Using Up Yarn
I have been a knitter since Day l. As a result, I have lots of yarn left over, and sometimes in my "using up" mood, I have the feeling that I want to make something to use up some of my yarn, as my heirs would not know what to do with it. For awhile, I knit caps, scarves, and mittens, as that is all I could thing of whereby I could use smaller amounts of yarn. Finally, I was making doilies, when I just had small amounts left, -but those I had to crochet.
Then I heard about the knitting project that Evie Rosen of the Knit Shop had going. She called her project "Warming Up America", and in order to participate, one had to use left-over knitting worsted yarn and knit squares measuring certain dimensions. These squares were then sewed together by others and were given to the needy for covers.
Now, knitting squares was a good enough past time, but the yarn I had to use up was not the right weight. So I decided to knit some squares of my own. The measurements were not the same, but that didn't matter. I knit dozens and dozens of squares until I had all my light-weight yarn used up. Then came the time when all these squares had to be sewed together. This was not as much fun, but I enjoyed arranging all the different colored squares into an eye-appealing pattern. I finally did get them all put together and felt satisfied with the finished project. While most afghans are heavy, and used only on cold days, this afghan of mine is light weight, and is useful on chilly days.
I did have some heavier weight worsted yarn, but since I had enjoyed working with the light weight yarn, and had just learned a new afghan stitch, I was anxious to try it out. I gathered all the worsted weight together, divided the colors in two so I could make both ends the same, and started knitting. It was so interesting to do that I finished it in a hurry. It is smaller than a regular afghan, but is colorful and pretty and I call it my "Joseph's coat".
In 1988, I went on a trip to Nova Scotia and brought back some yarn! While browsing in a gift shop one day, I found some skeins of pink yarn spun from the wool of sheep raised on Prince Edward Island. Not being able to resist the yarn, I decided to forego the purchase of any other souvenirs and bought the yarn instead. Wanting to make the best possible use of the yarn, I tried knitting a sweater and a vest, but was unsuccessful with both, since I had 4 shades of pink to work with and didn't have the right amount of either. So I made a special afghan, which is my remembrance of Nova Scotia, and I used up all the yarn.
I feel lost if I have no knitting project started. One of these days I will dig out an afghan kit my husband gave me for a birthday years ago. I started it and never finished. Maybe this is the time. (If Paula can finish a quilt that has been started long ago, maybe I can finish my afghan too.)
I'm not sure I'll ever use up all my yarn, as I like to go to Estate sales and look for some more. Many times I have come home with a bargain I wasn't able to pass up. I vow over and over that I will not buy any more yarn, but I always end up with some anyway. So it looks like I will always have yarn to use up! But then, what's so bad about that?