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.
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.
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.
Happy spring equinox or if you’re in southern Arizona, welcome to the first day of summer. It reached over 100° in southern Arizona yesterday. This means that the ice broke on the Rillito River and it is now sand trout fishing season.
To celebrate I put all my felted shoes on the shoe rack. To make room for my winter shoes, I took out all my Birkenstock and Finn Comfort sandals. I took a quick inventory and do not need to buy any replacements.
What this means for me is that I will be spending most of my time inside. I have not been able to tolerate the higher temperatures since I got sick 2 years ago.
So I have patterns to write, Christmas gifts to knit. Jewelry for holiday presents to make and a few sewing projects to make. I will be putting my feet up as per doctors orders by knitting, at which time I partake in reading and watching chicklit on television.
Have fun and stay hydrated.
I’m not sure what gym etiquette is supposed to be. This being said, at my gym there is a 30 minute limit on exercise equipment during busy times. When I got to the gym this afternoon, my starter piece of equipment was being used by somebody. I walked by casually. He was already passed 60 minutes, but he ignored me. So I went to the treadmill and did my 30 minutes there. The man still wasn’t ready to get off of the sitting elliptical.
So I went to see if I could find somebody that worked at the gym that would get him off for me. The only person working was with a client. So I did a kind of passive aggressive move. I got a cleaning towel and sprayed it down with cleaning solution and walked over to the machine. He noticed me and said oh, do you want to use the machine? I said yes he says wait a few minutes and I will wipe it down for you.
I replied no problem. I’ve got the cleaning cloth ready to go. I’ll just wipe it down right now. So he got off the seated elliptical and I did my 30 minutes on the seated elliptical. Cleaned off then cleaned the machine for the next person. In my humble opinion it was the best way to handle the situation.
I would like to add that I accomplished 30 minutes on both the treadmill and the seated elliptical. That is at my maximum exercise time limit right now. That may or may not change depending upon the outcome of the tests my new cardiologist has planned for me.
I made a little progress on the pounder scarf. I like how the color palette looks so far. It has also reached, the need to constantly turn the work as I’m knitting. Right now this means about three times per row. I am starting to feel the weight of the scarf right now.
Last week I drove to Marana. The reason is very simple. My newest doctor is in Marana. I have to say she is fabulous and well worth the drive. I was out of spoons for the rest of the day and in to the next.
As usual I am working on multiple projects at once. I am 25 inches into the next pounder scarf. Only 49 or so inches to go. I am in stages of other projects. I also need to start a new UFO basket before I get terribly lost in projects. Things like ripping out the boarder of a shawl because I don’t like it. Fixing a shawl in progress for dropped stitches, multiple rows back. You should certainly get the drift. Finding time and the right amount of caffeine to tackle the hard for me to complete projects.
Most importantly completing as many holiday gifts for the children’s clothing bank that I support.
So much yarn. So few spoons*.
*Spoons are units of my personal energy. Think kilowatts, or British thermal units. My
Today I started the day with some spring cleaning. I decided to get rid of all the Tupperware that I have not used in years. With the arthritis in my hands the lids on certain containers became impossible to open especially when taken straight out of the refrigerator. Since I had previously done at least 2 Tupperware destashes, I did not realize that I had so much left. I almost filled an oversized shipping box.
Then I moved the Oxo storage containers to the space that the Tupperware previously occupied. The Stasher bags went into the Tupperware lid storage drawer. I also started 2 loads of laundry. By the time I was done with the big project and a few smaller chores, it was nap time. I had this silly idea that I could take a 20 minute nap then drive to the gym to work out for 50 minutes and get home before lunch.
My body decided to sleep longer. It won of course. Sometimes lately my body and mind disagree, my body seems to be the winner in these things lately. So it was time to get ready for lunch. After lunch at our favorite bakery, they do make a mean turkey and avocado sandwich. Then shopping at Trader Joe’s, I was definitely too tired to work out.
So it was time to make more progress in the knitting room. I put projects along with the appropriate patterns in bags. I had room on the shelves for all the unboxed yarn and patterns. Then it was time to deal with the shipping containers. The boxes were broken down and put into recycling. All the other packaging materials went into the trash. Then it was time for a bit of knitting before dinner.
My current couch project is another pounder scarf in shades of blue, green and yellows with white thrown in as a neutral color. I started the scarf just before our last trip and made a lot of progress today. I have 1 foot done and only 5 feet and a few inches to go. Since I am spending less time on my iPad and iPhone the knitting is going faster.
