a shiny clean new year and my works in progress

December 31, 2021

Happy New Year! Any plans for NYE? We had planned to attend a smallish neighborhood party but it was cancelled because of the recent uptick of covid. We are now going to have a quiet dinner at home and then wrap ourselves in blankets and walk over to another neighbor's house at 9 for a champagne toast around a bonfire. I think most of the neighbors are going, we live on a small street, and it sounds just as fun, and also safe and quiet, a perfect ending for another not-so-great year.  


Besides my new knitting projects below, I've taken on a very ambitious project: DEEP cleaning such as I've never done before. I always do my spring cleaning in winter after I pack away the Christmas decorations because in actual spring I am busy in the garden. I admit that I love to clean and I often stress-clean; some people stress eat, others stress exercise (I wish) and others, like me, stress clean. I am a terrible worry wart and cleaning relaxes me and takes my mind off my worries. I guess any time you can get up and be active is good, and the benefits of stress cleaning is dirt removal and stress removal. Since I decluttered over the last two years, I thought, this should be a snap with nothing too terribly dirty, right? Wrong, the cobwebs and gunk I'm finding is shocking. 


I don't know how I got such a cleaning bee in my bonnet, but once I committed to going in deep and thorough, it's become addictive. To take this on I've been cleaning in no particular order, and don't have much of a plan except at some point in January or February, every piece of furniture will be moved into the center of the room, emptied out, cleaned inside, under and behind; every bit of floor, wall, woodwork, cupboard, drawer, closet and window will be washed and sorted inside and out.  To do this I don't use much more than a bucket of warm soapy water (I love a combination of Mr. Clean with a teaspoon of Dawn mixed with warm water), micro-fiber cloths, a magic eraser, a few specialty brushes, my vacuum cleaner and a step ladder. I clean for a few hours in the morning and always try to finish by noon. I like to clean but don't want to clean every day, so I am being nice to myself and allowing eight weeks to cross the finish line. I'll report back to let you know how it's going or if I've lost interest (please no) and if I think it was worth it (hope so). If you have already purged and organized and are keeping to the one-in, one-out rule, a deep clean is the next step. If you haven't already de-cluttered, and you want to, I encourage you to get on with it. Do a little at a time, your own way, and don't worry about what influencers are doing. 


M works-in-progress include some gorgeous patterns and yarn. Here they are:



I love knitting this one. I'm using Shimo by Ito, a blend of 80% wool and 20% silk. It's divine, so soft and easy to knit. The reviewers say it blooms after blocking, but even if not, it's still gorgeous as is. The pattern is Ren by Japanese designer, Yamagara. I absolutely love knitting it. The cable pattern is addictive.



This is my movie knit. I always need one project that is super mindless and this is perfect. Billow by Shibui is just lovely, easy to knit and so soft. I'm using Pollen, Abyss, Ivory, Noire and Tar. The pattern is Medley by Lucinda Inglesias and is free with a yarn purchase. I found the yarn at my lys. 


I gathered up my odds and ends of leftover fluffy yarns such as Kidsilk Haze, Rowan Patina Selects and Alpaca Classic for this throw. My colors are shades of soft pink, white, brown, gray, charcoal, navy and mustard. The pattern from Tin Can Knits is fun and makes a nice TV knit. 


However, I've set the Tin Can knit aside and my new TV knit is my Christmas gift. I ordered the kit a few months ago and put it away without even opening it and told my husband he bought my Christmas gift and thank you very much. I was so happy to open it on Christmas morning that I cast on right away and knit a few inches throughout the day. The pattern uses short rows to make the crazy stripes and Cheeky Merino Joy by Rosy Green Wool, the most yummy yarn ever! I purchased the kit from the Rosy Green website and think they are wonderful to work with. Their prices for yarn and shipping from Germany are decent, plus they have good communication. I highly recommend them and have purchased kits from them twice.




Happy New Year!


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11 Comments

  1. My only regular stab at DEEP cleaning is moving the heavy furniture away from the walls to clean behind them. About every ten years or so. I salute you, Kristin! A kissing cousin to cleaning is Laundry. I hate to iron but LOVE to fold. So satisfying to see those linen closet shelves so tidy and neat. There is a book out recently called Laundry Love. Very informative and kind of fun to read. Now you have me contemplating emptying out my bookshelves to use your cleaning solution. (I have faith in anything that has Dawn in it). Chloe

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    1. I'm going to have to check that book out. It would be wonderful if I could find an audio of it. I love to listen to cleaning/organizing audio books when I'm doing just that. Love that Dawn! Nothing beats it! Kristen

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  2. Happy New Year, Kristen! I hope you and yours stay safe, healthy, and happy! Venice

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Venice. Nice to hear from you and happy and safe new year to you and yours. xo Kristen

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  3. Tried following up but lost my comment. So will just say Amazon has the book on Audible. I don't think you will meet anyone in the world more enthusiastic about Laundry than the author.

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    1. Laundry Love. Just found it and put it on hold. I cannot believe I’m going to read a book about laundry (and knowing I’ll probably love it).

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  4. That was me Chloe, Kristen

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  5. Hi Kristen I love the blanket you made. I have a large bag of wool yarn I purchased many years ago to crochet a blanket, but after seeing yours, I have decided it looks more modern. Would you mind telling me how many stitches you cast on? I will be using DK yarn, and most likely 4mm or 4.5mm needles. I really enjoy your blog. Thank you and Happy New Year from New Zealand.

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    Replies
    1. Hello New Zealand! I just edited my post to say I cast on 250 and used #5US needles with Rowan Felted Tweed. My blanket measured about 50" across. You can make a gauge swatch and then decide how many stitches to cast on for your desired size. Although I use it as a throw, it is quite wide for that but too small for a bed blanket.

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  6. That blanket is STUNNING!!!!
    I can't believe you are going to read a book about laundry.

    Carole

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Carole! I cannot believe I'm going to read a book about laundry, but I think I'm going to enjoy it. Even I'm rolling my eyes!

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