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

I Made This - Felicia Semple

I Made This is a new weekly blog post that features makers from around the world - some of them you will know through their online presence, others you will not - but their stories are equally inspiring.
I Made This aims to talk about the things we are proud of; of the objects we make that have meaning to us and the journey we take to make them.

So I know this is a weird way to kick off a series that is all about other voices -  but I'm going to start. Mainly because I have been wanting to post about a cardy I made and this is the perfect format for it. 

I Made This by Felicia Semple

I made this cardigan but I still don't understand exactly how. My hands began making while my head was playing catchup, trying to find an idea. 

The cardigan began with some materials. We were two days into our camping trip when we visited a farm that did natural dyeing as part of a Tudor reenactment. They took wool from their own sheep, and dyed it using camomile and madder and woad and pussy willow. The skeins were so beautiful I couldn't leave them in the farm shop.

My middle girl saw the colours (she LOVES colour) and kept asking over and over "are they for me….could they be for me?" "Course they could love." "A cardigan?" "Sure."

OK. So I'm making a colourwork cardigan. I set a few parameters; Keep it simple. Think of it as a learning experience - I don't know that much about colourwork. Only use one or two colours per pattern. Make it stripy - four rows between each pattern - one big pattern then one small. I decide to think of it as a colourwork sampler of sorts; a place to practice my skills.

Final rule - I can't procrastinate - I have to just start. I have a tendency to procrastinate when using materials I love. I don't want them to run out and so I plan and plan and don't make. So I decide not to plan. We were camping and I have the time to do something a little challenging. I make up some starting numbers for the body of the cardy and start knitting. 

This cardy was the craft project that came out of our adventure. Like the adventure, I made no plans. I picked patterns by using spotty wifi to do a quick google search for "colourwork images" to find something I liked. I'd quickly scribble it down, and knit some more. Sometimes there was no wifi and I would make a pattern up as I needed to keep knitting. I ripped and ripped and ripped this thing. I did the yoke at least six times to get the shaping to work. In doing so I used a whole heap of personal qualities I'm not that practiced at - like patience and sitting with uncertainty. Doing something so uncertain, and so unlike my normal making, made it addictive. I wanted to see if I could. 

Technically it is a bit of a disaster. I don't have that much experience with colour work. I have made a few things but never taken the time to learn the rules. Even (especially) if you plan on breaking them, having a basic understanding of the rules is helpful. For example I used a two stitch seam of the natural coloured yarn on the underside of the sleeve. This lead to many interesting tangled sloppy stitches  that are really obvious if you are up close (see below). A bigger error was that I didn't pay enough attention when I was buying the yarn. I assumed it was all DK and just thought that some of the skeins had been spun a bit thin. I realised about 3/4 of the way through that actually three of the colour skeins were fingering weight. It works. Kind of. I also realised at the end of the cardigan that I'd been holding what I wanted to be the dominant yarn in the non dominant hand. Whoops….. And then there is the fact I used a 4mm needle with dk yarn to knit a colourwork cardigan for a child that "runs hot". It is a thick coat, not a cardigan. Plus it's too small. Technically I might get a fail if we were looking at it from a technical point of view. Luckily we are not.

Because she loves it. And I love it. To her it is her "colourwork cardy" that she asked me for and I made because I love her. She doesn't care that it isn't technically great or too hot or too small. And I'm proud of it. It challenged me and extended me and I learnt.

It holds the memories of our trip and many places we camped. I cast on in England, I redid the yoke in Albania and I crocheted the steek in Greece. She and I sat together at our camp table under the trees in Umbria and cut the steek. I put the buttons on only this week - maybe finally accepting that it is over and we are home. 

It almost feels like this came together through some kind of magic. I don't believe I would have been able to sit down and "design" something I like this much. One uncertain leap lead to another uncertain leap. Such an unusual process for me; I surprised myself. 

Why materials matter!

When I was a newbie crafter I often purchased materials because I thought they were cute (for the kids), or beautiful (for me), or they were on sale (cheap). I put little thought into the properties of the materials I was using because I didn’t understand how critical they were. I thought that yarn was yarn, and fabric was fabric. And I think this is a common mistake that many new crafters make.

For me, choosing the wrong materials lead to many projects that were technically OK, but just didn't sing. And if you are going to take the time to make something with your hands you really want it to sing, don't you? 

Materials categorically affect the success of your project. They affect the longevity, the usability, the beauty and ultimately the joy the project brings; while it is being created and during it's lifetime. 

When your project is completed, it is the properties of material that matter - does it drape, does it pill, does it stretch, does it have enough weight, does it have enough strength, is it stiff, is it floppy, is it too heavy, too light and most importantly does it work for the thing you are making. Some properties are immediately visible but sometimes you can’t tell until the project is complete. And sometimes, even after a lot of practice you get it wrong. 

