A few months ago I made an emphatic declaration: I have enough knitting project bags and I can’t justify one more. Not one. I told my friends, my knitting community and anyone within earshot. And I really meant it. Every time I came within view of a new bag (no matter how gorgeous), I told myself no.
But guess what? Eventually, I caved. I bought another bag. [gasp!]
We could talk about willpower. (I have very little when it comes to yarn and knitting bags.) Or we could talk about the pull of the shiny new thing and why it’s so appealing. I’ve decided to focus on the latter, because discussing my lack of willpower would be embarrassing, and no good will come of it.
Anyhoo…
We knitters have a tendency to seek variety. We love trying new things, new yarn, new needles, new project bags, new stitch markers, new wool wash, new patterns, new techniques…. need I go on?
If it’s new, we probably need to try it out so we can decide if it’s our favorite thing. Because it might be.
So how much is too much? When do we say when?
Here are my not-totally-serious-but-also-why-couldn’t-they-be? suggestions for how to justify one more [fill in the blank]:
- If you have too many skeins of yarn and can’t possibly justify one more (said no knitter ever), try knitting faster. Yep, you heard me. The faster you knit, the more new yarn purchases you can justify. (Have you heard about the 4 Day KAL? That could help.)
- Or… if you have too much yarn, try hiding some of it so you’ll forget it’s there. Out of sight, out of mind. And when you do find it again, it’ll be a nice surprise. (It’s the gift that keeps on giving.)
- Or… you could give some of that extra yarn away, because then you’d definitely have to get more yarn so your stash doesn’t get lonely.
- If you have too many project bags, try filling all of them with yarn from your stash and then you’ll HAVE to get a new bag (or two) so you have something to put a project in.
- Also, if you haven’t yet tried color-coordinating your project to your bag, this is another excellent excuse to stock up. Because I guarantee you have a skein of yarn in your stash that clashes with all of your project bags (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), and you should probably do something about that.
- Surely you don’t think you have enough stitch markers, but if you do – just remember how many of them will disappear over the next few months. You need more, trust me.
- Knitting needles? Ha! We both know that the needle you need will be missing when the time comes to use it, so you might as well get a spare (which will probably also go missing, because that’s what they do).
- If you need more ideas, just shout. I can justify until the cows come home.
In all seriousness, though, maybe we don’t technically need that shiny new thing, but if you’ll use it – and if it brings a smile to your face – then I think it’s probably okay to let it follow you home.
And just think of all the small fiber businesses you’re supporting when you do. It’s a win/win.
