I love Project 333. It really works for me. For those who are unfamiliar, Project 333 is a wardrobe minimalist experience. I wouldn't call it an experiment as the object is to make it a permanent part of your life, not something to dabble in. It has made me much more aware of my clothes, what I like to wear, and how it all fits together so that a wardrobe made out of 33 pieces each season makes far more than 33 outfits. If you want to know more about Project 333 follow the link.
The problem with me and Project 333 right now is that I have two daughters who work in the fashion industry. They are constantly coming home saying, "Oh, we have the Soft and Sexy t-shirts on sale right now. You should come try them out." Or "I know you've been looking for a navy skirt. We just got some in today." So this summer my wardrobe has looked more like 345. BUT (and that is a huge but) I realized the other day that I really don't wear all that is currently crammed in my closet and drawers. For instance I have a black skirt which should really reside in my costume trunk rather than my closet. I have two sets of salwar and kameez that I never wear anymore even though I find them extremely comfortable. I need to decide whether to wear them more or to pass them on to someone else. I have a brand new black lace dress that I bought three years ago and have yet to wear. It still has tags on it. I consider time to time of getting rid of it, but then I think that I might need it for ... a funeral?
And let's talk shoes. I have plantar fasciitis in my right foot. Most days it's ok, but some days it really annoys me. I have certain shoes that are better for it than others. Yet I have shoes that I keep hanging on to even though I haven't worn them since moving to Ohio. (Did I mention that I moved to Ohio? Yep, over two years ago.) I'm not sure why I am holding on so firmly to my pink Converses that have collected dust. I will admit that I own three pair of the same shoes. There's a reason for that. Two pair are still in boxes. I bought them on clearance because I love this pair of shoes and when the current pair I'm wearing finally give out and need replacing, I don't have to search all over the world for another pair that will fit and wear like the current pair. I bought the first pair and they fit very nicely. The next time I went to the same store they had moved the shoes to clearance and they were half the price I paid for them. I decided to buy a second pair for when the first pair died. Then a few months later the store had marked them down so that I only paid $10 for a pair of $80 shoes. (I didn't pay $80 for the first pair - they were on sale and I had a coupon so they were around $50 and the second pair were $25, so for the price of one pair of shoes I got three and they are well made shoes that go with a lot in my wardrobe.)
Anyway, I have some pairing down to do and need to get back to a very functioning 33 piece wardrobe. Some things are going to have to suffer the humiliation of being sent to resale or thrift stores.
Showing posts with label minimalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label minimalism. Show all posts
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Updates about stuff
My original intent was to update everyone on my progress with Sock Madness. Then I realized that I had other topics that needed updating as well. So, yeah, categories.
Sock Madness
Sock Madness is over for me. That second round sock did me in. There are still (as if the publishing of this post) spots remaining on my team, but I ended up frogging the second attempt at the first sock. I got to about the same point as the first attempt when I realized that I was not enjoying the experience. The sock is pretty. (You can see it here.) It's a fairly simple straightforward sock with some ribbing and some cables, but I just wasn't loving it. I felt frustrated, fumbling, and as if I was peering into an abyss that had certain doom at the bottom. I had vowed to myself last year that I would not knit anything that I didn't love. And I didn't love this sock. I didn't love the yarn, the needles, the gauge, or the tedium. So I frogged it. And I'm good with that. I'm now free to move on to more interesting and loved patterns. Perhaps I will finally finish remaking the yoke on the sweater I want to love.
Project 333
It snowed yesterday. Tomorrow it is supposed to get up to 50°F. I'm told this is typical of springtime in Ohio. Although, I've also read that this is atypically late for this sort of spring time. Friday I pulled out my warm weather clothes box (remember I'm from Florida where we have warm/hot weather clothes and cool weather clothes rather than four seasons' worth of clothing). A few things are going to be sent to thrift stores for someone else to find and love. A few things from last year made the cut for this year. And I have a few items that I have already purchased for this year's warmer weather. I'm pretty good on bottoms, although I retired my white peasant skirt as it was tired and had a tear and had become dingy. I am looking for a new skirt. I have a pair of long khaki linen pants, a pair of cropped khaki cotton pants, two pair of "boyfriend chinos" - one khaki and one olive - and yes, I like khaki pants) and an A-line skirt with multiple shades of blue dots. Shirts consist of a few camis, a new white shirt with bicycles on it, a new sleeveless shirt, my peach shirt with rosettes and my aqua shirt which is all flowy (both left from last year). Replaced was the khaki cardigan that I purchased last year that already looks worn and tired.
