ILONA ANDREWS

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I Don’t Need More Yarn

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We all have different coping mechanisms. I have found that sometimes they fail and we don’t even realize it. The other day I picked up a knitting project that lay abandoned for several weeks and Gordon said, “I’m so glad you’re knitting again. That’s a thing you do, and you suddenly stopped.”

The last time I received yarn was in January, for my birthday. The last time I bought yarn… I don’t remember. I bought some ribbon yarn for a purse, but it doesn’t really count. I just didn’t feel like buying yarn or looking at it or knitting.

I woke up yesterday with a burning need to buy some yarn.

What does this mean? Does this mean I am getting more stressed and things are getting worse or does this mean I am returning back to normal and things are getting better?

What yarn should I buy? I haven’t checked any of yarn newsletters in months. I haven’t logged into Ravelry in months. I don’t even know what to do anymore. What is everyone knitting?

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Comments

  1. Our students at school have suddenly come down with a craze for ‘French knitting’ – where you have the hollow spindle with four nails at the top and you produce a circular sausage which they’re then using as bracelets, necklaces, bag ties, hair extensions – it’s really quite surreal for 16 year olds! (Then again, they’ve just finished an interesting year of ‘not-exams’ so it’s probably something to do with that?)

    • We used to call that “tatting”, and my dad used a wooden spool w 4 finishing (headless) nils hammered in. I bet I have yards and yards of multi-colored tatting somewhere still.

    • We used to do something similar when was a kid, knitting yarn around our fingers in the same pattern until we had yards and yards of these multicolored knitted “ropes.”

    • We called that spool knitting, after the wooden thread spools that held the nails. I learned as a kid, about 1955. Crafts seem to resurrect themselves every decade or two. Those knitted tubes make really good cat toys…

    • This is a revivial 🙂 Usually this kind of knitting is done by little kids (5-10years) in Germany.

    • We did this 70 years ago. My dad drove four headless nails into a wooden thread spool. We called the finished product a horse rein. Never did find a practical use for it though.

    • My daughter a few months ago received a Doodle crate that was spool knit animals. It came with a modern version of the spool (actually 2 different sizes) and all the yarn and sticky felt pieces to decorate the finished ball, I mean animal.
      It was cute.

  2. I crochet and I’m just making some coasters right now. It’s too hot for blankie making.

  3. I admire you – I don’t have the patience for knitting – I look at it, love it, want all the pretty yarn, but then start a project and never finish binding it off. I’m hopeless, but you deserve All The Yarn as you actually do make lovely things with it!

  5. Knit Picks is having a summer sale right now 🙂 Not to enable or anything 🙂 Also, an alum of my college sells hand-dyed yarn on etsy and does really cool dying tutorials. She goes by ChemKnits.

  6. oof

    If you don’t want further stress right now, you might want to stay away from the Ravelry community. The accessibility issues from last year still haven’t been resolved, and there’s a lot of meltdown occurring.

    I tried to knit from stash over the pandemic, actually got it out of completely unorganized rubbermaid containers and organized again in a dresser (I had it this way at my old house, but we moved and it took me 8 years to get it out of the containers and back into the dresser). Recently, with a kid + his friends getting strongly involved in Pride, I picked up some of the Pride yarn kits from various places and I have promised various teens, various knits.

    I hope to get them done by Pride 2022 …. hahahahahaha

      • The other poster’s link to the accessibility issues is good.

        And further beyond that, there’s been an exodus of designers from Ravelry to other options but no really centralized other option has emerged. Which has made maneuvering around the knitting community a lot harder.

        But in a lot of ways, it was about time for an upheaval anyhow.

        The redesign unfortunately does cause me a lot of eye strain in either lite or dark mode, so mainly I’ve been wandering about looking for other options. That’s why after many years of avoiding kits like the plague, I’ve been playing with them. It’s nice to get everything in the mail, all self-contained.

        • Pinterest can be useful-ish for finding patterns across various sites. It’s not as targeted as the old Ravelry search (I’ve been away for over a year, so not sure about the new interface). It’s been useful-enough for my occasional desire to collect a bunch of pretty patterns to look at.

