Completely Backwards

To participate in the Gift Knitting Bootcamp, I made a list of the few people I wanted to bestow my highest honor on. Then after they made it on the short list, I picked out projects that I thought would be fun to knit and also exciting to the them. Naturally the next step would be to pick out yarn to use, hopefully from my extensive stash.

I go into my closet which is where I keep most of the good stuff (Beckey, you know the other spots), and enjoyed a few hours of sorting through, pulling out, and completely loving on my yarn. The problem is that I'm having trouble picking out a yarn that I have, that will go with the projects I've chosen. To me, it seems that I should have gone and picked out the yarn from the stash first, then picked projects, then decided who was going to get what. I may still do this if I can't get it together.

I've never really felt divided feelings about stash before. It's always been good for me to have stash. Every couple of months I go through, pull some stuff out, organize it, move it around so it can make new friends and it's always a big pick-me-up. But this time, I'm feeling a little trapped. I don't want to go buy a bunch of yarn to make the projects I've picked out, because I already have so many cool projects here at home. And I want to make use of what I've got. But...if I didn't have all of that stash, I would feel completely free to search out yarn for any new project I wanted. It's a weird feeling, but I'm sure I'll get over it. The other part of the stash that makes it a little more complicated is, I didn't buy most of it. About once a year yarn finds it's way to me through people who are looking to get rid of it. It's always a really fun experience to get these sometimes small, but sometimes big packages. But it definitely complicates the process of putting together a project, as most of the time, it's one or two balls of something.

Stash diving got me thinking and I might have a touch of Startitis (which usually doesn't affect me). I'm usually good if I've got a pair of socks on the needles, and one or two other projects going. But I've been thinking now about just starting a few more things. Like starting a small bolero jacket for me with my luscious Road to China Sapphire yarn My Best B got me for my birthday. Or what about the few skeins of handspun? Something should be done with it! And the yarn that I tried to make Jeanie with, but it was too variegated to show off the stitches. It needs to be a Citron shawl! And my beautiful kits from the Rockin Sock Club 2009. I have 4 that are just gorgeous that I need to complete!

A sidenote about the Rockin Sock Club 2011. Even though I have 4 kits left from the year I joined, and major plans for socks this year already, the thought has entered my head that I shouldn't miss out on the cool colorwork that's going to be going on this year. BUT I WILL RESIST! I lamented to my husband about how I was in complete conflict with myself about it and he helped talk me down. Also, the stash diving has helped because I have awesome Socks That Rock in there.

What can I say? Hello, my name is Kelie and I'm a sock-aholic. I guess I'll just start there!