Seven Things Week 20

20 weeks!  Good golly.  Another big week for ins thanks to the Lifeline Bookfair and Vinnies Monster Sale.

This week the summer clothes were put away and the cooler weather clothes disinterred.

Naturally I took the opportunity to remove anything not worn over the summer and to reassess the winter stuff.  There is a small pile of items ear-marked for wearing in and abandoning in New Zealand and a very small pile for the dyepot to make them useable next season.  Not looked at yet - knitwear and accessories.

IN

• 1 pr fine wool blend trousers for work $5 OP SHOP
• 1 fine wool blend skirt for work $2 OP SHOP
• 1 black satin evening skirt $2.50 OP SHOP
• 2 Tupperware items $3 OP SHOP
• 1 bags - replacing 6 with 1 is not bad. $6 OP SHOP
• 1 pr sandals $3
• 1 pr sports shoes $3
• 12 vintage patterns/knitting mags $15 LIFELINE BOOK FAIR
• 10 books - LIFELINE BOOKFAIR

OUT

• 3 skirts
• 8 tops/shirts
• 4 prs trousers/shorts
• 2 jackets
• 6 hand bags
• 1 pr hiking boots
• 1 Tupperware container

IN 30

OUT 25

NETT OUT -5

Seven Things Week 19

Hmm, so the cross-border raid on the Goulburn op shops resulted in a few ins.

We did take the advantage of dropping off some outs at the Smith Family, though.  Canberra no longer has a Smith Family Op Shop (and I still miss it badly) so we can be assured of not accidentally buying back our own stuff, or buying back an something to present to the original owner (this has happened).  On that note, anyone shopping at Vinnies in Dickson - please don't buy me any knitting wool.

Also a week of ferrying dogs to vets, work and a weekend spent in family celebrations and support team for World Naked Bike Ride, Canberra - not much time to identify any outs.  TOF locked his wardrobe just in case, though.

IN
5 knitting patterns for the collection OP SHOP
1 battleaxe OP SHOP
1 Bodum coffee plunger OP SHOP
6 items Tupperware OP SHOP
1 dress GIFT
1 ball yarn GIFT
7 lots of buttons OP SHOP
1 scarf (Wallabies official merchandise) OP SHOP
2 shirt for TOF OP SHOP
1 pr trousers for TOF OP SHOP
1 mincer attachment for the Kenwood Chef OP SHOP
1 sausage filling attachement for the Kenwood Chef OP SHOP

28

OUT
1 hand bag

SIAA
1 pr socks

IN 28

OUT 1

NETT OUT - 27

SIAA 1

Seven Things Week 18

Another odd week.  I'm now required to work every second Saturday.  The upside is I have every second Monday off.  I may have spent rather too much time in op shops last Monday.  Then two days in the last weekend at a course in Sydney and no time to shop or cull.

We have a public holiday in Canberra today, so TSS and I are taking Mum and heading over the border to Goulburn who do not have a public holiday today.  I'm just the driver, though.  Promise to try to be good. ;)

TOF has done the traditional Canberra Day long weekend thing - he's gone to the coast.  He will be op shopping the south coast today - look out Bermagui!  I suspect there will be a problem with the "ins" in the coming week.

IN
1 Tupperware jug $2
1 cake tin $3
1 pastry container $2
1 hat for TOF $2
1 scarf for TOF $2
1 charm $5
all op shopped.
OUT
100 balls yarn 
7 tops

IN 6

OUT 107

NETT OUT 101

Seven Things week 17

It's all about the yarn again this week.  Craft supplies, particularly yarn, cause most of clutter here.  If it's not sitting around on chairs like a sulky teenager, it's taking up all the room in cupboards that could be used for other things which also perch on chairs and in corners waiting to pounce on unsuspecting visitors.

I just want to put it all away.

The assessment process for yarn is evolving.

I rarely knit for garments for myself and I prefer lighter weight wool to anything else when I do.  Mostly this is thinner wool (5 and 4 ply).  It is  may also be light as in not heavy - so my beloved Patons Jet with its alpaca content is safe for the moment.  Similarly, TOF doesn't feel the cold much, so should I ever knit him a jumper (and I am not saying I will, why tempt fate with the sweater curse?), I'd use a 5 or 4ply.

I went through the 8ply first and took out anything in colours I wouldn't knit for myself or the ones I love, dividing into jumper amounts and smaller amounts. A jumper amount is 20 balls or so.  If there was less than 20 balls, most of that went.  Some smaller amounts in good colours for accessories for TOF, Mum or I stayed, but most went. All they hand-dyed stayed. Some jumper amounts stayed just because I couldn't bear to part with them yet.  That's ok.  I'm allowed to keep stuff, I just need to make sure that I love it and/or can actually use it (sometime).

Then I went through the 5 plys and did much the same thing.  I was less rigorous with this category because TOF prefers a 5 or 6ply sock, so in this case I got rid of colours I wouldn't use.  I know I can overdye, but given the quantity of yarn, I don't really need to.  The charity knitters were very happy.