  7. My go to Dyer when I don’t spin my own is Juliespins. Her esthetic is amazing. She is on Etsy.

    My other guilty pleasure is Wollmeise, specifically Lacegarn. I love huge shawls and I cannot lie…. So much yardage! So many hours of fun.

    • I check out Juliespins weekly. She’s got some gorgeous stuff, beautiful dying, but very pricey! I’d love to get some of her yarn, we’ll see.

  8. I’ve had a lot of fabric arrive recently from one of my fave UK fabric stores. I absolutely do not have time to sew anything and under the bed is full. I’m avoiding ravelry like the plague or I might need to give up sleeping. One day things will calm down and I’ll have time for crafting again. Can’t wait. Enjoy your yarn buying 🙂

  9. I am knitting a shawl to wear at my son’s wedding this fall. We will see if it is finished in time. The last couple of times that I bought yarn online the colors were not quite true. One skein I actually mailed back.

    However, I usually buy online from Miss Babs and A Hundred Ravens. Voolenvine also has nice yarn, but you need to follow her and then be quick to purchase.

    There is nothing like shopping for yarn though in person. I am really hoping that the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival will be in person in September.

  10. I’m quilting, making a baby quilt in green and yellow. Still in the pie ing stage. I hate piecing, but ya gotta piece to get to the quilting and I do LOVE quilting.

    • We need to meet! I love to piece, but am so-so (both in interest and skill 😉 on quilting. But what I really dislike is cutting out the pieces…

  11. Of all things to knit in the summer, I just started a slip stitch blanket with 10 colors of Malabrigo Rios. Should be nice and warm!

  12. I learned tunesian crochet for something different, and loved using two colours for a ‘woven’ look. It was fun to learn something new and, once learned, it’s a lovely, mindless-tv-watching type of stich reminiscent of garter. Highly recommend!

  13. The hobbyist drive can be like the tides sometimes…just need to ride it and see where it takes you.

  14. I’m voting for this means you’re getting back to normal, but ????‍♀️. Oftentimes, a bit of depression (not saying that you have that, but stress can definitely bring us down) can cause loss of enjoyment in our normal things, so it seems like you’re getting back to normal! ????

    Buy the pretty yarn as a reward for the bestseller list! Do lizards wear sweaters? Maybe you can make some pet clothes and share with us. ????????

  15. Always always knitting socks, but also a sweater for my daughter, the Dissent pullover, by Andrea Rangel, in some Neighborhood Fiber Co rustic fingering. So delicious!

  18. I think the feeling of accomplishment looking at a completed project is a great help in otherwise stressful times. Also, knitting is known to be a mind calming activity.

  19. So yarn that has me really excited right now is Purls and Postulates science themed yarn. Also, Gauge Dyeworks has a really cool solar system yarn that in using to make a Musselbrugh hat. It is really soothing and fun as the stripes transition.

    I really enjoy Long Dog yarn for a more speckled yarn.

    Also, since you enjoy shawls, Paper Daisy Creations just published the Ice cream social Shawl pattern. It looks like a lot of fun with a mini set and 2 fun skeins. Nice and cheery and interesting.

  21. Stashbusting, currently working on a jacket for my MIL and a sweater for my BFF, both in yarn that was bought several years ago with completely different projects in mind. It feels so good to find good projects for stash yarn!

  22. I’m basically a beginner – I used to knit in college as a coping mechanism and got back into it during the pandemic. To teach myself, I signed up for this knitting kit for a “Sampler Afghan” – it’s going to be 30 squares (9.5in) each showing off a different pattern or type of stitch, all in different shades of gray. I’m currently on block 17. The company I’m doing it through sends the yarn and patterns for 3 blocks each month (they also have video tutorials in case you need help – which I’m proud I’ve only looked at twice!). I think it’s an amazing way to learn. But my idea for you, especially if you get bored with your projects easily, is to do something similar with the yarn you already have. The blocks themselves don’t take long once you get the hang of it, so there’s less of a chance you’ll think “oh, this is taking too long.” Anyway, just a thought.

