That New Year Not Quite a Half Marathon.....

It's going to be a coming from behind what with all of this already lost 9 inches of afghan knitting due to user error but dang it...here I go on my 20km journey.

I'm a KnitGirllls fan and hang out occasionally on the Rav Boards. One of the recent threads was chatting about what we'd like to do for 2011. I'm amazed how no one ever seems to say "I want to spend the next year buying lots and lots of stash!" No, we all say that we're going to lose weight. I'm no different, but it's interesting to notice. We all seem to have way too much wool and be aware of a societal requirement that we proclaim that we need to reduce the amount.  I wonder if other crafters feel equally guilty? (Besides quilters and sewers who are pleading similar excesses of fabric) I can't remember my best friend ever saying he has too many fishing flies or supplies for them. It seems that perhaps because this is a predominantly female craft that storing extras, spare parts, etc is shameful and something we should take care that others aren't aware of what we have. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee talks about stash being a very private thing--as the muggles don't understand--but she's also good to point out that yarn is our medium and pointing out that owning lots of paint when you're a painter isn't considered odd. 

I have very specific reasons for wanting to work with stash this year:

• I moved into a smaller apartment.
• That apartment has only 2 very small closets and both of those are full of clothing. 
• I have been given and have purchased beautiful yarn. I want to get it out and do something with it!

 I'm aware things will cycle and I'll buy more yarn. I refuse to look at that as shameful or something to be hidden just because it's a craft others don't understand*.  My grandfather did woodwork for years without us asking disdainfully if he really needed more wood or wood tools.  Nope, if you could figure out something he didn't have in the workshop, that was something to consider as a Christmas or birthday gift.

So I'll craft from stash because it's beautiful yarn I own, trying to think of it as using the paints I already love, rather than from any sense of guilt. Yarn and guilt shouldn't belong in the same sentence.

Oh, and I just realized. One of my best friends will be in CHI in 10 days. He asked for some flip top mitts and I agreed, though I didn't put a deadline on them. I'm going to use worsted though. Wonder if I can get those done before he gets here.  Off to rummage for some black worsted weight.  

* We'll talk about the guy who told me that my knitting was intimidating another time when I'm not quite so off-kilter about it.