This post is about a yarn play date, and why you should have one. I’ve been playing with a lot of different yarn and ideas since we entered 2018. I’ve got my ongoing Anzula yarn reviews which have me looking at a different yarn each month. We did two in January to cover the release of Lucero, and I shifting my planned April post to to coincide with the kits developed for Local Yarn Store Day. 
Yarn Playing
I’ve made two versions of an idea/design, both using yarns that ended up on the “not reordering” list at the yarn company. Searching for new yarn, kept me running into the same story on the tape yarns I sought. I have enlisted some help and have substitutions, but at different gauges. I do have two lovely pieces in my wardrobe!
When talking to yarn companies at TNNA I think I uttered the words “I’m most interested in working with yarns that are going to be around in the future.” While this is true, it is hard not to sometimes get your head turned by newer, different yarns. Because there is no point in shooting photos of something that isn’t available to knitters, samples made in yarns headed for the “not reordering” category are not suitable for patterns. I completely get that yarn companies have to make business decisions. What I find discouraging is that yarn doesn’t always stick around long enough to get the traction it needs to become a good seller and to allow designers to tease out its beauty. Business vs art!
This is often the reason we buy yarn without a plan. We think “well, what if it isn’t here when I come back?” That is a good reason, but then, what if there are no patterns for the yarn either? I have always suggested buying a single skein, trying it out, then buying enough for a specific project. It takes discipline, and we all cave sometimes, but it can save us from yarn that we don’t know what to do with. I find that I’m better to take yarn I think I can get to in six months. Sometimes I get a little giddy and take yarn that I end up looking at too long, which is the case of both of the yarns I found were not being reordered.
This is another good reason to stay focused on what we’ve got on our knit-it or design-it now lists. If we have a reason or motivation for a project that we have articulated to ourselves it can help us stay focused. If you use my project planners, fill in your reasons as part of the description. If you don’t have an actual deadline, make one! Then share that with someone if you want a little extra help staying focused.
I am working on finishing projects this week. In addition to my knitting, I have two items from my closet I’ve committed to minor repairs on. This morning I fixed one while making coffee. That was simply a result of making a commitment.Make a Yarn Play Date
We all love our yarn. Make a play date to look at what you have and make some notes about what you want to do with each yarn you have. I recommend using either a spread sheet or Ravelry to keep track of what you have. Put in the purchase date, quantity, color, and other information that is useful to you. A photo is an excellent reference. I suggest making notes so you can go back and see what your intentions were.
This is all you have to decide on your Yarn Play Date. If you love it, keep it. If you don’t love it (it doesn’t “spark joy”) then let go of it.
- If you don’t plan to use it right away but feel committed to it, you can put it away after you have cataloged it.
- Not sure you want to do something with it? Mark it for sale or trade, or giving away and put it into a bin or box marked appropriately.
Now you have some idea of what you have. If you are horrified by the amount of yarn you have, consider what to do to make it feel more manageable.
Do you, like me, have bits and bobs of yarn left from projects? Separate it into roughly two categories:
- Yarn to keep because it is associated with a garment or accessory, but which won’t be used for something else. Make a marked container for Yarn from Garments/Accessories.
- Yarn that you may plan to use in something else or have no reason to get rid of. Make a marked container for Yarn for When Needed. These yarns are there for convenience.
Bits and bobs that don’t fall into these two categories should go into that giving away bin or box. Yes, you could make whatever, but do you want to? If no, then move it out!
Yarn Play Date for WIPs
Ready to tackle WIPs you uncovered? Check back here. By the time you have cataloged all your yarn and separated it as suggested, you will be ready to tackle your WIPs.
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