Shoot. I just realized that my last post marked my hundredth one. Wow. Considering the lack of consistent blogging last year, I'm a bit surprised I've made it to that mile marker of sorts. I try to make some New Year's resolutions each year, but never get total success at achieving them all. Even with that, though, I do reach a lot of them. I am a better/growing person having done at least some of those things consistently. That said, I do hope to be back to at least a weekly post this year. I am planning on a few vows/promises/hopes to myself for 2009 in the lure of reaching a moderate amount of those goals.
One of those goals was inspired by Clara's Knitter's Review article on "Slow Stashing." She was responding to the general consensus that folks everywhere had a ton of stash, could conceivably knit purely from that stash with no need to make any foreseeable purchases, & therefore were resolving to knit in '09 only from said stashes. She thought that that would NOT be a good thing for the lys across America & that there could be a possible middle ground. Slow stashing. You would knit from your stash for the majority of your projects, but still make purchases of only high quality yarns that make you happy. No impulse buying of mediocre yarns here. This will enable all our lys store owners to stay in business until the economy picks back up. After a recent cleaning out of my closet & discovering that, "Yes, Charlotte. There is a stash!" I must really get to work on knitting it up.
It's not that huge in perspective to some yarn-a-holics stashes, but it is pretty significant. I could knit up until Rhinebeck, perhaps even the whole year, without needing to buy a single thing. It shocked me, too. I had to have a sit down with a large glass of wine (while surrounded by my gastly discovery covering the large master bathroom floor) in order to let that soak in to my brain. I plan on knitting mostly from my stash in '09. The only purchasing I'm allowing myself will be at Rhinebeck (OF COURSE!) or of super quality yarn as needed (as in, I don't own any usable yarn for project x.) Deborah & I employ this system with scrapbooking. It always works on that front, to which our neatly (sort of), well contained-in-the-designated-space supplies, & happy bank accounts attest to. I said it. Deborah will keep me to it, lol.
How are you all approaching your stashes & purchases for 2009 in light of the economy? Or is it having no impact on the knitting lifestyle to which you've become accustomed?
6 comments:
When I have money, I buy yarn. If I get more money, I buy yarn. We've recently lost one LYS due to the economy. I'm doing my best to keep the other one going.
I'm going to do the same thing in 2009 as I did last year. I try to curb my yarn purchases and buy only with a specific project in mind and I try to knit from the stash as much as possible. If it's on sale and it's a workhorse yarn like Cascade or Noro, then I'll buy some (in reasonable amounts). My on-line impulse buying of sock yarn is pretty much over & done with. Hooray! At Rhinebeck or MDSW, all bets are off and I usually go hog wild. That's ok. If I am away on business or a vaction then I like to buy souvenir yarn too. I definitely have a fiber problem. :)
I'm right there with ya. I kinda started doing that over the Fall. And yes, we do keep each other in check! Loves ya sis. BTW, I think I am going to try and put a little money away each week now for preparation for Rhinebeck. I want to be able to go hog wild if I should desire. LOL $10 bucks a week will yield me $400!
Stash, what stash? I recently knit mittens entirely from scrap yarn, which I'm very proud off and then rushed out a bought yarn for several more projects that I don't have the time for. I got a gift certificate to the LYS for xmas and I went and spent that too. Call the doctor.
My stash isn't that big so I'm not sure I could knit a whole year on it but maybe I can because it seems I'm knitting in small spurts anymore so I'm not really finishing anything very fast. Maybe I just feel this way because I was away for 3 weeks and I've just returned and of course being on an airplane around sick people you can guess what happened. LOL Yep, came home and within a day I was sick as could be. So as soon as life gets back to normal and no one is coughing up a lung I will hopefully get to knit more. :)
Considering the state of our finances (hubby and I have both had hours cut), we are taking a serious hard look at how things are handled in the household. Namely there is no longer wild and free spending of money for yarn, when I have yarn in the stash. I must have something specific in mind from this point out to purchase yarn. This doesn't, however, carry over to accessories or baby gifts or other gift yarn. We're also taking a reasonable approach to vacations - instead of one big vacation, we're taking several small vacations. The first one we are planning for June. I think it'll all work out.
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