    I never comment usually so I’m taking this opportunity to say your books kept me going through some rough parts of this pandemic (I re-read all of the series, multiple times) – and the serial you were doing with Blood Heir at the beginning was one of the only sources of joy in my life in those insane first weeks. Thank you for all you do for us, the BDH 🙂

    • I love this idea. I’m off to google “sampler afghan”. I likely can’t use the kit (not in US) but if you would share the link that would be wonderful.

  23. My hands can’t handle knitting. I used to do beading tiny baskets and things. When my hands start hurting I stop because the next stage is they stop working. :^( I have other things I do, but I admire people who can knit and crochet. 😀

    • I use handwork (knit & crochet) to keep my hands working. I have arthritis (not too bad yet) and broke my right wrist last year. The repair involved a metal plate and some pins and screws. It works, but the full flexibility is still a work in progress.

      I don’t do a lot at any one time, but I try to do some every day – assuming the cats don’t decide to camp out on my lap that day. I have a needy boy that does not care for noise and likes to hide under my right arm. (I am not left handed.) The Maine Coon just likes to sit on my chest.
      On those days, I am reading all day.

  24. I just started watching knitting podcasts, cause i find finished projects to be a work of art, well and so much yarn to see (giggles) it makes me happy. My favorite is Knitting Traditions, so calming and one fairisle cardigan is stunning. It looks so complicated yet gives me hope that maybe after i get better at crochet I give knitting a try. At the moment im trying to make a summer blouse, yet i dunno if it will look like i imagined it or i will have to start all over again… Im still a beginner at crochet. Happy hunting for yarn and good luck with all the projects.

  25. I am knitting a scarf, which is silly because I live in California and it’s summer, but I need something to do when I watch tv. It’s a nice Malabrigo yarn and a no-thinking-necessary seed stitch.

    I finished some Frankengloves not long ago, which shows what happens when you’re too wrapped up in whatever you’re watching to pay attention to finger length.

  26. I hope things are getting better for you! The recent Ruby Fever snippet and short “Sandra” story would seem to indicate they are; both are fabulous! Thank you for brightening our days.

    I just finished a baby blanket for a close friend, and now for the first time in ages I am working on something for me! Alpaca from a local farm, kool-aid dyed by me and the pattern is the Holden shawlette.

  27. I don’t knit, but do needlework. Needlepoint and Cross stitch. I have at least half a dozen projects decided on, thread purchased and then I stopped. Hit a proverbial wall. I keep thinking I will start up again, but I haven’t. I don’t know why. I love all the finished projects I have. It’s been over a year since I worked on something. I’m not sure what will kick me into gear. ????

    • I used to crosstitch but had to give it up after having surgery on my thumb on my dominant hand. My hand cramps up too bad to hold the needle.

    • I don’t knit anymore, but like you I cross stitch. I am proud to say that this year I finished a WIP from 3 years ago! I have done a couple since, but lost interest part way through doing a wedding sampler!!
      Good luck with your craft and to all BDH members with their interests, not forgetting Ilona, Gordon and Moderator R.
      I have wondered what hobbies Gordon does?

  28. Knitting and buying yarn are 2 completely different hobbies! I suggest Stephen & Penelope out of the Netherlands. They ship to the US and are a pleasure to deal with. I just finished Stephen West’s lava lake shawl. A joy! And no purls!

  29. I don’t knit, though I do like doing cross stitch on occasion. I picked up a project last year but as usual did not finish it. It was a bookmark with funny little monsters on it. I finished part 1 and got started on part 2, and lost focus. Par for the course, really.
    My current project, if you can call it that, is rereading the whole Wheel of Time series. For some occult reason 😉 every time I’ve read book six, I’ve come down with a bug. So I’m now empirically testing this 😉

  31. I am the same. I rotate between gardening, knitting and sewing. I used to knit a ton of socks and enjoyed that but I’ve picked up some Collin from knit picks to do some wash cloths but I also picked up some really comfy cotton yarn to knit a cardigan with. I’ve learned to go with where my mood takes me and to make it me time. I don’t sew for my neighbours or knit for other people. It’s not a business it’s therapy for me. That’s how I justify the price of my materials at least.