(This is where I go off on a rant about the clothing industry and manufacturing in general.) I'm not a small girl. I'm ... busty. Because of my "bustierness" I find that I have to go to more expensive stores or shop in the Women's section of stores for dresses and shirts most of the time. This means that I also have to pay more, and sometimes a whole lot more, for the same clothes that are slightly larger than the largest sizes in the regular women's departments (usually called ladies or misses). Last year I made a vow (I may have blogged about it) that I would only buy quality clothing. No more clothes with raw edges, sloppy seaming, thin fabrics, and more clothes with natural fibers, reinforced seams, and with cuts that were ageless and would flow from one year to the next without looking like the previous year's trends. I have yet to find such clothes. And paying two to three times more for clothes does not guarantee that they are made to last. I hate playing $40-$50 for a light weight shirt only to have it fall apart before the current season is over. I am angered at having paid $60 for a cotton cardigan that looks like something from the glad rag box less than a year later. This winter I purchased a few sweaters from various stores and all of them have pilled to the point of being thin under the arms or along the back.
To prove that this is not just me purchasing cheap clothes, I have a few items that I have had for several years and they are just starting to show wear. I even have nice pieces that I bought used that are still quite lovely. The past few years, though, even the clothes I have purchased from upscale department stores are not holding up to any sort of wear. The clothing manufacturers are creating clothes that are only meant to last for one season (if that) and are forcing us to purchase clothes more often. It's a huge cycle of "stuff" buying. I've watched in action in clothing, footwear and home appliances. There is a fantastic short movie about this philosophy at The Story of Stuff. I encourage you to go watch it if you haven't.
The one thing I am looking for is a lovely pair of flats or low heels to wear with my (previously unmentioned) white polka dotted black dress and my skirt(with a hopeful pluralization). I have a thin heel, wide toes, high arch and tall instep. It means I cannot wear your typical cute flat shoes. I end up in things that look more orthopedic than trendy. I'm still hunting, though.
So that's my bit of an update. I'm sure there is more that I wanted to say, but got slightly side-tracked by my little rant. I'd love to know how your spring is shaping up.
Sock Madness
Sock Madness is over for me. That second round sock did me in. There are still (as if the publishing of this post) spots remaining on my team, but I ended up frogging the second attempt at the first sock. I got to about the same point as the first attempt when I realized that I was not enjoying the experience. The sock is pretty. (You can see it here.) It's a fairly simple straightforward sock with some ribbing and some cables, but I just wasn't loving it. I felt frustrated, fumbling, and as if I was peering into an abyss that had certain doom at the bottom. I had vowed to myself last year that I would not knit anything that I didn't love. And I didn't love this sock. I didn't love the yarn, the needles, the gauge, or the tedium. So I frogged it. And I'm good with that. I'm now free to move on to more interesting and loved patterns. Perhaps I will finally finish remaking the yoke on the sweater I want to love.
Project 333
It snowed yesterday. Tomorrow it is supposed to get up to 50°F. I'm told this is typical of springtime in Ohio. Although, I've also read that this is atypically late for this sort of spring time. Friday I pulled out my warm weather clothes box (remember I'm from Florida where we have warm/hot weather clothes and cool weather clothes rather than four seasons' worth of clothing). A few things are going to be sent to thrift stores for someone else to find and love. A few things from last year made the cut for this year. And I have a few items that I have already purchased for this year's warmer weather. I'm pretty good on bottoms, although I retired my white peasant skirt as it was tired and had a tear and had become dingy. I am looking for a new skirt. I have a pair of long khaki linen pants, a pair of cropped khaki cotton pants, two pair of "boyfriend chinos" - one khaki and one olive - and yes, I like khaki pants) and an A-line skirt with multiple shades of blue dots. Shirts consist of a few camis, a new white shirt with bicycles on it, a new sleeveless shirt, my peach shirt with rosettes and my aqua shirt which is all flowy (both left from last year). Replaced was the khaki cardigan that I purchased last year that already looks worn and tired.
