New felted bag
I haven’t written much about my knitting lately. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been knitting! I have a terrible time getting around to photographing my finished projects. (My Ravelry notebook is pretty pathetic.)
Articles tagged with knitting
Kanban for knitting
Last summer, I wrote about Personal Kanban a visual task-management system that I was trying on for size. It involves using a whiteboard or wall, writing tasks on post-it notes, and moving the post-its from Backlog to Doing to Done columns. An important part of the system is limiting the number of tasks/projects you have in the “Doing” column.
Tagged with: knitting, mark forster, personal kanban
Good intentions
The other day I cleaned out my t-shirt drawer. One of the benefits of having a friend who runs a t-shirt company and creates fabulous new t-shirts designs on a regular basis is that I’m frequently given new t-shirts. I don’t want to say no to them, because they’re wonderful. But I wasn’t employing any kind of “one in/one out” policy.
Tagged with: decluttering, ease, knitting, perfectionism, sally brown
Small irritations
Sometimes the tiniest things keep us from doing things we want to do or think we should be doing. If we can identify those things and modify them, we can get more done.
Tagged with: knitpicks, knitting, knitting needles, productivity
My secret to saving money on knitting
When I started knitting five years ago, I tentatively started projects and slowly learned new techniques while gradually buying nicer and nicer yarns. I kept all my yarn in one bag.
Tagged with: knitting, ravelry, social networking, yarn
A day to myself
I had a glorious day yesterday in which I placed no demands on myself. After working with clients the last couple of weekends, it was great to have a Sunday to do whatever I wanted to do. (I got my home-related chores taken care of on Saturday.)
Tagged with: knitting, needle felting, relaxation, rewards, self-care, television
Finishing is tough (in knitting and organizing)
It’s the rare knitter who enjoys the finishing aspects of their knitting projects. That’s the weaving in of ends, the seaming, the blocking (soaking or steaming the knit fabric to size).
Tagged with: goals, knitting, knitting olympics, learn to knit afghan
Away again
I was home for a day and am now heading to Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania for my husband’s family reunion. Because of all the coming and going I haven’t had time to blog.
Tagged with: knitting, relaxation, rewards, self-care
R&R - practicing what I preach
I encourage my clients (and Declutter Happy Hour participants) to be sure and take breaks and build in rewards when they’re working hard (on clutter or anything else).
Tagged with: holidays, knitting, napo st. louis, relaxation, rewards
Handmade goodness
Time for a little knitting update. Because my mind and fingers were having problems with a lace project I decided to fall back on some simple knitting. A felted bag. (My husband wonders what I do with all the felted bags I make…I use them to house knitting works in progress.)
Tagged with: bobbi nesladek, felting, knitting, knitting blogs
New poncho!
Occasionally, I like sharing my knitting projects here. It’s just so fun to complete something I like that I have to post a photo.
Tagged with: bobbi nesladek, knitting
A couple of knitting projects to show off
I’m been knitting up a storm and not always remembering to take pictures of projects before I give them away. Right now I’m halfway through a striped cotton poncho (the Rap on Stripes poncho from Pam Allen’s Wrap Style) that I’m excited about, for spring.
Tagged with: geralin thomas, knitting, lace, yarn
My Valiant effort at knitting a great sweater
As I’ve posted here before, I’m been working on knitting a sweater designed by fabulous UK knits designer Kim Hargreaves. It’s called Valiant. What I may not have mentioned is that my record of success in knitting sweaters is pretty absymal. I’ve been successful with vests and shells, but the addition of sleeves seems to throw a wrench in the works. So I’m absolutely delighted to report that I’ve finished Valiant. And it’s a viable sweater!
Knitting update: Felted Knitting Basket completed
Back in October, I posted a knitting update in which I mentioned that I was working on a Felted Knitting Basket. It’s an adaptation of the Ballband Bag Recipe by Monica Jines. Monica’s bag is more like a purse. This adaptation, by Lynn, who’s ravelry avatar is Ravellyn, is a larger knitting basket.
Ravelry: The greatest organizational tool for knitters
I heart Ravelry. I absolutely love it. If you’re a knitter and you don’t know about Ravelry, or you don’t belong to it, click on the link the previous sentence and sign up. Just do it. Come back and read why I love it. But right now, go join.
