Stash Knit Down 2008

Thanks to the thoughtful post of my online friend, and fellow blogger, Elysbeth, I am joining her in the Stash Knit Down 2008.

Okay, last year I avoided an official Yarn Diet. My thinking was that if I did that by officially restricting myself, I'd merely rebel and buy even more. And I did pretty well on not adding new yarn purchases to the stash. I just didn't do much to knit it down, either.

I may be under the mistaken belief that if I keep it tucked away in plastic bins and in project bags in the closet - it doesn't exist. "I don't think (about it), therefore it isn't." Is that the reverse form of the "I think therefore I am" philosophy or what?

Seriously, I don't have as much stash as I used to. Throughout 2007, though I wasn't on an official "yarn diet" I truly did buy a lot less, and even gave away a bunch of yarn that I knew I'd never use. I even managed to survive Stitches Midwest last summer and only buy 3 skeins of yarn for a specific freeform project I'm working on. I even have many of these stashed yarns bagged, usually with the intended pattern in the bag, and sometimes even the needles! Since I'm a slow knitter, though, I have more of these future projects in the queue and in the closet, than I can realistically knit in a couple of years. Sometimes a project or a yarn is no longer appealing to me because over time, and with increased knitting experience, my tastes change.

So by joining this Stash Knit Down 2008 group on Ravelry, I hope to get the stash OUT of the closet, to photograph and log it into my official Stash inventory over on Ravelry. I intend to be more aware of the in-house store I have in my closet, and to turn to it first before buying more yarn. One more thing: if I buy a whole new project's worth of yarn for something new that grabs me, I have to first somehow get rid of another project from the stash, either by knitting it, selling it, giving it away or whatever. I don't want to add more to the stash, without first reducing it - and ideally the total result will be less money spent, less stash added, and more used for a good purpose - that's the point.

All this goes back to my word for 2008 "Awareness" - by becoming more aware of what I'm buying, why I'm buying, and how I might better use the resources I already have, perhaps I'll strengthen awareness in other areas of my life as well, i.e. diet/health, personal finances, etc.

I also hope to use some of my stash to do some Charity knitting for local kids - I'm not much motivated to knit things for far away people in foreign countries. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I was talking with Rita at Knitcraft the other day, and she pointed out that she donates all her charity knits to the local Children's Mercy Hospital. That definitely appeals to me, and I promised that I'd join her in contributing at least a few knitables this year.