(This is where I go off on a rant about the clothing industry and manufacturing in general.) I'm not a small girl. I'm ... busty. Because of my "bustierness" I find that I have to go to more expensive stores or shop in the Women's section of stores for dresses and shirts most of the time. This means that I also have to pay more, and sometimes a whole lot more, for the same clothes that are slightly larger than the largest sizes in the regular women's departments (usually called ladies or misses). Last year I made a vow (I may have blogged about it) that I would only buy quality clothing. No more clothes with raw edges, sloppy seaming, thin fabrics, and more clothes with natural fibers, reinforced seams, and with cuts that were ageless and would flow from one year to the next without looking like the previous year's trends. I have yet to find such clothes. And paying two to three times more for clothes does not guarantee that they are made to last. I hate playing $40-$50 for a light weight shirt only to have it fall apart before the current season is over. I am angered at having paid $60 for a cotton cardigan that looks like something from the glad rag box less than a year later. This winter I purchased a few sweaters from various stores and all of them have pilled to the point of being thin under the arms or along the back.
To prove that this is not just me purchasing cheap clothes, I have a few items that I have had for several years and they are just starting to show wear. I even have nice pieces that I bought used that are still quite lovely. The past few years, though, even the clothes I have purchased from upscale department stores are not holding up to any sort of wear. The clothing manufacturers are creating clothes that are only meant to last for one season (if that) and are forcing us to purchase clothes more often. It's a huge cycle of "stuff" buying. I've watched in action in clothing, footwear and home appliances. There is a fantastic short movie about this philosophy at The Story of Stuff. I encourage you to go watch it if you haven't.
The one thing I am looking for is a lovely pair of flats or low heels to wear with my (previously unmentioned) white polka dotted black dress and my skirt(with a hopeful pluralization). I have a thin heel, wide toes, high arch and tall instep. It means I cannot wear your typical cute flat shoes. I end up in things that look more orthopedic than trendy. I'm still hunting, though.
So that's my bit of an update. I'm sure there is more that I wanted to say, but got slightly side-tracked by my little rant. I'd love to know how your spring is shaping up.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Project 333 half way through
I thought I would do a quick review of how Project 333 is going for me. What I have found is that I have yet to wear the black skirt or the black shoes. I also only wore the black jacket once. One shirt got exchanged out and somehow I have misplaced my art shirt. (I'm quite distressed about this.) Another issue I have started to have is that I joined Weight Watchers and I have already lost 3" in my hips and 3" in my bust. It feels great, but remember those fantastic brown pants that I searched high and low for? Yeah, those? They are getting a bit baggy already. They aren't quite to the "these are uncomfortable" but it won't be long before they are. I already find myself hitching them up a few times a day.
It's February. That means winter. Yeah, except that yesterday it was 71°F and sunny. No sweaters, no multiple layers, no jackets. I'm not quite ready to give up on my winter 333, but I may have to exchange some of the longer sleeves out in the next week. I'm trying to stretch it to March 15th. We'll see. That's just three more weeks. I've already started thinking about my Project 333 spring wardrobe, though, and how I want to reorganize the clothes I had from last spring. Some things will definitely stay such as some skirts, tennis shoes, and my two summer cardigans (one cotton and one silk). I think I have also found the perfect shoes that are almost like espadrilles. What do you think?
So 333 is working well. I may have to change it to more like 332 during the fall and winter months and 334 or 335 for spring and summer. Silly weather. It thinks it is spring and didn't consult my wardrobe first.
It's February. That means winter. Yeah, except that yesterday it was 71°F and sunny. No sweaters, no multiple layers, no jackets. I'm not quite ready to give up on my winter 333, but I may have to exchange some of the longer sleeves out in the next week. I'm trying to stretch it to March 15th. We'll see. That's just three more weeks. I've already started thinking about my Project 333 spring wardrobe, though, and how I want to reorganize the clothes I had from last spring. Some things will definitely stay such as some skirts, tennis shoes, and my two summer cardigans (one cotton and one silk). I think I have also found the perfect shoes that are almost like espadrilles. What do you think?
