Three Bags Full

Dear Mom,
With your help, the yarn stash went through an Epic Purge a couple of weeks ago.
All those partial skeins of yarn that I thought could some day be….. something…… and all those yarns for projects I started and did not like, supplies for project ideas that IwillNeverInMyLifetimeIfILiveToBe103HaveTimeToDo- all of that- went in to Three- yes. THREE! Contractor- sized garbage bags, into the back of my car, and donated to Goodwill.
EDITING is my new mindset. Edit out those projects that I do not Love. Life is too short and free time is too precious to do anything but the Really Good Stuff. And just because I Have An Idea, doesn't mean I have to act on it. (Until I find a way to stop the clock, or function on 45 minutes of sleep.)
I have to say that some parts of the purge were painful, but not many, and mostly it was liberating to rid myself of the burden of those "this could be ….. something…." projects and to have all that under-the-bed and closet space cleared out.

However.
Some of those projects and yarns were just too good to donate to the Goodwill, even though they are things I don't want to knit anymore, or yarns I can't decide what they should be, and I've decided to offer them here for any blog readers who are interested. Free. I'll even cover the shipping ( US, please). Such is my desire to see this stuff in good homes and not in the bottom of a craft bin at the Goodwill.

First thing up for grabs:

 A Spillyjane Cupcakes Mitten pattern and the KnitPicks Pallette yarn to knit them.

Next:

Spillyjane's Heather's Mittens pattern and KnitPicks Pallette yarn to knit them- FYI- I swapped out white for the brown thinking  I would make a Shamrock Mitten for St Patrick's day.

And then there's:

Spillyjane's Carrots and Beets Mitten pattern (why, yes, I did lose my mind one day and went Spillyjane crazy) and the KnitPicks Pallette yarn for knitting them.

And there's this too:

6 skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca's Alpaca Silk. (50 grams, 146 yards per skein) 2 skeins of Blueberry,  color #140; 2 skeins of Slate, color #100; 1 skein of Iron, color #134 and one skein of a light lime green color, tag missing.

And finally:

2 skeins of Misti Alpaca Handpainted Baby Suri Silk  (80% baby Suri Alpaca 20% silk Color #21/ 100 g, 218 yards per skein) AND this handy Circular Solution Port-a-Pocket.

IF anyone out there is interested in any of these. please leave a comment and tell me which thing you want. IF there are more than one interested knitter, I'll draw a name out of one of the Young Lady's North Porch hats. Is a week long enough for any/every one to get their dibs in? Let's see how things look next Thursday. Tell your friends -unless they might want what you want and then we'll just keep it a secret, okay?

Love,
Kim

February

Dear Mom,
It is a good thing that February is a short month, because I've noticed a pattern of behavior that hits me this time every year.

I buy lipstick. Rarely do I ever find a lipstick in February that I am happy with, but I keep doing it. Every year. I don't even realize that I am "doing it again" until after I've tried and rejected a few. I blame it on the relentless gray days that are reflected in just about every body's complexion. Somehow, in the back of my mind, the right lipstick will transform me into a radiant, sun-kissed beauty. As if.

Another more productive urge that strikes me at this time of year is the need to re-organize and clean. This one is easily blamed on cabin fever. Even though this has been a mild winter, there isn't much to entice me outdoors and the disarray behind closet and cabinet doors can't be ignored.

Last week it was the shelves above the washer and dryer that got my undivided attention. And yesterday, it was the spice cabinet.

That spice shelf has been a source of frustration for too long.Years. I've tried all sorts of spice display ideas and none of them really worked for me. I couldn't find things and as I looked for one spice, several others were knocked off the shelf and onto the countertop.

So. Along comes Pinterest to the rescue. Every good (and unrealistic) idea all wrapped up in a pretty picture is there for anyone to find on Pinterest. The trouble is, is you fill up on all these good ideas and have no time to do any of them because you wasted all your free time looking at them on Pinterest.

Back to my spice cabinet.

Somewhere in the past week or two, I discovered The Answer to the Mess that is my Spice Cabinet.

I perused the internet and found a source for 2 oz. plastic deli containers with lids. After counting how many different containers of spices and seasonings I had in my cabinets, and measuring the depth of my cabinets to be sure the containers would fit, I ordered 75 containers ( and spent less that $30) -enough for all my spices plus extras.  Yesterday, every single spice container came off of that shelf, was placed alphabetically on the island, and with a black Sharpie marker, I took this mess

 and turned it into this!

An added bonus to this system and another frustration eliminated is that annoying measuring-spoon-won't-fit-into-the-bottle thing. AND, I'll be able to make better use of the herbs I grow in my garden! They will be easily stored in these containers after they've been dried.

And by the way- purging that cabinet revealed not one, not two, but three different bottles of both Lemon Pepper and Lemon Peel. Go figure. Won't be happening again!

This next has nothing to do with lipstick and spice cabinets, but to reassure you that I have not totally lost all sense of who I am, becoming a person with coral lips and alphabetized spices,  I do have some knitting to show you.

A finished hat- a birthday gift.

It's an unusual hat, to be sure. The pattern is from Mac & Me- found here. I had a bit of trouble getting gauge and ended up using the yarn single, rather than doubled as the pattern suggested. The yarn used in my hat is Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, one of my favorites. The back of the hat is a loose flap, and the leather ties are definitely needed to keep the hat on. I got this one out of my system and probably won't be making it again, unless the recipient gets/gives rave reviews and I get specific requests for another.

That's all for now. There are more closets to distract me from buying lipstick.

Love,
Kim