Stash Less - Why restrictions rock!

The series where we talk about having a thoughtful stash.

There is this art theory that goes something along the lines that creativity can be enhanced by actually giving yourself or your project a set of restrictions or rules.

(To read more about this idea: Why placing limitations on yourself is the key to creativity.)

And although this isn't the purpose of Stash Less, in many ways that is what it is. A set of restrictions that I am growing to totally love. Last week I talked about some of the negatives, some of the realisations. This week I want to share one of the enormous benefits. And that is that I am looking at what I have with totally fresh eyes. 

Reading Tom of Hollands blog last week I had a "ping" moment when I read the words of Felicity Ford in this blog post. She said

“when developing guidelines for a creative process there is usually some tension around rules. Rules can be extremely helpful and supportive, offering a framework for creativity or a set of criteria to which a brief can be fitted; but they can also sometimes seem restrictive. This tension between rules and openness was important to explore……….”

— http://tomofholland.com/2014/11/28/knitsonik-blogtour-pt2/

In my crafting past I haven't had that many restrictions. I find a project and pick some materials. If I don't have what I need, I reassess or I purchase it. Restrictions aren't something I have thought about much, and as a consequence I have generally played it safe and not taken risks. 

This passage from Felicity lead me to think of all the projects I have come up with as a result of stash less. And what is interesting to me is that these ideas have come about because of Stash Less, rather than in spite of. Because of Stash Less I am looking around my existing stash to see what I can come up with that will make my heart sing.

To explain what I mean I'm going to list you a couple just to get your juices going. There are many more. 

1. The silver kid sweater. 

Among my stash I have found about 250g of 5ply in different silvers. There is a single ball of Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette, a single ball of Milla Mia, a single ball of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino and about 1.5 balls of Blue Sky Metallico. I also have a smidge of Blue Sky Sport Weight. All of these could be knit at a gauge of between 22 and 25 stitches. Without Stash Less I wouldn't have gone through my stash with such a critical eye and I would have used these one by one for small projects like for hats. Instead I have been figuring out how to best combine them for my almost 7yr old. 250g of 5ply is enough for a whole cardy. 

So what am I thinking of making? I'm thinking a top-down pattern so I can knit until I run out of yarn. Body first and sleeves second so that I can 3/4 the sleeves if I need to.

The questions yet to be answered are;
a. Do I use another colour with all the silver - either to use as a break between the transitions from one silver to another, or as an accent, or just to get full length sleeves in case I run out of silver. I have yellow, or charcoal or duck egg in stash….
b. Do I colour block the cardy with the silvers, or because they are so similar will that look stupid. Do I do a four row, four row, four row thing where I switch randomly. Do I include a textured stripe to transition between colours - like a garter stripe or maybe some moss…..

This project is fun and will be ace. I just know it. Requires a little more thought. And I have to wait until Xmas craft is over to begin.

2. The quilt.

I have started making my first king sized quilt. About 230 x 230cm. It's big which feels a little scary because what if I screw it up. That is a lot of fabric. Without Stash Less I would have been tempted to stay safe and use the dirty blue with the hatched cotton (like what you see in my mock up). And it would have been boring. BORING and safe!! Instead because I didn't have enough of the dirty blue, I had to use some denim along with the dirty blue, and I am so very very happy I did. You should see how pretty it is. I would show you but sadly I have had to put it down for a moment to get onto Christmas and birthday crafting. So I will show you in the New Year when I have basted it. Until then there is a small picture on instagram. 

3. Frocks. 

This is not one project but many. As I mentioned in a previous post I don't use scraps. A terribly wasteful fact I am not proud of. I don't use them because I haven't had to, because there is other pretty stuff in the cupboard. I want to change this and this dress on pinterest is part of my obsession with this idea. I see myself creating so many versions of this as a combination of yardage from my stash and my scrap basket. I feel like I will learn so much from trying this idea out; I will be practicing colour choice and bravery all at once. I see grownup frocks and kid frocks and shirts and tanks. I'm excited and I love the fact that this is not the easy option.

Also inspiring along the same lines are this and this and this and this.

So the point I want to make is that without this restriction I would choose safe over tricky. Safe to make sure I got something I like and didn't waste the materials by mucking it up. But safety doesn't necessarily achieve projects that sing. There is more risk in all of these three options. All of them could fail. All of them could look rubbish. But I have the feeling that all of them will sing louder and much prouder than if I chose the safe option. 

I'd love to hear about your projects that fit into this category. Do you ever restrict yourself creatively? 

Felicia x

Previously Stash Less: A Realisation!