So 333 is working well. I may have to change it to more like 332 during the fall and winter months and 334 or 335 for spring and summer. Silly weather. It thinks it is spring and didn't consult my wardrobe first.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Thoughts on Minimalism
I'm a minimalist at heart. I like things clean and neat. The things that I do have I like to be compartmentalized and orderly. I live with four other people who don't have these goals. I don't collect knick knacks. I truly have no use for them in my life. I think it comes from growing up in a house filled with knick knacks and expensive figurines (Hummels, LLadros and silk Japanese dolls) and being the one who had to dust them all the time. Every week without fail, each item had to be taken off the shelves. They had to be dusted. The shelves had to be dusted and polished. The figurines had to be put back on the shelves in the right place and angle. So I don't care too much for things that just sit there collecting dust. I'm an adult now. I can choose to dust or not. I choose not to very often.
While I have a lovely stash of yarn, I can't say that it is as large as other knitters. In fact I try not to purchase yarns just because they are on sale or because they are pretty. I have enough pretty sale yarn that I've yet to knit. As I said yesterday I have enough yarn that I can knit for several years without fear of running out, but I would eventually run out before I die. Actually long before I die. I don't, however, have a large stash of needles. I have Knit Picks' interchangeable set all in metal and with a few of the wood needles as well. I have a good collection of DPN's for sock, hat and mitten making. I have yet, though, found a need to purchase other needles just because they are "very cool" or "exotic." I don't need very cool or exotic needles. I just need solid dependable functional ones.
My kitchen is the same. I really don't have every gadget under the sun. Why? Many tools are multifunctional. For some reason I have a citrus press. I use quite a bit of citrus (I mean, come on, I live in the Sunshine State so citrus is fairly inexpensive). However, I mostly end up not using the citrus press. I just roll the lemon or orange around for a bit and then slice it in half and squeeze the juice out with my hand. Sure some seeds get in, but they are easily removed and I usually already have a cutting board and knife out so there is less work to do afterwards. I also got a new stove (remember the new stove that's flat top and shiny cobalt blue on the inside?) When I emptied out the old stove drawer I put all the things that were down there in a box. I've only removed three things from that box. I'm wondering why I have the rest of the items. In fact I think there are several lids to pots I no longer own.
I think the reason that I am drawn to Project 333 is not because my wardrobe is out of control, but for other reasons. In fact I had to purchase a few items to get to 33. Yes; I did box up quite a few things, but they are all things that have just been living in my closet for the past decade not being worn. I think that donating them when the weather warms will be much easier seeing as I have proven that I don't need them. What attracts me to this project is that I have some control over my wardrobe. I dress intentionally each day. I've created a wardrobe that lends itself to mixing and matching. I do believe that I can wear any two or three tops together without looking aesthetically offensive. It will also keep me from purchasing things just because I found them on the Beal's 70% off rack and it happened to fit with no regard as to whether it matches anything except my jeans.
I think that while I strive for minimalism in my life in some areas, there are other areas that will always be somewhat overfull. Books come to mind. I have shelves and shelves of books and boxes and boxes that don't fit on the shelves. I love my books. They are an indulgence. I also refuse to have minimalism in cuisine. I don't want to ever eat simply. I love flavour and colour and texture and aroma in my kitchen. I love filling my kitchen with beautiful and delicious food. I will never be able to eat simply to live. It's why I failed so badly at Weight Watchers. I would get into a rut with food and become bored and there were places where I just won't compromise when it comes to food. I will not give up real butter or homemade bread or honey.
Perhaps I am only a quasi-minimalist. I'm good with that. I like the things I like and limit the things I don't. I like finding new ways of simplifying my life, but at the same time I will always have boundaries of what is too stark and too missing in my life. One has to be happy with their level of minimalism and that is what is important. I believe in a reduction in consumption, but hold strongly that you should embrace the things you love. I will continue to embrace even while I reduce.
While I have a lovely stash of yarn, I can't say that it is as large as other knitters. In fact I try not to purchase yarns just because they are on sale or because they are pretty. I have enough pretty sale yarn that I've yet to knit. As I said yesterday I have enough yarn that I can knit for several years without fear of running out, but I would eventually run out before I die. Actually long before I die. I don't, however, have a large stash of needles. I have Knit Picks' interchangeable set all in metal and with a few of the wood needles as well. I have a good collection of DPN's for sock, hat and mitten making. I have yet, though, found a need to purchase other needles just because they are "very cool" or "exotic." I don't need very cool or exotic needles. I just need solid dependable functional ones.
