On Minimalism: If I had to move today...

...what would I take?

Borrowing from mnmlist.com, I took time to ask myself this very question, going from room to room in my house. I came up with these items:

1. One week of clothing + coat
2. Three pair shoes (work heels, running shoes, flip-flops)
3. Instruments
4. Antique books
5. Computer/external monitor/office chair
6. Television (my husband's after all)
7. One set of sheets
8. Three blankets (throw, wool layer, quilt)
9. Two towels
10. My recliner
11. Bed
12. Best yarns in my stash, or those with planned projects only
13. Area rug
14. Suitcases
15. Hygiene stuff
16. Treadmill
17. Yoga mat
18. Holiday decorations (in one tote)
19. Cleaning supplies
20. SCA gear

It's interesting in looking over the list, just how much I don't need. I've started cleaning out the garage--took a whole load of stuff to Goodwill--and another pile will go to trash in the morning (whatever wasn't usable). I'll keep tackling a room of the house each week until I am truly down to the very minimal amount necessary. 

As to my 333 challenge, this is what I have to date. It is by no means complete, but it's a start in versatility.

Minimalist Fashion Project 333 Begins

via Be More With Less:

Original rules

• When: October 1 – December 31 (It’s never too late to start so join in anytime!)
• What: 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes.
• What not: these items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring, underwear, sleep, in-home lounge wear,  and workout clothing (you can only wear your workout clothing to workout)
• How: over the next two months, outline your 33 items, by the 1st of October, box up the remainder of your fashion statement, seal it with tape and put it out of site.
• What else: consider that you are creating a wardrobe that you can live, work and play in for three months. If you purchase items for project 333, stick with the one in, two out approach. Consider the essentials and stick to 33.

I've been wanting to clean out everything I own, I look around and feel like I'm swimming in books and clothes. While, in reality, I don't have a TON of stuff, moving it every year for the last ten years or so has gotten old. Time to pare down! While this exercise focuses on wardrobe, I'm going to apply the same one in, two out approach to my house, and make weekly Goodwill trips. 

The wardrobe: 

1 pair jeans

3 pair dress slacks

5 work shirts

3 sweaters 

4 casual shirts

3 sweatshirt

4 cardigans

1 pair heels

1 pair espedrilles

1 pair boots 

1 closed-toe work shoe

3 dresses

2 skirts

1 coat

I'm not going to count jewelry in this mix, because I only wear a few pieces at a time (usually two rings, a bracelet, and my fitbit, along with a necklace, three sets of earrings that never come out, and my industrial that never comes out). I also have some jewelry from my grandmother that still has sentimental value, regardless that it's costume. I've already trimmed through it and given 70% to a neighbor for her granddaughter, so it all fits in one tidy box. I don't feel like it's a pain point compared to my wardrobe that shifts among seasonal totes. I also have two purses - one black, one brown.

Workout/lounge gear -- I know it's not included, but I still want to focus:

3 pair pants

2 capri

1 running skirt

1 pair running shoes

3 tanks

2 longsleeve shirts

1 cold weather/rain pants

1 cold weather/rain hoodie

1 hat

My sweatshirts from above can double for warmth here, e.g., hoodies. 

Right now I'm in a period of transition, in that I'm losing weight. A lot of weight. So far, thirty pounds in two months kind of weight. This means it'll be all the easier to get rid of things, since they no longer fit, but I'll have to be selective in what I buy until I get down to my ultimate size. That, or buy things I really like now, and then re-engineer them into a smaller size when that day comes...Unless more cute stuff is available by then. 

I should probably update more often.

Checking in briefly; life has been busy in preparation for graduation from college... life is great, I'm knitting, learning Old English, and prepping an audition for the Navy fleet bands.

Other than that, nothing much else is going on! I'll post pictures of knitted items eventually...

Easy Garter Stitch Baby Beanie

I devised this for a friend's up-and-coming baby, to match a cardigan I had already made. This is my first pattern, so I'm not entirely sure on the gauge.

Notions:
Size 6 dpns
I Love This Cotton yarn - one skein

Directions:
Cast on 60 stitches.
Knit in garter stitch until hat measures 4".

Crown shaping:
Knit 12 stitches, place marker. Do this 5 times.
Rows 2, 4, 6, 8, etc: Purl.
Rows 1, 3, 5, etc: K2tog, knit to next marker.
Proceed in pattern until 5 stitches remain; cut long tail and thread through active loops (make sure you don't go through your markers). Sew in remaining ends.

Enjoy!

Update

Hello to one and all; It's been a long time since I've written and though I really shouldn't be taking time to write at the moment (I should be cleaning!), I just feel like it.

The school year is almost over, but it doesn't feel like it should be. This semester has completely flown by and summer is looming on the horizon. With it, comes work--I'll be pulling overnight shifts at a local factory. We're also planning on moving in the next week or so; there's so much to be done and I'm not sure where the time is going to come from to do it.

In the crafting world, I finished the ruby cardigan! I wear it any time the weather permits--which, with as rainy as it's been this week, has been frequently. For the summer, I'm looking to convert a poncho or shawl pattern into a skirt to use up some of the lace sampler I purchased earlier this year.

That, and I'm working on a pair of socks ("From Russia with Love"), two sweaters ("Staghorn" and "Zelda"), and a counterpane bedspread. I'm going to be busy this summer! :)

Until next time,

~Miriam

Most Awesome Book Ever.

It's been a while.

Ah, but how grand life has been. :)

Since I last posted, I left my job and returned to school--this time to finish my bachelor's in music education. After I graduate, I will pursue my masters in music history and my doctorate after that (most likely).

My ultimate goal is to pilot a music program in the Faroe Islands--I know there's quite a demand for music over there. :) I'm so excited!

So far, I'm trying to practice 15-20 hours per week on piano, and roughly five hours each week on euphonium. My faculty is coming back a lot quicker than I expected, and my instructor is amazing--through her guidance, playing my euphonium is starting to become an enjoyable experience again...finally. I haven't felt that in a really long time.

Piano is rocking as always, and I'm improving by leaps and bounds. Right now I'm working on Scarlatti's Sonata in D minor (517), Gottschalk's Bamboula, and Chopin's Nocturne in Eb major. I'm actually going to start posting the highlights of my practicing on YouTube so I can track my progression as the year unfolds.

I'm also working on learning Faroese. The pronunciation is actually going a lot quicker than I thought it would--there are lots of parallels with German, so that's great. Having experience with singing in choirs has also helped immensely--it's easier to hear how the vowels are shaped based on what I've leaarned singing in other languages. Faroese, for example, has darker vowels that are shaped near the back of the throat (sort of like Latin) rather than the front-of-mouth vowel shapings of English.

Um...what else? I'm playing a harpsichord on a regular basis, which is awesome.

I'm still spinning wool, still wanting to get my hands on some Faroese yarn...

Anyway. *grins* More later.

~Miriam