November project update/ 13 by 2013

I haven't finished any projects this month. I had good intentions, but they didn't happen. I was meant to get the cushion covers and the birth samplers done by the start of this week, so that Mum could take them down to my sisters. Thankfully, Mum's back up in 2.5 weeks, so hopefully I've got them done by then.
I did start some new projects. I've started a scarf, a pair of socks (Christmas present) and some Christmas ornaments for a swap. Realistically, I shouldn't be doing the swap, but I haven't done one in ages, so I wanted to. Plus I'd told myself I could only do it if I'd decided what I was doing prior to signing up. So it saved me rushing around like a mad thing trying to work out what to make, just rushing around like a mad thing making them.

I did have a really productive day last weekend. I moved furniture to a friends that I didn't need and she did. I moved a couch from her place to our place. Our plan for the downstairs space is to have a gaming/lounging area. Couch is useful for that, especially as it folds out into a bed. I also took an entire carload of items I was donating down to a local op shop. Plus all the recycling that was down there got taken to the recycling station at the bottom of the hill. Downstairs is now looking much better, and starting to get in line with our view for it. Getting all that done in one day is motivating me to get more done. Plus getting all those items out of our house was one of the things on my list of 13 to finish by the end of the year.

But first I'm going to finish these ornaments and get them sent out.

Keeping Hats

I have been reading about minimalism. For me minimalism is about having enough, not too much. Maybe a few extra craft bits for projects, but not the overwhelming stash that I currently have. Only clothes that fit me, not all these 'one day', or 'I like but I'm never going to wear cos I always pick something else instead' clothes that fill up my wardrobe. I found this word on a blog post I read and I love it - Lagom

I've been trying to move stuff into the (massive) pile of bits to donate as I find them. Figuring even one or two items a day should add up if I keep at it.

I have a hat. I have several actually, but one in particular. I kinda like it. I bought it when I was in the States on my honeymoon. We were going to Burning Man and I figured a cap to keep the sun out of my eyes would be a good thing to purchase, as I'd forgotten to bring mine from home. Now that I'm home, I never wear it. It's been sitting with my other hats for two years, and I have not once worn it. I always chose my other cap in preference. Oh, I'll try my Burning Man one one, but I always take it off as it's just a little too snug. I've been doing this for two year. You'd think I'd have figured it out by now. Last night, I looked at it and laughed. I realised I've been holding onto if for the memory of why I bought it and why I wore it. And it occurred to me it was a silly reason to hold onto it, when it just keeps getting in the way. So I put it in a bag with a couple of other clothes and put them downstairs. I was intending to rescue it briefly, take a photo of it, then put it back in the bag. But I forgot. Then I had a day where friends and I shared trailer hire and moved a whole bunch of furniture we both needed to do. My car also got loaded with donation items and it all got dropped off. I realised as I drove away from dropping it off, that the hat had gone and I didn't take a photo. I had no desire to go back and find it to photograph it.

I have to say, by no means am I saying don't hold onto sentimental items. I have quite a few sentimental items that I hold onto, but this is one I don't need to keep. Due to the gift economy that runs at Burning Man I have other items which remind me of my honeymoon ay Burning Man.

13 by 2013

I did this last year, except then it was 12 by 2012. I've decided I'm going to do it again. I know I've already mentioned it, but I've been working on my list for the past few days. That and as I blogged nearly every day last month, I kinda wanted a break.

I have pulled together a list of 13 things that I would like to do by the end of the year. Some of them are small, some of them are a bit more time consuming or challenging. For me this is about the challenge. I'll probably have to push myself to get things done. And even if I don't get it all done, having something to work towards means that I'll get more done that if I hadn't set this challenge.

