Yarn and Fabric Stash and Rule!

Rules? There are no stinking rules. That's my rule. Seems to me that every January crafters everywhere decide this is the YEAR OF THE STASH DOWN!! Meaning, they all have intentions of buying from a large event, or not at all. Some do manage, more don't. Come on, it's a cheesecake world and you are talking about having only plain lettuce.

Angel snuggles my hand dyed Gracious Gray Alien, yarn. 

I have a different approach, not better, I am not better, just different. Buy with intent. I have more patterns than I can use. I love patterns. Each one is a novel of shape and form and I read them, like I do cookbooks, like a novel. "Oh, the Cuban stew in ___ cookbook reads like a spicy love story. Yum!!"

Patterns are potato chips. One pattern can be inexpensive, some free, but if a designer is good, I try to support them. I will buy the patterns I love. I hoard them. The knit and crochet patterns are all listed in my library on Ravelry (www.ravelry.com) and include an impressive list of designs that are some, "Yes, I will have the skills to make that, If I reach 200 and can still knit," and some, "I can do that now." So, this year I pick designs I aspire to, and buy for those patterns. I have some in my stash, but not all I need and some stash I may never use. That does not get knit into any ole thing. I am selling that to other worthy knitters. Maybe what I intended to do with it would not look good in that yarn, maybe it's an independent dyer and I want to make something I don't have enough for. I can sell it and get something that works for a, "I am doing it this year," project and buy with intent. I will make three sweaters. I have enough good yarn for two. I will decide on the third and buy for it, or dye yarn for it. Probably the latter.

Sock yarns? I can always use them, but thanks to gigantic feet, my husband has fat feet and I have very long feet with toes that could probably knit, they are so flexible, that I need more yarn than the average human when I make socks. They are not as cost effective as other things, but fun and interesting. Hats? I can never have too many and they make wonderful gifts.

Wolverine always appreciates knit items. Especially the ones I love. Really, is your outfit ever complete without cat hair?

So instead of stashing down, I am stashing useful. If I don't have enough sock yarn, it's going to someone with smaller feet. If I don't 100% love the yarn, it's being gifted, or sold. I'm passing it on. I refuse to knit with something I hate. It might be the feel. I am very tactile, or the look, not usually that. You never know. I'm just going to be more selective. Dyers are businesses who need to keep going and independent dyers need to keep income flowing in. I want to support them. To encourage creativity and growth of small companies. This is a way to do it. Make things I will use mindfully. Not just knit for the process. I am a process knitter. Finish more, get what I love and wear what I make. Gift more of what I make. It's nice enough. Not knit with something I bought five years ago that met my criteria then. I am not who I was. I am becoming. We all are. Goals change, life changes and my kids are not knit-worthy. While I'd love to make them hats and mittens, they don't care. I'm only going to knit for those who appreciate what goes into the process. I think those are reasonable goals for life. Do what you love, love what you do and work for those who appreciate your love and time. The rest can have a gift card.