Well, first it was stash. I started knitting and thought all you “old time” knitters were crazy for having so much yarn. While my stash isn’t huge, it does take up 4 drawers in a pretty hefty bin-style drawer set now.
Even so, I was very good about starting a project and finishing it before starting a new one.
Then I started doing more knitting in public, so I had more complicated projects for home, and easier “travel” projects for taking with me. Then someone would ask for something or there’s be a birthday or other giving occasion…and soon I had 3-4 WIP’s going at any given time.
But all those stories of UFO’s hidden away…that just seemed too weird. Until today.
Yes, I cleaned out those 4 bins today, and found not only a whole bunch of missing needles…but the projects they were in…about 6 projects I’d forgotten about.
So…now I understand how this hobby can take on a life of its own!! Now all I need to do is get organized with stuff I’m waiting to cast on and stuff I need to finish!
One of the ways I know I have too many projects going at once is when I can’t find any more stitch markers and don’t have the right size needles to start another project! Welcome to the obsession!!
I understand completely. If my stash for future planned objects gets much larger someone is going to acuse me of being a hoarder. I always put the pattern I have planned with the yarn so I don’t forget why I bought it!
I think that we all get like this. Eventually I had to start limiting myself to three active projects. And I will either frog one or finish one before I will start another. I think it keeps me from getting too out of control.
However, a tip on the stash thing. If you get a ball winder and wind all of your balls, hanks, skeins with it, it makes them smaller than they normally would be, so you can fit more in your stash, Plus they tend to stack very nicely.
I rewind everything that I buy so that it will fit in my knitting drawers better.
Welcome to the wonderful world of knitter madness! :teehee:
Trvvn - (do you have a name btw? Sounds weird to call you that) Anyway, I’ve read/heard that you shouldn’t wind the skeins to far in advance because it stretches the yarn and that it may not spring back quite as much. I’m thinking if you knit with it stretched and it does spring back it could affect the fit of a garment, too. :think:
Use a ball winder with a large center shaft and wind on loosely. When the yarn is removed from the ball winder you will see it “bloom” as it fills in the center opening.
If I wind off of a swift or the original yarn ball is tight I watch how tight the ball being produced is wound. I will rewind the ball I just wound if I fell it is too tight.
That would work wonders for me, if it wasn’t for the fact that I on occassion go into the LYS with no set ideas in my head of what I want to make and then I start walking around going, “Oooooh Pretty!!!” and then I buy things just cuz I like them and have no idea what I plan on doing with them.
Word to the wise, never go to the yarn store without a plan. Bad bad, expensive idea to not have a plan.
