You Can't Have Your Yarn and Knit It Too

Thank you for the comments about yarn collection vs. pattern collection (see previous post and feel free to add to the discussion). Your comments have helped me figure out how I feel - I love to have yarn on hand so that if I come across a pattern I like, I can get started right away. It's hard for me to find time to shop and I don't have a lot of patience when it comes to waiting to get to a store - I'm more of the instant gratification sort (thus all the quick projects). That being said, I realized that I feel pressure to knit the yarn I have on hand and since I can't knit it all right away, I've been sort of feeling guilty. I feel now that I can relax and just enjoy having the yarn. It's beautiful to look at and I'm giving myself permission to enjoy just having it around.

Which brings me to my latest project. For Christmas last year, my cousins gave me two giant balls of yarn - the biggest balls of yarn I've ever seen. For 12 months, I gazed at them, pondered them, wondered what they should become. I wasn't sure how much was there and so I hesitated. I didn't want to get through 90 percent of a project only to find out I didn't have quite enough. On the other hand, I knew there was a lot so I didn't want to use just a little on a small project and then not have enough for something bigger.

Then the cold spell came and I had a hankering for a wide, cabled scarf. My budget was busted and I couldn't get to a shop anyway. So I took the plunge with the big ball. I found a great reversible cable pattern and have fallen head over heels in love with cables. By the end, I'd even mastered cableing without a cable needle.

As I knitted, the ball got smaller and smaller and smaller. That made me a little sad. Not to get too philosophical on you - but it's that way with the children only in reverse. I love what they're becoming, but I miss what they were.

So here is my ball now, next to the remaining big one for context.

Here is what we have instead of a giant ball of yarn - I will say this much, it is a lot warmer! As you can see - it is as long as I am tall. I'm told this is a good length for a scarf. I must agree.

Now, the question is - do I keep the balls intact or do I move ahead with plans for a matching hat and mittens? Hmmm......