The Trouble With Some Shoes

 Sometimes I can be slow on the uptake of information.  Take today for instance.  I have been wearing the same brand of summer sandals for several years. They seem to go well with my summer clothes. I can order them on line knowing that they will fit out of the box, or so it seemed. I seem to get calluses and blisters on the same spots on my feet every year that are quite painful.  Today I had that ah ha moment when I put 2 and 2 together.  It was the summer sandals causing the blisters and calluses. They went away while I was wearing my winter clogs. Then came back just two weeks into the sandal season. 

I was too tired and sore after one hour of gym time to go shopping for sandals today.  So I will try again later in the week to get some flat sandals that don’t hurt my feet.  I still have shoes to wear; however, my back does not like to wear high heels all the time.  Thirty years of care giving has done a number on my back that retirement can’t fix. So I wear flats whenever possible.

In the meantime I am wearing my felted wool winter slippers around the house.  They are actually not that hot.  I will need to be more careful about my shoe selection this time around.  I am hoping to find a few pairs of flats and a pair of slippers too. Wish me luck in this endeavor.  

Stash Busting Again

 I am declaring that this round of stash busting is done. Over the course of 3 days, I filled 7 tote bags and one ornament box full of yarn, knitting needles, plus a few small kit bags.  I have filled most of the back of my car as you can see in the photo below.  There is enough yarn to knit at least 100 washcloths or several large blankets.  

I still have to put everything back together. Who knows how much more yarn will not make the cut before everything is put away.

The top picture is a scarf in progress. It will be over 6 feet long when it is finally finished   

The Cleaning Conundrum

 While getting some supplies together for a friend that is going to be teaching knitting to some kids in Window Rocks. I am sending some yarn, knitting needles and a few small project bags.  This of course lead to looking for small project bags. Switching some project bags around.  Going through bags, drawers and baskets of yarn.  Which has left a mess. 

So the only solution is to reorganize the knitting room again. Which will lead to more yarn leaving the house. I will fill a few more bags with yarn tomorrow. So far I have put together over 20 gallons of yarn in seven bags.  John promised to help me find more yarn too. Then send a few bags and yarn. After all new knitters also need yarn too.  

Right now my body says rest.  While my mind is saying it’s time to go on a yarn hunt.  As in I am going on a yarn hunt.  I am going to find some yarn.  The yarn will soon be leaving the house.  I wonder if I can find enough yarn to fill the back of my car?  I think I should at least give it a try.  However, I will take the evening off and practice some Tunisian Crochet.  I am on a washcloth binge right now. 

Covering the Bases

 I’m too short to get all the oatmeal on the top pantry shelf.  So I made two breakfast setups with the oatmeal, plate and spoon.  Now all I need to do is refill the tea kettle and put out tomorrow’s new sponge and kitchen towel. That will make me look so efficient.  

Not like I am dealing with a barometric change headache at the moment. Hopefully this cuppa will dull the headache and allow me to sleep.  

I would also like to say, since we got less than 1/8 of an inch of rain.  This headache is not justified, 

Stitch Markers

 While I was waiting for breakfast to cook, ie the water to boil and the quick cook oatmeal to soften in the boiling water.  I made a small batch of stitch markers easier to use by replacing the lobster claw hook with a closable earring wire.  This was a quick 10 minute process.  Just enough time to fill my heart dish. 

Something to Brag About

 It has taken a lot of years to get this far on my lifestyle change journey.  Notice that I said lifestyle change journey, instead of just weight loss more on that below. A lot of changes have been made.  Some of those changes have resulted in a big change in what gets recycled and what is trash, more on that later.  The journey has also impacted the overall quality of things I choose to keep and those I choose to let go.  

First off I started this lifestyle change journey wearing a size 4X. I no longer wear a size 4X, instead depending on the brand I am wearing regular size medium to large.  I also am not measuring myself with a tape measure weekly or monthly, that only lead to my frustration. The scale is used weekly instead of daily. The only thing that sees a tape measure is my rib cage for obvious reasons.  I am happy to announce that I have lost 14 inches or 35.56 centimeters or 355.6 millimeters. I have only 4 inches or 10.6 centimeters or 101.6 millimeters to go before I reach the same size I was on my wedding day so last century.  I may or may not make that goal. My goal is to live a healthier lifestyle.  That is where this journey began. 

Next these changes have resulted in a huge shift of what lands up in the land fill and what gets recycled.  The change has been very dramatic over the journey.  In the beginning we had a lot more trash than recycling. I attribute that fact to eating a diet full of processed foods. Processed foods come with an awful lot of non recyclable packaging.  Pizza boxes, even though they are made with cardboard can’t be recycled because they get greasy, that goes for a lot of processed foods.  The wrapping on frozen foods along with the boxes can’t be recycled either.  Snack food comes in containers that usually can’t be recycled either.  There is a definite trend going on here.  Highly processed foods usually come in non recyclable containers.  Which leads to the following question. If highly processed foods come in containers that are bad for the environment. Are highly processed foods good for the human body?  My non-scientific answer is a definite no. I phrase the answer like that because I am a fiber artist and not a scientist. If you are a scientist and disagree with my statement, I will happily give you a chance to rebut my argument. 

