Yarn Logic

Brace yourself. After last week's lament about my lack of knitting time, this post is going to seem puzzling at best. 

Here's why: Time is at a premium and progress is difficult to see, yet once again I'm in the process of making a few select yarn investments. (Weird, right? Granted, there are projects waiting to be photographed and others almost but not quite finished, but much of that isn't visible here.)

In actuality, I'm quickly approaching a knitting wall, and without more yarn several projects will stagger to a full stop. In respect to the last fiber infusion, I've just tapped into the final full skein of Cotton Fleece (Brown Sheep), one of my favorite stash staples. I'm also busily working my way through the other yarns, and soon (hopefully) most of them will be gone or nearly so.

To keep fiber flowing through my fingers and ideas moving from concept to completion, it's time to restock.



Here's my rationale: So far, every skein from the last round is helping convert three to six stash skeins into something pretty, practical or both. That's a good return on investment, so to sustain this trajectory any new yarn buys must meet similar criteria:

1. Leverage existing stash 
2. Support projects in progress
3. Suit new designs in the pipeline

In practical terms, that means instead of buying all the lovely things (which is what I really, really want to do), I'm exercising restraint. The stash (new skeins included) must continue to fit in its designated cupboards. I've worked hard to pare it to manageable proportions, so this is non-negotiable.

The fresh fiber must also have a clear, defined destiny instead of a tantalizing but purely imagined one. In other words, either there's a project on the needles, pattern in hand, or design sufficiently developed to cast on. This helps me resist the soft, seductive charms of a particularly appealing skein (or three) for which I have no immediate plans.

It all sounds rather calm, well-considered and rational, doesn't it? 

We shall see. As every fiber fan knows, from swatches to sweaters and stash building to stash busting, yarn has a whimsical and unpredictable logic of its own.


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