For the longest time (verging on forever), Don and I have regularly done the appallingly cutesy “You’re the best!” “No, you’re the best” exchange.^^

So imagine our delight when the tops of some of our who gives a crap tissue boxes had the phrase printed on them.

I can’t remember know how or when it started, or even who started it, but we began hiding the box top in silly locations for the other to stumble upon.

I think my best effort was hiding it in a pocket of his golf bag. Well, best effort until I recently – when framed it and placed it on a shelf in the music listening room.

I’m not sure I can surpass that, but I will give it a good crack.

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^^ Past way-too-cool me would be horrified at all this adorableness, but she should chill. It’s infinitely less exhausting to be Mrs Mushy than Mrs Cynical.

We carted a couple of boxes off to the e-waste today. Quite how we managed to accumulate so many Mini and Micro USB cables is one of those mysterious mysteries.

More lightness! Hopefully we can maintain momentum.

We still have a small pile of hard-drives pulled from our various retired computers over recent years. I bought this device online today, so that I might extract any data and then wipe them. I am very excited for its arrival – this will be a very fun project!

For the past couple of years quite wonderful and pleasing wall calendars have found me and I’ve enjoyed having them hanging on the wall of the NotCraft Room.

This year though – nothing at all suitable came my way!

I tried doing without for a few days, but hadn’t realised how much I refer to the wall! So I decided to experiment a bit with January – and dragged out some A3 paper and coloured pencils.

much bigger than it appears

I liked the making of it very much – though it is a little impractical.

I had this wild idea that I might try something different each month – a low key creative experiment for the year!

But in the end I made tables for the rest of the months in word and printed them out.

Just writing that sentence makes me realise that Microsoft Word carolbaby is absolutely not who I want to be – so I’d best get cracking on ideas for February.

I carted off those surplus clothes to the charity shop bright and early this morning and immediately felt lighter.

I also took that yarn and fabric to the Sewing Basket and had a wee browse. I told myself I would not buy anything
– but you know, I am certain, how these things sometimes go.

I’d been thinking maybe a scroll frame would make stitching the wave ball a little easier to manage, but I was very reluctant to spend $50-$100+ and possibly discover that I dodn’t care to stitch that way.

Imagine my delight when I found one today. There was no price sticker, but figured it was A Sign and thought it probably wouldn’t be over $25.

Reader, it was $4.00^^, so there really was nothing for it.

BabyKitty is intrigued

I will attempt to attach the project tomorrow.

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^^ which is likely much less in your country

I sense a theme

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We’ve been nesting (as Robert Dessaix calls it) and taking a ruthless approach to our wardrobes. These lovely stripes made the cut and are staying – but we have three large bags of cast-offs ready to go to the charity shop tomorrow.

It took all my powers not to divert some of Don’s clothes to me. I have quite enough of his and Joe/Frank’s t-shirts to print on already and do not need ill-fitting men’s jumpers – however pretty the colour might be.

After almost three years of practically living in gym-wear I’d probably benefit from some actual new clothes.

I’ve been quite diligent about taking daily sky photos for almost two months – aiming to complete #45 on the 60before60 list

Here is today’s:

I’ve no idea why I find this such a soothing daily practice, but it very much is.

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I have been rather tempted by the cloud a day journal from the cloud appreciation society.

I will resist the lure of the shiny, pretty book, but possibly has sparked an idea for a craftly book project.

I acquired this small pack of synthetic leather for $3.10 at Daiso last week. Honestly the best store.

I have plans. Small experimental plans. Which I am determined to execute before the end of the month.

Less thinking. More making.

I tend to wake early(ish) in the summer. Sometimes I’m even awake before the kitties harass me for food. And I try to give myself maximum time possible before starting work-work. Usually this involves a whole lot of mindless scrolling on the Information Superhighway, but today I decided to mix it up.

So after first coffee, I headed to the kitchen to start David Lebovitz’s Pasta Bolognaise^^ for dinner.

Prep took slightly longer than I’d remembered, but dinner was in the oven at 8:45am. I felt wildly organised and very efficient!

I’m not expecting to do this every Monday, but I love the idea of occasionally using the morning time to shake the mindless routine up a little.

My next challenge is to avoid recreational shopping on my in office days this week!

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^^ Recommend Recommend!

Long time readers might remember I decided to knit a jumper, even though I’d completely sworn off ever knitting jumpers back in 2019. The jumper was very cute – apart from the random embellishments – and I’d enjoyed knitting a cable cowl, so I was motivated.

The pattern turned out to be completely incomprehensible. The directions for the multiple cable patterns were listed over 4 pages and separately to the pattern itself. All the cable repeats were over different row lengths, so there was a huge amount of flicking back and forth and messing stuff up.

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bonkers!

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I eventually took some time and re-wrote it in a way that was easier for me to follow.

sensible!

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Once I sorted the pattern, I enthusiastically completed the majority of the front … and then it became another dormant object. I can’t remember why I put it down, but I think I was not jazzed by the very jagged shoulder reductions. Looking at it now, the decreases are much less insane than I remember.

I told myself I’d get back to it one day, but when I pulled it out as part of the dormant objects review, I realised I’ve totally lost interest in completing it.

This yet another project where I don’t think the style is really my vibe now. I’m *ahem* a little more curvaceous than I was when I started and such a boxy look isn’t flattering at all!

pretty! would have been even prettier blocked

A good lesson in not putting off making things, because if I’d actually finished it in 2019, I would have had some wear from it before tiring of it.

I’d knitted almost five balls, so I spent a bit of time yesterday unravelling!

goodbye!

I initially thought to sell the yarn on ebay – and I wrote the listing and took the photos. Then I was like, ebay selling is excruciating these days, so it’s another for the donation pile to the excellent Sewing Basket where I’m sure someone will make something wonderful from it!

No more jumpers. Really, truly.

I have no idea what 2018/19 me planned to make with this fabric – if anything. I probably had vague ideas of dresses or skirts. Another case where 2023 me has moved on, so it has now joined the donation pile and I feel much lighter for it. Freedom!

that top pink is gorgeously iridescent in real life

I am henceforth banning myself from buying any fabric that I do not have a specific plan for. It was once useful to have random fabric on hand for emergency child-related craft projects – but that time of my life has now passed!

And I am definitely pausing any ideas of making garments for the foreseeable future. I have way too many other projects I’m keen to get stuck into and am better without the guilt of unrealised plaid skirts looming over me.