I bought The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, because this post made it sound irresistible, and tonight I was seized by the urge to get started. The author instructs her readers to start with clothes, and to keep only the items that inspire a spark of joy.
There goes most of my wardrobe.
We moved downstairs in...let me think...late 2012, but I still had a bunch of clothes in the upstairs closet. I brought them all down, and as you'd expect I put >90% of them in the giveaway pile. The discards included my Up The Down Staircase T-shirt, from my high school's production of the play in 1984-1985. (I was Sadie Finch, the unpleasant secretary: "Hand in on time!") Also in the pile: the pleated-front Guess overalls I bought in 1987 with the earnings from my first job, which I guess I was saving for that future date when pleated-front overalls will reclaim their place on the runways.
I was trucking along on the downstairs clothes until the handknits stalled me out. I put an ugly cowl in the giveaway pile (ugly pattern + ugly superwash yarn = Goodwill bound, baby). I put a too-short curling scarf upstairs to frog and re-knit. And then I opened the sweater bin.
The camo cardigan does not bring me joy. Too much learning curve on display there-- the button bands are an object lesson in why one should feather in hand-dyed yarn, and the underarms are Exhibit A in the case against classic raglans, and the colors scream HAND-DYED HANDMADE NOT IN A GOOD WAY to me every time I wear it. Also, dear 2008 Jamie, you don't want to cable a busy yarn like that.
Even so, I can't bring myself to send it to Goodwill.
Maybe I could start a Ravelry thread for people who are working the life-changing magic of tidying up, in which we could re-home less-loved handknits with people who would know better than to machine-wash them. Because what does a person in the middle of a time-consuming cleanup project really need? A new source of social media distraction, that's what! And what else does a person in the middle of a time-consuming cleanup project really need? Bulky new stuff winging its way to her courtesy of strangers on the internet. Obviously.
Did you ever find the missing pair of yoga pants that time, Jamie?
Posted by: Celeste | March 17, 2015 at 10:23 PM
I did! The bunyips spat them out! I still love those pants.
Posted by: Jamie | March 18, 2015 at 08:46 AM
do you recommend the book as well then? I got the kindle sample but haven't splurged on a purchase yet.
Posted by: Tracy | March 20, 2015 at 11:52 AM
The book is more persuasive and helpful than the sample. It's also weirder.
Posted by: Jamie | March 20, 2015 at 11:56 AM
Thank you! I may get it next month. Or see if I can get it through interlibrary loan. I'm not in a rush at this point... though I'd really like to get this house in shape and the idea of really doing it once and for all is tempting.
Posted by: Tracy | March 25, 2015 at 10:27 PM