Project Mortgage Neutral Begins

ajmoney

And 2 egg warmers to go with the tea cosy

ajmoney

I made this square ready to donate as a blanket for charity but the pattern was too big for the needles so I am going to make 4 and sew them together

ajmoney

And I used the pattern for the blanket square to use up the wool from the tea cosy and egg warmers to make a mat for Mr AJMs tea pot and some coasters to go with it...

And that is all my projects so far but I have the blanket to finish, plenty more wool and some fabric to make a gillet.  I only started knitting at the beginning of the year as part of the 20 things to do in 2020 challenge, when I tried knitting as a child I was terrible.  I am finding knitting really helps me zone out and during this crazy time thing it is helping with keeping me calm.

A_Frayed_Knot

So cute, keep up the good work.

ajmoney said:

This is definitely a thing for me.  My mum used to joke when I was a child that I would worry if I didn't have anything to worry about.  While there is some truth in this I think it is possibly a control thing that while I still have things to do I am in control but once everything is done from the lists I have nothing to do and have no control.  I have some different projects (knitting, clothes making, soap making, try my have at making candles, baking) that will keep me going and my list doesn't even go as far as the garden.

Can so relate to this - but I tell myself that - it just doesn't feel right if I'm not worrying about something.  I make lists as well, usually ,mundane things like ironing, cleaning windows etc, then just do what I feel like, just feels good to score it off the list, although end up adding to list which makes it even bigger, but that doesn't phase me at all.

A_Frayed_Knot

I saw a great idea for a mat for the tea pot, that I have kept in mind, but never used.

That was to knit 2 mats and inbetween put a few sticks of cinnamon then sew together, and when the 

hot tea pot is stood on it, a lovely aroma of cinnamon erupts.  Making sure the tea pot is not wobbily on it.

ajmoney

A small victory for me yesterday, I pulled everything out of the wardrobe in my main spare room.  I have ditched anything not required and have a bag of stuff for charity.  All I need to do now is find a better way of storing the spare quilts etc, decide if I am keeping some scatter cushions and work out what to do with all the curtains from the last house, I also have a pile for mending so need to work out what to do with each as they are not easy things to fix.  This only took me 40 minutes although the room is in a mess until it is organised so I am not finished, I decided to strike while I had the enthusiasm and sorted out the cupboard in my hallway too.  I think my theory about the control thing probably has some merit, I was expecting some relief at having done these jobs but instead all I felt was a rise of anxiety within me which didn't really disappear for the rest of the day.  I am still going to persevere with this though, it just might take more mental effort than I had realised.

I have less enthusiasm to work from home today.  My working from home is probably easier than most but I might need to mix it up today so I still manage something.

I hope everyone has a good day.

savingholmes

It was lovely to see your craft projects. The teddy bears were my favourite - I'm a child at heart. Knitting was never something I really got the hang of - requires too much coordination for me.

Sorry that trying to declutter made you uneasy - I often have that reaction- I find it hard to part with stuff. I have memory associations with everything - even the things I never used I will probably remember the price and feel guilty. From what you said - you left 2 areas of your home messy which it sounds like would grate on you. You may feel better when you resolve (tidy) each of them. 

Suffolk_lass

I agree with savingholmes - the teddies are my favourite. I am not methodical enough for knitting but I had a go at crocheting (following a youtube clip and replaying it so many times to learn the techniques - I made poppies for the 2018 curtain in our church). That's quite neat as a new skill too if you have access to more wool. You could stash your spare bedding in a suitcase while you sort out a long-term solution, as they are not in use currently. Why do you keep spare quilts, by the way? I have a summer and a winter one for our bed, and the same for the single but that's it. All stored in the bed drawers with a couple of blankets in an ottoman

ajmoney

Suffolk_lass said:

Why do you keep spare quilts, by the way? I have a summer and a winter one for our bed, and the same for the single but that's it. All stored in the bed drawers with a couple of blankets in an ottoman

I have quilts on my bed and the main spare room. I also have one to be used with a double air bed in the smaller spare room and a single for if I am required to work away. I just have a 15 tog king size quilt to just get rid of. I don't have any winter ones as I have blankets instead.
Just finished my work for the week and have made some good progress especially as I nearly talked myself out of it this morning. Lunch time and then I will see where that takes me.

ajmoney

I haven't got a clue what to do today.  The options are: more sorting out from my list, knitting (only have a certain amount of wool and don't want to run out when I can't replace), gardening, baking (running low on flour and nowhere near me has any in stock), read, music practice (this is the weekend though and that is work).  I am unsure what I did last Saturday to keep busy, I will go for a run mid afternoon but other than that...who knows.