How Much Is Too Much?
Most of us do not count sock yarn as stash. Nonetheless, I counted how many potential sock projects I have and arrived at 13. I average a pair of socks a month, so that is over a year of socks. Is that too much? The yarn fills an entire drawer. If I could have a do-over, I would unbuy some of the so-so sock yarn (it's perfectly fine sock yarn, just not anything special) and replace it with wowzers sock yarn, the kind of hand-dyed yarn that is so beautiful it makes your eyes hurt. Okay, that is my new Sock Yarn Rule: only wowzer yarn from now on. Unless it's on sale. Which is how I wound up with the so-so sock yarn.
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Do You Wear Shawls?
I have knit several shawls, and I love knitting them and I love the way they look, but I find I don't particularly like wearing them. Keeping them on my shoulders takes too much futzing around. It could be that the ones I have knit are not conducive to staying put. I have a pattern (and the yarn) for a big, winter-weight shawl. Maybe I just haven't found the right shawl size and type for moi yet.
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What Else Do You Knit with Fingering?
With all that sock yarn I have, I got to wondering: What best to knit with fingering weight yarn besides socks and shawls? Unfortunately, when impulse buying sock yarn, I get just one skein of a particular colorway, but if I had a particular pattern in mind, I might purchase more. Hmmm. Maybe this is a dangerous question. My sock yarn non-stash may grow by leaps and bounds.
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Well, the Montego Bay Sea Silk scarf is not going to make it to Women's Weekend. After a slight mishap at work with the Embossed Leaves socks (it involved much cursing and the strategic placement of a paperclip until I could get home to my dropped-stitch-handling tools), I decided the scarf was a better option for knitting in meetings. Consequently, the knitting portion of it is done. All that remains is the fringe. The fringe consists of clusters of 5 lengths of yarn, to be doubled and braided. How best to braid ten lengths of yarn? (That's question number four, but who's counting? Ha! Another question, if rhetorical.)
I did start the Big Bad Baby Blanket (interestingly enough, in fingering weight yarn, doubled), and it is a primo candidate for WW. It has a seed stitch border, and the inner panels are stockinette and reverse stockinette. Surely, surely, I can talk and knit this at the same time. Surely!
My son is here for a couple of days, so I am taking some vacation time and pretending I am retired. Aaah! My big goal for today is to bake a rhubarb-strawberry birthday pie. Ymmm!
4 comments:
1. I do believe there probably is a "too much" point for sock yarn, but as at last count I had yarn for over 20 pairs of socks, that point is beyond 20...:)
2. I do wear shawls quite a bit--more or less depending on the shawl itself. I have a rectangular mohair one that I wear for almost all formal events, and two cotton blend "Lotus blossom" shawls that I wear with more casual clothes, and a turquoise variegated that I can wear with a few outfits (it clashing wildly with most of my dresses). I wear suits for work, so they fit pretty well with that look. I also occasionally pin them in place which helps a LOT
3. I mostly do socks & baby sweaters with fingering, though occasionally I do a little lace with it (being crazy enough to generally use laceweight). I am also making a bolero from "Vintage Knits" with a lovely cashmere blend fingering. It's slow, but great portable projects! :)
1. I think each has their own limit. Mine is a big rubbermaid tote filled to the point where i have to have weight on top of it to keep it closed. I have not counted pairs.. I am a little scared to. I also agree that there are some I would have not bought and well I sometimes think I will never knit them.
2. I have one shawl of the ones I have knitted and I do wear it. It is Adara from Elann and it is great for those ac chills. I want to make myself another one Mystic light (if I ever get to finish it)
3. I also knit lace with fingering, it goes much faster. Really I guess you could make anything. A sweater would be a great really really really long term project. I am thinking of dong some gloves or fingerless mitts with some of the sock yarn I have.
=)
I probably have half a year of sock yarn. I like to knit socks and there is always someone who would take them off my hands (although I have to insure they would go to a good home)!
Thanks for your comment on my blog. I think you're right about the psychic energy of dealing with other's expectations going down at 50. Perhaps the author of When I Am Old I Shall Wear Purple was looking forward to that!
Hi Abby,
THanks for your comment,I guess most of usknitters do manage multiple projects to fit various moods and situations.
I too have mixed feelings about shawls. I am on the short and borad side, so, while I find them fairly comfortable, I am not sure that they look great on me. Both for keeping on and for looks though, I like rectangular shawls better than triangles.
Re. fingering: WIth the help of flyingfingers, a Ravelry friend, I modified the Klaralund sweater pattern for doubled lace weight, about equivalent to fingering. I really like it.
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