Luscious Gracious Knitting Tips - #1

Use that favorite yarn!

Someone told Kiki this bit of wisdom about fabric back when she was a full-time quilter - you know, B.K. (before knitting). If you save it (whether fabric or yarn), and worry that you will never find a project worthy of it, or worse; that you will "mess it up" because you are not yet a perfect knitter, remember the following:

1. Using it, actually knitting with it, expands the pleasure you get from the yarn. Chances are, you chose this beauty not just because of the way it looks, but because of how it feels. Get it out, wind it into a ball, play with it, swatch it. Then knit it up and wear it with pride. Experience that tactile bliss with each stitch, and then *gasp* every single time you put it on your body.

2. Don't worry about using up your favorite yarn. This is a common theme - the fear that you will never find such a perfect color/texture/shine again. The truth is, yarn companies come out with thousands of new yarns each year. Even if you aren't one of those people who finds a new passion with every visit to the yarn shop, you are likely to come across something you can't live without in the next 2 years' worth of offerings. Trust me.

3. All tastes, even yours, change. If you have been knitting for a long time, think back to what your favorite yarns were when you started. Did you used to favor shiny novelty yarns while you now lean toward fine laceweight mohair? What I am saying is this; believe it or not, your current favorite may not always be at the top of your list of fibery goodness. There may come a time when you only stitch with yarns that you spin and/or dye yourself. Take the opportunity to knit your current favorite now before you look back at the dusty skeins in five years and wonder what you ever saw in them.

4. Instead of thinking, "But then my special yarn will be gone," think, "I could very well stop knitting next week/month/year." Knit like there is no tomorrow. Lifestyles change. Knit it now while you have the interest, time, and ability. And the yarn, like energy, is never "gone". It is simply transformed. If you put the finished item in heavy rotation in your wardrobe or in your home, you will see, feel, and enjoy it on a regular basis. Even carefully preserved knitted heirlooms (think baby gowns and bridal lace) see the light of day occasionally and garner more applause than any beautiful skein of yarn hidden away in your stash.

5. Don't fret over finding "the perfect pattern". The most beautiful materials are often showcased in the most simple ways. Select a project with clean lines and few distractions. Choose something you've knit a dozen times, something you know looks good on you, or that you have found, through experience, that the intended recipient will actually wear.

Do that best-ever yarn a favor and USE IT!

Kiki

Looks like Kiki needs to take her own advice. This shot is from a crate labeled "Kiki's Favorites, Don't Touch!"

Steve