Tag Archive | yarn diet

Thinning the Herd

Jan11

Every January, a large number of knitters declare, “I’m going to knit from stash this year! I’m not going to buy so much new yarn!” I’m usually one of those knitters, and this year is no different. I do want to knit from stash; I’ve spent a long time cultivating a healthy collection of beautiful yarns.

img_5735I mean, look at all that yarn!! I shouldn’t need to buy more at all for a long time! But I don’t want to stop buying new yarn completely. That’s not realistic or fun, especially since I’ll be going to Knitting in the Heartland this year. No, my goal this year is to simply use more from my stash than I add to it. I’m going by skein count rather than yardage and to increase accountability, I created a page in my knitting journal to keep track of skeins in and out. I’m off to a good start, especially after a week of lots of knitting time: I’ve used five skeins from stash and added none! Last night I wound two more skeins and this morning cast on for a new project, a Malabrigo Rasta hat that I’ve been planning for about a year.

img_6584What are your goals for stash this year?

I had to, it was purple

Jan31

I have an unexpected day off today. That darn polar vortex hit us yesterday, but it wasn’t until this morning that we discovered our hot water pipes had frozen. Yes, we should have left water dripping. Alas, we forgot, and I am not a fan of cold showers. In trying to get the pipes warmed up, we redirected a duct from the kitchen, which made the kitchen and dining room pretty cold. And that’s where the dogs stay when we’re not home. So not only did I feel unshowered and gross, I would felt guilty leaving them in the coldest part of the house all day. So! Day off for me, and I hope to have knitting to show for it tomorrow!

Today, I’ll show off my new yarn. Yep, I bought yarn recently. But I say it without guilt or shame, because it was just one skein, it was carefully considered, and we’re doing really well with our budget this month. I knew I wouldn’t go that long without buying any yarn; I just wanted to get away from the mindless, retail-therapy, “buy it all because it’s pretty” mindset. And I have to say, so far it feels really good to break out of that habit.

This skein is a colorway I’ve had my eye on for at least a month or so. It’s from Lolodidit and it’s her newest purple colorway. She teased us with it on Instagram before it was available, asking for name suggestions, and eventually decided on Prince. Her first photo sold me, but I waited a while after it went on sale, just to make sure I really wanted it.

Spoiler: I did.

img_2957

It is STUNNING. My photo doesn’t come close to doing it justice. I bought it on a basic sock base but when I saw it, I knew I couldn’t just put it on my feet. No, this needs the perfect shawl pattern so I can wear it all the time and show it off.

So this is my call to you: what’s your favorite one-skein fingering weight pattern?