Resolutions! Have Less, Do More

It's already a few days in, but I haven't finished the post because I was actually working on my resolutions. Take that, timelines!

I want 2009 to be smooooooth.

In the spirit of smoothness: Downsizing.

I'm a terrible packrat. I need to get rid of a LOT of stuff because it's not bringing me joy at this point in time. I look around my room and fuss over the amount of stuff I have, hardly seeing the "potential" uses I have saved things for. Every day since New Year's has been Cleaning Day and more stuff is going into the bag for the Switch and Stitch and Bitch next week. What's left will at least be tidy! And no new supplies until most of my existing supplies have been used. The knitting is starting to take over my room, the fabrics need to be worked with and not linger in a box, the saved clothing needs to be modified, and the "for sale" stuff needs to be put up and sold. No mercy!

The other area of this is food. Being pretty broke off and on this quarter has showed me that I can survive and even thrive on a lot less than I thought I could. Proper preparation can get me on a better track and save me money, etc. etc. I spent New Year's with an amazing woman whose figure I'd like to rival by this time next year. I get lazy, so the planning is going to be key. Constant vigilance!

In the spirit of smoothness without stagnance: Activity.

Yes, it is very easy to put something on the TV and knit for a few hours. This has gotten me a lot of stock for my shop, but the aforementioned fabric has sat around for several moves, waiting to be used. The clothes have sat on their shelf - "To Modify" - since summer. And like always, I'm behind on posting my work. I am going to focus more energy on using what I have and concentrating on crafts for the sake of themselves, not as things to occupy my hands while my brain is watching TV. Neither photography or sewing are too strenuous. I can do it!

Also, exercise & body. At the very least, no more sitting in bed to knit/TV - I have a perfectly good exercise ball and if I use it as a chair, I'll get a little toning and keep the bed from being an "awake" place in my mind. I also have five-pound weights that need to get used more. Again, vigilance!

More to come before too long - my camera cable has vanished into the ether, but stuff's been going on!

Links!
My Rocky Horror Picture Show Cast (show TONIGHT!)
Bright Colors for the New Year Recycled Yarn Scarf
Lunar New Year Necklace

Encounters with Non-Knitters, Part 1

Every knitter's been through it: knitting in public, or just at home with company, will always earn you a comment. Over at Ravelry there's a very old thread that I stumbled upon, collecting our more... notable... experiences. My favorites in there are the woman who was asked if she learned to knit in prison and the man who was asked if he learned to knit in rehab. Some knitters are hardcore, sure, but we don't all pick it up in state institutions! (Oh wait, I learned how at university... whoops.)

Anyway, I got a good one on Christmas. Over at my Beloved's parents' house (yes, avoiding my family). Mom's been stressing out, Granny's been demanding, Brother's been a jerk, and Dad's been trying to stay out of it, as have Beloved & I. We get through dinner (tacos - heck yes!) without major incident and everyone sits down to play cards. I don't know how to play 31 and Beloved is trying to avoid the powder keg, so we curl up on the couch. He got an HDTV for Christmas (thank you, Mom & Dad) so he was flipping through the manual. Yes, my boyfriend reads the manual. He's a keeper. I, of course, pull out the knitting - Grandma's shawl, from the post below. (Yes, it's late, but I finished it today - see below.) Dad looks over and we get the obligatory remark:

"Look, it's the old folks sitting this game out."

'Scuse me? I'm 20 and Beloved is 24! We were two of the youngest poeple there, we were being plenty sociable, and we were getting our business done. What do they expect? We catch crap when we pull out our laptops, too - like browsing the internets prevents us from talking. Are we supposed to just sit blankly and watch whatever they want on TV?

Before this turns into a rant, I finished the Prayer Shawl! And I have some yarn left over so I can put an entry in for the New Beginnings contest.

LINKAGE!
Answers to Common Questions from Non-Knitters Tote
New Beginnings Butterfly Mask
New Beginnings Bubble Tree Pendants