Pick Up Some Things, Drop Some Others

Well, dang!  We got some kickass, in-great-shape, or wannabe-in-great-shape knitters in da house!  How fun was that yesterday?  100 comments before noon Eastern Time, and growing from there.  Pretty cool.

So, yeah.  Changes.  Growth, hopefully.

I've embraced through practice the more regular blogging (although I've never been terribly irregular about it, I guess) and I've re-embraced through practice the more regular exercise.  Even the more regular knitting.  These are positive changes that are making me happy.

In recent introspection, I've realized something:  I'm not really a spinner.  As you may recall, I sold my spinning wheel a while back and had given some thought to buying a different one. Since that time, I've come to the conclusion that it's not for me. I enjoyed it for a while, and I think I could become good at it if I really wanted to, but, at least right now, I don't really want to. There is never enough time, and with so many interests, I can't focus.  I can't -- and don't want to -- do everything. 

I feel weighed down by my possessions and the clutter.  I need to clean out and lighten up. So it's time for some things to go.  I'm going to give some away and I'm going to sell some others, starting very soon (perhaps this weekend, although I'll be taking a quick road trip to Albany and back on Saturday, so maybe not). 

I'll be unloading some stuff in dribs and drabs as the mood moves me and as time allows.  I'd like to give my blog readers first dibs on especially the fiber-related stuff, so I'll be posting it here.  I'd like to give everybody a fair shot at the stuff, and I'd like to keep the stress down for myself, so I think I'll do most of the selling and giving away on the weekends, with a post later in the day than the just-after-midnight posts that are the norm for me.  I'll give some advance notice as to when a stash sale or giveaway post is going to appear. (perhaps in a Friday post for a Saturday sale, for example), and it will most often be first come, first served.  I'd prefer Paypal payments, rather than waiting for a check, but if you don't use Paypal, I understand.  And for the stuff I give away on the blog, the recipient will pay the postage. 

Stay tuned for more details.  I have to pull some things together and get them photographed.  I wish some faeries would come take care of it while I sleep, but alas, I have to do it myself.  Meantime, you have until midnight tonight, Eastern Time, to comment on yesterday's post to be entered in the drawing.

Abigail made a snow.....penguin?... last night.  Isn't he cute?  I did not appreciate driving home from the vet's office (more on this in a few days) in the snowstorm, but it did give the perfect wet, heavy, sticky snowman-making snow.  If' she'd really wanted to please the blog, she would've put a handknit scarf, mittens & hat on him.  I'm sure she could have found one or two of each of those somewhere around here.  Sheesh.

I know you're wondering why I didn't dress him in that knitted finery.  It's my Prime Directive to not interfere with native life forms.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Or it could be that I didn't think of it until I was writing this. 

My camera took a damn good photo of him in the dark, though, with no flash and no tripod.   

Comments

[Sheepish Annie]

I know what you mean about clutter and stuff. I always start to feel that way after the holidays when more of the stuff has just been added to the clutter. Maybe I'll find some time to clean a pile of it out before school starts back up...

And I don't think I would have approached the penguin either. He seems pretty happy with the jaunty bow and looks ready to defend his fashion decisions. Better safe than sorry!

[cari]

Is Vincent ok?

[Andrea (noricum)]

Perhaps she was worried about what you would say if you found your handknits scattered about a snowman?

[Jennifer]

Great snow penguin (and the first I've ever seen). I believe that bowtie is a replica of a handknit mini scarf. ; )

[Carole]

I'm looking forward to this stash sale business. Just saying. Hope all is well with Vincent.

[Carol]

Great snowpenguin! Sure hope it was regular visit to the vet.

[margene]

He does look rather penguinish and alive, too!

[Dave Daniels]

Nice Jabba the SnowBlob. Penguin.
If you want something spun from your left over and unused wool, I'll spin you up something. We'll chat. I prefer spinning to knitting, and 2008 I plan on seeing how far I can spin.

[Paula]

Nice penguin. Does it scare Vincent? With the addition of a few branches it would be reminiscent of the Calvin & Hobbes snowgoons. Remember them?

http://www.chase3000.com/userpages/calvinhobbes/

[Tammy]

Penguin? That's how I feel after all the holiday cookies, etc. Maybe some handknits would help me?!
De-cluttering feels so liberating - that's on the top of my 2008 list of things I WANT to do. I have found that when I get rid of my "stuff" that I have collected through guilt (Cousin Mabel gave me this so I should display it - NOT) or greed (who could pass up such a bargain!), that it frees me to use and enjoy the things I really LOVE and I don't have to take time away from the people in my life to care for and clean up the stuff that gets littered around. T

[Patty]

Love, love, love it! My son's school mascot is the Penguin. Fierce I tell you, fierce! ;-)

[Elisabeth]

I've been slowly trying to get rid of things for awhile now. The move to California helped alot ("Do I want to pay to ship this thing to California? No."). I'm also trying not to bring stuff in which is also hard. Before I buy something I ask myself if I'm still going to want it in a few years. And I try to wait a week or two instead of being impulsive. If I still want it after the wait, then it's probably something I really want. Unless it's a book. If it's a book, I just buy it. I have a weakness there.

