Having spent four out of the last seven weeks abroad, my finances are not too great at the moment. I am having to show restraint in so many areas of my life. I went to town yesterday and the shops are full of beautiful winter clothes and I had to show unprecedented resolve not to nip quickly to the changing rooms to try on some of the many lovely things I saw. Anyone who knows me well can vouch for my love of winter and winter clothes. There are many positive things about summer, and having an allotment it's vital for vegetables, fruit and flowers. But to be perfectly honest, I just tolerate summer. I don't enjoy it and I'm glad when it's all over. I am counting down to pay day because on that day I will be buying my winter coat and my winter wardrobe will begin.
In light of this month's belt tightening I am also having to restrain my yarn purchases. The sensible part of me knows that I really don't need any more of the stuff but I love buying it and having lots of it around me, and I'm sure my love for yarn and knitting is linked to me being a winter person. I went to John Lewis and saw some gorgeous new yarns but walked away empty-handed. I went to the Wool Baa and could have bought so much lovely stuff, but again had to resist. (I did buy something, but it's not for me, so it doesn't count, right?)
When it comes to my knitting, I am looking on the positive side and seeing this month as an opportunity to reduce the stash and become reacquainted with some old friends I haven't seen for a while. I have so many balls of yarn that are beautiful in their own right, but they have been neglected and shoved to the bottom of my yarn bag. In many ways, I'm actually being more creative and experimental. I have now finished my Mum's Monkey Christmas socks. I used the remaining hand-dyed yarn for the cuff, heel flap and toes, which was a really good way of using up the tidbits because I really wanted to make some use of this unique yarn. I now have lots of the plain green yarn left, but I am going to employ the same technique when I knit the other hand-dyed sock yarn. I think coordinated cuffs, heel flaps and toes are actually really effective and add a little variety to your knitting.
I decided to use remaining sock yarn for my next pair of socks. They were supposed to be for my youngest sister, but they are not going to fit her. I've cast on too few stitches and thought it would be okay because I am using 3mm needles. Instead, they are now for Shona, who will love their vibrancy. The main sock is the remaining Colinette Popsicle yarn and the 'interest' comes from the remaining Colinette Florentina yarn. I actually think they work really well together but purple and green are one of my favourite combinations. My Grandma has always loved these two colours together and I love them because it reminds me of the Sufragette jewellery in Green, White and Violet (Give Women Votes).
Stash-busting isn't so bad after all.
2 comments:
The speed at which you knit socks never ceases to amaze me! I take it that is the one you brought to the shop yeaterday with just a few rows under the rib completed? The socks for your Mum look great. She will love them. I too am counting up unfinished/not started projects and am determined to get on with them. Trouble is I keep starting new ones as I come across odd balls of yarn and handy patterns....
Yes, they are the ones. I made great progress last night singing to The Last Night of the Proms and knitting away. There can be no greater Saturday evening than that!
I'm not surprised that you start new projects with that stash of yours. Of course, technically shop stock is not a stash, but if I owned your shop, I'd think of the yarn as my own personal stash.
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