simplicity + the "unusable" yarn

I'm not sure why, but I've been really craving simple things lately. I've cut back on the exotic, spicy foods (goodbye, Thai noodles and gastrointestinal problems; hello, apples!), I'm in the process of streamlining and organizing at work, and I've been on the hunt for a simple little something to knit.

Apparently, finding a simple project was a more complicated task than I originally anticipated (i-roh-nee!) I first cast on for the Textured Shawl Recipe (which is exactly that: a recipe, rather than a pattern) using Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca & Silk, which was a gift from Katie, and a small amount of some DK handspun. At first, I really loved it, but about 30 rows in, it lost its charm. I wasn't feeling the combination. So...frog frog frog-oh. (It really is a lovely pattern, and when I find the right yarn for it, I'll cast on again.)

I then purchased the pattern Shaelyn, which is slightly more complicated but still has the simple, traditional, grass-rootsy feel I've been after. Perfect, right? Notsomuch. I casted on four times with different yarns and different needle sizes before I found the right combination. It was seriously a Goldilocks series of events. Yarn #1 was too fuzzy and didn't display the lace nicely enough for my tastes; Yarn #2 was like knitting with barbed wire, it was just so darn skritchy. Yarn #3 was too variegated, and muddled up the simple design. You get the idea. And let me tell you, it's pretty exasperating to cast on and knit the first 20 rows of something three times in a row. I pretty much have the repeat memorized.

But finally, I landed on a yarn that was perfect, although I was instantly apprehensive about using it. You see, I have a wonderful stash that I'm pretty proud of; it's the fruit of several years of collecting and saving, and it has some pretty awesome yarns in it. Unfortunately, I'm a bit of a miser when it comes to this stash. Rather than, you know, use it, I hold onto a lot of the skeins, waiting for the perfect project to come along and present itself. These skeins are deemed "unusable" because they're just so precious: they possess a particularly scrumptious fiber content, are in an extremely luscious color, or just cost an arm and a leg to purchase.

The yarn I cast on for Shaelyn with was one such "unusable" skein, for several reasons. I had purchased two skeins of Sheep 3 Yarn from the Sheep Shop Yarn Company over a year ago to knit Clapotis, but after a few rows, I just wasn't enamored with the result. Into the stash this yarn went, where it waited and waited. It's a precious yarn for a few reasons: I love the color, I have an odd amount of yardage (I have a weird obsession with fitting a yarn to a project that will use all or almost all of it up), it's a really lovely shiny blend of wool and silk, and it wasn't cheap. But it fit the weight and exceeded the yardage requirements for Shaelyn, so after much trepidation I cast on.

Of course, you've figured out by now that the yarn was perfect for the shawl, that I was incredibly relieved to be finally knitting my simple little project instead of obsessing over the materials and the needle size, that despite my fears that the yarn would eventually be used up, in exchange, I would have a lovely shawl to wear and enjoy forever. I mean, really, what was that yarn doing for me except sitting in its wire drawer, taunting me with its loveliness? Sheesh.

The lesson here, of course, is that I need to get over my yarn hoarding obsession, and just start knitting my "unusable" skeins. Perfect pattern be damned! I think my wallet will thank me.