My kitchen is the same. I really don't have every gadget under the sun. Why? Many tools are multifunctional. For some reason I have a citrus press. I use quite a bit of citrus (I mean, come on, I live in the Sunshine State so citrus is fairly inexpensive). However, I mostly end up not using the citrus press. I just roll the lemon or orange around for a bit and then slice it in half and squeeze the juice out with my hand. Sure some seeds get in, but they are easily removed and I usually already have a cutting board and knife out so there is less work to do afterwards. I also got a new stove (remember the new stove that's flat top and shiny cobalt blue on the inside?) When I emptied out the old stove drawer I put all the things that were down there in a box. I've only removed three things from that box. I'm wondering why I have the rest of the items. In fact I think there are several lids to pots I no longer own.
I think the reason that I am drawn to Project 333 is not because my wardrobe is out of control, but for other reasons. In fact I had to purchase a few items to get to 33. Yes; I did box up quite a few things, but they are all things that have just been living in my closet for the past decade not being worn. I think that donating them when the weather warms will be much easier seeing as I have proven that I don't need them. What attracts me to this project is that I have some control over my wardrobe. I dress intentionally each day. I've created a wardrobe that lends itself to mixing and matching. I do believe that I can wear any two or three tops together without looking aesthetically offensive. It will also keep me from purchasing things just because I found them on the Beal's 70% off rack and it happened to fit with no regard as to whether it matches anything except my jeans.
I think that while I strive for minimalism in my life in some areas, there are other areas that will always be somewhat overfull. Books come to mind. I have shelves and shelves of books and boxes and boxes that don't fit on the shelves. I love my books. They are an indulgence. I also refuse to have minimalism in cuisine. I don't want to ever eat simply. I love flavour and colour and texture and aroma in my kitchen. I love filling my kitchen with beautiful and delicious food. I will never be able to eat simply to live. It's why I failed so badly at Weight Watchers. I would get into a rut with food and become bored and there were places where I just won't compromise when it comes to food. I will not give up real butter or homemade bread or honey.
Perhaps I am only a quasi-minimalist. I'm good with that. I like the things I like and limit the things I don't. I like finding new ways of simplifying my life, but at the same time I will always have boundaries of what is too stark and too missing in my life. One has to be happy with their level of minimalism and that is what is important. I believe in a reduction in consumption, but hold strongly that you should embrace the things you love. I will continue to embrace even while I reduce.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Ten on Tuesday
Ten things I can't live without? As a striving minimalist one would think that this would be a fairly easy list to make. I'm not attached to too many things. And since people don't count as things, I had to really think hard about what I can't live without.
1. My stash which I could probably knit on for several years.
2. My Knit Picks needle set otherwise the stash is sort of moot.
3. Ibuprofen - greatest thing ever invented and if the world were going into an apocalyptic situation I would run to the store and stock up on as much of this as I could.
4. The electric tea kettle. I can do quite a bit with boiling water (in the event of the aforementioned apocalypse I would change this to my regular tea kettle that I can use on a fire or grill)
5. Paper and pen. Maybe that counts as two. I could live without my computer, but I need a way to write and I still know how to do this the old fashioned way.
6. Someway to bring music in my life. Whether it is an iPod or CD Player or even a musical instrument. I need music.
7. A good kitchen knife
8. M&M's - after the Ibuprofen I would load up on M&M's
9. Tea - it's third on the apocalyptic shopping list
10. Niji Saru. That's the sweet little meditative monkey at the top of this list. She's travelled the world and there are times when I just sit and hold her knowing all the arms that have hugged her in the past and all the places she has seen. She tells me periodically she wants to write her own book about her travels. She has a fantastic journal filled with her adventures from around the world. I'm glad she is home and sharing her stories with me.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Project 333: The List 1st Quarter '11
I have decided that I am going to really do Project 333. Yesterday, with the help of my very savvy daughters, I put together my wardrobe for the next 3 months. It was actually very freeing to box up everything else in my closet. And guess what I found?
Hangers!
Space!
