Stash Inspiration

I'm the first to admit that I don't need another dish rag. And yet, that's precisely the first knitting project I finished this year. Indulge me while I explain how this happened.

The woman to whom I donated my embarrassingly large collection of acrylic yarns postponed her pick up by a day. I used the time to corral all my squirreled away yarn and in-process yarn projects into one giant heap for a thorough sorting. Not only did I find a bunch more yarn to donate, I discovered many, long forgotten works in progress. This dish rag was about 1/3 complete. I had no idea when I started it or why. But, being in the midst of a long stretch of sub-freezing and sub-zero temperatures with a fire roaring constantly in the wood stove, it seemed like a good idea to curl up in front of the blazing heat and finish the dish rag.

As I worked on it, I remembered why I started it. I wanted to see what the simple repeat pattern looked like. I thought it might make an interesting texture for a rug. But why make another dish rag instead of just a test swatch? By my rationalization, a dish rag is only slightly larger than a test swatch. I figure I may as well make an oversized swatch that can be put to use wiping up spills in the kitchen rather than a traditional swatch that has no other purpose beyond testing needle size and tension.

So, dish rag #742 (ever so slight exaggeration) I do indeed like for a rug pattern. And all the yarn sorting revealed that I have enough yellow cotton cones to make a two-strand rug for in front of the range in the kitchen, a spot that's been wanting a rug since we installed the bamboo floors. (Let's not consider how long ago that was, OK?) I think it will complement the well-worn green sink rug nicely. Not to mention provide a great excuse to curl up in front of the wood stove, the best place to be - and knit - this time of year.

Speaking of stash and discovering unfinished projects, Xan's comments on the previous post included a recommendation for the blog series Stash Less over on The Craft Sessions. It's a wonderful series that explores consumer habits, crafting habits, intentional versus impulsive project and supply purchasing, and so much more. Time poverty, anyone? It gets me all the time. I highly recommend following along with Stash Less if you are interested in curbing the exponential growth of your creative supplies.