My List:

1. Write up a plan for my sewing room: My sewing room isn't working for me. I don't like the storage I currently have, and it's set up in a way that isn't user friendly for me. So I want to plan what I'm going to do with it so that it works and I use it.
2. Install the cat door: The cat door broke. Wouldn't really be a problem as it's under the house, but a neighbors cat keeps coming in, eating Midnight's food and scrapping with her. Very disturbing at 3am. So I've bought a microchip door and just need to install it.
3. Install sensor light: The steps from our car to our front door are uneven, both in height and depth. I really don't know what the person who put them in was thinking. They also have wall on both sides of them, so at night it's hard to see them. I've bought a battery operated sensor light, I just need to install it.
4. Paint Guinevere's window wall: My brother's bare feet on the wall under his computer desk when he lived with us have worn away some of the paint. My plan is to repaint that wall as a feature wall.
5. Donate stuff that is already downstairs: There is a HUGE pile of stuff taking up space downstairs that needs to go down to the opshop. Some of it has been sitting there for months. I just need to get rid of it so I've got space down there again.
6. Plan all Christmas gifts, cards, tasks and timeframe it all: I like lists/plans. Plus it means I know what needs done so I don't forget things.
7. Clean the fridge: All the shelves need washed, 'nuff said.
8. Birth samplers and cushion covers to Opal: The samplers just need frames and the covers just need sewn. Plus with Mum and Dad visiting at the end of the month, I can get them to take them down and save myself the postage.
9. Finish black baby singlet: I knitted it for Guinevere, it's going to be too small for her. But I have a friend with a new baby, and babies always need woolens. So I can finish it and pass it on to her.
10. Fix broken blind in the lounge: One of the cords on the Roman blind has broken, so it doesn't go up neatly. It's just annoying, and shouldn't be too big a job to fix.
11. Go through Guinevere's clothes: A bunch of her clothes are getting to small for her. I also have a box of clothes that are the next size up. So need to cull the small clothes, add in the bigger clothes and work out what she's lacking. Especially now that we're moving into warmer weather.
12. A's felt alphabet: I'm making a felt alphabet for a friend's 2yo daughter. All of the letters, plus a few extras so she can spell 'Mum', 'Dad' and her name.
13. Finish more projects than I start: This is kinda a general one, but follows on from my 31 days of unfinished projects. I finished the months with a net decrease on my projects list and I'd like to continue that trend. I will be starting new projects as Christmas presents and possibly just as I see things I'd like to make. But I will finish the year with a smaller unfinished project list. 

That is my plan, lets see how I go.....

31 Days of unfinished projects, finished.

I think that getting to the end of the month counts as a finished project in itself.

It's been an interesting month. Knowing that I 'had' to write about what unfinished project work I did that day meant that before heading to bed each night I had to try to write a post. I didn't manage it every day, but I managed it most of them. Some of the days I put the post up the following day, which is better than just not doing it. The end of the day is possibly not the best time to be writing, especially with a daughter who stays up as late as mine, but hey. Thinking about it, I probably would have been better off writing a post in the morning/afternoon about what project work I had done the previous day. I'll remember that for next time .However, the point of this for me wasn't writing about what I'd done, it was actually working on my unfinished projects. The writing was merely external accountability.

I'm actually feeling much more motivated to work on projects and get them done. I'm hoping to get it so that I only have a few projects on the go in each craft. I don't think the sewing list will take too long to get down to 5 or less, it is the cross stitch list that will take me ages. Mainly due to not being able to spend much time working on them as I can't do them very easily with Guinevere around, and also due to the time some of them will take as they are quite large designs. Plus I don't seem to enjoy cross stitch as much as I used to, I now seem to prefer knitting and sewing.

Summary of unfinished project progress:

Finished: (7, 4 old, 3 new)

Blue diagonal eyelet handwarmers
Paneled skirt for me, from fabric from Mum
Trackpants for Gynn
Blue paneled skirt

Baby blanket for NICU
Sean's Artemis Badges
Hat for A

Discarded (wasn't sure what else to call it): (1)
Monkey socks (frogged)

Progress: (6)

Tatty Teddy cross stitched bookmark

Tatty Teddy 'School Girl' cross stitch

'Promise Eagle' cross stitch
Shakana's birth sampler
Jaliah's birth sampler

Opal's cushion covers

Untouched: (24)
3 knitting projects
11 sewing projects
10 cross stitch projects

New Projects:  (4)

Gynn's trackpants (in finished list)
Blue panel skirt (in finished list)
A's Hat (in finished list)
Blue skirt #2 (cut out, only cut as I was cutting two skirts from one piece of fabric)

Now onto November and my next challenge, 13 by 2013.

Day 31: Knitting and a finished project

I finished the hat today, Yay. I even managed to deliver it to the person it was for.