Spring Cleaning

It's that time of year, when a harried mother's thoughts turn to the choice between excavating her kids' room or tossing in a match and a bottle of gasoline and quietly closing the door.  As I suspect the strata council would frown on the latter option, I'm taking this week to do the former, and a stab at the rest of the house as well.

I really really want less stuff... clear surfaces, the psychological freedom that comes with uncluttered spaces. Four years ago we got rid of 80% of what we owned, and I really think we need to do it again. How is that even possible? We live simply, are increasingly disconnected from the consumerist mindset, and yet somehow our wee space is choked with stuff, much of which I don't even like, but almost all of which I fear we'll never be able to afford again (in the event I change my mind and wish we had it after all.) How do I reconcile the simplicity principles of a) making do with what I have and b) getting rid of a substantial chunk of it?

Part of the solution, I've decided, is clarity. Who I really am, what I really (really) want to be part of my life.  Accepting my wildly multifaceted nature as legitimate rather than flighty, shedding protective layers of pretend normalcy.  (A serious load of mental and physical clutter accumulates via the process of pretending to be normal.)  Packing up my invisibility cloaks and considering what might happen if the outside of me matched the inside. Mourning. Celebrating. Freaking out just a little that I've already used up half my probable life span and there is So Much I still want to do. Taking stock. (This would be the reason for the longish online silences.)

Figuring out what I really truly want to wear before picking up the needles.... like this cardigan:

 
 

I grabbed a skein each of the Water Magic colourways in BFL fingering... plus an extra ClearWater to make up the extra on the cuffs and button bands. I am knitting a simple, negative ease body, bottom up, in the round, to be steeked when complete.  I've provisionally cast on the sleeve stitches at the underarms, and will knit the sleeves down once the yoke is complete, allowing me to preserve the continuity of the striping pattern and make best use of the yarn. Having left myself little margin in the yardage department, I figure I'd rather compromise on the length of the sleeves than the body.

 

Stripes follow a 2,3,5,8 Fibonacci sequence. I chose 4 stripe widths for the 5 yarn sequence to ensure that each colourway was used equally.  I also fiddled with the calculations to find a width sequence that would repeat just about exactly twice - again, making optimal use of limited yardage.

Despite being fingering weight at 7 st/inch, it is proceeding remarkably quickly - I find the smaller hand movements do a great deal to speed up the knitting.

 Now, while we're on the subject of decluttering, and since I've been excavating rather than dyeing this week, how about a rolicking good sale? Stay tuned, I'll announce it via the newsletter in the next day or so.

Comments

[Kerri]

Good luck with the 'de-cluttering'...when you have it figured out, let ME know, please!! :)

[Linda M. (lulabellebird on rav)]

Love the stripes. fibonacci numbers really are magical. good luck with the decluttering and remember, you aren't alone in having this urge at this time of year - you called this post "spring cleaning" for a reason :-)

[Karen]

Oh, How I relate to the need to de-clutter. I'm resurrecting a strategy I used a few years ago with success: I set a goal to get at least one box/bag of "stuff" out of my house per week and put it as a task on my to-do list. I can either pitch, gift, or donate, anything counts. I get overwhelmed with the big-purge strategy and find it easier to do a little bit at a time.
Good Luck with your Spring Cleaning!

[Cindy]

And lots of the clutter begins to disappear when the kids leave home. Probably not what you want to hear at this point in time though!

[Corie Drane]

I think you're just being pressured to match what you were able to accomplish 4 years ago. I mean, getting rid of 80% of your stuff for spring cleaning is no joke. That's even extreme for me! But keep in mind, Ruth, that you really don't have to dispose of a big fraction of your belongings to obtain psychological freedom. Sometimes, it's really what's inside our head that needs spring cleaning.

[red bottom]

I find life an exciting business,The point is succinctness of expression.