Stash Less - A Realisation

The series where we talk about having a thoughtful stash.

So I went shopping this week - a rare moment in the city without kids. My friend and I popped into Tessuti and L'uccello, as you do. So many pretty shiny sparkly things. And I may have purchased some more of the Liberty fabric that I used for the Scout tee (that looks a little like a pretty sack) and the gorgeous quilted star (that is sitting on my pinboard till i figure out what to do with it). In fact I may have just purchased every little bit they had left on the roll - all $67 dollars worth. A combination of time poverty, FOMA and wanting the pretty things…..all rolled up into a moment of purchasing joy. 

So let's go through the justification process. Now the thing is, it wasn't really impulse purchasing. Ever since I made the star I have been ruminating on how beautiful a queen sized quilt would be with that simple combination. Liberty print on denim coloured cotton linen. I've become a little obsessed with the idea even, the colours, the quilting, the slidyness of the Liberty combined with the rusticness of the slubby linen cotton blend. And I've been scared that I won't be able to find the print again. I purchased it in London and hadn't seen it here ever. Until…. L'uccello had a 1.45m piece sitting there (with my name on it?) for sale. 

But there is a problem - I know that there is no way I will get to it for at least six months, and if we are being totally truthful, probably for a year. But I also know that beautiful seasonal liberty is something that once it is gone it is gone. But then I also know that sometimes if you don't touch something for a year then the sparkle slides right off it. It looks flat and kinda just okish. But "loss-of-sparkle" isn't something that happens so much with Nani Iro or Liberty, as they aren't following worldwide trends so much as their own aesthetic. 

So the point of the post. Stash Less is hard. Stash Less requires behavioural change over time. That is what I signed up for. I know I just need to practice my new behaviour in light of knowing my triggers - but it is hard none the less. That said, knowing it is hard means I am more committed to the project as it means that I am attached to the idea of buying things, and having things - which I don't like.

Even with a budget I'm not sure whether I was right to purchase, or wrong to purchase, according to my own set of rules. I'm doing OK with not purchasing general fabric and yarn and patterns - but the special stuff?? I don't know what the rules should be. Should I only purchase if I know of the project in great detail. But isn't that kinda what got me into this in the first place? Too many special pieces that I can't use because I'm worried that I will use them up?

And I've had one more (somewhat heartbreaking) realisation on top of that. For day-to-day yarn and day-to-day kid clothes, and even quilts, I probably have enough stuff to last me at least two years of making, at my current rate of usage*. And the idea of not being able to purchase for that long just for fun, makes me twitchy. A fantastic realisation to have (to know how much I really have) but also truly horrifying (as being self-disciplined about it sounds like less fun). How I feel about it really depends on the day - sometimes excited, inspired, virtuous and self-disciplined AND other times grumbly and childish in an "I want" kinda way.** A realisation and not a nice one.

I'd love your thoughts wise women.

Tally - Eight weeks in I'm up to $205 - that is $105 over budget.
I was up to $130. 
I spent $8 on Brooklyn Tweed Wool People 8 Keel pattern that I began straight away.
I spent $67 on Liberty for a distant far off future project. 

Felicia x

Previously Stash Less - An Update

*By unravelling sweaters I am making the stash go up not down?
**Not an attractive look….

Stash Less - An Update.

The series where we talk about having a thoughtful stash.

This post is an update of sorts. I'm going to tell you what I have purchased and what traps I am finding myself fall into. And also what progress I have made…..I'm excited by the progress!

Spending

A knitting needle gauge - $5
Knitting pattern Flet (gee it's pretty) - $10
Cotton and needles - $39
Cotton and pattern tracing stuff - $24
Kate Davies new book Yokes (with postage) - $52 

Grand Total $130 in 6 weeks…..hmmm. 

Thoughts on traps

I can't tell you how much this thing is teaching me about the decisions I am making. I've had a few more really useful realisations - and the reason I'm loving them, is that if I understand what I'm doing then I'm back in the drivers seat. No more mindlessness. 

I have discovered another key area (of previously unidentified) hoarding is patterns. I purchased Flet because I really wanted to start it then and there, but I just didn't. I went on to start other things. I am glad I have it but it now sits there annoying me and feels a bit like a weight - like I've added another "to do". I do this with dress patterns too. I have both Anna and Elisalex from By Hand London and they are just sitting there as "to dos".

