05.25.06
Knitting Doldrums
The folks here at Lickety Knit Corporation are sorry to say that we seem to have sailed into a patch of the knitting doldrums. We are cripplingly behind on our Bloglines. We cannot find a pattern we like for our Amazing Lace project. And after a series of successes this spring (Tubey, the Reversible Rib Shawl, Starksy), we have not knit anything more significant than a swatch in some time. (And not even a very good swatch, at that.) Attempts to nagivate ourselves out of the doldrums have resulted in our becoming further enmeshed in them. We are approaching a state of despair. We have also decided we cannot bear to keep up this pretentious “royal we,” and we will now revert back to the more conventional “I.”
Let’s take a closer look at the incident that was instrumental in driving me into these dreaded doldrums, shall we? Just a few short days ago I took my first pilgrimage to the WEBS tent sale in western Massachusetts with Theresa, fellow host of The Amazing Lace. I’m not going to get all overstatey and tell you it was a life-changing experience, but I also don’t want to understate how fantastic it feels to walk amongst tables of excellent yarn at prices averaging around 70 percent below retail. We quickly acquired, filled, and overflowed one of those big Rubbermaid storage bins that the store so thoughtfully supplies for its most insane customers. I was a little overwhelmed, but I managed to cull my haul down to a reasonable (Matt is wetting his pants with laughter right now) size. Theresa and I used our loot to test out her new car’s trunk capacity.
So why not euphoria in the face of the new yarns? Well, here’s the thing. I’m the sort of person who, when confronted with a huge amount of merchandise, some of which is heavily and tantalizingly marked down, has a hard time keeping straight what I actually like and what I just like the price of. This is why I never shop at Marshalls, even though I know you can find great stuff there for cheap. Because I become blinded by the cheap and when I get home I realize that I just bought a lime-and-puce plaid vinyl miniskirt because, well, it was so cheap!
None of the yarn I bought is the equivalent of neon plaid vinyl, but in the quiet of my own home my enthusiasm has faded a bit. Take the cones of yarn on the right. If I had to guess (and I would probably be wildly off), I would estimate that that’s around 25,000 yards of laceweight yarn in total. I got it for $20. HOW COULD I NOT BUY THAT?? Problem is, I will never knit this yarn. I will always go for the yarn I like more than I like this yarn, because there’s only so much knitting time in my life and I don’t want to waste any of that time on yarn I don’t love. (To paraphrase a beer-lover’s bumper sticker, life’s too short to knit sh*tty yarn.) While there’s nothing terribly wrong with this yarn (that red is a wool-silk blend with a lovely sheen), it has some flaws (the red is stiff and unevenly spun), and I would never reach for it first. Basically I just paid someone $20 for the privilege of moving 25,000 yards of yarn with me from home to home for the rest of my life.
Here we have some lace-weight tencel. This is beautiful stuff, and people online rave about the drape and sheen of the shawls it knits up. The colors are incredibly saturated and are a pleasure to look at. There is nothing at all wrong with this yarn. The problem is that it’s not actually the sort of yarn I want to knit with. It’s too saturated. It’s too luminous. It is bright and vivid and rich. I am dull, subtle, and muted, or at least the yarns and garments toward which I gravitate are. But I was thinking with my retinas on Sunday (so typical for a woman to be carried away by overstimulated ocular cells), and I was also in the presence of someone who pulls off vivid colors exceedingly well, and I was feeling like a bit of a fuddyduddy in comparison. You can’t surpress your own taste for long, though, and while I may very well find myself knitting with this yarn one day, I know I could have spent the money on something a little more “me.”
I had intended to use one of the above yarns for my Amazing Lace project (TBD), and it was as I was swatching them (and as it was becoming clear that each one was not quite what I wanted) that I felt myself sinking into the doldrums. I felt them coming on, and in an attempt to stave them off, I busted into what I considered my biggest prize of the WEBS trip: 20 balls of Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton in a beautiful rich brown color — perfect for the sweater I’ve been planning for Matt — at 60 percent off. Yes, I intended to swatch my way out of the doldrums.
And it was this move that landed me squarely in a fit of knitting despair. I invite you to view the yarn and the swatch to the left. Lovely color, no? Take a good close look at the swatch. And a good close look at the ball with the label moved a bit to the side. No, that’s not a shadow being cast by the ball band. No, those splotches on the swatch aren’t gentle heathering. What you’re looking at here is yarn that sat in direct sunlight for for a long, long time.
Go attempt to give your cat a do-it-yourself root canal. Your cat’s response to the procedure, particularly the noise it makes, will give you a sense of my initial reaction to this discovery. For my subsequent reaction, go cross-breed Eeyore and the Grinch Who Stole Christmas; their offspring will represent not only a breakthrough in reproductive science, but also my mood about yarn and knitting for the last two days. This may sound like overreaction, but keep in mind I was already teetering on the brink of knitting desolation before it happened. What was supposed to be my saving grace turned out to be the last straw.
