Like a dieter deliberately withholding from friends and loved ones any indication that s/he is dieting until she's had some success and is sure she's committed, I've been keeping a secret. Today I go public.
My So-Called Sock Challenge:
December 2010 through November 2011,
I will knit no fewer than twelve pairs of socks.
It's self-imposed. I need to knit down my stash.
Historically I've prided myself on having a very small and tidy stash, purchasing new yarn only as-needed for a new project and rarely having more than one or two extra projects' worth on hand. After coming down from the euphoria of a few indiscriminate buying binges in 2008 and 2009, I now have a luxury of beautiful yarns (especially sock yarns) that, frankly, borders on the obscene. The magnitude became all-too-apparent when we moved last spring and I gathered all the skeins that used to be scattered around our old, much-smaller house into a single location at the new house. Too much... way too much.
The rules of the challenge are simple: Produce at least one pair per month of the challenge. That's it. Nothing rigid like "must begin and end during the same month" or "must cast on a new pair the first of the month." Twelve months equals twelve pairs (minimum). If I get ahead and finish twelve pairs early, great! I'll consider my challenge successful. In that case, I may or may not stop early. We'll see how I feel about it if that happens.
My only confidant about the challenge was my sister, and she decided to participate in solidarity -- which I love! She created a more rigid challenge schema for herself, though, so we're not doing exactly the same thing. And รก la the Yarn Harlot, she also already picked out what yarn's she's using, selected patterns for each, and set up monthly kits. Not me! No, I'm winging it all loosey goosey on-the-fly.
My So-Called Sock Challenge Tally (as of 2.11.10):
- December (1): Marshlands for My Sister
- January (2): Twin Ribs for Mom*, Fantastic Fascine Socks for Me
- February (1 so far): Sleep Socks for C
Total: 4 pairs in 3 months
I already blogged about the Twin Rib socks for Mom. I decided to count these in my challenge, even though they didn't use yarn from my stash, because they use yarn from my mom's ample stash -- which aligns them with my goals for the challenge. My challenge, my loose rules!
Postings about socks already completed are on their way. A new pair will hit the needles as soon as I finish my Bridgewater Shawl (which may... may... happen as early as tomorrow).
Mind you: This challenge won't completely deplete my sock yarn stash. It will make a good dent, though!
Anyone who wants to join us in our So-Called Sock Challenge is welcome -- no application necessary.
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1 comment:
I like your...um...rules. As a new sock knitter, it's oh so easy to just pick up sock yarn (or any kind for that matter) hither and yon, thinking, well it's too pretty to pass up, I'll never see this again...yadda yadda. I'm a sewer, and the same thing happens with fabric. I'm trying so hard not to accumulate yarn on THIS iteration of my knitting life (I've had knitting cycles before). But...oooooh...pretty...just this one, since it's one of a kind...What? Were you saying something?
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