As the temperature outside becomes cooler, my fingers start to itch. I long to be knitting about 99% of the time. Yesterday I painted my favorite knitting needles, but today I had to paint some yarn.
I am a tactile person. The way things feel matters to me. I HATE working with yarn that feels like plastic. If you think nails on a chalkboard are bad, imagine the experience of yarn squeaking as you use it. It’s painful on your hands and your ears.
I am far from a yarn snob though, my budget necessitates that I am not. My neighborhood yarn store is a super fancy place. I feel uncomfortable going in there for many reasons, one of which being that pretty much every thing is at least $10-12 a skein. That’s not too much if you only need one skein, but if you are making a sweater, it can add up quickly.
I like to buy yarn online, from fancy little neighborhood shops, and even from chain stores like Jo-ann’s and Michael’s. I am an equal opportunity yarn purchaser. I love it all.
I love to wind my yarn into cute little yarn cakes like the ones I have painted here. I have a yarn winder and a swift that I bought from Knit Picks. That means that I can bring home big ol’ hanks of yarn and wind them myself. I really love organizing things, so almost nothing pleases me more than winding up balls of yarn for my various projects. It’s tactile, usually involves bright colors, and is putting things in order. It’s heavenly.
Are you on Ravelry? I am! You can see my projects and be my buddy over there via my profile. Though I have to admit that this 100 day project has put a real crimp in my knitting and crocheting! But the colder it gets, the higher up on my priority list my fiber work becomes. I already have a list of hats and accessories my family wants me to make them. The best part of that? More yarn shopping, of course!