Originally posted 5/23/08
Since I’ve completely abandoned the idea of no more yarn purchases (that didn’t last long, did it?) I’m updating The List to reflect what I really want to get done sometime soon. At least this year would be nice. And I’ve been thinking about whether I want to be more concerned with The Stash, or focus on The Finishing.
The funny thing is that on one of my Yahoo groups (Spindilitis) there’s been quite the discussion this week about stashing, and both sides of the situation have been presented. Most people who contributed confessed that they had tons of fiber to spin, but felt no guilt at all. The reasons varied: some feel like they might as well buy now because they might not be able to afford what they love in the future. Some just feel like it’s no big deal–this is what they do, so why shouldn’t they stash to their hearts’ content? And some don’t think too deeply about it, they just do it!
A couple of people ventured different views. I can relate to the opinion that having too much stash can weigh you down. You know it’s there, and you feel pressured to use it. Someone mentioned that it’s similar to any other type of clutter one would have stored in the house. It can clutter your mind as well (like the unused clothes and books that I keep meaning to drop off to Goodwill.) I think the trend toward simplicity is beginning to touch more and more people, and having a huge unused stash of yarn, fabric, fiber, or whatever can make us feel burdened.
So I’m trying to tread the middle ground. I can tell that I’ll always be tempted by new yarns and patterns, so I’m not really going to stop buying as I promised in my first post. But I also am going to be aware that I may not always love knitting and spinning the way I do now. I have two giant shelf units full of quilt fabric and dozens of cross-stitch patterns that are sitting here untouched, but I was as passionate about quilting and cross-stitching at one point as I am about knitting now. I’m not quite ready to part with that section of stash yet, so I want to keep working on some of those UFOs as well as knitting.
Anyway, without further ado, here’s The Second List:
1. Dale of Norway sweater
2. Pink lace scarf
3. Crayon Box Jacket
4. Laurel Leaves Quilt
5. Waterlilies needlepoint
6. Pink Tofutsies socks DONE!
7. Merino yarn to be plied
8. Weeping Tree Sampler cross-stitch
9. Baby sweater in Linen Isle DONE!
10. Spin Walnut-dyed fleece
11. Spin angora blend from Fuzzarelly Fibers DONE!
Most of these were on the First List, but I’ve dropped a couple and added a couple. I want to have a spinning project going, and the cross-stitch piece is so near to being done that I really want to wrap it up. Several of these projects are close to finished, but there are some biggies as well, so it’s kind of balanced.
