Saturday, 8 October 2016

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast...

Slow October - inspired by Karen Templer at Fringe Association   The notion of slowing down and simplifying is not new, but to do this with a conscience and a deliberate effort to reduce one's impact on the environment is the focus for a lot of the discussion.  She has a link to an article about the myth of 'donating' and 'recycling' clothes.  Eye-opening and thought-provoking - go read it now!

I'm re-evaluating my wardrobe from a knitting perspective.  I have things I've knit that I never wear.  I'm going to frog, and reknit into things I will either wear or gift.  My time is extremely limited these days (Slow October will be a focus on all aspects of life here, not just my wardrobe - more on that next time), as is my clothing and knitting budget.  My goal is to look at two things this month:  what I wear and knit, and how I use my time.  The second one is not just about 'spare time' or 'making more of my down time', it's about what I say yes and no to, and what occupies my mind as much as my time.  

First up:  I've frogged this 
I knit it without a pattern, but wish I had made it more slouchy and oversized than I did.  I'm reusing the yarn to make a couple of baby sweaters for friends.  Both are Tin Can Knits patterns.  I started Flax for a friend at work. 
Next up will be Harvest, with the same yarn.  I have projects underway and plan to finish them.  They've been blogged about here in the last few months (vest, summer tee, Sambuca pullover).  I want to finish projects that are in progress, and then evaluate what I really want to do with my stash. 

In short, Slow Fashion for me doesn't mean making all of my clothes.  It means looking at why I have clothes I don't wear, and taking time to knit things I'll actually wear (or give as a thoughtful gift).  More next week as I gather my projects, finish frogging the vest, and dig deeper into the real reasons why I can't seem to slow down my mind.

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3 comments:

  1. Breathing Life11 October 2016 at 09:09

    Yes, I also have knitted things that I don't wear - I have gifted four scarves this past year, and others are off to charity. I never like frogging and re-knitting a whole garment.
    btw - I still think your blog name is the best one ever.

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  2. Sarah14 October 2016 at 17:13

    Thanks - the name is something that came to me when I was trying to describe my knitting. I'm enjoying repurposing my yarn. Spending a lot of time rethinking how I spend my time and money these days. Mid-life maybe?!

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  3. Jodiebodie15 October 2016 at 21:08

    All a good cause, Sarah. Like you, my time and budget for things are also limited but I find that helps me in limiting my purchases and also forcing me to be creative in repurposing items and to be careful about purchasing decisions.
    Your notion of also slowing down your mind and making conscious decisions about how to occupy your mind is an interesting one. I had never thought to extend the idea of 'slow' to the inner realm.
    I make a conscious effort every day to care for the environment in as many ways that I can; e.g. we sort our rubbish into recycling and non-recycling, we collect bottles and cans to get cash back at the recycling centre (and that helps the budget a little as well), try to reduce car trips, maintain a vegetable garden with a compost heap. I want to reduce the impact of transporting food by growing it right at home without chemical pesticides and fertilisers.

    I love your title of this post. It has left me "Feeling Groovy" :-) Good luck on your quest. You will get there. xx

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