So I'm not quite sure how to tackle this one as it seems to be an ongoing desire issue for me. At this very moment I'm quite convinced that the Playtime Dress by Oliver and S is just what my girls need for tops/frocks heading into summer. My lovely friend Katie loves this pattern, and when I ran into her the other day, her small one was wearing a gorgeous (Liberty) one and I haven't stopped thinking about it. I'm also kindof convinced I need to try the Tiny Pocket Tank by Grainline rather than my staple Wiksten Tank. Mainly cause I'm a little bored and the straps are a little thinner. Not really a good enough reason to buy a whole tank pattern, especially as I could just alter the straps of the Wiksten.

I think dealing with all this head chaos might be a case of sitting down and looking at what is realistic for me to make in the next few months - Visual Diary time? Because realistically I don't have time to make the girls tops/frocks. Nor do I have time to make myself more tanks. Maybe it is as simple as a reality check. I'm only buying the pattern to engage with the thrill of the purchase and flirt with the idea I have all the time in the world. I really don't. 

The yarn being used below was being "saved" to make this jumper again….. except that I've realised I won't ever make it.

Progress

Progress has been huge. The main thing I'm getting out of it is a total thrill of finally using materials I love. I just want to briefly explain the crazy thought process I had going on - just in case any of you recognise it in yourselves. 

So I would purchase something I love for a project. Then I wouldn't get around to it and so the materials would sit on the shelf. Over time I would figure out other things I "could" do with that special fabric/yarn and so then there would be multiple options. Then I would get confused over which one was the "best" use of the fabric/yarn and so I would avoid making a decision. And then there would be so many things I would want to use it for I wouldn't want to "waste it" by using it on just one. So I wouldn't use it at all. 

Case in point is the top in the first photo in this post. I love this top. My favourite Scout ever. But the only reason I finally used this linen was that I am not allowed to go out and buy something else to use for a Scout. I kept thinking that I would like to use the linen for a dress that I haven't got around to making. Instead it was the best option in the stash for this top, and this is the year of using things. It's a total thrill to be wearing this linen finally in something. There will be other fabrics for frocks. 

The yarn in the baby jumper I started tonight was being "saved" for the elephant jumper (that I will never get around to making). But I didn't want to "waste it" as it was perfect for that jumper (that I will never get around to making). Well now I have no choice. I need to make a baby sweater quick sticks and it is the best option. Elephant jumper be damned. 

Another wonderful thing that is becoming clear, is that by being restricted to using what I have, I am actually making things that are even prettier than if I had all the materials I needed on hand. I'll tell you more about my quilt soon but I am so chuffed with how it is coming along. I wouldn't have started it without this #stash_less. 

I feel like I am letting go - and the making is flying along because of it. No more stalling. Yiihaaa. 

I'd love to hear how you are going with your stashing - even if you are only following along loosely. And thanks for all your warm words on this series. I'm learning new things each week from all of your comments. 

You can see other posts in this series here 

Felicia x

Stash Less Challenge - Let it go...Let it go!

The series where we talk about having a thoughtful stash.

Stash Less last week meant taking stock of my stash, and as part of that I looked for sweaters that were sitting in my cupboard as "monuments to learning". What I mean by that are sweaters I have knitted that don't fit, or are the wrong style, and I don't wear. For some unknown reason quite a few of them have been sitting in my cupboard for a long (long long) time. Some of them have been there for years. 

I wrote a blog post early on in my blog life called how to choose a sweater pattern, which details many of the mistakes I have made over my life of sweater knitting. My hope is that it has helped you avoid some of your possible mistakes. Many of these ill-fitting sweaters have been donated to other happy recipients with different body shapes than me, but in the process of taking stock I realised that I have at least four sweaters sitting in the cupboard. I have no plans of ever wearing them. I haven't worn them for years (ever) and yet I keep them. Which got me to thinking about why I haven't ripped them out.

The jumper in this post was one of them. The thing was it didn't fit. It has never fit. The photos kind of make that clear don't they. The sleeves are 17inches wide - normally I like a 12ish inch sleeve - that's 5 inches of ease. That is correct 5! Not really ideal. And the body makes me look like a barrel. Again not a good look for me. But for some reason I've kept it. 

As part of my research for this blog post ;), I just checked on Ravelry for the date I finished it and what I found makes me feel a little bit embarrassed.

July 19 2009.

Yep - it has sat there for over FIVE years. How nuts is that. 

Why would I hold on to something that I know has no purpose, and in many cases no beauty, unless they are simply monuments to learning. Monuments to learning aren't that useful. The lessons I have learned are contained within my knitting memory and I take those lessons with me into each new project. A physical reminder is unnecessary, yes?

