a singular knitter

With the beginning of a new year, I decided to truly let it all out.  The fiber, the yarn, the UFOs. Everything.  Just in case my not-so-fibery friends happen across this post and start to worry that I’ve added unidentified flying objects to my hobbies, UFO= unfinished objects… but they can be just as scary.

So let’s get that frightening picture out of the way:

2 shawls, 2 sweaters, 1 tee, 1 baby sweater, 1 color work mitten, 1 hat

The oldest project in the bunch is the color work mittens that I started last March.  So it could be worse, but I’d like to not take an entire year to knit a pair of mittens. The good news is the have been started much more recently and consistently worked on.

Next up, my remaining handspun from 2012.  Though there isn’t too much of it, I would like to knit up my handspun yarn a bit sooner.  I’m always to excited once it’s off the wheel or spindle, but then find that it sits there waiting for me to find the right project.  Some of these already have patterns ready and printed, but for some reason I can’t commit to starting the project.  So I’m holding myself accountable for what’s left of last year’s handspun and I hope to knit it all up by the end of this year.  That being said, I hope to spin much more this year, so I probably won’t be able to keep up going forward.

Now, for the real deal.  The rest of the stash.  Keep in mind, this is pictured on a queen-sized bed… just to give some perspective.

To give some further perspective:

And for even more clarification, this spans the entire length, covers more than half the bed and is three skeins high through most of the pile, with most of the fiber hidden in the back.

So where from here? I’m not declaring a “yarn diet”.. I’m not so good at the dieting.  I am going to try not to purchase any yarn or fiber outside of that purchased at Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival in May, the SSK retreat I’ll be attending in July and Rhinebeck (NY Sheep & Wool Festival) in October.  These major events will have all the yarn and fiber I could possibly want with all the vendors I adore.  I plan to save up for these events so that I can buy only the things I will truly love and I don’t already have in my stash.

I also have planned out 13 projects for the year using my oldest yarn to correspond with Stash & Burn’s Use It or Lose It knitalong.  The hat on the needles now is project number one.

As long as I know I use the additions to my stash, I won’t feel so guilty having it.  Also, it maybe cannot grow… when I put it all away (some was still out and not properly put away from last year) it barely fit in the six bins I have in my ENORMOUS bookcase. I don’t have anymore bins……