The last week of a year has a few magical properties.
There is this short day, the winter solistice, which is meant for standing still and for taking stock of the world. Its a day of gratitude, for making a few plans for the next year, and for shivering through a splendid sunset.
The clouds gave a sterling performance of speed and shape which made the sunset take second place.
There is this feeling that one is being handed another chance…another opportunity to get things in order, to start a new year planner and to face up to some of the challenges lurking in the background.
My top challenge, besides trying to be regular at this site/exercising daily/arranging my wardrobe/playing less spider solitaire is getting my wool collection under control. Every knitter in the world…well, except those who have adopted the system of minimal knitting…shares that experience of wanting to acquire and store every hank of wool which calls out to them. It could be a color, it could be the texture and feel, it could be the long list of knitting patterns saved on the laptop which need to be come out in the world, it can be any reason.
Just take a knitter past a wool store and watch the drama. The hesitant entrance into the shop–looking at the new yarns which have come in–stroking and holding a particular hank of the yarn–thinking hard about which pattern would be right for that yarn–checking out the stock position–(and then, things speed up)- pullouttheyarn-andpayforit–andstuffitinbag–andwalkout. The deed is done.
We have a new menace in these cyber days–websites with delectable yarn collections, and caring friends/relatives who ask if they can send/bring/gift some wool to this knitter. I say “yes” all the time, and the stash has been growing.
I have yarn stashed all over the house. Two and half cupboards, four drawers of the dresser, a large cabinet under the bed and little packets among books. The yarn has been calling out to me when I pass the lockers, entering my dreams and turning them into nightmares, popping out of corners and catching me when I am searching for something else, and basically turning into a big, belligerent monster.
Yesterday morning was a bright, sunny, cold winters day. After a hot breakfast, and before the laptop or whatsap could call me into their distraction, I took a deep breath and started pulling out all the yarn and piling it on this large bed. Unfinished projects, sample pieces, leftover yarn, new yarn…they were all there.
After taking some inspiration from fellow Ravelry members and reading about their stash issues, I got down to listing all the yarn in my quirky Excel document. It had entries under “god knows where” (for source), scratchy wool ( under type), dunno ( under project).
It took many hours, a few cups of tea, lots of teeth gnashing and hand wringing, and a tiny backache to slot all the yarn into their groups. Please note that I DID IT!! After stacking the packets, giving some bits and pieces to the kids next door ( to make ropes for the goats), clearing the bed and drinking yet another cup of tea, this is what I have to handle in 2015..
- 8.764 kgs of yarn in total.. this excludes some lovely pure wool which has just come in from Brooklyn Tweed.
- 2 large throws which need to be completed..it would take about ten hours of knitting to finish them.
- 3 unfinished shawls which I just cant fathom..why did I begin them? I don’t like the color, the pattern, the look! all of them are being frogged ( unwound) to their original state.
- Yarn for 4 adult sweaters.. nice, good, exciting yarn.
- Sock yarn, lace yarn, angora yarn, shiny yarn.
- 2 kgs of little, tiny bits and balls of yarn…they are all going to be crocheted into a hexagon blanket which I started last year.
- Adequate yarn lives in my home to take care of all the knitting dreams for 2015 and 2016. I will need to knit around 500 gms of yarn every month, if I want to make a significant dent in that wall of yarn…and I am going to do it.
Having said that, 8 balls of delicious, soft, bulky wool has come for me..a dear friend wants me to design an unusual throw for her son and his bride. I am starting on this project today…and all my good resolutions, noted above, can wait for a few weeks!