A little, a lot, passionately

ON THE OCCASION OF MY LAST POST , I announced to you that I would write shortly about the dependence of knitters on wool. It took me a long time to find the right angle, but here I go.

If you have spent any time in a yarn store, you will certainly have noticed that many customers tend to touch the skeins, smell them, smell them and gently pass them over their face. And yet, make no mistake! This is not a new “fetish” trend! Knitters aren't all crazy, they're just crazy about the fibres, textures and feel associated with wool.

You see, we spend countless hours with these fibers between our fingers! A little gentleness is therefore very important, given the intimate relationship we have with these magical fibers which are transformed through our movements into utilitarian works of art.

During my visits to the new temples of wool, I discovered that there are several types of knitters. I present to you the two extremes. Some only do one project at a time. These are the ones who generally purchase their skeins as they need them and who specifically choose their wool based on particular projects. These knitters do not hoard wool unnecessarily and make informed choices based on patterns that they want to knit according to a fairly defined schedule or work plan.

I have a secret fantasy of being this type of knitter, but that's not the case at all!

The second main type of knitter offers a completely different psychology. It's the love of fiber, color and texture that drives him crazy. She buys wool without necessarily having a particular pattern in mind… or a deadline! She literally falls in love with wool, often a novelty, a rare gem, a special edition, a unique collection... She collects her treasures first in boxes, then in bins, then in a specially chosen cedar chest.

Once the accumulation phase begins, it seems very difficult to stop the process. This is the budgetary element that sets us all back one day or another. Sometimes, it's the space devoted to our precious collection that literally exceeds the limits. We are not all lucky enough to have a workshop at our disposal to store our precious treasure…

To counter this dependence, there is even a trend which consists of systematically reducing our stash reserve to only keep the essentials. This trend, commonly called destashing, is the subject of a lot of interest and designer HANNAH FETTIG has taken a particular interest in it.

In my case, it was a banal incident that made me realize the extent of the process in which I had engaged. During the annual big cleaning of our apartment, we decided to clean the large walk-in closet in the bedroom from top to bottom. I must immediately point out that I had deliberately failed to reveal the extent of my purchases to the man in my life.

The wool was stored in bags hidden here and there, even in the sleeves of the coats. By grouping everything together I realized that normal size bags would not be enough to contain everything. Moreover, I was still trying to conceal the enormous mountain of wool so that it would pass for clothing among many others.

So I unearthed a huge green bag intended for construction waste. When filled, it came to my chest and its weight was such that I had to take two steps to move it to a place where the Man would not see it. I pasted a piece of paper on it and wrote “Sophie” on it. Obviously, the Man decided to move all the bags of clothes no later than the same evening. When he tried to move the huge stash of wool, I tried to talk him out of it by saying he was fine where he was, to no avail.

As he tried to lift it, he asked me what was in the bag and finally opened it, surprised by the weight of the thing. It was then that he exclaimed “But how much is there in there!!!” “I was unable to estimate…

Since then, I have significantly reduced my consumption, but I have relapses and I have my addiction... I still fall in love with rare beauty. However, I have made a resolution to knit my stash as a priority and sell skeins bought compulsively or not associated with a specific future project. Each ball is now dedicated…

I certainly have 5 years, but with the strength of my will, I will get there.

Sophie

Mom, lover, trade unionist, activist, feminist and compulsive knitter. Find Sophie on RAVELRY .

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