It's pumpkin time, and 30 days to less - day 11

Today I'm combining my weekly YOP post with my daily "30-Day Minimalism Challenge" post.

First up, my YOP post:

I've had the body of these pumpkins finished for a week or so, but just yesterday got around to putting the button stems on so I can call this project finished.  

I've made bunches of these over the recent years and have given a number away - which has the added benefit of getting to make more!     

I enjoy using up small balls of yarn in various colors, as well as finding a fun way to use some of the 100's of old buttons I've inherited (both from my mother's things and more recently, my mother-in-law's things).

I posted this information in a previous post, but here are tutorials/patterns for making these - in case anyone is interested:

Similar crochet pattern here, video tutorials here  and here.

Different type of crochet pattern here.

And a few years ago I created a picture tutorial showing how I make the button stems.  Wow - I can't believe it was five years ago - but here that is.

Things I do differently from the patterns and tutorials above:  1)  I use a size G hook with worsted weight yarn.  If I use smaller yarn, I use a hook about 2 or 3 sizes smaller than what is called for on the yarn label.  2)  I begin with a magic loop, and 3) I keep a marker on my first stitch of each round and simply crochet in a spiral (this eliminates a join line).  

Once you make one or two, you'll probably see how you can make these various sizes, but it's really as simple as doing any combination of these two things:  

1)  for a larger circumference, crochet a larger circle of increasing rounds before crocheting the sides and when you begin decreasing just do so in reverse to the increasing rounds (i.e. sc2tog at the point in the round where you increased in the increasing rounds).

 and 

2) for taller sides, crochet more "straight" rounds - i.e. the rounds where there are no increasing or decreasing stitches.

And that should do it!   They're super easy, and the small ones really don't take all that much time to make - maybe an hour from start to stuffing.

And for my Day 11 Minimalism post today I did something different.  I just walked from room to room challenging myself to pick one thing to remove.  Some rooms didn't produce anything, and in some rooms I found multiple things.  Occasionally I opened a drawer or closet/cabinet, but I didn't allow myself to sort or sift through stuff.  I had to easily be able to put my hand on a thing and put it in the give (or throw) away pile.  Here's my haul:

1. Clothespins I brought home from MIL's intending to use for making future yarn pegs, 'till I realized there are groves on the ends that make writing on them nearly impossible. 
2. Another old throw pillow.
3. A plastic apple. 
4. Some hair elastics I bought at the dollar store to use as ear pieces on COVID masks, but these are really too small to be comfortable.  Just fine for holding back hair, but I don't need more than one or two for that purpose.
5. An audio book
6. A second audio book
7. One cookbook
8. Another cookbook (somewhere I have a 3rd cookbook in this series, so it will appear later, I'm sure.
9. A plastic picture frame
10. A binder I used years ago when I was buying and selling homeschooling materials and wanted to keep track of things.  Youngest graduated college 2 years so, and I haven't sold homeschool materials for probably 5 years - longer than that since I purchased homeschool stuff.  It's amazing what you see when you open your eyes.
11. A little bottle of black stamp pad ink. We've had this little bottle for as long as I can remember.  I can tell it's been opened as there is a bit of an ink smear on the label, but I am 61 years old and I do not recall ever reinking a stamp pad.  Think I'll miss it?  

The added benefit of doing this fairly quick exercise is that lots of other little things got carried back to their rightful homes, and a fair amount of stray papers and inconsequential stuff got tossed.

Day 11:  95 things gone