Worse that that - looking at them makes me feel bad. If I tune in to what I feel when I look at them, there is a mixture of annoyance that I got it wrong, frustration, horror, avoidance and misguided hope of the "if I try it on again it might not be that bad?" variety. Maybe it is simply avoidance of those feelings that means that I don't look at them or deal with their existence. 

Why would I want that in my life? Why would I want to hold on to those feelings? Why would I not just let it go?  Is it just that I am avoiding the process of ripping it out? Why not just address it and get it done. And really how bad could it actually be. I mean really.

In the words of a wise woman I know called Andrea "why are you holding on to something that no longer serves you". Or for those of you with small children/nieces/nephews, in the immortal words of Elsa - "Let it gooooooo, let it goooooo…."

This weeks challenge!

Have a look through your knitting discography and find something you never wear and is a monument to learning. Pull it off the shelf and rip it out. Simply take it out of the cupboard, sit down with a glass of wine and a pair of scissors and unravel it. Sing along with Elsa if you need to. But get it done.

I promise you it will be cathartic and joyful. I cannot tell you how good it feels to see all those balls of yarn wound up, ready to go out into the world and embody the lessons you learned through knitting it in the first place. 

Get it done by November 10th, take a photo and hashtag it with #stash_less_ripping. I'll find something ace to send one lucky person chosen at random. Or if you aren't on instagram etc just leave a comment if you are taking me up on my challenge. I'm not sure I'll have any takers at all on this one ;)…..but i'm hopeful.

Felicia x

PS. You can see other posts in this series by clicking HERE.

Stash Less - Taking Stock

The series where we talk about having a thoughtful stash.

So last week I talked about identifying the reasons why we stash. Which was an incredibly useful way of figuring out how to create change - I loved your comments too - but this week for me was all about getting practical. And the first step was looking at what I actually have, and seeing whether I could figure out practically how I purchase, what I purchase, and if possible figure out why. 

And it was really interesting. What I found was many many things I have purchased without thought. Many things where I'm not quite sure why I purchased them. For example, I have two metres of BRIGHT YELLOW linen that is of a skirt weight. I don't really want a bright yellow skirt…..and I don't remember ever wanting a bright yellow skirt. I can't for the life of me figure out what it was for, especially as 2m would be a lot for a skirt?  

My stack of rainbow linen. Including 2m of yellow. I worked out that this stack alone is worth over $300. 

And a stack of blue linen. And some grey linen. And some stripes. 

I'm not sure if my stash is large or small. I know it isn't huge, but in a way that isn't that relevant. What is relevant is it's thoughtlessness.

So here is what I have learned: 

1. I buy yarn in smaller than useful batches. I like a yarn, I think it is pretty and I want some. I don't want to buy a sweaters worth (as that would be excessive ;)) so I buy a little. And a little isn't that useful. So it sits there. Three balls of wool over and over.

This chest contains my yarn stash. 

The bright stack. And the Nani Iro I often avoid using. That gorgeous black down the bottom is about 6 years old.

2. I buy bright fabrics that catch my eye in a store, but they aren't what I want to wear, and they aren't what I want the kids wearing, so they sit unused.

3. I don't use scraps because I keep buying for the next project, so I always have something new and shiny to play with. Therefore I am super inefficient with fabric. I have lots of pieces of 0.5m or less. Lots. 

4. I have a massive mending pile. And again, it sits there because I often have something new to play with, instead of working with what I have. 

5. I avoid using fabrics and yarns I really love. I'm worried that I won't love what I make. I'm worried that if I use it for one project I won't be able to another (classic opportunity cost avoidance). I'm worried that I haven't thought up the "perfect" project.

Avoiding getting started on the new colour work cardy. I really want it to be perfect so I'm just not starting. Good plan hey?

6. I keep some of my supplies in sweater form. I have made many ill-fitting sweaters over the years as I have been practising in the gap. And instead of accepting that mistakes are how you learn, and addressing the fact that they will never (EVER) be worn, I leave them in the cupboard as monuments to learning. And that is being generous to me and my motivation. I've started addressing that this week. 

I'd love to hear about your stash - what it looks like and why.

Felicia x

Previous post: Stash Less - Why we stash!

Note: I wanted to clarify, in case you have missed earlier posts (or I confused you) that I'm not saying I want to go stashless. I love having a stash. I believe in a stash. But I want to have a mindful stash. I'm saying that I want to reduce my stash and reduce my stashing behaviour - so I want to stash less often, As Kasia said in the comments last week "if I'm not making just collecting, I'm basically hoarding right?" I don't want to be a hoarder.