Simplifying through small

Here I am with my soon-to-be new-to-me Majacraft Little Gem spinning wheel.

This was an almost accidental purchase.  When I went to the last Project Fleece spin-in, I was captivated by the Little Gem.  I asked if I could borrow her for a bit and ended up spending the whole spin in with her.

She is a delightful wheel.  A Mercedes to my Ashford Traddy's Corolla.

I've heard people name their wheels, and I've tried it.  I named my cute little castle wheel "Bridget" and my Ashford Traddy is officially named "Elaine".  But I've never really called them by name.  They are merely tools.  Nice tools, but just tools.

I've thought about selling my Traddy a few times.  She's just... Big.  And when my goal this year is to compact, compress, organize, destash, and simplify, big isn't best.  

From there, convincing my hubby of the need for a smaller wheel was incredibly simple.  I had all my pros lined up, and "small wheel" and "amazing deal" were all it took.  Then he saw the picture and was as captivated as I was.  Then he saw a picture of a folded Little Gem and realized... She fits in a drawer!!  I suspect he'd willingly pay full price for such a delight.

Jemma comes home with me next week.

"Elaine" and "Bridget" are for sale.  I've had some surprising amount of interest, but neither is actually sold yet.  So if you or anyone you know wants a beautiful, well kept wheel, I have two at very different budget points.

I am also selling my Indian Charkha, in likewise excellent and loved condition.

2016 - Controlling the Chaos

Life last year got a little crazy.  Overwhelming. Tiring.  Exhausting.  A lot happened.  Much of this threw my ADHD out of control and what I'd always presumed were careful controls were shown to be utterly ineffective.

The last several months have been spent taking stock of my current systems for task management and accomplishment, working with 2 different counsellors to learn how to control my own chaos, and trying to make sense of the mess that is my house.

All of this put together has reignited my interest in blogging.  I figure if I am struggling, so are others, and maybe...just maybe... I have something of value to say.  Maybe my experience can help.  Maybe controlling the chaos really does start with rolling out if bed and throwing away one tissue today.  Tomorrow, you can do two.  

My biggest struggle as an adult with ADHD come from two directions at once: impulse control and task prioritization.  I can't look at a ball of yarn without desperately needing to turn it into something.  I need it on the needles, even if all my needles are in use.  Even if I have 13 projects in the go.  Even if the dishes have been sitting piled up in the kitchen for 2 days.  Add that impulse to my natural "pile" personality (my house is a series of piles), and you get something like this:

This is my storage room.  The left half of the room belongs to my husband and is a series of tidy shelves with stockable unperishables like soup, toilet paper, and laundry detergent.  The rest of the room... And the floor is mine.  Boxes stacked on boxes, and yarn stuffed and tangled into every crevice.

Priority one this year?  Turn that storage room into something more reasonable.  Find the floor.  Put the yarn in bags.

It is a slow process, learning to control the chaos.  It is a series of baby steps that starts with a donation bag in the corner of a room.  Don't need it? Can't bear to toss it? Donate it.

It is a process of repeat appointments in my daily calendar reminding me that Monday is for the kitchen, Tuesday for the floors (vacuuming and washing), Wednesday is for finding homes for things left out on random surfaces, Friday is for the bathrooms.  Saturday and Sunday are for laundry.  And Thursday?  Thursday's are mine.  Thursday's are for knitting, weaving, blogging, playing catchup, visiting friends, etc.

And if I get my daily must-do out of the way?  The rest of the day is mine, too.

I've been on the system for 2 months.  That's possibly the longest amount of time I have ever spent on any system.  The way I figure it, if small messes add up, maybe small changes will, too.