Knitting for all seasons…
Most of my stash is wool. This translates to 98% of my stash. Most anywhere else in the world, that would probably be a wonderful thing, but in South Texas, there are only six or seven really good days to wear wool without sweltering.
Why then, did I knit, at least, nine heavy wool sweaters for myself last year?
In all honesty, three of them have yet to be worn.
The answer: I really love the feel of wool in my hands. There is something about the soft springiness of it that is such a pleasure to knit.
While I love to wear hemps, linens, silks, and cottons and do so more than nine months out of the year, they nearly make my hands bleed to knit with them.
The last year or two has seen me pare down the stash considerably. While this blog has been largely idle, much designing, knitting, and test-knitting have been going on. Surprises are on the way, but nothing that can be revealed at the moment. However, all this knitterly industry has translated into a significant depletion of the stash, not only for projects, but as payment to lovely and talented test-knitters. What remains of the stash are the things which I truly, dearly love.
As such, I have spent a great deal of time ruminating on the perfect project for each yarn. My queue is long, but I have managed to appropriately pair my sweater quantities of wool to almost three dozen designs. Unfortunately, unless I move to the Great North and beyond, my queue contains more sweaters than I will ever be able to wear in three lifetimes in South Texas.
After that little realization, I decided I needed a very different approach, to not only my stash acquisition, but my knitting priorities.
Never will I cease to buy wool, but I decided to refocus my energies on less heavy worsted and Aran weight wools to fingering and sport weight.
Secondly, I will be (and have been) less selfish in my knitting. Why not shower those I love best with what I love best? Besides, several of them are far more cold natured than I am. Win-win, right?
Lastly, I really do need to explore knitting more with natural fibers like linen, flax, and hemp that are so much more comfortable to wear in my present clime.
Along those lines, I had another startling revelation: less than 2% of my stash is non-wool!
More intelligent readers would have divined that nugget of truth way back in the second sentence of the first paragraph; however, life has been stressful lately and, perhaps, I have become daft with age and infirmity…
In any event, I see a definite green light opportunity for stash acquisition, which, of course, is the next best thing to knitting itself.
Anyone with me?
Last night, I gently reminded my husband that Mother's Day is just around the corner and that I have a birthday in June. His response was a single raised eyebrow, instead of a wry comment along the lines of "You're not my mother." I reminded him that gift buying and most all other forms of affection for me were as easy as a gift card for yarn. This morning, he emailed me that a gift card for one of my favorite haunts had been acquired. It is no wonder we have been together for almost twenty-five years!
Dichotomy has been in queue since the Spring of 2009.
The yarn is Tahki Yarns Cotton Classic (100% Mercerized Cotton).
Why then, did I knit, at least, nine heavy wool sweaters for myself last year?
In all honesty, three of them have yet to be worn.
The answer: I really love the feel of wool in my hands. There is something about the soft springiness of it that is such a pleasure to knit.
While I love to wear hemps, linens, silks, and cottons and do so more than nine months out of the year, they nearly make my hands bleed to knit with them.
The last year or two has seen me pare down the stash considerably. While this blog has been largely idle, much designing, knitting, and test-knitting have been going on. Surprises are on the way, but nothing that can be revealed at the moment. However, all this knitterly industry has translated into a significant depletion of the stash, not only for projects, but as payment to lovely and talented test-knitters. What remains of the stash are the things which I truly, dearly love.
As such, I have spent a great deal of time ruminating on the perfect project for each yarn. My queue is long, but I have managed to appropriately pair my sweater quantities of wool to almost three dozen designs. Unfortunately, unless I move to the Great North and beyond, my queue contains more sweaters than I will ever be able to wear in three lifetimes in South Texas.
After that little realization, I decided I needed a very different approach, to not only my stash acquisition, but my knitting priorities.
Never will I cease to buy wool, but I decided to refocus my energies on less heavy worsted and Aran weight wools to fingering and sport weight.
Secondly, I will be (and have been) less selfish in my knitting. Why not shower those I love best with what I love best? Besides, several of them are far more cold natured than I am. Win-win, right?
Lastly, I really do need to explore knitting more with natural fibers like linen, flax, and hemp that are so much more comfortable to wear in my present clime.
Along those lines, I had another startling revelation: less than 2% of my stash is non-wool!
More intelligent readers would have divined that nugget of truth way back in the second sentence of the first paragraph; however, life has been stressful lately and, perhaps, I have become daft with age and infirmity…
In any event, I see a definite green light opportunity for stash acquisition, which, of course, is the next best thing to knitting itself.
Anyone with me?
Last night, I gently reminded my husband that Mother's Day is just around the corner and that I have a birthday in June. His response was a single raised eyebrow, instead of a wry comment along the lines of "You're not my mother." I reminded him that gift buying and most all other forms of affection for me were as easy as a gift card for yarn. This morning, he emailed me that a gift card for one of my favorite haunts had been acquired. It is no wonder we have been together for almost twenty-five years!
Dichotomy has been in queue since the Spring of 2009.
Imagine it with steel grey on top and black on the bottom:
Barbara has languished in the queue since Spring 2010:
I see her in Cocoa:
Yarn: Grignasco Knits Mousse (50% Soy/40% Fine Merino Wool/10% Silk)
Good?
Yes!
So, what are YOUR summer knitting plans?
Comments
That is so awesome, Martine!
I love the color!
; )
(Still have to block it, but don't know if I will)
I love the red!
; )