I hope Vincent is okay!

[Kae]

The penguin is cute :)

I actually spin far more than I knit, although that's not saying much. I'm going to try to knit my first sweater soon. As soon as I can figure it out, that is. I have a goal to finish off everything that I've started spinning... 4 oz of wool/silk and 5 oz of alpaca/silk to spin and ply, and 3.5 oz wool with angelina left to ply. I have until the end of January. I might even make it. Finishing something actually helps me to feel better. :) I'm just glad my spinning stash pre-dates my current life experiences. LOL

[Sandy]

NICE penguin, Ab! She is a creative one!
:)
Hope Vincent's vet visit was acceptable!
xo

[marianne]

Hah! Love the Snow Penguin! and thank you, Paula... snowgoons... heheheh... love Calvin and Hobbes... Hope Vincent is doing alright. and damn! that's one hellofa camera! great shot!

[DebbieB]

I'm with you on the decluttering need... unfortunately, I cannot bear to part with any of the trappings of my obsessions as of yet. I can't help it - my mother was a magpie and my father was a packrat. Really... I've seen the wedding pictures.

Vincent had better be ok - now I'm worried!

[Elizabeth H.]

The penguin is adorable! I've been feeling weighed down too. I've started going through my file cabinets and giving away duplicates and patterns I don't think I'll ever get around to. Good luck with your quest!

[NerdGirl]

I am seriously jealous of your camera. When I take a photo at night without a flash or a tripod it looks like the photo is having an acid trip and a seizure at the same time.

[Brenda]

I know what you mean about simplifying life. The snow penquin is adorable.

[maryse]

the snowman is rather buddahesque isn't he.

[Katie B.]

Stash? What's stash?

The penguin is adorable. :)

[Cookie]

How bright is your porch light? Great photo and she did a good job on the penguin. He looks all fat and happy.

I feel ya on the stuff. I've been watching Clean House and feel a little better, but I still want to remove a lot of things from my little world.

Hug Vincent for me. Being in the car in a blizzard must have been scary for him. ♥

[Evalyn]

Yes, it's a penguin. See the bow-tie. However, there seems to be an arched doorway at the base of the penguin, so maybe it's a representation of the mythical Penguin Temple of the Green Bow-Tie that we've all heard about in story and song.

[PICAdrienne]

I understand not changing the work of your child (no matter how old the child is) they can get rather territorial and insulted if you make changes, or maybe that is just my brood.

I also understand about doing what you enjoy doing. I think spinning looks rather interesting. I would like to learn, but only for the sake of learning. (Sonny boy and I may take a drop spindle class at the lys.) But, I don't plan on going farther than that. Of course, if Sonny boy were to become my yarn maker, that would not hurt my feelings either. I believe that may be something he would be really good at, but I don't want to force him.

Great picture of the snow penguin. New cameras are wonderful.

[Stephanie]

I'm totally impressed that the penguin picture was taken without flash and without a tripod. I am desperately in need of a new camera.

I can't wait to see what you destash :)

[Seanna Lea]

Collecting more stuff is just too darn all easy to do. That said, I will happily aid others in their fiber downsizing processes (because I am still mostly in collecting stuff mode, just through thriftier processes than before).

[Marcia Cooke]

Selling and giving stuff away has been on my mind lately, too (anyone interested in a bazillion rubber stamps, cheap?!) and am also, gasp, losing interest in the spinning. I know myself, though, and will certainly get back into it, but I can understand why you are moving away. You're right...too little time.

[elizabeth a airhart]

being organized is a misery
i try --every paper i throw out
i think i hope i will not need it

my pay pal was hacked and plished
strange mail in my box
snow angels are in my memories
8o plus in florida --sand castles here

[Donna in Oregon]

Way to go, Norma!!! Age is only a number - you've inspired me to get out those weights again. And.. who could not love the advice to eat fats?

Keep clearing that clutter, too. I feel younger and thinner every time I box up and give away that extra stuff. As an avid long-time reader of your blog, I have a confession: we lived in St. Albans for a year a verrry long time ago. Bought our first home there when it was a charmingly, sleepy little town. Knitting and hiding stash on the West Coast these days.

[Julie]

I hope the trip to the vet wasn't for anything serious!

Love the snow penguin (even though I hate snow)!

[mamacate]

I'm commenting here because I didn't want you to think I was de-lurking just to win a prize. :) I loved your last couple of posts, and wanted to say so. I'm struggling SO much with exercise right now. I feel SO much better when I do it, but actually finding the time and energy to do it with my life in its current state...I haven't been able to. I'll get there, I know, someday, but your post was simultaneously inspiring, and well, made me realize how far I am from the goal. Sigh. Anyway, thanks for the inspiration, and I'm looking forward to a whole year of you. One other thing: what about leap day? Do you get the day off? XO...

[Michelene]

Whenever we get enough snow(not as much as you, but more than I like), some people that live near where I work always build a GIANT snow critter. Right before Christmas, we got 8 inches, and they built a Jabba the Hutt!