1001 Days

Earlier this year I was looking around at various 365 projects - do something specific every day for a year - but I’m not really very good at keeping up with something like that. As I surfed around I came across the 1001 Days Project, a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. This actually looks doable for me. It might help me get to some of the goals I’ve set for myself simply because the time span is bigger and a little more flexible.

I chose to start this on my birthday because I needed some time to work up a list. I’m not really used to thinking in such long-range terms. I have ideas in my head of things I would like to do in the future but no real specific plans to accomplish those goals. Because of my health I have become used to setting short-term, manageable goals. It doesn’t have 101 things on it yet, but I’m pretty sure I can come up with a few more along the way. Some are simple things, just chores I’ve been putting off. Others are long-term goals for habits I want to break, and habits I want to form. There are things with multiple steps listed as a way to break goals down into workable chunks. As always, I’m finding the act of list-making a good way to see what it will actually take to make something happen, and a helpful way to focus my vision and energy.

It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes me to cross items off the list, and what sort of new things find their way on to it.

Sunday, April 13, 2008 to Sunday, January 9, 2011

  1. Spin pink and teal polwarth batt.
  2. Ply yarn with a drop spindle.
  3. Spin laceweight yarn on a spindle.
  4. Spin and ply a full skein of yarn on a spinning wheel – It will be some time before I can achieve this since my brother is building the wheel and I won’t see it for at least a year. I want to produce a usable yarn, 2 or 3 plies.
  5. Knit with my handspun yarn. So far my spinning has resulted in a light to medium weight single. If I ply 2 together I should have a worsted or light worsted weight yarn. I think there is about 100g of the polworth fiber and that should be enough to make a pair of mittens or other small knit item.
  6. Knit a cardigan for me. This will take at least 20 balls of yarn, so it will have to be a lofty wool or a wool/synthetic blend. I have several patterns in mind at the moment, the most likely being the colour block cardigan from Big Girl Knits or the V-neck cardi from Knittng Pure and Simmple.
  7. Knit Bernat Denimstyle vest
  8. Knit alpaca vest for Mom
  9. Knit socks for Big Brother
  10. Knit clog toe socks
  11. Knit hat for Uncle C
  12. Knit birds
  13. Design knit stuffies
  14. Design a shawl or stole and knit
  15. Dye pink wool for Pretty Piggy (working title) mat
  16. Hook Pretty Piggy mat
  17. BindPretty Piggy mat
  18. Work background of Birds of a Feather hanging
  19. Bind or frame Birds of a feather hanging
  20. Needlepunch Balloons Away mat
  21. Bind Balloons Away mat
  22. sew up Willow Tree tote
  23. finish white messenger bag with hooked flowers.
  24. Start and finish 3 mats. This means about one pattern a year. Definitely an achievable goal. However, this does not include mats already started, and there are several of those. Mat 1
  25. Mat2
  26. Mat3
  27. Make a quilt. I haven’t worked this one out yet. I would like to make several small quilts ( hangings or baby quilts) and one full size quilt for my bed. What methods of piecing, quilting, binding and embellishing have yet to be decided. Make templates and cut quilt
  28. Piece quilt
  29. baste quilt
  30. quilte quilt
  31. Sew items from fulled sweaters: bags
  32. Sew items from fulled sweaters: stuffies
  33. Sew items from fulled sweaters: mitts, muff
  34. Sew items from fulled sweaters: hats
  35. Sew items from fulled sweaters: pet beds
  36. Sew items from fulled sweaters: accessories
  37. Needle felting
  38. Weaving: There are several techniques I would like to try. Tablet weaving doesn’t require much equipment, and there are several inkle or backstrap methods as well as frame loom weaving. At some point I would like to try a rigid heddle loom. It is my goal to weave on a proper floor loom someday but that is more than 3 years in to the future. Possible specific goal: silk tablet woven ribbon.
  39. Finish needlepunch piece for ‘Olive’, our hooking mascot.
  40. Decide what to do with my green hand-knit sweater. Choice #1: unravel it(that alone makes me want to cry, it’s so beautifully made), dye the yarn to a more suitable colour/colours, then pick a pattern and knit. Choice #2: give it to my Aunt Joanne (the colour suits her and it would probably fit her quite well since she’s so tall.
  41. Redesign debcarr.com website.
  42. Update debcarr.com website twice monthly.