Tagged with: knitting, ravelry, social networking, yarn
Taking a day for myself
Yesterday I had what we call around our a home a Lazy Day. We had that extra hour, due to the end of Daylight Saving Time and, as I said I would on Friday, I used that time to knit and watch TV. It sure didn’t stop at an hour, though. I knit so much yesterday that my shoulders started hurting by the evening (so I stopped)
Tagged with: knitting, productivity, relaxation, self-care
I love baby gifts
I’m 46 and I don’t have that many friends who are having babies. Before long, my friends will probably be having grandchildren, though. Whenever I hear that a friend is pregnant, I get very excited, because I love knitting baby stuff. It’s little, it’s soft, it doesn’t take much time.
Mixed feelings about this season
I’m an unabashed warm-weather person. I get cold easily and, according to my husband, I complain a lot in the winter about being cold. So why don’t I move somewhere that’s warm year-round? My husband is a cold-weather person. He hates summer. So we’re equally miserable in four-season St. Louis. Equality is a good thing in a marriage.
Knitting update
I live in a fantasy world in which the readers of my blog actually care about my knitting, so today I’m going to share with you a knitting triumph and let you know what I’m working on.
Tagged with: knitting, sally brown
Knitting Olympics: Half-way there!
I promise I won’t write about knitting every day during the Olympics. I’m just so pleased with my progress that I have to report it. Tomorrow I’ll try to write something relevant to organizing.
Tagged with: knitting, knitting olympics, lace, learn to knit afghan
Lace knitting: Not unlike organizing
Last night, as I worked on the Estonian Garden Wrap, a seemingly complicated and sort of overwhelming (for this novice lace knitter) knitting pattern, I realized that broken down to its simplest elements, it’s really pretty easy. And that’s not unlike any overwhelming project, like getting organized. Let me explain.
Tagged with: decluttering, empowerment, knitting, lace, motivation, perfectionism, productivity
Crazy Aunt Purl: Blog of the Week
One of my favorite knitting blogs, Crazy Aunt Purl, justified its permanent status on the Links section of this organizing blog (where it’s been since Day One), with yesterday’s post.
Tagged with: blog of the week, blogs, crazy aunt purl, decluttering, knitting, laurie perry
Knitting Olympics update
I’ve chosen my project for the Ravelympics 2008 (on Ravelry, which I posted about last Thursday. According to the rules, you can actually work on completing a project you started in the past, one that’s been hibernating awhile. That Event is called WIP Wrestling. I’ll be playing on Team St. Louis.
Tagged with: knitting, knitting olympics, lace, learn to knit afghan, ravelry
Olympic knitting
Two years ago, during the 2006 Winter Olympics in , the Yarn Harlot organized the Knitting Olympics, in which participants cast on for a new knitting project during the Opening Ceremonies. Medal winners finished their project by the Closing Ceremonies.
Tagged with: knitting, knitting olympics, knitty couture, ravelry
Better living through Elfa
As I’ve blogged about before, I’m a knitter and I love organizing all my knitting stuff. There’s yarn, needles, notions, patterns. They fall into nice categories and they’re pretty. So they’re fun to organize.
Tagged with: knitting, knitting needles, wips, yarn
Are you a knitter? You don't have to knit alone!
As I’ve chronicled here, I’m a knitter. I knit pretty much every day, usually in the evenings, usually while watching TV. It’s a solitary pursuit, though my animals and my husband often keep me company.
Once a week, however (when I’m in town), I actually leave the house to knit.
Tagged with: knitting, ravelry, westin knitting group
Packing for the plane
I’m flying home from Hawaii late this afternoon. It’s an overnight flight and I arrive in St. Louis at 8 in the morning. That’s an eleven hour journey, not counting the time I spend waiting for my flight at the Honolulu airport.
Tagged with: knitting, mark forster, packing, travel
Oldies but goodies
I like sharing new websites and shortcuts for making life a little easier. But there are some older sites that you may not know about that I’d like to share. These are sites I use regularly to make my life easier and more enjoyable. I hope you will too.
Tagged with: knitting, productivity, ravelry, time management, websites
Recharging the batteries
I took the day off yesterday. Completely.
I hadn’t had a day off since March 6 and I was feeling the need to recharge my batteries. Yesterday was the first day I didn’t have a client appointment scheduled in a couple of weeks and I just wanted to hang out. So that’s what I did.
Tagged with: balance, knitting, time management
Ode to a swift
There are certain essential pieces of equipment you need when you’re a knitter. You need yarn, obviously. And you need knitting needles. (The longer you’re a knitter, the more amazing your array of needles). You’ll also need a few notions like stitch markers, tapestry needles, perhaps a stitch holder or a cable needle. All these things, though they add up, don’t cost much individually.
For me, there was a bigger-ticket item I wanted, one that felt decadent because it was so much a matter of convenience, not necessity.
Tagged with: ball winder, knitting, skein, swift
