Trying the Gideon Method to Manage My WIPs

March 3, 2024March 1, 2024 ClassicBhaer5 Comments

Hello and welcome to my little explanation of a knitting productivity I am planning to give a go in the coming months! While my February was great for getting my WIPs down from 8 to 5, I find that I still need a bit of motivation and focus. I would like to make something very clear, I actually learned about this in one of my knitting zoom groups that I am a part of where these two blog posts were shared. The first is by knit365 and the second is Wool and Honey. I am building my knowledge of this method mainly off of their posts and not much more.

The Rules

Pick 5 projects from your WIP pile
Create a priority list/order
You work on the first project for 12 hours or until it is complete, which ever comes first.
If it is not finished within the 12 hours, it is placed at the bottom of the pile and you move onto the next project, rinse and repeat.

There are some bonus things that I noticed that I am not quite sure I am going to follow. The first is when one is finished you can cast-on a new project. I think I will save this new cast-on for when the mood strikes not just automatically. I say this because I am a huge mood knitter so I want to have a little bit of flexibility to save for when I am really craving something new. The second is keeping the five projects in a special basket. I am just going to continue storing my projects as I have been because it works for my environment.

My 5 WIPs in Priority Order

Bliss Cardigan Test Knit for Winter’s Weather Knits
Coorie In Poncho by Amy Palko
Sastrugi Tree Skirt by Amy Gunderson
Brienne by Brienne Moody
OPEN!

As you can see from my list, I only have 4 WIPs that I am focusing on at this point in time. I am leaving one spot open for that new cast-on mood hits. I am also going to continue to work on my Scrappy Sunday Blanket on Sundays to get that under control as well. I have so many scraps to add it is not even funny at this point! I also plan on keeping track of the time spent on each project using clockify which I have on my desktop and as an app on my phone for ease of tracking. It will also stop me from rounding up so I can switch faster than I should be.

Anyway, this is the knitting plan I am going to try at least for the month of March. Depending on how it goes and how I enjoy it, I might continue beyond that. I decided a month based on the idea that it is a good chunk of time, but not too long where if it is not working I feel trapped by it.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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What I Want 2024 to Look Like

December 31, 2023December 28, 2023 ClassicBhaer5 Comments

Hello and welcome to another little post from my small part of the internet. Every year I take the time to write up some goals for myself and do my best to stick with them. This past year things have changed in my life, which is why I am not on here as much as I used to be, serious how did I have time to write two posts a week? Anyway, I didn’t want to make goals in the way I usually do, but more so wanted to talk about what I wanted the year to look like for me.

Kindle, two note books, a winter themed project bag, and a clear box sitting on a made bed.

Reading

This year I realized I have not read many books. In total I have read 7 books in all of 2023. If you want to see which books I read, you can see those here in my Year in Books 2023 recap. While this is no where near what I used to read when I was reading more than 100 a year a lot has changed in my life. I think my reading is going to stay reduced as far as I can tell, but I would like to read at least 6 books next year. I say that because I still want to have a little bit of daily reading in my life and that is what I have been doing. I read a few pages when I have the time and brain space to do so. in 2024, I want to keep that up.

Knitting, Crochet, and Crafting

This year I did a lot of making, which I am happy about. I think I did so much because it is easier to knit and crochet while chatting with someone, watching a movie, or just out and about during my spare moments. I ended up making 31 items this year. These include socks, sweaters, cowls, scarfs, shawls, dresses, and other items. I am really proud of the things I created this year and I just want to keep that up as well throughout the year. Finding me time while doing something relaxing is something I have really come to enjoy.

Life in General

I have started going back to yoga a few months ago and I have been really enjoying how it has made me feel. I feel stronger, agile, and overall more relaxed. I really want to keep this up as well, even if it is just once a week. On top of that, I would really like to go on more adventures throughout the year. That could be trying a new place to eat, exploring a few place, or going on a day trip. I just want to experience some new things.

As you can see, my “goals” for this year are really just to continue to do the things that make my happy. I want to read a few pages a day, do some crafting to calm me down, maintain my yoga practice, and just do something new and exciting. Nothing to out there, but I really want to focus on what makes me happy this year and not worry about specific numbers or items. Will I make some mini goals for myself throughout the year, most likely, but I feel like this year I want to go easy on myself.

I really hope you had a wonderful 2023 and that 2024 is even better for you!

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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Why I Think I Don’t Read As Much As I Used To and How I Plan to Change It

August 6, 2023July 19, 2023 ClassicBhaer6 Comments

Hello everyone and welcome to a little retrospective post. I know I have been silent for sometime…yet again. I thought I was on such an upswing of blogging and reading following Blogmas and finishing a book in January. Well, as you can probably easily see, my blog has been silent for the most part. I have not felt motivated at all to write or read in the last few months, which has been very strange for me. I am used to reading over 100 books a year and filling every free moment with reading and talking about reading…what has changed? Well, this has led me to do some self reflecting and ask myself, “Why don’t I want to do the things I absolutely loved anymore?”.

