The Meaning of My 2016 Knitting

In 2016, a lot of my personal items were damaged by a flood.  This was a difficult time for me, emotionally and physically.  Of course, I kept knitting through the trashing, sorting, treating, cleaning, repairing and restoring that was required.  That I kept knitting, finishing up current projects and starting new ones didn't surprise me.  What surprised me was that I suddenly looked at my stash with new eyes. 

I had a few hanks of yarn that I had chosen for color.  These hanks were pleasant in appearance but overly bright and clashing when knitted up.  Suddenly, during the period immediately after seeing a lot of my personal items looking particularly dirty and soggy, these bright colors called to me.  Something I was never going to knit seemed like the ideal thing to knit.  That was how I discovered that knitting with yarn that is bright and maybe not so beautiful can be helpful in crisis.

Of course, I was reasonable, choosing patterns for accessories that might mix into a wardrobe of neutrals and limiting myself to two projects.  There was a Carlisle scarf with a central color of chartreuse sock yarn.  I found enough sock yarn in my stash to complete the scarf.

Then there was a variegated sport-weight bfl that was a riot of green, yellow, and brown.  I bought some lovely black Anzula Cricket to use with it and produced a Marley shawl that is appalling on the wrong side.

However, the right side is moderated by the black.  Since I only wear such large shawls at home on chilly days, I find the bright colors cheerful on a gloomy day.  The yarn itself is lovely--very soft and comfortable.  If I tire of the colors, I could always dye it black.

I worried while I was knitting these projects that I was wasting my effort.  Now that they are completed, I am happy with them.  I am also happy that they took these yarns out of my stash.

 

Although these are only two projects, they were crucial in my destashing plan. They took it from a mere reduction of the quantity to more nearly a complete clearing of stashed yarn.  I suddenly became more determined to eliminate my stash.