Little Living

This year we spent part of our holiday in a static caravan in mid-Wales.  The whole caravan was about a quarter larger than my bedroom at home!  

Whilst on holiday I learned a few lessons about 'little living'.  The first was the vast importance of tidying up as you go.  If things are left out beyond the time they are being used then the whole place looks untidy, cluttered and claustrophobic.  Tidy as you go.

Another lesson was the importance of good storage.  One very nifty storage solution in the main bedroom was a bed where the mattress could be raised to offer access to the divan.

My parents have drawers in their divan.  They are useful, to get access to the drawers at the head of the bed you have to pull the bed out, away from the wall.  This isn't practical if you need to use those drawers more than a few times a year.  At home, we have a wooden framed bed, no divan.  Under the bed I have a couple of large, flat plastic boxes with lids.  They are great for storage, but it gets rather dusty under there (if I am not diligent at evicting dust bunnies). 

Another lesson was I have too much stuff!  From books, to yarn, fabric and clothes, I have too much stuff.   Eight years ago when we moved into our current home we rattled around in it for a good while.  Now, there's stuff everywhere.  

It's time to use these lessons.  Since the start of the year I have bought no yarn.  My stash must have reduced, but I am having problems seeing much of a difference. At the start of the year I couldn't imagine not buying yarn for a whole year, but I reckoned I could make it until Easter.  At Easter, going until the summer seemed possible.  Now, 6 months later, I am ready decide not to buy yarn for the rest of the year.  But, I suspect I need to do something similar with fabric.  It's time for no new fabric either.  However, to give myself some wiggle room, I am going to say that I am allowed to buy just enough fabric to finish a project.

And each time I leave a room, I will cast my eye around to check that things are tidy.  I will tidy as I go.

100 Craft Day: a new chip, and a complicated pattern

It passed me by!

It's now 128 days since I last bought yarn. This means that just over a week ago I earned my Cold Sheep 120 Days chip.   It passed me by, and I didn't even notice.

Last night I was working on a pattern called 'Dutch Windmill'.  It was going well, and I decided to draw it to make it easier to piece it together. 

It wasn't until I had drawn it out I realised that the repeat is 100 squares!  The design is really simple in concept.  There's a tessellation of purple and cream plus signs, and in each plus there's a little windmill. 

'Dry January'

It's now 18 days since my last Coke. My eyes have been trained to simply glide passed those little bottles and cans of loveliness.  The more Coke I drink, the more Coke I want to drink.  However, when I stop drinking it the desire dwindles.  

I have been wondering if the same might be true for crisps.  If I don't eat them will my desire decrease?  It seems there is some truth in it.  This month I'm concentrating on 'No Coke', but I've also had a week free from crisps.  Me thinks that next month I will make into a 'No Coke, No Crisps' month.

I've done this before, and the weight gently slid off me, little by little.  This new year feels like a good time to make one healthy change each month.

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In other news, the first two projects of 2015 have been completed!  The first was a new small shawl for myself, and the second a hat for charity.  Last year many hats were made, and it was a great way to use up stash.  I don't know quite what happened, but my stash seems just as big this year.  Actually I do know what happened.  I bought yarn to replace it, and was given yarn as gifts.

This year is a Cold Sheep year.  I am not buying yarn.  Everything will be knitted from stash.  The only exception will be if I am commissioned to make an item.  They will need to provide me with the yarn.  

Day 6 and going strong!

My health isn't the best at the moment, and I'm very tired a great deal of the time.  However, I'm still 'dry' - no Coke has passed by lips since the turn of the year, and I managed to avoid yarn shops.

French learning has taken a bit of a back seat whilst I am unwell, but as this is a year long goal, I don't feel I have to be doing it each and every day. 

Today is the day we started taking down our Christmas tree and decorations.  It's also the day when I start putting the sitting room to rights again.  

I've tried to be sensible and tackle jobs that are achievable within my limited means to expend energy.  It's good being able to get one area done, and know there will be time (and energy) tomorrow to expand the area of 'domination'.  My  plan is to get one area into the state it should be, and each day expand a little whilst maintaining what has already been done. 

Welcome to 2015

A very warm welcome to 2015.

There have been many changes in my life of late, but the great majority of them have been tiny, incremental changes.  They have lead me to a happier, healthier me, and I so want this to continue.

This year I have made a few New Year's Resolutions.  The first is to re-learn French and the second is to be healthier in 2015 than I was in 2014.  

There's also a 'cold sheep' challenge - I will not be buying any more yarn until Easter.  I wanted to say 'this year', but that seems to be far to big a challenge.  I know I can last until Easter, and then, I hope I will be able to continue it on until the summer.  There are two exceptions to the 'no new yarn' rules.  The first is that if I need more yarn to complete the sweater I am making for my daughter, I will buy it.  The second is that yarn can be bought for commissions.

The last resolution is to have a 'dry January.  This challenge was orginally not to drink any alcohol during the first month of the year.  That is no challenge to me at all as I don't drink alcohol.  However, my consumption of Coke has increased greatly over the last couple of months.  My version of 'dry' means 'No Coke'.

And with that, I'm off to do a bit of cycling. My health has improved year on year these last couple of years, and I want it to continue!