First and foremost, I think the main reason is because I fell in love with a new hobby. Reading has been my main hobby for years and years! I participated in others, but they were not new to me and I had done them for years as well. During the Summer of 2021 specifically August I taught myself how to knit and it became a love for me. Well, let me tell you something it is hard to knit and read. So, I slowly read less and less because of it. Yes, I can listen to audiobooks and I do from time to time, but when I need to count, do yarn overs, and patterning listening to a book leads me to make a lot of mistakes. I am hoping as I knit more, this will be something I can work through, but we shall see.

Life style change is probably the second biggest contributor I would say. I honestly can say I prefer reading physical books, but I do enjoy other formats a lot. But, I think because of some changes I needed to make in my life in recent years not getting my hands on physical books has led me not to pick up my ereader or phone to listen to an audiobook. I have had to downsize a lot in recent years, my library of physical books has really dwindled. Most of the ones I have chosen to keep have been some of my favorite reads of all times or special books that have been signed or picked up at events. That doesn’t really leave a ton of room to add books to the bookshelf I do have and I do not want them to spread around the space, apart from the book I am currently reading on my nightstand. On top of that, I have gotten out of the habit of putting library books on hold at my library. Now, because I think of the pandemic, I got in the habit of really looking at their digital library and downloading stuff onto my kindle and then promptly forgetting they are there because they are just in a kindle that always looks the same. This is for sure something I have realized and need to work on.

So, what does this mean? Well, for me I think this self reflection is really helpful in figuring out what is a priority in my life. I want reading to be one of those again and I think realizing the why is a good tool in getting it back to that place. Now, I don’t want to stop knitting, it is something I love as well, but I think I need to get in the habit of balancing my time better. Why not set aside some time for fun reading? Why not borrow a physical book again? These are things I have under my control and I can change. My limited space is not something I can control. I think I just need to make an effort to find a balance and realize that it is not going to happen over night. It is not going to happen through force, but through my desire to read.

I think two things I am going to try to do over the next two months. The first being requesting physical books from the library again…I need to figure out how to get my login information again. The second I think is setting aside some time in my week to read. I think I kept failing at reintroducing it into my life was because I kept saying doing one book a week or 30 min a day. I was adding pressure to it instead of letting it fit into my time more organically. I feel like I should be happy and proud that I sit down to read once a week at this point. If this week it happens on a Monday, then next week it is on a Thursday…Perfect! I read at least once during the week.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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Current Reads and WIPs · Let's Talk

The Book and Projects I am Taking On Vacation

July 9, 2023June 26, 2023 ClassicBhaer7 Comments

Four skeins of textured yarn surrounding a kindle with The Only One Left cover displayed.

Hello dear reader! Today I am going to share the books and projects I will be taking with my on vacation this year. Last year I went a little over the top with packing, I actually wrote two separate blog posts, Books I Took With Me On Vacation and What’s In My Project Bag, Vacation Edition. I only read one book the entire time I was there and as for the projects, I only worked on one as well. So looking back at this and reflecting, I don’t need to overpack again…or at least try not to. While looking at my shelves and yarn stash I ended up settling on what to bring with me, here they are!

The Book

The Only One Left by Riley Sager: I really fell in love with Riley Sager when I read The House Across the Lake last summer. It was a perfect summer read that kept me on my toes, engaged, but also had unexpected twists and elements I was not expecting. Since The Only One Left just came out on June 20th, I new I needed to read it sooner rather than later. So, I am bringing it along with me as I travel. From the description it looks like it is going to focus on a gruesome crime that took place in the early 1900s, from my impression that the individual is inspired by Lizzie Borden. The book itself takes place years later, when our narrator moves into the house the crime took place to take care of the one many believe to have committed the crimes.

Projects

The main project I am going to be bringing with me is Hedgerows Shawl (Ravelry | Website) by Fox & Folk using Chelsea Luxe Cozy in the color Spring Chicken. This is a fresh start project, I wanted a brand new cast on for my travels. Not only that, but this shawl is simple, beautiful and meditative. It is mostly garter worked from the largest edge to the smallest. It features an edging of flowers along the longest edge. I felt that this was perfect for travel, it only needs one set of needles and is a singular color. Plus, I am spending my vacation in the woods so creating something with wild flowers on it sounds like a perfect combination. I will admit, I am planning on bringing another project along with me, but I am unsure of how much I am going to be working on it. I am planning on bringing along a sock project that is more portable for when I am out and about. The sock pattern I have settled on is 04 Ipseitas by Emilie Hallet from 52 Weeks of Socks Vol. 2. At the time of writing this I have no idea what yarn I will be using or at least no idea what it looks like, I am in a sock yarn swap so I am planning on using that.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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Let's Talk · Reading Challenges

My 2023 Goals

December 24, 2022November 5, 2022 ClassicBhaer5 Comments

Reading Goals

Read 6 non-fiction books, I did this one last year and I really loved it and want to do it again.

