let's talk stash....and ufos....and 52 pickup

I woke this morning to this view out my window.

For most people this is considered a dusting of snow and life goes on. (Note: clear streets and ice-free sidewalks.) But in my world (western KY),  my photography class got cancelled ...not only leaving me with a totally free morning, but a free morning when hubby is elsewhere.  You'll see why that's important in a minute.

I decided to do a little rearranging.  While I dream of being a minimalist and living a stuff-free life, that simply isn't ever going to happen.  But in spite of having WAYYYY too much stuff, I abhor clutter, so I must spend lots and lots and lots of time organizing the 'stuff'.  While I try to keep on top of it....my 'stuff' seems to migrate.  Let's face it....some of my Stuff has taken on its own persona.

Photography Stuff has grown....and started invading Knitting Stuff's domain.  Truth be told, Knitting Stuff ran out of space in its closet a couple years ago and took over the bottom of a cupboard in the room that Photography-Stuff now lays claim to.  They've been bickering for months....each blaming the other when some of their stuff is MIA. 

Today was the day to fix this.

I emptied the bottom of Photography-Stuff's cupboard.  It was storing just about all of Knitting-Stuff's vast collection of patterns and books, a couple of nearly finished projects, and some other junk that I couldn't stand to look at and smushed in there. 

Next, I emptied Knitting-Stuff's closet.  This was actually a big deal because not only does it hold all of Knitting's stash (minus bulky weight yarn that lives in a suitcase), but it also has an amazing collection of project bags, books that didn't fit in that cupboard, ALL MY UFOs!!!  some cute knitting tchatchkes that I apparently love but don't want to look at all the time, and three finished sweaters that are awaiting a trip to the frog pond.

All this came out of three little cubbies.  (There are 30 cubbies in the closet.)  Use your imagination.....soon every inch of the floor was covered with yarn and baskets; I was sorting it all by weight.  (Now, do you understand why this kind of project is best done while hubby is out of the house?)

Freddy was in heaven, by the way.  Do you have any idea how many stray ball bands we found?!?

Hours later....all the books fit, yarn is back in by weight.  Knitting Stuff couldn't be happier. 

 

OK.  So....none of the UFOs made it back in, but they are either going to become FOs or get frogged.  A concession Knitting-Stuff and I were willing to make.

Photography-Stuff is NOT happy....

They got jammed into half of her cupboard.

 

Comments

[Wendy T]

Good for you to attempt to referee the Stuff fight. I have four branches of the Stuff family, Knitting, Sewing, Needlework (with Needlepoint, Crosstitch, and Embroidery as the twiglets), and Scrapbooking. Scrapbooking decided to change its name to "Just Put the $%#¥ Photos in Albums Already" but that was waaay too long a name, so I changed it to "Ignore for Another Few Decades", just as long a name and both are very evocative of what needs to be done, but polar opposites in the do and not do tug of war. So far, the Stuff families are keeping an uncomfortable peace, and mainly keep to their areas. However, Stuff, Jr., came out to play when my daughter began growing her families of Knitting, Jr, Sewing, Jr, and Needlework, Jr. so now I no longer have a dining room. That's where all her Stuff lives. I logically think that the Stuff piles will diminish as I work on the projects (of course, I don't count adding to the piles...), but I choose not to realize that most of the finished products will only take up room in other parts of the house.

Freddy must have been ecstatic over the ball bands. My cats ignore ball bands, but love the point protectors of the knitting needles as they move when I knit. So far, I've managed to keep them from pulling the needles off a project. And I've been pretty good about tucking everything back into my knitting bag. Knitting will be easier once I finish the current project, using double pointed needles with point protectors. I can go back to circulars, which don't interest them at all. And, fortunately, neither do yarn balls.

[steph@woolythyme]

I'm afraid Needlework Stuff and Sewing Stuff are also part of the mix here, too (fortunately, no scrapbooking Stuff, but perhaps Embossing Stuff and Stamping Stuff might substitute!)....they are just somewhat contained, and out of sight (and out of mind most of the time!). And to think that I actually see myself as a minimalist on certain days!!! HA!

[karen]

Wow, you have a lot of ufos! I have a place for everything and once in a while I will do a big rearrange and find some odd skein that I forgot I bought. I also bought a skein that I cannot find....I'm sure it'll show up eventually!!

[Jane]

Some days it just feels good to rearrange and referee. Hooray for seizing the absent from the house husband moment and making peace. I see many familiar book spines on your shelves. I own at least some of the same ones you do! Great minds think alike or something. Enjoy the dusting of snow.

[Caffeine Girl]

I laughed when you said you did this while the hubby is out. My husband loves watching me drag out all the yarn and spread it out across the living room floor. I'm lucky he thinks the amount of yarn I own is funny!
You yarn closet is so orderly. I'm jealous!

[Maureen Rao]

I live alone with my dogs in a 1400 sq. foot house. People always tell me to downsize, but I don't care. It's cluttered and I love my clutter. To me, it's not clutter, it's equipment and supplies! A floor loom, a tapestry loom, tons of knitting books, a room full of yarn, lots of UFO's, a lathe, a table saw, a drill press, etc.! I don't live in a house; I live in a full-sized artist's studio!!!! Oh, tell Freddy that Buddy says hi!

[Jeanne]

Well done you! My various Stuffs seem to be overlapping more in recent years -- historical knitting clearly can't go with genealogy (which is mostly on the computer now anyway), but does miniature knitting go with miniatures or knitting?! (Luckily, the miniature knitting stuff is by definition *small*.)

[ellen]

It looks great! You did an excellent job!

I'm seriously impressed you got serious with it. I've got a small 2 bedroom apartment we've lived in for 15 years and it's a hot mess. We are perpetually cluttered. No one in my family has a problem getting rid of things, we have a problem putting aside the amount of time it would actually take to get one corner done. We all get really distracted very easily. I would rather exercise out side of the apartment where I can't SEE any of the STUFF. My husband works, a lot. So honestly, he needs a few hours to not do anything between cooking and sleeping. My son is a teenager so he's really quite useless without adult supervision and well ... you see what good we are for that at this stage.

I've decided it will all get settled in bits as we have guests over and then when I retire. LOL