uncluttering one day and one thing at a time

The current state of the world and the United States, concerned covid-19 and having to stay home, has not helped my decluttering.  I am sure we are healthy in this house and we do not have covid-19 viruses on our things.  Theoretically I could donate a few things (very few, not quite worth the trip) but then there's the going out part, and the second hand store is generally thought to be not quite clean on a good day..  Well, I could recycle a few electronic things at a different store, though that's still going out and we're not supposed to.  None of these are urgent errands.  Sales have dried up and I don't particularly want to offer things to friends online that I'd have to mail because that's a visit to the post office and that seems a bad idea right now.

Instead!

We make do.

We are making do with what we have.  We fix what we can.  I stitched up two rips in a coat and put the coat away.  Child will probably outgrow the coat before next winter, but the coat is ready for someone.

I tried on a shirt I really like... and it doesn't fit right.  So I put it away for future wearing by a child.  That's one less shirt in my closet.

I'm trying to use up everything in the pantry, something that's more fun and exciting than it should be.  But the meals are pretty good so far, nothing too creative yet.  I organized a few things in the pantry, put all the last-granola-bar-in-the-box-es into a single basket for easy access.  At the end of this (there will be an end), we can start the pantry from scratch again, like we did when we moved here years ago.

And now is the time to use up the good craft materials we've been saving.  That pretty yarn.  Those special beads.  That good paper.  The expensive paint and nice canvas.  Send the good postcards.  Make that model you've been saving. 

Read that book you've been holding on to and see if you want to keep it afterward.  I have a pile of five books on my nightstand right now to help me remember which books to read next.  Under my tablet with ebooks, but you know.  Easier access.

And get rid of the fear.  That is something we can declutter without leaving the house. 

Can we talk hobbies?

I recently gave up on the idea that I would ever make jewelry again and gave away nearly all of my beads. I donated the box and found a smaller box for the repair tools. The beads I kept are intended for adding to knitting projects.

Oh, knitting.

That large collection of yarn, patterns, supplies.

I decided to do something. I've long been on a "yarn diet" in which I do not buy new yarn. I do not go into the yarn store. I do not look at yarn online. I have accepted yarn from a friend when she moved--she has good stuff. But mostly, I am using up what I have.

I gave away some yarn I'll just never use. I went through patterns and got rid of the ones I'll never make. I gave away the stitch markers I don't like. I gave away knitting baubles I didn't want in the first place. And I am using up scraps in projects. My knitting things are more under control. I did buy some yarn that I've used immediately in some scrap projects. Now I am creating a stash of knitted things for gifts, or for charity auctions, or local charities, or whatever strikes me. I am making those projects I've had prepped for quite some time and I am taking apart projects I stopped working on to regain control of the needles, beads, and yarn. I will have to start over using some yarn. And that's okay. I keep it in check now.