Novelty yarns were next.  Some of it was the muppet variety, others were lovely blends and textures.  There was an amazing amount of this still hanging around, although I'd obviously kept only certain colours and shades.  I think I intended a textured blanket in black, white and greys with this, but as I'd forgotten the exact plan, it was bagged up and taken to the op shop from where it disappeared within days of arrival.

This week the 12 ply and bulky yarns set aside for hats for the homeless etc.was the focus.  I've not knitted many of these in recent times but I'm not ready to get rid of all of this particular stash. Other assessments were mostly about colour.  This one was about feel.  I fondled it all and decided that if I couldn't stand the hand, the yarn went. It's not about softness, so much as whether I could stand to knit with it, some harsher outerwear yarns still feel good.  I haven't finished assessing this yarn, but so far it's about 50/50 keep and go.  All of this went to the op shop.

I've exhausted my usual, and a couple of new, yarn heirs recently.  As most of the yarn came from an op shop, it seems reasonable to send some of it back.  Any yarn given to me for charity knitting has been given to other charity knitters.

The cottons and sock yarns are quivering in anticipation.  It's their turn next.

IN

• 1 framed painting.  Landscape in oil. $3.30 TIP SHOP
• 1 metal rack to be repurposed as a mini greenhouse $3.30 TIP SHOP
• 1 clothes airer, large, new and solid (not small and flimsy like the ones in the clearance shops. $3.30 TIP SHOP
• pr gym shorts for TOF

 OUT

• 125 balls wool.  OP SHOP
• 1 leather purse - mouldy BIN

SIAA

• 1 more pair of green cotton sports socks HAND KNITTED
• 1 pair of pink and green socks from the scraps of the last 6 pairs HAND KNITTED

IN 4

OUT 126

NETT OUT 122

SIAA   2

Verdant

Football season has started.  We've  been to two Brumbies home matches so far.  Last night the only thing in the stadium more colourful than these socks in progress was the language of two blokes in front of us.

These are using up the leftovers of the socks I've been making since the beginning of the year.

So far I've made 5 pairs of green and one pair of pink socks.  I should finish these today and that will be the last of the pink (from an unravelled scarf) and the last of the  the lime.

Almost.

TOF picked up a jumper at Salvos recently.  It was completely knitted from lime green Bendigo Harmony.  It cost a dollar.  There's enough yarn there for exactly 10 pairs of athletic socks.  I'm going to try some longer socks and will overdye them.  Neither Mum nor TOF will wear the green.

I really do have a great job

when I can combine my love of knitting with my passion for documenting our community.

12 into 11 February Update

This month there has been a definite shift in mindset.

Look. Try on. Internally debate colour, fit, quality and usefulness.  Sigh with wistful resignation. Return item to rack.   And it really is resignation or realisation, not regret.

Early in the month there were a couple of additions to the savings jar but since then it's been quite easy to say "no". Including on a trip to fashion-conscious Sydney. I took the opportunity of the big shops and a free evening to go looking at new clothing. I tried on a several items and left it all behind. Not even close enough to put money in the savings jar.

Not that it has been a smooth progression. There was a point mid-month when I really couldn’t be bothered what I wore or how I presented because it’s not like I could buy anything to perk the wardrobe up.  Fortunately Nettie’s experience of a similar challenge last year helped me recognise the symptoms early. After a day or two, I gave myself a good hard shake and recalled that the challenge was about valuing what I have.  Then I went and polished a couple of pairs of shoes and groomed my eyebrows.  Much better.

There are other weapons in my arsenal to meet this challenge. I have sewing skills and equipment. It's not so hard leaving something behind in the shop when there is a pattern and fabric at home to make something close to or better than what's available in the shops.

So I have re-assessed the sewing patterns; removing the ones that no longer fit, or are essentially duplicates of each other or where I said “what was I thinking?”. They have been culled by about a quarter and fit into a drawer of the chest of drawers allocated to the sewing stash. A few goes at the 7 things challenge means the sewing fabric stash is pretty streamlined, but there is enough there to keep me in basics for this year.

That being said, I bought a vintage cotton sheet to make a summer skirt and/or blouses for $2 because I loved the colours and pattern and because the quality of the fabric is great. I am trying not to transfer acquistion of clothing to acquistion of potential clothing in the form of fabric. Sewing will be from stash before buying more fabric.

Enough navel gazing, though - let's see this month's numbers....

QUOTA USED:
None this month.  Current tally 2/12.

EXEMPT ITEMS ACQUIRED:

GIFTS

• 1 pair of black shorts from Mum who finally (we're talking months) got around to trying them on and found them too large
• 1 nightie  GIFT
• 1 rain jacket GIFT

REPAIRED OR RENEWED

• Nothing at all, I'm afraid.  Don't know where the time goes.

CREATED

• 2 pairs of handknitted sports socks

ADDED TO THE SAVINGS

• $7  Black voile shirt.  Tempting, I carried it around the shop for a while.  I don't need shirts to iron, I need cotton knit tops for work.
• $4  Black swimsuit - nicer than the cossie I bought in January. Very nearly caved.

Running total - $40