Get owned TBR under 10 books, last year I was able to get my owned TBR under 15 books. I really want to continue that trend so I can really embrace my mood reading.

Life Goals

Try or do something new, I really enjoy challenging myself my going to new places or trying something that is a bit out of my comfort zone. I don’t have a specific ideas at this time, but I know I can think of something over the course of the year.

Track my spending better, I am by no means bad with money, but I really want to get in the habit of tracking my spending. Especially when it comes to my hobbies.

Maker Goals

Knit 6 pairs of socks, this is another goal I am stealing from last year that I really enjoyed. I love my hand knit socks so I want to add to my collection.

Knit and create more from my stash, as of writing this I have yarn and patterns ready to go for 34 projects. I would really love to get that number down quite a bit over the new year. The only additions I think I am going to allow is if I sign up for a class and my yarn subscription for sock yarn.

My goals this year are pretty straightforward and I think really simple. In doing this, I feel like I am setting myself up for success. They are specific enough that I am working towards something, but not strict enough where it will be overly difficult and I just become frustrated and give up. While goals are all about pushing yourself, they should also be realistic, reasonable, and doable with a bit of effort. At least in my opinion.

What are some goals you have for yourself in the upcoming year?

Sign Off 2020 — Sign off, thanks for reading!

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Knitting, Crochet & More · Let's Talk

My Dream Christmas Sweater

December 23, 2022November 5, 2022 ClassicBhaerLeave a comment

Hello and welcome to a post where I share my dream Christmas sweater. I know, I know a silly thing to share, but in sharing it I am hoping to one day actually make it. Almost like a declaration of sorts.

You know how people are really into their Christmas sweaters? Some people even through parties revolving around them as well. At least this is the case around me. I know I have even picked up a few here and there just to have somethings to wear to a friends house or a get together, but if I am being honest, I really never loved or really liked a sweater I picked up. I also have never paid full price, I always wait until the holidays are over to pick one up just to have one. In more recent years I have become more selective in what I buy and what I wear and really want to love what I have. I mean, I have started knitting my own sweater and summer shirts this past year and honestly I want to get into sewing them as well. That being said, I think I found my Dream Christmas Sweater and it is called Betty & Judy Lodge Sweater by PoisonGrrls.

Picture of pattern on model and name of pattern and company logo

This sweater has a 1950s/1960s vibe to it, which I love right off the bat, but I really love how simplistic it is. A lot of the holiday sweater I have come across are, in my opinion, too much. I know, I know a lot of people get them because they want an ugly sweater and tinsil, flashing lights and pompoms galore fit that bill. But, I like that this one is pretty as well as feminine, with just a bit of tacky in a sophisticated way. I think the sophisticated feeling of this sweater comes from the retro feel of the over all pattern, but also the shaping that is being used. I still feel that it is fun, and for sure fits the bill of an “ugly” Christmas sweater, but I feel like I could actually swear this to a ton of things throughout the season. It is not overly baggy, but is shaped really nicely. I was so close to making this sweater this year, but the recommended yarn was out of stock in the color and quality I needed. I was bummed, but now I am hoping to have something fun I can make and use next year and many years to come.

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Let's Talk · Reading Challenges

My 2022 Reading

December 22, 2022December 2, 2022 ClassicBhaer3 Comments

Hello and welcome to a post where I am going to share some books stats from my reading this year! I did not track too much, but I still think it is fun to take a look at. If you want to see the list of books I read this year, you can find that on my Good Reads Challenge Page. Now I will also say I am taking advantage of the data collected by Goodreads to create this post. In the past I tracked my reading a bit more with a google sheet, but this year I just didn’t for one reasons or another.

I read a total of 9,267 pages

I read 32 books

Shortest book read was 18 pages and it was Willie the Weirdo by Stephen King

Longest book read was 607 pages and it was The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami

Average book length was 289 pages

Most popular book read was One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Least popular book read was Willie the Weirdo by Stephen King

Average rating for a book in 2022 was 3.8 stars

Even though I did not track a lot of other things this year like genre, I am glad to have this data to look at. I am really happy that while I did not read nearly as much as I usually do, I rated books, on average pretty well. On top of that it was kind of fun to see the most and least popular book, based upon how many people have also read the book, not its rating. I am not sure if I am going to track on a goole sheet next year or not yet, but I know for sure I can count on Goodreads at least to give me some fun stats to look at during the end of the year.