  32. There was some recent community support (online via Instagram) for this indie dyer: https://www.knittinbro.com

    I haven’t ordered from him myself because cross border yarn shopping generally isn’t worth the added cost of shipping/import tax when I can buy lots of beautiful yarn locally in Canada. That said, his colourways are great, lots of pretty solids and some more sophisticated colours as well. Again, I can’t personally attest to his yarn.

    If you’re in any way interested in shopping Canadian, these two are direct from the sheep farmers: https://www.topsyfarms.com/collections/yarn and
    https://www.twinoaksfarm.ca/collections/yarn

    For more colourful options: https://lichenandlace.com is beautiful.

    I could go on and on 😉

    On my needles currently:
    1) https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chevron-cloud. Requires you to be happy using mohair single strand though but the end product is justifying the fact that I am not.

    2) https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hanami-shawl . Really most designs by this designer are so drool-worthy

    3) https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/shiri-wrap. This is also lovely but lace weight is not for everyone.

    Personal brag: I just finished this but it took me seven months: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/jkp/slipstravaganza

  33. I stopped crocheting a scrap afghan when the weather started warming up. I’m at the stage where it’s too long to bunch up in my lap to keep my legs cool, but not long enough to start the edge finishing. Plus, my hands sweat when I crochet in the warmer months. The acrylic doesn’t go smoothly in my hands when it’s wet.

    I need to work on my sewing. I have shorts and pants I cut out of 100% cotton batik fabric that need to be sewn up. I get into a rhythm where I cut a lot of pants and shorts out, then stop doing anything sewing for a while, and then pick it back up when I feel like it. Some of it has to do with pressing and standing over a steamy iron. I have to drink tea, water, or Gatorade to stay hydrated. 🙂

    I’ve gotten complemented over the shorts and pants I sewed up earlier this year and last year. What’s really interesting is that when I bought a lot of the fabric, the fashion trends were far away from what I bought and sewed up. Now, all of what I make and wear, including the colors, is “trendy”.

  34. I’m a quilter, so it may be different… but I had a long spell in 2020 where I had no interest in sewing. When I did finally go back to it last summer, it was HUGELY helpful. I had stopped wrestling with some things and was ready to try again, and ended up in a whirlwind of creative inspiration. Quilting is once again my saving grace through all the stuff that is my life – FT work, 4 kids (18-26), pets (2 cats, 1 ridiculous Peke, various strays), and my (messy chef) beloved 🙂 So go buy yourself some beautiful, inspiring yarn!!

  36. Buy whatever makes you smile. Hopefully, the desire for yarn mrans a return to more normal! I’m not a knitter, but I can appreciate the beauty of your yarns

  37. The first thing my psychiatrist always used to ask me is if I was reading and if it was something new (not a reread). It’s a very bad sign when your interests don’t interest you. I’ve always preferred psychiatrists to psychologists, they make so much more sense! I would embrace the yarn shopping and be happy.

  38. I got into that kind of funk. I went to annie’s club kits and picked a couple of kits that would teach me new tricks. Its cheap yarn, but I figure I’ll donate the finished products to the church prayer shawl group and have learned something new

  39. Well, I’m knitting socks. Lots of good sales out there as sadly many hand dyers didn’t weather the pandemic well. Yarn Scout is going out of business due to death of the owner, they are now down to 50% off.

  40. I just bought some raspberry sherbet colored cotton to knit a tshirt with. I am dying to knit deschain by Quince and company out of some worsted weight crunchy linen.

  41. I recently took tatting back up after not doing it for quite a few years. I get completely absorbed in those intricate little designs, and since I’m using it for decoration on other pieces, it doesn’t feel like a total waste if I only do a short piece of lace because I got sick of the design. Since I normally do alot of crocheting, I stick with the teeny-tiny crochet hooks instead of shuttle or needle tatting. Right now I’m making some lace for a baptismal gown, but I just got some glass Christmas ornaments on clearance, so I will probably switch to stitching fancy covers on those for next year’s Christmas tree 🙂

    • More power to you using the tiny crochet hooks. I tried using them when I got comfortable with crocheting, but I got bored with using them 5 minutes after starting something. 🙂

    • Oooh, that reminded me I have some glass ornaments and an old book with thread crochet patterns for them. That’s a small project I can do also!