As a lovely instagram friend reminded me the other day - a gorgeous material is only gorgeous if paired with the right pattern. The perfect pairing of a project and materials will bring out the best qualities of both the pattern and the materials.

Let's use longevity as an example because it is one of the key things I am looking for. I want my projects to last, and I want them to wear beautifully.

Much of my making is children's clothes. Much of the wearing they do of those clothes is a little harsher than you or I might wear them. Blueberries, watermelon, grass, glue, ink and many many rocks have created havoc on the things I have lovingly made for them. As a loving parent your only option when faced with the carnage is to smile and hold your pain deep deep inside. As a result I have upped-the-anti on the materials I use, based on the number of outfits coming home from school with holes in the bottoms. I'm still making the same patterns but I no longer use flimsy fabrics. For shorts I once used cotton fabrics including jersey and quilting cottons. My baseline is now a lightweight canvas or linen/cotton blend. Something with strength and durability.

I do something similar for kid's frocks. Although the odd one gets made out of something super light and plain (I'm looking at you lovely pale pink Geranium that now has three ink stains and a hole in the front), I generally only make them out of a quilting cotton weight fabric. I trade off beautiful drape for durability.
Lesson - Small person shorts (in our family) need to be made in a light canvas if the aim is to get more than a few weeks wear from them.

I was wondering out loud the other day why I use so many prints in the fabrics I choose, rather than solids (which I love). I have realised the answer is "to disguise the wear and the stains". Again this is something to consider when choosing your materials if you are making for mucky pups like my lot. You will never achieve the gorgeous tone-on-tone linen kidswear look so beautifully epitomised by the Scandinavians, but I've learnt to live with that and you can too ;).
Lesson - Prints increase longevity due to stain disguising powers.

After strength, the next thing to consider is how it wears as well as the beauty of the material. Ask the question - is it still beautiful when used with the pattern I have in mind?

A knitting example - Once when I was a newish knitter I got completely suckered in by all the comments on Ravelry about the softness of Malabrigo Worsted. It is truly an amazingly soft yarn! I took the plunge and ordered a sweaters worth in the gorgeous Paris Nights colourway. I then knitted a whole jumper. At the time this was a massive undertaking that involved emotional strength and guts. Before I had even finished the jumper I could see that it was going to pill like a b@#%ard. Who wants to walk around the streets looking all pill-y? So it became a house cardigan - but it was too depressing to even use for that. I threw it away for it’s sake and mine. It just made me too sad.
Lesson – A super-soft wool is not generally a good sweater wool.

Later I used the very same super-soft Malabrigo Worsted for a Toddler Cowl – a project to which it is entirely suited and it still looks stunning a year or two in. The kid loves it because it is “just so soft mama”.  Perfect pairing. 
Lesson – A super-soft wool makes a great kid cowl.

Now all this talk about the "right" materials may have you thinking that I am talking about expensive yarns and fabrics. To which I would say – not at all!! Two recent projects were tiny baby vests that I made using yarn that was about $4.50 a ball. One was a tiny big squeaky but the other was Alpaca and simply divine. A favourite pairing of materials and pattern was a Wiksten skirt I made by chopping up an old pregnancy dress I loved. It no longer fits as I no longer have DD boobs, but rather than throw it out, I hoarded it because I loved the swish of the fabric. I made it to go on holiday and it is one of the favourite things I have ever made.

Below is a photo of the aforementioned skirt but in an effort to keep it really real in this space I want to give you the following info ;). The photo is a selfie taken in a campsite bathroom that was citrus yellow and royal blue. It was taken at a very very weird angle to make use of the tiny white bathroom door as a backdrop. In real life I am much more woman shaped. 

The right materials are ones that suit the pattern you are using AND with that pattern achieves the properties you want the project to have. 

simple things to remember when choosing materials if you are a newbie
 

Fabrics - If you are choosing materials for clothing think about the weight of the fabrics that you currently wear for that type of garment at the moment. If you are making a frock check the back of the pattern obviously, but then go and feel similar frocks in your cupboard to get an idea of the weight of fabric you should be looking for. Pick up the skirt in your hand and let it fall to see how the fabric drapes. These are the qualities you are looking for in a fabric is what you are looking for when you shop.

Yarn – Look for yarns that have similar properties to the ones suggested in the pattern. But remember that 100% wool and 100% wool are not the same thing. If possible feel them, look on Ravelry, and ask for advice. Look for whether they have ply's twisted together (strands twisted together) or whether they are a single yarn strand or whether they are woollen spun. Some 100% wools are supersoft and floppy. Others are twisted and solid. Others are bouncy and spun. If you aren't sure what any of this means then pop back tomorrow and I will give you a wonderful resource.The more you can learn about fibre the better!!

Feel free to ask me any question you want about what materials to use when. I'll do my best to help.

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.