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How I Planned for Blogmas This Year

December 16, 2022November 21, 2022 ClassicBhaer4 Comments

Hello and welcome to a post where I share how I prepared for Blogmasthis year! This year has been hard blogging wise because I have not done a ton of reading because I have invested my time in other hobbies, which I am not mad about. What I did read I loved, but I found it hard to share things on here when I was not reading. I then decided to start sharing my other interests and hobbies, which I have enjoyed. That being said, I knew last year I wanted to do the full 24 days of Blogmas, so I started preparing early!

Making a List

Very early in 2022 I decided to make a list of posts I could write to help with blogmas. Writing 24 posts in a month is a lot, I figured if I could do some of the brain storming ahead of time I was really going to be helping future me out a lot! So, I ended up writing up a list of about 30 post ideas to use for Blogmas.

Writing Ahead of Time

I know Summer is not the most festive time of the year, but that is when I started writing a majority of my blogmas posts. I like to be prepared and not being stressed out by deadlines and having to write a post a day is not something I would personally have fun doing. I most likely would have just said forget it for my well being. That being said, I wrote posts here and there over the Summer so I had a lot of the posts already written up and ready to go. Once done writing and I was happy with them I scheduled them ahead of time.

Using a Kanban Board

I have been a huge fan of these types of organizing boards for a really long time. How I set mine up is pretty straight forward. I write the steps down I use when writing a blog post; brain storming, write, picture, tags, schedule. Each post has their own sticky note or tab and they move through the board until the task is complete. I can easily see what I need to do and what stage everything is in. You can do these digitally or with something physical like a notebook or white board. I tend to use a notebook because it doesn’t rely on something working properly. I used this for each post I wrote for Blogmas to keep track of how many posts where done and how many more I needed to write and how close they are to being done.

My Thoughts

While I know that planning ideas is not a huge deal with Blogmas, I do feel like some people may think that writing ahead may not be in the spirit of Blogmas. I would like to counter that I have writing 24 posts themed around the holidays, books, winter, reflecting on the old year and looking at the new year. I am a planner by nature so I would have had all these in a notebook anyway. Plus, if I am writing so much in December, how would I have been able to read Blogmas posts by others? I think my favorite part of Blogmas is seeing what other people are reflecting upon, excited about, and just sharing their love of the season. I feel like if I am going to enjoy this aspect, I personally am going to have to do a bit of work ahead of time. Honestly, just do what is best for you. You know you better than everyone else and I think as long as you are getting into the spirit and having fun prep for Blogmas however you feel.

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My Perfect Winter Day

December 11, 2022December 2, 2022 ClassicBhaer2 Comments

Hello and welcome my perfect free winter day! Today I am going to take some time to share what I would do if I could plan my perfect winter day. This even incudes the weather, which as we know doesn’t always cooperate. As you read this, I hope you are having a wonderful day and even your own perfect day!

Morning

My perfect morning would include waking up without an alarm to see a light dusting of snow on the ground. I don’t enjoy where there is a ton of snow, but just enough to see its beauty without the mess. After waking up to my own natural alarm clock I would start my day with a cup of coffee, an audiobook, and some knitting. I truly love when I can just ease into the day. As I am knitting I am cuddled up on the couch or chair with a big fluffy blanket and a view of the snow covered yard and trees.

Afternoon

Later on in the day, I would have a really wonderful sandwich that someone else made for me with some potato chips. I don’t know about you, but there are two things I always think taste better when someone else makes it. The first being a sandwich and the second being popcorn. I am not sure why this is the case of me, but it is. For the rest of the afternoon I would be happy spending time with my loved ones, continuing to craft, or reading to my hearts content.

Evening

After dinner and the days activities, I would love to end my day sitting on the couch with my significant other in front of the fire place to keep toasty as the temperature outside begins to drop as the sun sets. We will be sipping on warm hot chocolate made on the stove top with some milk and mix. Other than that I am happy to be listing to a podcast together, playing a game, or just watching something on TV together. Then once we finish our hot chocolate it is time to go to bed.

If I had a free day with nothing planned, I would plan a day that was slow, calm, and allowed me to enjoy the environment around me. I enjoy days where it is not chaotic or go, go, go. I like being able to take a breath and truly appreciate the world and those around me. I think this is why my two biggest hobbies reading and knitting allow a bit of meditative quality. Now, I know that everyone enjoys different things and other people may enjoy a bit more adventure in their perfect winter day. As for me, I enjoy taking a breath and relaxing in my own space.

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