However, there may be hope. My one final purchase at WEBS seems to be a lone bright spot: this lovely mercerized cotton in a color I adore. It was $15 for the bag of 10 balls. It is a brand I’ve never heard of (even Google has barely heard of it!), but the yarn looks and feels great and the sheen is just sheeny enough — not too much, not too little. I desperately need to feel some accomplishment in my knitting right now, so I think I’m going to forget about my TAL shawl for a while and whip up a cute top with this. Maybe the Lotus Blossom Tank on the cover of the new Interweave Knits. Maybe that is my ticket out of the doldrums.
Thanks for listening, everyone. Coming soon on Lickety Knit: Optimism! Less whining! The ability to keep things in perspective!
Stacey said,
May 25, 2006 at 2:14 pm
I so know what you mean – that’s the reason I didn’t go to the Webs sale this year. I ended up with 2 cones last year – both have since been donated. It is so overwhelming you just loose all sense of reason! Too bad about the wool/cotton – stuff like that is hard to see in the warehouse – bad lighting!
Laura said,
May 25, 2006 at 2:34 pm
aww! so sad to hear that the Webs trip didn’t yield only good things.
If I had gone I either would have been paralyzed by fear (because I perfer buying yarn with a project in mind) or would have gone crazy buying useless yarn like you.
Perhaps you can over-dye the wool cotton? (the fact that it’s wool and cotton would make dying an interesting feat)
If you are looking to unload the laceweight, I know someone who never says no to free yarn and would probably say yes to cheap laceweight, too.
Mary Ann said,
May 25, 2006 at 2:56 pm
Oh, too bad about the wool cotton. I am knitting a vest from wool cotton for my husband even as we speak, and I love it. But maybe you can use it anyway. You know, that used-faded look is in for casual wear. The fading gives it a sort of heathery look.
Mintyfresh said,
May 25, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Buyer’s remorse is the worst. The sun-bleached yarn, however, is a travesty. I agree with Laura, to try overdyeing it. But that bites, because it wasn’t even like you went gaga and bought it when you shouldn’t have.
Hold on to some of those laceweights a little longer–something will eventually cry out to be knit with them. And if not, do a trade or sell ‘em off! You don’t want to be reminded of the folly of a sale years down the road. I have some yarn that still needles at me whenever I see it, and I really need to let go.
Sonya said,
May 25, 2006 at 4:14 pm
Sorry to hear about your doldrums. I too can easily be seduced by cheap yarn. The evidence is in tubs stacked in the cat room. ebay, baby, ebay. The blue cotton is a lovely shade. May it banish the doldrums!
Debby said,
May 25, 2006 at 4:28 pm
I hope that the Lotus Blossom Tank works out well for you and is the inspiration you need.
It was my first time at WEBS too, and for all the excitement, I came home with two patterns. I felt like such a WEBS failure. But, like you, I just couldn’t get excited about the yarn, knowing there was nothing I had in mind to make with it.
rachael said,
May 25, 2006 at 4:33 pm
The coned yarn in the first picture is lovely – why not ply it together to make it whatever weight you want?
silverarrowknits said,
May 25, 2006 at 5:30 pm
I am sorry that the WEBS experience wasn’t the best. :(
Amy said,
May 25, 2006 at 5:57 pm
If you enjoyed yourself, that is all that matters.
The blue yarn is distributed by Cascade.
Amy
Areli said,
May 25, 2006 at 6:08 pm
This is such a sad post :-( That sucks about your Webs trip.
Can you double or triple strand your coned yarn and make a garment? That would use it up more quickly and then you don’t get stuck staring at it and feeling bad for buying it.
And like others have said, can you overdye your wool cotton? That one would throw me into the doldrums, too.
The blue yarn is lovely, lose yourself in it and have some fun, the lotus blossom tank is so cute.
Chris said,
May 25, 2006 at 7:00 pm
Hmm, maybe a contest to rid yourself of the karmic weight of the yarn that doesn’t grab you? It’s fun for everyone.
Leah said,
May 25, 2006 at 7:43 pm
Knitting doldrums are ubiquitous! And maybe seasonal. You’ll pull out of it. Though I have to say that the Debbie Bliss probably would have sent me over the edge as well.
Shelagh said,
May 25, 2006 at 10:27 pm
Has there always been a security code or is your popularity bringing out all the whack jobs?
Can the mottled look of the DB be a design feature? Heathered and weathered?
Chin up, I’ll be in RI soon :).
erin said,
May 26, 2006 at 3:43 am
You had me laughing so hard, especially about having paid $20 for the privilege of moving the yarn from one home to another. I’ve got stuff like that in my cupboards too. But I am truly sorry to see the sad state of the wool cotton. Perhaps you could dye it? At least the coton egito looks good!
Rain said,
May 26, 2006 at 4:36 am
I too think the DB may yield an interesting result and have a sort of distressed demin look about it.
Hope you get your knitting mojo back soon.