  43. Install shopping cart or set up Etsy shop
  44. Hooking patterns: small patterns, suitable for footstool
  45. Hooking patterns: celtic knots
  46. Hooking patterns: Alphabet
  47. Hooking patterns: 3-d patterns
  48. Penny rug patterns. Finish designs,
  49. Penny rug patterns. find testers and create samples.
  50. Penny rug patterns. Get the patterns ready for press.
  51. Penny rug patterns. Print. Package.
  52. Penny rug patterns. Update website.
  53. Redwork patterns: Find printer for iron-on printing.
  54. Redwork patterns: Ready patterns for printing.
  55. Redwork patterns: Print. Package.
  56. Redwork patterns: Update website.
  57. Needlepoint canvases. Find supplier for canvas.
  58. Needlepoint canvases. Design.
  59. Needlepoint canvases. Paint.
  60. Needlepoint canvases. Package.
  61. Needlepoint canvases. Update website.
  62. Keep up with pattern orders. I have been letting these slide until they’re more than a month overdue.
  63. Keep track of projects
  64. List all knitting/crochet projects on Ravelry
  65. Maintain a list of all other projects in process.
  66. Regulary check list for abandoned projects. Decide which will be finished and which need to be tossed/disassembled/passed on to somebody else.
  67. Update Sunstrung website
  68. Set up Etsy shop for Mom.
  69. Add items weekly to Etsy shops
  70. Organize packing and mailing.
  71. Learn to drive. This has become a necessity I can no longer put off. Write the learner’s permit test
  72. take driving lessons
  73. take the road test.
  74. Travel to Toronto to visit Sue and Roy and enjoy the city. This will take some planning and saving.
  75. Travel to a wool and fibre festival– I want to go to the Common Ground Fair in Maine, but any fibre event will do.
  76. Maintain a credit card balance of $500. For now this means paying down each month and limiting expenditures. One the $500 balance has been achieved I will do my best to keep it there and not take more than 3 months to bring it back down to that level at any time.
  77. Keep track of money earned from selling patterns for tax purposes.
  78. Install shelves in bedroom: Shelf over the work table.
  79. Install shelves in bedroom: Shelf/Shelves over desk. Box of cubbies perhaps.
  80. Keep desk tidy.
  81. Set up paper organizer under printer.
  82. Hang things on walls
  83. Hem and hang curtains
  84. Empty trash cans as necessary.
  85. Keep worktable cleaned off. This will help with keeping up with patterns.
  86. Clear stash storage areas and remove items not likely to be used within a year to shed or other long-term storage.
  87. Make new ‘where stuff goes’ list and update.
  88. List yarns and knitting tools on Ravelry
  89. Sort clothes seasonally and discard anything that does not fit, is worn out, or simply never worn. Items in good condition to be taken to charity shop.
  90. Put away laundry as soon as possible, no more than one day after laundering.
  91. Sort books on shelves and in storage. Keep only books that will be used or reread.
  92. Make room on shelves for magazines to be kept. Oct. 08
  93. Return borrowed books.
  94. Exercise
  95. Quit smoking.
  96. Post to blog twice a week

November 2008

After 6 months I’ve managed to work on some of my goals, and actually acheive one of them. I’ve been working on patterns for the past few months, in little bursts. I had to pretty much start from scratch with the penny rug patterns, but I’ve got 2 samples almost done and the patterns for them ready to go. I doodled up some more redwork patterns but I haven’t had a chance to embroider an of them yet.

I’ve been working away at my hooking. I made up some new patterns and started a couple of new mats. They’re both small mats and they’re both over half done. I think I’ll turn one into a footstool cover. The Pretty Piggy mat is still waiting for me to dye the wool. I keep plugging away at the birds aof a feather mat, though. The background seems to be taking a long time so I add a few stitches every now and then. The Balloons Away mat is hiding in the closet.

I haven’t done any spinning in a while. I love my spindles but the standing around is very tiring. I’m pretty short so I don’t get a very long drop which means a lot up and down even when I get a good spin going.

I’m still working towards getting and keeping my workspace tidy and functional. I can move around a lot easier now, and most things I need on hand are now someplace that I can get to them easily. I should have it all worked uot before next spring, which will be really good since I want to start in sorting all the stuff I have in storage when the weather gets warm again.

I’ll keep working away and see where I am in a few months time.

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