The Collecting Instinct
I was never much of a collector as a child, no books of stamps, sets of toys or jars of insects for me. Now I am making up for lost time with a knitting collection. With that first pair of needles should come a warning about storage space.
The main focus of my attention appears to be Rowanspun, I loved it when I used it for my first garment and there is a finite amount of it you see - a get it while you can feel to it. Do they just discontinue a yarn to make hoarding types buy up what they can when they see it? I have recently added a sweater sized haul of the gorgeous and aptly titled Mist to my DK weight set and as I have Aran and DK I thought I'd better get the whole family and found some 4ply - love this colourway name too - Sludge.
As well as my Rowanspun collection I'm working on the library. This great sale by the UK Knitting and Crochet Guild has helped me along with another couple of titles.
I saw the Log Cabin Socks that Kath made recently and thought I would get the book to help along with the gift knitting plans. Overall I'm not blown away by this book, it is beautifully styled but few of the patterns apart from those great socks leap out at me. I'm not sure I would have bought this one if I had seen it up close and personal first, but hey it's all good for the collection.
Loop-d-Loop was just an impulse buy as it was too good a price to pass up - some really amazing designs in here, some are a little way out for me but there are others I'm soon to put in the project waiting room.
So my collection grows and these acquisitions bring such pleasure as I imagine what they may become. They are in a way a present yet to be opened - the anticipation is high - a mass of yarn, patterns awaiting my version - what will emerge as I unwrap them? I love them for their potential; the fantasy before the reality!
The main focus of my attention appears to be Rowanspun, I loved it when I used it for my first garment and there is a finite amount of it you see - a get it while you can feel to it. Do they just discontinue a yarn to make hoarding types buy up what they can when they see it? I have recently added a sweater sized haul of the gorgeous and aptly titled Mist to my DK weight set and as I have Aran and DK I thought I'd better get the whole family and found some 4ply - love this colourway name too - Sludge.
As well as my Rowanspun collection I'm working on the library. This great sale by the UK Knitting and Crochet Guild has helped me along with another couple of titles.
I saw the Log Cabin Socks that Kath made recently and thought I would get the book to help along with the gift knitting plans. Overall I'm not blown away by this book, it is beautifully styled but few of the patterns apart from those great socks leap out at me. I'm not sure I would have bought this one if I had seen it up close and personal first, but hey it's all good for the collection.Loop-d-Loop was just an impulse buy as it was too good a price to pass up - some really amazing designs in here, some are a little way out for me but there are others I'm soon to put in the project waiting room.
So my collection grows and these acquisitions bring such pleasure as I imagine what they may become. They are in a way a present yet to be opened - the anticipation is high - a mass of yarn, patterns awaiting my version - what will emerge as I unwrap them? I love them for their potential; the fantasy before the reality!
Comments
I'm too tight to buy many knitting books, but I do like to thumb through borrowed ones for inspiration!
And picot edgings are great. Such a pretty effect for such little effort!
Beautiful collection you have going there! I'm so very proud of you for getting 'sweater's worth'. That's still something I need to work more on.
I love the Rowanspun too, and have some in the Aran and DK. The price is brilliant for the yardage, and like you, I keep feeling the need to squirrel it away before its all gone. Maybe they do have a plan...
Wait until your first book purchases become collectors items ;-)and you still have the yarns YET to knit a pattern from it !! In my case a Rowan yarn too !!
And agree with you about picot edging - it creates such a pretty effect relatively easily. I did it on Flickering Flames (Blackdog Designs) socks and loved it