Radical Notion

I'm going to try to do something "radical" this year:

I'm going to try to get through the whole year without adding to my yarn/thread/fiber stash!

There, I said it right out in public.

I have lots of tatting thread, new and vintage. Really lots. More than that, even. If I tatted every waking hour of every day this year, while my floors disappeared under Legos and fluffs of dog hair, I am pretty sure I would still have plenty of tatting thread left over. So I am going to try to resist buying more. Can I do it? I don't know. But I've made a pretty public declaration, so I am definitely going to try!

And not just tatting thread. I have weaving yarn of all weights and fibers, some of which I've had for [mumble mumble] years. Some of which is perfectly suitable for knitting, now that I think of it. Time to use some of that up, and make some of the things that danced in my head when I picked it up.

I have knitting yarn, not the opulent stashes of some knitters, but still. Bags of it, storage drawers of it.

My husband said, when I confessed this weird notion to him, "You certainly have enough to keep you busy." Okay, he doesn't understand! When I pick up a ball of gorgeous hand-dyed fine perle cotton, in a colorway I'll almost certainly never see again, I'm not thinking about "keeping busy." I'm thinking of the gorgeous things I could tat with it. I'm thinking of the fun I could have.

Adding to my stash is all about wonderful creative possibilities. My goal in making this decision is to try and realize some of those creative possibilities. To get them out of my head and into the real world.

Meanwhile, here is something in the real world:



The top-down hat outgrew my dpns. So it became a double-knitted object. I had to use 14 inch knitting needles, and my metal ones felt heavy. So I tried the Chinese bamboo needles I bought on eBay last year. At first, the yarn didn't slide very smoothly.

I turned to my secret weapon. This is something called "Super Film -- Micron Abrasive Film," made by Houston Art, Inc., that I bought at Michael's. Every time I finish working with one needle, I take the Super Film to the free needle. After several rows, both needles are getting smooth and glossy. Now the yarn slides as smoothly as an aluminum needle, and I don't have the weight dragging at my wrists, so I am happy.