Poly-amoury is right for me ;)

One time I read a post on Ravelry that made me (literally) laugh out loud. Not at the poster, but at myself. This mysterious person had this *thing* she called "project monogamy." Uhm, what??? As in one project at a time, start to finish, with nothing else in the works?? Seriously? I was in awe. I pondered applying that to my own knitting life for all of five seconds, then gave myself permission to never, ever, ever practice "project monogamy."

I am poly I suppose. At least in my knitting life. I have room in my heart for many projects at a time. The organic cotton on the bamboo needles, being shaped into a cute little swing top for my diva daughter; the four stands of worsted weight acrylic on my size 19's cranking out a very fast camo blanket that will glow in the dark; the pretty little cardigan stuffed under my bed in a storage box because I can't remember if I added underarm stitches on the first arm or no.....(And no even this mishap doesn't convince me that monogamy is the way to go. I just think I should be better organized so I don't call the project by the wrong name when we spend our special time together....)

I suppose it's all about your knitting lifestyle. I have many people who enjoy my handknits and I have a love for all different kinds of yarn and needles and projects, so having only one to enjoy at any given moment just isn't enough for me. I have a place in my heart, and in my hands, for each one of my UFOs. Life gets too boring when you're only touching one kind of fiber for hours on end. Nahhhh...I don't think I'll be proclaiming my project monogamy anytime soon. I'm better off with the 17 projects to cycle through as I get 'in the mood' for them. And if I see something else I want to start, on I will cast with absolutely no regrets and no guilt. I guess that makes me a project whore or something kinda like it....

:)

The Morality of Yarn Ownership

In yarn land, there is a thing known as stash. What constitutes too much or too little is really an individual matter. Some own more yarn than their local yarn shop. Some can fit their special yarns into a shoe box. Some with said shoe box full can feel they have too much, while the person with their own store in a back bedroom can truly feel they have room for more. Totally personal decision.

The morality of yarn ownership. Is there really such a thing? Well, if you look around the internet you will find that people with stashes of yarn feel a different sense of urgency than other crafts that demand a good amount of supply to participate in. I myself love to sew, quilt and scrapbook along with knitting (and a WEE bit of crochet) Fabric doesn’t really stress me out, and papers and gadgets for scrapping are just part of having a good selection to choose from when it’s time to create a page. Perhaps it’s the amount of time it takes to produce a finished object from yarn as opposed to sewing a quilt or a dress. For me, having “too much” yarn does produce an abundant amount of toomuchititis which is fine for me. It’s not a moral thing. I don’t feel like I am morally obligated to turn those yarn purchases into something because it’s BAD not to do so. I just feel sad when I look through my bins and realize this amazing and awesome yarn I HAD to have, has to sit a little longer before I can cast on with it. Some yarns have been put aside for far too long and it’s simply because a newer yarn catches my eye and I start something with it. Sorry, my beautiful Roma, I must pass you buy for the Cashsoft for a hat. I’ll see you soon. I promise

It’s all good if your comfortable with what you own until someone makes a comment along the lines of “UGH….that much stash would stress me out. I ONLY buy for the project at hand, and then I finish that project, and then with leftovers I knit mittens for the orphans in Mongolia and then with the leftovers from THAT, I make a trip to the nursing home and donate it before I ALLOW myself to buy any more yarn..” Uhm, okay. You want a trophy? Did I miss the event at the Olympics where the person has to be loaded down with their yarn stash to run the 100 meter dash, thereby making him with the least amount of yarn more likey to win?? (As a side note, I’d totally pick being covered in yarn when my fat ass took a dive into concrete, but I digress)

Owning or not owning yarn is not a moral issue. It’s a preference. It’s something each person has to be comfortable with. This blog isn’t about “Ohhhhh I have TOO much yarn to get into heaven so I am going to put myself into a permanent state of Lent until I have none left….” This is simply a challenge to myself. I have beautiful yarns that I want to get to. Every yarn I own is something I deliberately kept while sorting through it, worthy of my time. I want it all to become something. I have a project planned for almost everything in my stash and for those I don’t, I love it enough to help it become something amazing. When it’s all said and done, I am happy with the amount I have and when it’s all gone, you bet I am going to have a blast restocking those four allowed bins with even more yarny goodness.

And so it begins....

My name is Melissa and I'm a yarnaholic. It's been 7 days since my last yarn purchase. I was supposed to be completely DONE buying yarn on April 1st, but I hit my first challenge when purchasing one specific skein of yarn (for someone else) and this lovely little bit of sparkle caught my eye and I fell for it's promise of becoming something great. It went into my basket, into my car and into my stash. However, I will count is as a nothing in my quest, as the day I was supposed to be swearing off yarn purchases, I was in the hospital with my baby boy and I didn't get a chance to make a last purchase. So yeah, we're even :)

I have a largish, but not horribly huge, stash of yarn. I love it all. I started this year with way more than I have now as a result of putting all yarns I did not feel any love for into a donate box. When it was hauled away I wanted to squeeeeeee with delight, kind of like when a person that doesn't really fit in at the party leaves and you can really get down to business once they leave the building. The music goes on, the good drinks come out and everyone left is happy to just relax and be.

This blog is about yarn. Why I love it, why I hoard it and what it becomes. The challenge I have issued to myself is to buy no new yarn until EVERY. LAST. inch of yarn I currently own is gone. You read that right. I am not even going for two skeins out, one in. This is my 5K. This is my sugar addicted, caffeine loving self saying "No sugar...no coffee" although this actually might be a little more painful. But I can do it.

The challenge outline:

Goal: Purchase no new yarn from April 2011 until all yarn currently in possession is gone. ALL four lovely bins worked into something beautiful or given away if I deem it not worthy of the time that would go into knitting it.

Exceptions to rules: I may buy yarn to finish a project that was started with yarns already in my stash. This includes yarn to compliment the yarn already in stash. I already have a purchase I need to make (a carry along yarn that goes with a top I am making a friends' daughter). If I am asked to make a gift, I must make every attempt to find something in the stash to make it with. If that is not possible, someone else must purchase the yarn and give it to me. When buying yarns I need, I have a tendency to allow some "good deals" to sneak into the box being sent to me, so to avoid temptation in that area, I will not be having any yarn sent to me. I can buy needles, patterns, and other extras to help complete projects ;)

Trades: I will still participate in my favorite yarn swap on Ravelry, Karma Yarn Swap. I can trade yarns already in my possession for other yarns as long as what comes in is lesser in yardage than what goes out. Whew!!!

Why? Because I have beautiful yarns that need to be worked into something. Because I have a tendency to go way overboard when I like something and just for once I would like to have NO stash and pick out a gorgeous project and HAVE to buy yarn.

The plan is to knit bigger projects, and then put all leftover yarns back into the bins. Once larger projects are complete, I will assess what can be made with leftovers. Any small bits will be made into Magic Yarn Balls with a Russian join and knit into something super fun.

This is my challenge to myself. I welcome you (any of you out there) to come along for the ride. It will definitely be hard! But a wee bit fun too!

Welcome to my blog!