out the macro setting on our camera.  Mr. Aitch says it’s there but I am clueless.
  9. Knit the Knit Simple Button Cardi for myself.
  10. Publish a knitted purse pattern.  It’s hard to write out a pattern.  Maybe I should have some test knitters try it out first.
  11. Begin knitting my way through the Around the World in Knitted Socks.
  12. Stop eating foods that make me feel blah.
  13. Put more miles on my motorcycle.
  14. Be nice.

What I want for Christmas

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Dear Santa,

I hope I’m not too late with my Christmas wish list:

  1. Double point needle organization/storage roll.
  2. 14 inch needle storage roll.  The one I made years ago just doesn’t hold enough needles and I didn’t make the slots big enough.
  3. Circular needle storage case.  I don’t have many circular needles but they need to be someplace other than a clear zip bag.
  4. Professional organizer to organize my various craft, sewing, knitting, yarn, needlework, beading, polymer clay, and painting supplies and patterns.  (And if there’s time, my closet.)
  5. Cleaning person.  I have more important things to do than scrub the bathroom, iron, vacuum, dust, blah, blah, blah.
  6. Craft room designer and contractor to design and construct a craft room in my basement so #3 can do their job.  I have the money set aside.  I just need the plans and the person to make it all happen.

I have been good (enough) this year.

Thank you.

Background info

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I grew up in a family where people made things.  They recycled things before it became fashionable.  My parents and grandparents lived through the Depression in the 1930’s.  They had a vegetable garden and canned those veggies for the winter.  We had quilts made from scraps of fabric used for our clothes.  Braided rugs made from old wool coats, suits and skirts.  I have two of those braided rugs in my home today.  When I look at them, I see pieces of skirts and dresses I used to wear, suit jacket scraps from my aunt handmade clothing, my sister’s old skirts.  Fond memories.

We also had redesigned blouses, skirts, and dresses made from out of style clothing.  Our clothes were custom-made and the first time I went to a store and tried on a dress that didn’t fit, I was shocked.  Store-bought clothes could be altered but never the way a custom garment fits.

Oversized mohair sweaters were the BIG thing when I was in junior high.  My grandmother FORBID us to buy one.  But my aunt bought one each for my sister and me.  We weren’t allowed to wear them around my grandmother for the longest time but eventually she found out.

My grandmother taught me to knit and sew.  My aunt introduced us to be paint, construction paper and felt.  My mom helped us with papier-mache and rubber stamps and provided a place to be creative.  We made spatter paint and stencil cards with felt and sequin embellishments.  So cool to a kid.

So my interest in all arts, crafts and handiwork came from those people as well as my home economics and art teachers.  I have friends who got me involved in cross stitch, ceramics, jewelry making, paper crafting.

We’re having a dinner party tomorrow night.  Last night I cleaned off the island in my kitchen, set the table and made wine glass name tags.  I’ll post a picture of those tomorrow.

I knit a few rows on the slippers and have four more rows before the decrease rows and then I will have one finished.  I don’t know if I’ll get the other finished by tomorrow or not.  They are a belated birthday present for one of my guest/friends.  I could give her one of the other pairs I have in my stash but I picked these colors just for her.  Again, pictures tomorrow.

Winner…

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…of the October Stitch Markers is: Leah. 

I already voted today and have the rest of the day to do as I please.

It would please me to knit all day but I can’t.  We’re having a friends over on Saturday for dinner and I really need to declutter and clean.  Why have all the spiders and other nasty insects decided to set up housekeeping (or web-keeping) in my house?

Last night I finished the green seamless slippers and sewed the soles on both the green pair and the orange pair.  I even sewed on soles for a pair I made for Mr. Aitch earlier.  I cut out extra soles to have ready for future slippers.

Orange and green slippers