Nice Stash!

Dear Modest Yarn Stash,

I suppose that every knitter buys yarn differently. I have marveled at personal stashes that were the knitting equivalent of a home LYS, custom shelving full of wool, home yarn studios and walk-in fiber rooms. I feel an initial twinge of envy when I see such things but then I remember how I buy yarns and why it suits me.

Most obvious I suppose is that my yarn budget is not six figures… or five… or four, we’ll call it modest. One might think that I do a great deal of planning like “once I have enough money I need “x” amount of yarn for “x” project”. That would seem practical but I also have my whimsical, flighty inner child with which to contend. That side talks to me in space-cadet terms; it says things like “soft”, “shiny”, “fuzzy”, and “that’s the color of moonbeams on Datura flowers”. Yeah.

I might add that this phenomenon hits me when I forget to pack the shopping list that my practical side penned in green ink on a yellow mini Post It note and I find myself dumbstruck in my LYS (which mind you, is about an hour and a half away from home).

All is not lost and certainly not useless, these purchases with no intent (other than their sensuality), become bits of inspiration. I have no idea what I will knit with them initially and it leads me to ponder them, examine them and await that serendipitous moment where a couple balls of airy mohair become a finished piece of knitting. It keeps me going and I wouldn’t change a thing.

love,
Terry

P.S.
Just so you know if I win the lottery (if I ever actually play the lottery), I’ll probably buckle and build a fiber studio but it doesn’t mean I appreciate you any less.