Theresa said,
May 26, 2006 at 10:11 am
Funny that we both ended up posting about this trip today. The coned yarns (not the Tencel, the other ones) need to be washed. Then they will be less stiff. And so lovely.
margene said,
May 26, 2006 at 1:48 pm
Good suggestions above. Wash the coned yarn and over dye the DB. Or you can gift it away. No reason to clutter up the house with unloved yarn.
Mmm said,
May 26, 2006 at 4:22 pm
I know what you mean. I’m having some buyer’s remorse from purchasing 14 (!) skeins of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran the other day. I think I’ll use it someday, but… if not, there’s always eBay!
I would take that autumn-colored laceweight off your hands any day. It looks delicious!
Shelley said,
May 27, 2006 at 9:50 pm
That is terrible about the Debbie Bliss!!!
I still haven’t decided on a lace project for the Amazing Lace. I see some pretty shawls I’d like, and some scarves…but I just don’t know what to do…
Emily said,
May 28, 2006 at 7:25 am
Oh, suck. Maybe the insides of the Debbie Bliss are OK…I don’t know what you could make with just the insides, but I am sure the penguin wouldn’t mind wearing it.
Li_B said,
May 28, 2006 at 3:38 pm
I’m hoping you’ll accept this as an official sign up for the Amazing Lace. My e-mail is not sending, but I am receiving them, so if you can reply I’d appreciate it. I plan to do Fibertrend’s Shoalwater Shawl out of Regal Silk.
Thanks, Li (http://lifesastitch.typepad.com)
Jacquie said,
May 28, 2006 at 8:03 pm
There is a Lotus Blossom Tank KAL at http://lotusblossomtankkal.blogspot.com/
Please come and join us and let us help you out of the doldrums.
Laurie said,
May 29, 2006 at 2:06 pm
Make a big, comfy, slouchy pullover with the Debbie Bliss yarn. Then, spritz it with some bleach – artfully, mind you – and wear it with pride. I’ve got the same yarn and color. Bought it from WEBS at last years Stitches East. Still sitting in the cabinet. Maybe I’ll hit it with some bleach!
The copper cone of lace yarn (next to the purple one). I’ll buy it from you! Meeee! Me! Me!
I’m just saying.
Vicki in Michigan said,
May 30, 2006 at 2:43 pm
At our house we call it “elephant chow.”
“Look, honey, I got a GREAT DEAL on elephant chow!”
“That’s nice, dear, but … we don’t have an elephant……..”
My current rule is “If I don’t LOVE it, I’m not buying it.” No matter how cheap. Do I love it? No? Then it stays put, even if it’s free….
This stuff is only making you sad. It was so cheap, I bet you can sell it for what it cost you…… Let it go………………..
Eva (EvaLux) said,
June 1, 2006 at 1:25 pm
Hello,
I got to your site through somebody else’s :) Don’t ask me who cos I forgot LOL.
I’m willing to buy your laceweight yarns from you! I do live in Europe, but have a paypal account :)
Just e-mail me if you’re interested!
Cheers Eva
JayJay said,
June 2, 2006 at 2:54 pm
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for all your blogging help! I’m finally starting to get the hang of it (well, my blog is getting less lame anyway).
I would just sell the yarn that isn’t quite you. I totally understand, though. A sale at any craft store is too much for me to resist. Wanna trade your yarn for a large bow made of wood (what the hell was I thinking?)
Just concentrate on Lotus Blossom, think about my stupid bow, and hopefully you will feel better. :)
Lorette said,
June 3, 2006 at 2:19 pm
Yarn in cones just overwhelms me in general. The Lotus Tank is lace, though, so that counts as Amazing Lace.
Is the coned Tencel the Valley Yarns 8/2 weight? It looks brighter in your photos than on their website.
And ditto on the comments to get rid of the stuff you don’t like. There’s always somebody that thinks your sh**ty yarn is great stuff.
Allison said,
June 3, 2006 at 4:17 pm
And I thought the WEBS online sales were bad! Obviously, I should never actually go there, since I’ve ended up with bags of yarn I may never use (mystery cones, sparkly ladder yarns, more Rowanspun than you can shake a stick at). I have the same difficulty with deciding what I actually like…it’s hard to separate that from the “what a great sale!” response.
And the Debbie Bliss is just tragic :( Tea (iced, if it’s as warm there as it is here) and sympathy your way.
Lickety Knit » You Say It’s Your Blogiversary? Well It’s My Blogiversary Too said,
March 15, 2007 at 8:25 am
[...] prize will be the winner’s choice of these two cones of laceweight tencel. At the time I acquired it, I wrote, “This is beautiful stuff, and people online rave about the drape and sheen of the [...]
Lickety Knit » Finished Object: Lotus Blossom Tank said,
October 8, 2007 at 1:52 pm
[...] distributed (based on the fact that it exists in only 10 projects or stashes over in Ravelry). I bought it at the WEBS tent sale a couple years ago — with this project in mind, amazingly. It is 100 [...]