Too Much Yarn?

Thoughts on Yarn and Life by Siouxsi

I often hear knitters say things like, “The last thing I need is more yarn, right?” and “oh, I have way too much yarn right now… I really shouldn’t buy anymore until I have used up what I have.”

To be frank, I’ve never been able to fathom such thoughts. In that instance, if you substitute the word ‘yarn’ for ‘canned foods’ I could see the sense in it. However, I don’t look at yarn as a disposable consumable on a weekly grocery list. Rather, it is a medium between our soul and our creativity.

Take for example, Mr. Vincent Van Gough. Imagine walking into his studio. Do you think you would find ONE paint brush, ONE set of paints, ONE canvas, and ONE easel? No….. his studio would have been brimming with canvases containing both finished and unfinished works alike. Dozens of paint brushes and other utensils; paints galore in all the shades he could get his hands on, and any other object of beauty that would have given him much needed inspiration.

THAT, my fellow fiber artists, is how I look at yarn, patterns, and notions. Knitting is a journey; a process, and every now and then, we actually complete a project that takes our breath away. I used to feel guilty about all the UFOs (unfinished objects) I had. However, I have rid myself of that negative line of thinking and now choose to look at them as works of inspiration. I remember the excitement I felt when I purchased a particular pattern and the yarn to go with it. How awesome it was to cast on those first few rows on a brand new set of needles, freshly out of their plastic package…. And even the questions and comments from knitting friends who might ask what I am working on; where did I get the pattern; what kind of yarn am I using, and maybe they will make one also.

Some knitters refer to this phenomenon as ‘starter-itis’… people who get excited about starting a project but never finish it. While I can admit that this condition exists, I don’t see a problem with it. Periodically, I will go back to my UFOs and decide whether or not I will one day finish them, or, if I have lost interest completely, I will ‘frog’ the yarn (unravel what I have already knitted) and either use the yarn for something else, put it to the side for a future project, or donate the yarn to a friend or charity. I fail to the see the harm in any of this.

Another way I look at yarn is how I look at fashion trends. Each year, new designers come out with beautiful creations. Each year we buy clothes. Some pieces change each year and are simply out of style within a season or two (kind of like the whole Fun Fur thing), while other pieces remain timeless classics (like a beautiful Aran sweater). I don’t know about you, but every now and then, I will go through my closet and weed out clothes that no longer fit; I no longer want; or ‘what was I thinking when I bought that?’ and I donate them all. Does this mean that I stop buying new clothes? Not at all. This same process is used with my yarn. 

Finally, I want to touch on the subject of ‘guilt’ when it comes to buying yarn. As women, we have been groomed over the centuries to feel guilty about just about everything; wanting to be considered equals; voting rights; wanting to work; choosing not to marry and/or have children; and even the remote possibility that we may actually enjoy and initiate sex, outside of procreating. (Yes, I went there….) We chide ourselves about not being skinny enough; pretty enough; young enough; smart enough; not as good a parent as so –and-so’s mother; or … we eat too much; drink too much; weigh too much; work too much, and the list goes on.

I have spent a lifetime feeling guilty over just about everything on that list, and I have even engaged in far worse ‘addictions’ than knitting and buying yarn. For the remainder of this oh so short journey I have left here on earth, I refuse to apologize for my yarn ‘collection’. I make no apologies when it comes to admiring and coveting the beautiful works of other knitters, crocheters, weavers, and spinners. And I definitely make no apologies for the amounts of yarn, fabric, roving, needles, books, and patterns, I have acquired over the years.

I may have made messes in my life as far as certain relationships, career decisions, and even raising kids, are all concerned…. (one can only live, learn, and move on). But as far as my love for and my relationship with, all things fiber is concerned… there are no mistakes; no regrets; and definitely no apologies. There is only the freedom to create; the desire to commune with other fiber artists, and the overwhelming consumption of every ‘fiber’ (pardon the pun) of my being to be a part of such an amazingly creative and gifted community.