Sorting Stuff Out

How did it get so late so soon? ― Dr. Seuss

 Man, it is so dark.

It happens every year, but I always find it such a struggle this time of year as we approach the winter solstice. If I were truly an organized blogger, I'd take the time to take all my photos in lovely natural light during the day... but I forget that I only have a small window of time to get that done this time of year. "I'll walk the dog and make some lunch and take a nap and do some laundry... oh... it's dark."

I was getting so fed up with sitting in the yellow light of the lamps and hallway lights that make up life in December that when I saw this vintage lamp for sale online one day, I decided to snap it up. It's not the same as actual daylight, but at least it makes me smile. Ah well... only a couple of weeks until we start to gain a few precious minutes of sunlight every day:

I've spent the last few months sorting out all of the things in the house that have been slightly annoying but were things I just couldn't be bothered to do anything about. I sat up one day and thought, "Well, we're stuck at home, so we might as well just sort all of this out." So we have new furniture and new mats on the deck so keep us from slipping on the frost. I replaced the awkward bag I carry to and from work with a better backpack. I got a lunch box that actually fits all of the fruit and lunch I bring to work. I got a slip-proof yoga mat so that I won't have to worry about spraining my ankle if my feet get sweaty. I mean, I could have lived with all of those annoyances, but really... why? I am fortunate enough to be able to afford to sort these things out, so I decided to stop whining and actually do something about them.

Case in point: I decided I needed to figure out a better way to store my jewelry. I am such a magpie that I have collected so many necklaces over the years that they were overwhelming the box I had been storing them in. I kept thinking that if I just laid them in there carefully enough, they wouldn't get tangled up, but that really wasn't working and I was spending so much time trying to untangle them that I wasn't wearing them. When the lid finally broke last week, I figured it was time to sort it out. A quick online search and a few days later and I had this up on the wall this afternoon:

The cups on top are vintage espresso cups and sugar bowls that are holding my earrings and bracelets. I didn't make this myself, but I probably could have... but I didn't want to create another barrier for getting this done by giving myself the responsibility of sourcing the wood and assembling it. I am not ashamed to say that I bought this and stuck it on the wall and it felt pretty darn good. Sometimes, even makers need to just buy stuff to get things done.

Meanwhile, I realized today that holy crap, it is December and I still hadn't finished my Christmas cards. I sat down today and forced myself to work through them until I had at least a few of them ready to actually write messages in to send away. The envelopes I got are a touch too large, but that just shows what an amateur I am at this kind of stuff. Again: I could have made my own, but dudes, it's DECEMBER and if I didn't just buy some I'd be up the creek with unfinished cards and a frustrated face. I think they look pretty good. Nothing like a bit of last-minute desperation to motivate you:

On the knitting front, my stripey sweater experiment continues. I'm afraid I don't have any exciting photos of it apart from this poorly lit shot of one of the sleeves blocking in the hallway. I'm not sure there are many exciting photos of knitted items on blocking boards, but I'm pretty sure this one ranks as one of the least exciting ones out there:

I will say that I am pretty impressed with myself with the way I constructed this. It's not knitted from the shoulder down or from the cuff upwards. I actually knitted it horizontally. I rotated the photo below so I could explain it better. I wanted to match some of the stripes along the shoulders, so this was actually constructed by knitting the stripes first starting with a provisional cast-on, then I knitted the variegated stripe, then the first green stripe, then the white band in between, then the other two stripes after that. Then I worked short rows to make the wedge shape until I reached the end, then I went back and used the provisional cast-on to work short rows to make the wedge shape on the other end. I mean, if you make enough sleeves, you know what I'm talking about. If not, trust me: I can't believe it worked, but it was pretty darn clever if I do say so myself:

I realized something about this sweater last night. It's been a weird project for me, not least because it is entirely of my own design out of my head. More and more, it is turning into a metaphor for how we are all living right now: sometimes, it looks great and sometimes it really doesn’t, but I’m making it up as I go along. It changes and evolves every moment and I’m adapting to it every time and making the best of what I get. And in the end, I have no idea what it will look like. I just know that it will be my sweater... and entirely my own experience. And really, that's all we can hope for, especially right now.

Meanwhile, Mr. Seymour seems to be making the most of the dark evenings by going into early hibernation mode. I don't blame him... but I do wish he would stop stealing my seat:

I'm off to make dinner. Have a good week!