And Mr. KCW wanted to buy more hangers this weekend. I did end up going to the store and purchasing a sweater hanger thingy so I can fold my sweaters and have them in my closet rather than in the drawers. That way everything I wear outside of underwear and socks is right there in plain sight. I don't have to second guess what I is available. I thought that was a brilliant idea. I also bought a shoe rack for the bottom of my closet. I packed away my more summery shoes, although I don't think that my hemp rope espadrilles are actually going to make it to the summer. I may have to replace those next spring. But the only things visible are my Project 333 clothes. It makes for a very bare closet, but that's ok because I have plans to eventually use that space to put a small dresser for my socks, underclothes and small knitwear items.
Here is the list:
1. Jeans
2. Black striped pants
3. Brown pants
4. Black skirt
5. Pink cami
6. Lime cami
7. purple cami
8. gray cami
9. Turquoise 3/4 sleeved shirt
10. Gray long sleeved shirt
11. White and silver long sleeved shirt
12. White v-neck long 3/4 sleeved shirt
13. black v-neck 3/4 sleeved shirt
14. Bright Teal long sleeved shirt
15. Pink cabled sweater
16. Teal v-neck sweater
17. Black cabled sweater
18. Purple buttoned sweater
19. Black jacket (which may get a replacement this year)
20. Art shirt
21. Cranberry corduroy button up shirt
22. Ishbel shawlette
23. Annis shawlette
24. Maja shawl
25. Gaia shawl
26. Seaweed scarf
27. Pink pashmina
28. Salwar Kameez set (it's a three piece suit, but it all goes together and isn't interchangeable so I counted it as one thing)
29. Green Crocs (also may get replaced)
30. Brown Boots
31. Gray Birkis
32. Pink Converses
33. Black Shoes (which I may trade out for my heels before I ever wear them)
This is what they look like hung up ever so neatly:
Things you may notice are missing from my list:
1. A jacket - because I only have one and only wear it when it is raining and only while outside and I have a wool sweater that I wear if it gets too cool for the layers, but I'm more fond of layers because I tend to get warm (thanks, perimenopause).
2. Hats, gloves, winter scarves - it just doesn't get that cold here. I have 2 pair of fingerless gloves. One pair sits in my office and the other pair is in my knitting bag. You may see me in a hat here or there, but I didn't count any hats.
3. That pink and orange shawl I'm wearing - This is my office shawl. It hangs on the back of my chair and I throw it around my shoulders when I get cold. I don't ever wear it out (at least in the winter) and it sometimes ends up in my lap rather than my shoulders as a lapghan.
4. Jewelry - as I said in a previous post, I just don't change my jewelry. I have the same pieces that I wear all the time. I consider them a second skin. If I were to change them someone might think I had done some radical plastic surgery or something.
5. Hand knit sweaters - confession: I've never made an adult-sized winter sweater. I have knit two summer sweaters, but never a winter one. I'm thinking of remedying that this year.
So off we go!
Hangers!
Space!
And Mr. KCW wanted to buy more hangers this weekend. I did end up going to the store and purchasing a sweater hanger thingy so I can fold my sweaters and have them in my closet rather than in the drawers. That way everything I wear outside of underwear and socks is right there in plain sight. I don't have to second guess what I is available. I thought that was a brilliant idea. I also bought a shoe rack for the bottom of my closet. I packed away my more summery shoes, although I don't think that my hemp rope espadrilles are actually going to make it to the summer. I may have to replace those next spring. But the only things visible are my Project 333 clothes. It makes for a very bare closet, but that's ok because I have plans to eventually use that space to put a small dresser for my socks, underclothes and small knitwear items.
Here is the list:
1. Jeans
2. Black striped pants
3. Brown pants
4. Black skirt
5. Pink cami
6. Lime cami
7. purple cami
8. gray cami
9. Turquoise 3/4 sleeved shirt
10. Gray long sleeved shirt
11. White and silver long sleeved shirt
12. White v-neck long 3/4 sleeved shirt
13. black v-neck 3/4 sleeved shirt
14. Bright Teal long sleeved shirt
15. Pink cabled sweater
16. Teal v-neck sweater
17. Black cabled sweater
18. Purple buttoned sweater
19. Black jacket (which may get a replacement this year)
20. Art shirt
21. Cranberry corduroy button up shirt
22. Ishbel shawlette
23. Annis shawlette
24. Maja shawl
25. Gaia shawl
26. Seaweed scarf
27. Pink pashmina
28. Salwar Kameez set (it's a three piece suit, but it all goes together and isn't interchangeable so I counted it as one thing)
29. Green Crocs (also may get replaced)
30. Brown Boots
31. Gray Birkis
32. Pink Converses
33. Black Shoes (which I may trade out for my heels before I ever wear them)
This is what they look like hung up ever so neatly:
Things you may notice are missing from my list:
1. A jacket - because I only have one and only wear it when it is raining and only while outside and I have a wool sweater that I wear if it gets too cool for the layers, but I'm more fond of layers because I tend to get warm (thanks, perimenopause).
