Judith's Studio and Hurricane Sandy

I assume many people who read this blog are active enough in the fiber arts world to have heard of the loss of Judith MacKenzie's studio to fire.  It seems like such an irony while worrying about crisis on the east coast to have this little tragedy on the west coast.  I say little not to diminish the loss to her and many who stored their wheels and looms in her studio, but because compared to loss of homes and life, we have to maintain perspective, even though  I might not always feel that way.

It's a bit ironic, because as I've been listening to those trying to while away they hours and days without electricity in the east, I try not to be jealous.  Idealistically, I picture myself knitting and spinning to my heart's content in a chilly, boring apartment.  I think of so many hours to play with my fiber.  Assuming I still had fiber, of course.  The truth is, Hurricane (or Super Storm) Sandy was not that nice.  It didn't gift people with extra hours.  Instead, it was devastating in destroying all that many people owned.  It's hard to imagine what that would really feel like.  Surrounded by too much stuff, and unable to part with it, I know that I would be devastated and blessed by such an event.  I hope that most are able to rebuild.  I was moved by this video of the Mormon Helping Hands doing a bit of good on one day in one community in New York.

And meanwhile, the warm hearts of knitters have come together to rebuild Judith's studio as much as is possible.  They are 73% of the way to the needed donation.  I hope that many more good people join in helping all those in need wherever they can help.

And there's one more good turn in the knitting world I'd like to mention today.  Craftsy is sponsoring a Keep Out the Cold drive to provide warmer winter clothing to homeless children in the U.S.  You can donate handmade items or money.  Their goal is 10,000 donations! I'm going to make a kid's sized Monmouth cap out of a fun color.  They're the warmest hats I make, so I hope one can bless someone else.

What are you donating time or money to this season?

Yarn Diet

I've just re-dedicated myself to my yarn diet.  The idea came to me from Wendy, who said she wasn't going to buy any more yarn until she had used up every bit of everything in her stash.  Wow.  I've been watching all sorts of great things come off her needles and hooks since then.  She makes whatever the yarn will work for.

I couldn't bring myself to be that good.  I decided to knit only out of my stash for a year.  Then I added the exception that I could buy yarn I needed for a gift.  Then sales became an exception too.  My stash is now bigger and better than ever.  I mean worse, don't I?

I've been knitting away, but I really have to make the yarn I have fit in the space I have, so it's back on the diet again.  I am committed not to buy yarn until all that I have fits in the bins I have for yarn.  (Should I admit how many bins there are?)  

The only trouble is...I'm hooked on a pattern, thinking about it all the time, and I don't have any yarn for it.  In all those bins, nothing will work.

But I remembered I have a spinning wheel.  And a fiber stash.