On making space

Stuff, things, clutter. Items stored for years in dark places, items you forget about. Items you buy more of, even if you already have one: it has just disappeared. It's somewhere, but nowhere to be found.

One of the things that I've learned in recent years is that stuff will take over the space you have if you don't pay attention to it. And while you may have heard the phrase “you can never have too much storage", when we moved into our new home a couple of years ago, we made some decisions of how much storage we want and how much space we want to have in our house. Space and storage are antagonists in this story. The more you store, the more you keep and the less space you have to move in.

What I have found is that the less I have, the better I feel.

And as spring approaches, I find myself in this mood to shed weighty things of all kinds and make space. Make room for new things. Create space to think, to invent, to play, to live.

The most important place to clean up and make space in is my mind, but that's the hardest. And I find that cleaning up and decluttering my physical space helps me do that in my inner space.

What I am making

This week, I spent some time decluttering my closet. My closed is smaller than it used to be, and often my partner asks me, do you have enough space? And I say yes! I say yes, because I know it is, even though sometimes it looks a bit stuffed.

It was a good time to free it up a bit. I took out everything and tried on outfits (something that I rarely do, despite the time I spend making clothes) and finally part with things I've keeping just in case. Making space.

I also decided to finally fix two pairs of too baggy jeans (I used this tutorial) and I dyed a pair green. Why did I wait so long? They turned out great.

I've been in an undecided mood knitting wise, after finishing my shawl, because I am still thinking of heavy woolly things to knit, but if I start them now, they won't be finished until probably early summer, when they will make no sense.

What would make more sense is to start thinking of lighter things or transitional things, but inspiration hasn't struck yet. So I decided to start an easy raglan project with a DK wool in my stash, with a pattern I already had, the Monday jumper by Petite Knit. It has a folded neckline that you knit as you go, which was a new technique to me and short rows in the back, which is promising.

Book of the week

Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White

Since we are on the topic of making space, I wanted to talk about Dana K White's book, “Decluttering at the Speed of Life", which means little by little, when you can and what you can, without getting overwhelmed.

There are a few ideas in the book that resonated with me. The container concept, which is using containers to limit the amount of stuff you keep and setting boundaries for the items you own. Then the often neglected idea that you will need to work to maintain your space. That stuff will come in, whether you bring it in or your family members, and you'll need to deal with it again.

If you need a little push and a little inspiration, this might help. She also has a YouTube channel, with videos like a one-hour decluttering session with clients like this one or reflections on her personal decluttering journey.

May your days be filled with mindful moments. Until next time, be present.

Sky