2. Hats, gloves, winter scarves - it just doesn't get that cold here. I have 2 pair of fingerless gloves. One pair sits in my office and the other pair is in my knitting bag. You may see me in a hat here or there, but I didn't count any hats.
3. That pink and orange shawl I'm wearing - This is my office shawl. It hangs on the back of my chair and I throw it around my shoulders when I get cold. I don't ever wear it out (at least in the winter) and it sometimes ends up in my lap rather than my shoulders as a lapghan.
4. Jewelry - as I said in a previous post, I just don't change my jewelry. I have the same pieces that I wear all the time. I consider them a second skin. If I were to change them someone might think I had done some radical plastic surgery or something.
5. Hand knit sweaters - confession: I've never made an adult-sized winter sweater. I have knit two summer sweaters, but never a winter one. I'm thinking of remedying that this year.
So off we go!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
PoMoGoLightly prompts me to Project 333
I have been considering Project 333 over at the Be More With Less blog. I'm a minimalist at heart. Truly I am. I followed Beverly on her blog and Twitter the past few months as she worked through the project. The basic principle of the project is to select 33 pieces of clothing (not including underwear or pajamas) and only wear those three pieces for three months. I loved watching her transform her wardrobe into very unique different outfits using these 33 pieces. She took pictures each day and her outfit along with a quick listing of what she wore. It was cool. And she also has ceased making me run over to the Fluevog website twenty times a week to see what cool shoes she's been drooling over.
Here are the problems I'm having with the Project 333:
1. My wardrobe sucks! Seriously sucks. I've been trying to buy more intentionally rather than "Oh, this is on sale and it fits so let's buy it." The problem with this is that when I do purchase intentionally it is very difficult to find exactly what I want and I get frustrated and buy three things that I don't like. This happened last year when I wanted cute lacy camis to wear under things like sweaters or as another layer under thinner shirts. I wanted this cute layering look that wasn't quite in style yet. So I ended up buying two camis that only sort of fit and weren't all that cute. Fortunately style has caught up with me and I now own a bright pink, a lime green, a grey, and a purple cami. This year's dilemma seems to be pants. I have a pair of jeans and a pair of dressier black and gray striped pants that are comfy. And one black skirt. I need at least one more nicer pair of pants, but haven't found the exact thing I'm looking for. Anyone seen some nice soft corduroy pants with just a little bit of pleating at the waist and pockets preferably in charcoal or rust in a size 20 petite?
2. My children already complain that I wear the same things over and over again. I think this is less about minimalism and more about being in a rut. It's just too easy to pull on a pair of jeans and a knit shirt and call it good with my art shirt and a pair of Crocs or Birkis. I want to look cute or artistic and come across looking dumpy and sloppy. Which means I'm not happy with my wardrobe no matter if it is minimalistic or full.
3. I have a hard time releasing things, even those things that don't fit, I don't like or are tired or out of fashion. It's that "I paid good money for this and I haven't gotten my money's worth so I am going to hold on to it until I do." That would be all well and good except I never will "get my money's worth" because it just hangs in my closet and collects dust on the shoulders.
4. I live in Florida. Today the high is only supposed to reach 42°F. This weekend it is supposed to get up to 70°F. We've been known to have 80°F days in February and by March our days are much warmer than in January. I'm thinking I will have to definitely use the additional rules of having clothes I need to rotate through just to keep up with our wonky weather.
5. A jewelry issue. As I have a fairly boring wardrobe, I also have a fairly boring jewelry collection. I wear the same two rings (both sterling, neither a wedding ring), the same two bracelets (both sterling bands that I've worn for 20 years) and the same two earrings (one sterling and one titanium both in the same ear) all the time. I never take them off. They are a part of me. So do these six pieces count as six items or just another layer of skin? I have maybe three pair of earrings that I rotate through if I actually remember to wear earrings.
