My New Year’s Word

As I’ve said before, I don’t know if my Inspirational Word for the Year really helps me focus or not. Maybe I just pick them because I was already heading in that direction anyway! Regardless of its true efficacy this will be the fifth one I’ve chosen: 2008 was Contentment, 2009 was Harmonize, 2010 was Conserve, and 2011 was Acceptance. I think I did pretty well this year working on accepting things as they are instead of how I wish they would be. One aspect of that has enabled me to get out of the rut I was in and inspired me to to revamp my wardrobe. I sewed some new pieces, rediscovered old ones and enjoyed finding ways to combine them into outfits that please me. Also I’m feeling much less anxious about some things that are out of my control. Life is good.

Hmmm…I guess it really is helpful to have a goal to work towards! So I’ve decided that my word for 2012 will be Relegation. I need to work on sorting, purging, delegating, and generally cleaning up our Stuff. With T-Man planning to retire our lives will definitely change in this upcoming year. We both will benefit from deciding what is important and what needs to be jettisoned. Our house is not large but it has a lot of storage areas. Out of sight; out of mind! After 33 years of occupation, I’m sure there are things that we don’t need to keep any more. Our needs and pursuits have shifted and changed over the decades. It’s time to reassess so we can move forward freer and lighter.

On the other hand, I’m not going to let go of The Multiple Stashes! Those are the materials for many of my future projects. I might sort them out somewhat and perhaps weed out the junk a little but since we’re going to be on short financial rations after retirement I’m going to have to shop from my stashes as much as possible. It’s kind of fun actually. I’ve had some stuff so long I can’t remember where I got it or why. That means it’s now free to become something completely different than my original intention. Whatever that might have been!

In crafty news, it’s Sewing Central around here. I’ve been ignoring the several garments already cut out and ready to sew. Instead I’ve succumbed to the lure of the Minoru Jacket which is all cut out and I’ve started sewing it up. I found when cutting out the pieces that I could have gotten away with less fabric. I had more than half a metre left of the water-resistant polyester outer fabric so I could have gotten away with just over 2m, say 2.1 or 2.2, instead of the 2.7 that I purchased. I might still be able to get a vest or something out of the leftovers though. And the lining turned out to be wider than I thought and the pattern pieces fit closer together so there’s still half of the 3 metres left! Not sure what I’ll make with 1.5m of batik quilting cotton but I’m sure I’ll think of something eventually. That brings the actual cost of the jacket down to less than $60 total.

The sewing is going even better than I’d hoped – the shell fabric holds a press at least long enough to get it stitched and there’s lots of top stitching to hold it down. I was a bit concerned about the one exposed raw seam on the inside of the hood but found that I could use a lighter flame to seal the edges so they don’t fray. The collar’s zipper got a little glue on the separating part to prevent it from coming open. I used Aleene’s Jewel-It which dried clear and seems permanent and is washable. I also shortened the opening slightly so the separating end will be inside the collar and not visible on the outside. I had a little trouble gathering the neckline into the collar because the fabric is a little stiff but finally got it looking pretty good. Hopefully more progress later today. Photos to come.

Unhappily my crafting has been going more slowly than I’d like. I’ve been having some stiffness and pain in my right hand middle finger. Probably our old friend, Arthur Itis. I’m trying not to knit (hah!) and to baby it a bit and it seems to be improving. You sure don’t know how much you actually use a finger until it hurts! I was having trouble pouring tea from the pot until I switched to holding it with my left hand. And we won’t even discuss how hard it was to clean the bathroom yesterday. Apparently squeezing out a sponge is a big no-no. Sheesh. At least it’s pretty much ok when sewing. Also unfortunately there’s my left shoulder which has been bugging me for a couple of months on and off but it seems to be improving as well. I don’t think that is caused by knitting but more by the way I sleep. And of course the degenerative disc disease in my neck that’s been plaguing me for over 10 years now. I’m trying to work on my posture and exercises.

Which reminds me – it’s my turn for the elliptical trainer relay game that T-Man and I have been playing. It seems to be working to keep us motivated. Off to listen to a podcast and run away to nowhere…