So what did I replace the highly processed food with? The answer is very simple, non-processed foods. I am talking about fresh fruits, raw nuts and vegetables. However, I still do use canned fruits without added sugar's and vegetables that come in recyclable cans. I also use frozen fruits and vegetables depending on the area you live in this material can be recycled or at the very least takes up a lot less space in the trash can.  

I usually eat between 1 to 2 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables per day alongside traditionally processed food like cheese and tofu. Cheese and tofu have been around a very long time, they are considered a way to store excess fresh soybeans and milk for later use by preserving them.  With the exception of the cheese all of these foods are lower in calories with a higher concentration of fiber which is good for the health of the gut. I also eat a fair amount of tofu, fish and chicken.  Beef is an occasional food to be consumed no more than once a week. 

I usually drink iced water year round.  I like my Yeti 30 ounce metal tumblers, yes I have 4 that I rotate through.  I refill them about 3 times a day in winter and more in summer, I live in the desert southwest.  This also eliminates plastic waste.  I find that my YETI tumblers last about 10 years, so if you price them out by years of use each cup cost about $3.00 a year to use.  Plastic water bottles cost more per use and leave micro plastic in the water.  Another recent article said that the high energy drinks are bad for gut health too. They suggested tea or water instead.  I have replaced almost all soda with tea or water. the exception is when a migraine hits and I don’t have time for a cuppa tea and a 4 hour nap. To clarify this, I have had exactly 2 bottles of Mexican Coke in the last decade.  All sodas and high energy drinks are considered a highly processed beverage. They are also very high in sugar, at least 12 teaspoons of sugar pre can or artificially sweetened, which have been shown to have bad side effects. My arthritis hates artificial sweeteners, they cause my inflammation to worsen.   I would strongly prefer not to have any inflammation.  

I have also been trying to lighten my life in other ways too.  I have gotten rid of all my purses that were too heavy when empty.  I go through my books and magazines every so often to see what I no longer find useful, they are passed along or recycled.  A couple of times a day I spend five minutes or so putting things away or deciding if they should be recycled or passes along.  During one of these 5 minute cleanups yesterday I found 15 hats and scarfs that needed to be photographed and placed in the right bags to leave the house. I am still a work in progress. The house is still a work in progress. I am going at a snails pace right now which is perfect for me. 

Bits and Pieces of Yarn

I know that I do much better when my yarn is made into individual kits.  So far I have only gone through 3 boxes, 1 very large bag and a basket.  So far I have only made kits for my miscellaneous wool, both hand spun and commercially produced.  This has yielded enough kits for 18 ridged heddle loom made scarfs.  Yes, it is that big pile of kits on the den floor.  

I still have 1 very large basket and some smaller stashes to go through. I might wait on those, it depends on how much energy I have. Then again I am now to the 100% cotton yarn which I use to make my pounder scarves. I only have 4 kits ready to go right now. These scarfs always take a bit of planning on the color way of each scarf. So as long as the yarn is piled on the counter I might as well make a few more kits. 

The net result is that 1 red plastic tub with some de stash yarn in it will leave the house.  Currently I only use clear tubs or bags for yarn.  I find it much easier to see what I have to use up.  After a little over 25 years of knitting I am currently trying to get a hold on my yarn and fiber stash.  

I have also come to the conclusion that she who dies with the most yarn loses.  She did not go to fiber festivals or spend money on other things she might have pursued in life. Also, after she’s gone, Goodwill or other charities will not treat her carefully curated stash with the respect she expects. They will take her entire stash and put it in kitchen or outdoor trash bags and sell it for $5 to $10 dollars a bag just to get rid of it if she is lucky.  The family is more than likely to put it all in the trash.  But on the serious side of this issue call your local Knitting Guild they will take all the yarn and supplies. The Knitting Guild will then make more charity projects than you can imagine.  They will help children, veterans, service members, people under going chemo therapy and more with hand knit items.  I know the old Pueblo Knitting Guild in Tucson made over 2,000 items for charity alone for charity in 2025.  This included hats, scarfs, socks, sweaters, blankets and mittens.  This is a win in so many different ways.   So if you are in Southern Arizona and have a yarn stash to relocate please feel free to contact us at The Old Pueblo Knitting Guild. If you knit by hand or machine, crochet or weave you can become a member.  We always love to see new people.  You can also make a monetary donation to help cover expenses. Since we are a nonprofit, you will be able to take a tax deduction, always talk to your tax advisor first.

I have also come to the conclusion that too much yarn leads to clutter and inefficiency.  I am really jealous of those knitters who can do one project from start to finish.  Then go and buy their next project. Instead of someone like me that has any where from 10 to 20 projects going at once with at least 100 projects waiting in the wings.  This is after rehousing about 95% of my yarn stash.  

I am also a someday kind of knitter.  I primarily knit for charity.  I also pick up yarn to make things for myself, someday when I have the time.   This year I actually started knitting some of those someday projects.  It was also very helpful that after losing 50 pounds most of my shawls did not fit and most were literally dragging on the floor.  

Now on to a picture of today’s progress.