  42. *The never ending blanket*

    I went to a baby shower and *loved* the baby blanket my aunt made for my cousin. Decided to make a FULL SIZED blanket off this super detailed pattern that leaves little bumps every 5 stiches….I have 38 skeins of yarn, and have completed 20 rows….of 280….in 8 months

    Lessons Learned: They made that pattern BABY sized for a REASON

    🙂

  43. Based on your last (I think) knitting post I had been slowly working my way through Tablature. The notation is actually the most frustrating part.
    I’ve made more mistakes reading (ktb 2 k to 2 sts before end) quickly than I should have.
    But I’m liking the pattern with the yarn I chose for the main color- a walk in the woods sock/fingering by Barnyard Knits.

    • Good luck with that. I finished a Tablature earlier this year. I had to write the instructions out by hand so each sentence had its own row to achieve any kind of legibility. Otherwise the whole thing would have been sentenced to FU Island.

  44. I started crocheting again many years from when I first learned. I love yarns and I buy whenever Lions has a sale on yearns that might have some real stuff in them. I am trying to teach myself and I have already ripped about 5 times. But I am perservering.

  45. I’m knitting a Mariniere. A white T-shirt mit blue Stripes. Thin organic cotton. The whites broad, the blues slim. Square neck. Short arm. Very summertime. Goes slowly because of the thin yarn but I love it. Love from Germany

  46. I stress bake. I have a bathroom remodel that started two weeks ago. So far, I’ve baked four batches of cookies and three cakes…. All the contractors love me.

    • Ha ha ha. My coworkers were thrilled with my stress baking. Brownies, upside down pineapple cake, apple pie, pound cake….

    • You aren’t exactly giving them a whole lot of motivation to finish the job, are you?

  47. I had stopped knitting because of arthritis in my hands but I love knitting and crocheting. I decided to try small projects with compression gloves to support my hands. I found an old dishcloth pattern that was my Mom’s. Easy and small using really soft cotton. I’ve been trying to gat away from paper towels and sponges, so the cotton dishcloths are great to clean the counters, stove and other appliances.

  48. I’ve been knitting sweaters & cardigans this pandemic year – never been so productive (though at cost of exercise, no yoga in months now). But I don’t always knit every winter, just if i get that nesting “I’m very cold”, need more warm stuff & keep occupied feeling. Have started more walking now weather’s picked up & doing more walking Saturdays. But have stopped my 5th garment – reading more, walking & not as bothered right now.

  49. Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the post.

    Sounds like you are “normalizing”. Pandemic was/ is stressful. So life will never be the same as “before” pandemic because it’s life. Change for good or bad means you are alive. Thus have fun Knitting.

    My present project is making Titan a coat for this coming winter. As a Rhodesian Labrador he has a thin smooth coat with little body fat a large size neck and steep V chest…. He requires custom made clothes for freezing and below winter weather. I would be thrilled if off the store shelf stuff would fit ….but no luck. Plus he has issues with restraints. Sigh sigh.

    Whatever you make will be awesome to me. My best work is making / attempting to make baby blankets for hospital. The rest is like Grandma Frida’s knitting in Hidden Legacy. I totally understand her.

    • Titan sounds like a cool dude. And you make special winter gear just for him! Good luck with the winter coat and the baby blankets! (I have no textile skills whatsoever – 10 thumbs!)

  50. I gave up crocheting for the love of new kitten. That was 5 years ago. Nothing worse than be in the middle of a pattern stitch and suddenly the yarn seems wet or there is no more yarn. Someone chomped it. No one needs a throw christened in kitten or cat spit. I wash and block but I know what happened in the making.

    Besides throws are about the only thing I do well. An instructor told me that unless I was making clothes for the jolly Green Giant to just give it a pass.

    Gardening is my stress reliever

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