Monday, January 14, 2008

getting organized

Saturday was a good day for cleaning up. Somehow it's easier for me to tidy the house on nice days (not too nice). On rainy, wet days I can't make myself do any work, certainly not toilet-cleaning. I can only plop on the couch with knitting and tea. But this Saturday, the sun was shining in the windows just so, in just the way that makes me feel like I want to jump up and make the place look nice so that I'll enjoy being home in it even more.

I vacuumed and dusted and wiped and scrubbed and yes, I even cleaned the toilet. Then I took a look at my desk and realized that it was time to tackle the big piles of clutter there that have been tormenting me since... well, since a while now. Since late summer, maybe. I got several things organized, including a notebook for each of the various committees I'm on, whose papers and agendas and budgets had been heaped in one awful commingled pile on the floor next to my desk for quite some time. Now tidied. I even put some corkboard on the wall above my desk to hang up the snippets of inspiration that had been littering the desk top. I still really need a filing cabinet for the bills and other official-type papers, though now I see where in the room I can put it and how it will be arranged.

Doesn't it feel good to get organized? I think this must be a common thing to do in January, like starting a new workout regimen or going on a diet. I wonder how long it will last...

All the cleaning and organizing got me on a roll, so I baked a cake.

nutty cake

This was a special cake for T, who is going away for a little while. He and Shari had a lovely gathering on Sunday and we ate wonderful things and played dominoes with some very lovely people whom I hope to see again soon.

So with the house all tidy, my papers organized, my desk relatively uncluttered, and a freshly-baked cake in the kitchen, why did I wake up in such a foul, foul mood on Sunday? All I can think is that I worked too hard. Virtue is supposed to be its own reward, but I think maybe plopping on the couch or just taking a walk is even more reward, at least on a nice Saturday.

But the foul mood did lift as the day went on, and it is awfully nice that the toilet's clean.

So, on to some knitting content... has anyone ever felted with merino? I'm making a felted cloche for my sister, and I'm using merino because I wanted it to be a bit luxurious. The test swatch that I felted really felted up a lot, so I am knitting this thing sort of extra-big. But holy moley, does it seem extra-big. I'm about 2/3 done knitting it, and it looks like a hat for Fezzig. BIG. Very big. I'm starting to get worried. But I've resolved to just keep going and reserve judgment for the end product. Wish me luck.

start
Fezzig's giant cloche (just after it was started)

6 comments:

  1. mmmm your cake was delicious!

    i am inspired to clean my house now..anything to procrastinate from the real work at hand!

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  2. I have felted with Patons Classic Merino - it made a nice felted fabric, and shrank down, but whether it did so to a drastic degree is hard to say.

    Many people I know have substituted PCM for Cascade 220.

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  3. I COMPLETELY agree - sunny = motivation to clean. Rainy days are for tea, hot chocolate (preferably servedd by someone else) and cats and yarn in the lap. Congratulations on your productive day.

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  4. I'm sure Fezzig would've looked wonderful in it and all but have no fear - it will felt down just fine. Just keep going until it's the right size - but be prepared for it to be REALLY thick.

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  5. hi there. it was great meeting you the other day! absolutely delicious cake (and i'm not a fan of coconut :)

    i've felted with patons classic merino and it felts rather nicely (as opposed to say, noro or lamb's pride). it will shrink a bit with constant washing, though (the superwash merino scarf i made 3+ years ago looks shorter every year!).

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  6. Good luck with the cloche! I don't have a ton of felting experience, so I'm afraid I'm no use.

    I love organizational projects! It sounds like you had a great Saturday. I'm sorry about the grumpy Sunday though. :(

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