Crossed Books
I seem to be updating this blog one time a month. Go me!
Anyways. I’m currently sorting through my books to select a fair few to be Bookcrossed. For those who think Bookcrossed is a silly made up word – well it kind of is.
Bookcrossing is a movement that launched in 2001. The idea is you take a book (one you own, please) and register it on the website. You are then given a unique BCID number (Book Crossing ID) to write in the book, along with a note to explain what the number is for and what to do with it. You then either leave the book in a public place (called a Wild Release) or you pass it on to someone else (which is a Controlled Release).
Anyway, I need shelf space and I do have a ton of books I will never read again. I am, actually, a chronic re-reader. I’ve got books in there I’ve read a hundred times. Some of them I can even recite chunks from off by heart. Picking out books to pass on is pretty easy, anything I’ve read and don’t want to read again, anything I bought for a hobby, craft or interest that I’m no longer interested in, things I’ve ended up with two copies of. Easy peasy.
Then there’s the books I simply MUST keep, and what an odd little collection that’s turning out to be. There’s the Snugglepot and Cuddlepie boxed set my Step Grandmother bought for me after Poppa died, picturebooks my Aunt had signed for me when authors visited her school, books that were gifts from my parents or friends that I won’t part with.
There’s the Clue storybook of the movie, the labyrinth picture book. A well work copy of “Eric the Wild Car” which was my absolute fave when I was a little tacker. Roald Dahl, Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams will all stay where they are because not having them accessible to me at all times is an impossible idea. There’s a section of witchcraft books from my time of interest in Wicca, which I shall keep because I still think Wicca is a pretty nifty idea actually – I even have a copy of the Malleus Maleficarum. I’m just that awesome.
For anything borderline, there’s the chapter one test. I read chapter one, decide if I can be bothered going through the whole story again, and then either reshelve it or toss it in the Bookcrossing pile.
You should totally join Bookcrossing – you can find it at www.bookcrossing.com and tell em Frogglin sent you. It’s a mad kind of random fun, very much a brilliant way to add some whimsy to the world.
Eighty Eight?!
Apparently. What you see there is the 88 balls of yarn I have somehow aquired, which since I’ve only been crocheting for about 18 months, works out at about 5 balls a month, excluding the ones that have been used, of course. It also doesn’t include the 4 balls of incredibly shitty acrylic I just tossed. Remember kids, cheap doesn’t always equal good.
So, since I am NOT buying yarn till I’ve used three quarters of what I have – I’ve 66 balls of yarn to get through. Hrm. Anyone need an incredibly long scarf?
Added bonus of stash sorting was the discovery of three hooks, several cards of buttons, fabric I’d forgotten about and a two piece frog pillow I pinned but never sewed. Score!
Stash Overload
My yarn stash is taking over my life. I have the nasty habit of buying yarn because it’s in delicious colours, with no plans for what to use it for. I know, I know, you’re supposed to find a pattern THEN buy the yarn, but I tend to work backwards in these things, buying the yarn then trying to find a pattern to suit it. Oops.
Therefore, I’ll be using up as much as I can making hats and scarves for next years drive (I think the Salvos or the Brotherhood do a homeless warmth drive, someone does.) and then I’ll use the rest on a blanket.
The other point here, is to use what I already HAVE. This is a tricky thing sometimes, but I’m determined to get rid of at least three quarters of this stash before I go yarn fondling again. This means walking right by the yarn section in spotlight, being not at all tempted by special offers (like cleckheaton pure wool for $2. OMG that was a brilliant day…).
This afternoon, since I’m laid up with a crappy ankle, I’m going to sort and see exactly what I have. Scary. I’ve a HUGE basket in the corner of my bedroom full of bits of cloth, things I’ve bought for crafting, and above all else – yarn. A pile of delicious colours I couldn’t possibly resist.
It’s a Frog Thing
I yoinked the idea for photographing on scrapbook paper from a flickr person. I am all about idea yoinking. Anyways, that there is the latest frog in my fast growing collection of frogs. I got him at savers for $2 so you can’t beat that! He’s even a money box, so he serves two purposes.
Today I didn’t sew a skirt, although I planned to. Two in one weekend might have been a LITTLE bit overachivey, don’t you think? I did start to sew a frog out of a green/beige skirt I got at (here’s a shock) Savers. I’ve done her legs and.. other legs and tomorrow after work if I have a skerrick of interest in anything left I’ll put her together. Shouldn’t take too long.
I also pretended to turn out my chest of drawers on the basis there’s too much crap in there. Seriously, I pulled out a pair of pants i have NO recollection of at all. I didn’t end up throwing anything away (read: Bagging for op shop) because it was like getting new stuff. One of the bonuses of being a total slob I suspect.
PS: The person I stole the idea from was Dyxie, who does beautiful wonderful things with colour.
Downsizing
This is my former handbag, as of today. It panders to two of my affections: Greyscale and stripes. Also, apparently, to my fondness for huge bags. It is a very excellent bag. They’re made from recycled canvas awnings, sturdy as hell and also very roomy. You can’t tell from this shot how big it is, but it’s just over laptop bag sized. They’re designed for cyclists, so there’s a reflective stripe on there. I haven’t had it long, but I love it. Sadly, there’s something not greart about this bag, something I… didn’t want to admit. Something I finally had to face today.
This bag is an enabler.
I don’t want to come over all “Clutter is the enemy of the soul” but shitfire, how much crap do I haul around on a daily basis??
What is in there: Smokes, several lighters, purse, phone, pager aaand brochures from my trip, minutes and agendas from 5 months worth of meetings, sewing patterns, pens, a ton of loose change and god only knows what else. I weighed it. 6 kilos. SIX kilos of crap I drag around with me all the time. Good lord.
So, because i am trying to improve myself in various small ways, not the least being spending less time digging around in my bag for keys, time card or lighter, I splashed out on a new bag today.
Apart from being red (YAY red! That’s my bed spread it’s on, so you can probably guess my favourite colour) and having kinda hippy flowers on it, it’s smaller. Not a massive amount of smaller, but it doesn’t expand as much as the old one. It also has handy pockets to stop me bagdialling people on my phone and to keep my timecard nice and handy so I can swipe in slightly closer to time. My only sadness about it is that the strap isn’t adjustable, so I can’t wear it the super daggy way over my chest, but I can live with that.
Here’s to dragging less than 6 kilos around with me in future!