6. I knit. And I love my knitwear. I probably have twenty pair of hand knit socks (are those underwear?) and four shawls. And you do not want to know about all the projects worth of yarn that I have in two three bins in my hobby room. I've actually been pretty good about being on a yarn diet since Stitches South in April and have been good about knitting from my stash. In fact the gifts I'm knitting for the kids all came from my stash. I have planned projects, I just don't have enough time to knit what I currently have and am trying not to get sidetracked by new patterns. This is very difficult to do when Interweave Knits keeps putting out such cool stuff and there are all these talented designers on Ravelry.
I am figuring that I have sixteen more days to decide if Project 33 would actually work for me or not. I like the idea. I want to be cute and fashionable. I think I had this same dilemma in the spring when I wanted to look cute and charming like one of my characters. Perhaps it is a seasonal thing. (I'm still looking for blue espadrilles.)
Here are the problems I'm having with the Project 333:
1. My wardrobe sucks! Seriously sucks. I've been trying to buy more intentionally rather than "Oh, this is on sale and it fits so let's buy it." The problem with this is that when I do purchase intentionally it is very difficult to find exactly what I want and I get frustrated and buy three things that I don't like. This happened last year when I wanted cute lacy camis to wear under things like sweaters or as another layer under thinner shirts. I wanted this cute layering look that wasn't quite in style yet. So I ended up buying two camis that only sort of fit and weren't all that cute. Fortunately style has caught up with me and I now own a bright pink, a lime green, a grey, and a purple cami. This year's dilemma seems to be pants. I have a pair of jeans and a pair of dressier black and gray striped pants that are comfy. And one black skirt. I need at least one more nicer pair of pants, but haven't found the exact thing I'm looking for. Anyone seen some nice soft corduroy pants with just a little bit of pleating at the waist and pockets preferably in charcoal or rust in a size 20 petite?
2. My children already complain that I wear the same things over and over again. I think this is less about minimalism and more about being in a rut. It's just too easy to pull on a pair of jeans and a knit shirt and call it good with my art shirt and a pair of Crocs or Birkis. I want to look cute or artistic and come across looking dumpy and sloppy. Which means I'm not happy with my wardrobe no matter if it is minimalistic or full.
3. I have a hard time releasing things, even those things that don't fit, I don't like or are tired or out of fashion. It's that "I paid good money for this and I haven't gotten my money's worth so I am going to hold on to it until I do." That would be all well and good except I never will "get my money's worth" because it just hangs in my closet and collects dust on the shoulders.
4. I live in Florida. Today the high is only supposed to reach 42°F. This weekend it is supposed to get up to 70°F. We've been known to have 80°F days in February and by March our days are much warmer than in January. I'm thinking I will have to definitely use the additional rules of having clothes I need to rotate through just to keep up with our wonky weather.
5. A jewelry issue. As I have a fairly boring wardrobe, I also have a fairly boring jewelry collection. I wear the same two rings (both sterling, neither a wedding ring), the same two bracelets (both sterling bands that I've worn for 20 years) and the same two earrings (one sterling and one titanium both in the same ear) all the time. I never take them off. They are a part of me. So do these six pieces count as six items or just another layer of skin? I have maybe three pair of earrings that I rotate through if I actually remember to wear earrings.
6. I knit. And I love my knitwear. I probably have twenty pair of hand knit socks (are those underwear?) and four shawls. And you do not want to know about all the projects worth of yarn that I have in two three bins in my hobby room. I've actually been pretty good about being on a yarn diet since Stitches South in April and have been good about knitting from my stash. In fact the gifts I'm knitting for the kids all came from my stash. I have planned projects, I just don't have enough time to knit what I currently have and am trying not to get sidetracked by new patterns. This is very difficult to do when Interweave Knits keeps putting out such cool stuff and there are all these talented designers on Ravelry.
I am figuring that I have sixteen more days to decide if Project 33 would actually work for me or not. I like the idea. I want to be cute and fashionable. I think I had this same dilemma in the spring when I wanted to look cute and charming like one of my characters. Perhaps it is a seasonal thing. (I'm still looking for blue espadrilles.)
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