Falling In Love Again
Shamrock was moving too fast for my wee camera....
but still, it's a fun picture!
Yesterday a wee bit of magic happened.
You see, I began my spring cleaning by tackling the one area of the house I knew I could easily conquer....my little office corner in the basement. Not only is it a small, manageable area that belongs only to me (and thus I don't need to consider anyone else's feelings or needs when sorting and putting away), but it also had gone wildly out of control since before Christmas. In fact, it was so out of control that there was literally a three-foot tall pile of wool roving and batts blocking the view of my desk and spilling out almost half way into the family area, and there was so much stuff on the floor back in my corner that you couldn't actually find a path to the chair.
Whoops.
Besides, as I stated yesterday, I've been feeling rather creatively fuzzy lately and a thorough toss and resort of my craft materials has ALWAYS helped me to clear the cobwebs. After all, a neat and clean work area leads to a neat and clean mind!
As a bit of a digression....I miss the days when I used to take naps with my yarn stash....soooo good for the soul....so nice to be able to sort my stash in my sunny bedroom....ahhhh.....
Anyway.
As I said, my corner was messier than it's ever been. Not only have I just been throwing my stuff down there for the last four months or so, but I also had all of my daughter's spinning supplies and our new (to us) bobbin lace supplies to contend with on top of that (crazy) mountain of wool.
The whole area is kind of like a tetris game anyway. Crammed into one wee corner of our basement is my grampa's roll top desk and chair, three bookshelves, a dresser, two spinning wheels, a rocking chair, my childhood toy chest and a small storage unit (the sort with plastic bins at an angle that you find in children's rooms). Into all of this, my crafting supplies MUST fit.
Nope, it's not ideal....
But it's better than what I had before!
As is often the case, it was a bit of a relief to tackle what had become a major source of irritation. I lit a Zum candle, started a podcast, rolled up my sleeves, and got to work.
Once I had the mountain of wool under control, and had ejected my daughter's stuff from MY space, I turned to the dresser full of yarn. It didn't need *too* much work, but I did have a lot of odds and ends that needed to be put away and at least one drawer (the laceweight drawer) that had some issues. As I reacquainted myself with my stash the magic happened...
I fell in love with my yarn all over again.
Magic.
Yes, I did love each and every skein when I first brought it into my stash. There's nothing there that was acquired without some thought and careful consideration. Over time, though, focus changes....color preferences shift...a girl changes her mind about projects...the burden of yarn that's never fulfilled it's potential begins to weigh one down...new projects/yarns beckon....the need to not be wasteful and use what you have overwhelms....in short, the yarn you once loved starts to make you a bit crazy.
However.
Perhaps it's because I've been so focused for so long on very specific projects.
Perhaps it's because I haven't really looked at or handled my yarn in forever.
Perhaps it's because I had rid myself of the ghosts of planned projects that never made it to fruition.
Doesn't matter.
All I know is that when I opened those drawers I saw all of my yarn as if for the first time. I remembered why I had bought it in the first place, and I began to dream up ways to use all of that lovely stuff. My yarn was fun again! I have really good taste, and I have a lot of fantastic stuff! The wheels began to turn, the well was filled (pick your metaphor) and a challenge began to form.
For the rest of 2013...what wonderful things can I make with ONLY the beautiful yarns in my stash?
It's good to be in love again.
Whoops.
Besides, as I stated yesterday, I've been feeling rather creatively fuzzy lately and a thorough toss and resort of my craft materials has ALWAYS helped me to clear the cobwebs. After all, a neat and clean work area leads to a neat and clean mind!
As a bit of a digression....I miss the days when I used to take naps with my yarn stash....soooo good for the soul....so nice to be able to sort my stash in my sunny bedroom....ahhhh.....
Anyway.
As I said, my corner was messier than it's ever been. Not only have I just been throwing my stuff down there for the last four months or so, but I also had all of my daughter's spinning supplies and our new (to us) bobbin lace supplies to contend with on top of that (crazy) mountain of wool.
The whole area is kind of like a tetris game anyway. Crammed into one wee corner of our basement is my grampa's roll top desk and chair, three bookshelves, a dresser, two spinning wheels, a rocking chair, my childhood toy chest and a small storage unit (the sort with plastic bins at an angle that you find in children's rooms). Into all of this, my crafting supplies MUST fit.
Nope, it's not ideal....
But it's better than what I had before!
As is often the case, it was a bit of a relief to tackle what had become a major source of irritation. I lit a Zum candle, started a podcast, rolled up my sleeves, and got to work.
Once I had the mountain of wool under control, and had ejected my daughter's stuff from MY space, I turned to the dresser full of yarn. It didn't need *too* much work, but I did have a lot of odds and ends that needed to be put away and at least one drawer (the laceweight drawer) that had some issues. As I reacquainted myself with my stash the magic happened...
I fell in love with my yarn all over again.
Magic.
Yes, I did love each and every skein when I first brought it into my stash. There's nothing there that was acquired without some thought and careful consideration. Over time, though, focus changes....color preferences shift...a girl changes her mind about projects...the burden of yarn that's never fulfilled it's potential begins to weigh one down...new projects/yarns beckon....the need to not be wasteful and use what you have overwhelms....in short, the yarn you once loved starts to make you a bit crazy.
However.
Perhaps it's because I've been so focused for so long on very specific projects.
Perhaps it's because I haven't really looked at or handled my yarn in forever.
Perhaps it's because I had rid myself of the ghosts of planned projects that never made it to fruition.
Doesn't matter.
All I know is that when I opened those drawers I saw all of my yarn as if for the first time. I remembered why I had bought it in the first place, and I began to dream up ways to use all of that lovely stuff. My yarn was fun again! I have really good taste, and I have a lot of fantastic stuff! The wheels began to turn, the well was filled (pick your metaphor) and a challenge began to form.
For the rest of 2013...what wonderful things can I make with ONLY the beautiful yarns in my stash?
It's good to be in love again.
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