Friday, July 13, 2007

Stash Busting!


I am on a mission to deplete my stash by the end of this year! Now I have never heard anyone else say that, so I might now be evicted from the circle of knitters and crafters for such a piece of heresy.


Here is a picture of what is left of my stash after a couple of weeks of intense depletion. I have found all my odds and ends and unused skeins, and am completing planned projects (e.g. lace cowl) or am knitting little woolly hats for the Big Knit challenge, or am making hats, scarves and mittens for the parcels I am making for this year's Samaritans purse. Last year we had so much pleasure from knowing that our parcels would be opened by needy children on Christmas Day and that the contents would bring them a little happiness. This year, I am trying to make a boy and a girl parcel for each of the age ranges covered by Operation Christmas Child. It is humbling to think what simple items will be so appreciated: a notebook and pencils, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a soft toy or a ball.


Back to the stash bash, though. I intend to empty this basket completely so that I can start afresh. The only thing not included in this basket are packs of decorative threads for my sewing.


A similar fate awaits my pile of fabric too. Much will be destined to make toy sacks for our local toy library, although I also have an ambitious embroidery project on the back burner. I want to reclaim my work room, and have chance to think afresh what projects I want to tackle.


It was the first day of 6 weeks of the school summer holiday today. We made the most of it. Last night I made a chicken korma, and little chap and I played at Indian Restaurants with candles, popadoms and chutneys, the works... lots of fun, and reinforcing an adventurous eating habit with him. We are off to a friend's 60th birthday celebration meal next week, and it is at an Indian restaurant, so this little practice will come in very handy!


We have made a list of all the things we would like to do this holiday, and are going to have lots of fun from a train ride, to picking fruit, to camping in the back garden. I am really looking forward to it all.

2 comments:

Katie said...

i attempted to depleat my stash of odd yarn after a rash of baby blankets and scarves. at the time, i could only crochet in squares or rectangles, and wonky ones at that. i decided i would make a poncho for my daughter - kind of a hippy, multi-stipe thing. it came out retched, crooked, and horrid. sadly, i never forced her to wear it, which wouldn't matter because she's too young to remember anyway.

Mac's niece said...

Hi Katie. Yes, I am wondering whether it is actually going to be possible to use it all up productively. Thankfully the little wooly hats for drinks bottles use up small odds and ends quite nicely, and I also plan to use some of the yarn to make yarn wrapped cards. The poncho idea is fun... bet you wish you had taken a picture of her wearing it!