Happy Yarn
Dee recently posted about some peach-colored yarn that was giving her fits. She put the yarn in time out, purchased some new yarn and shook it at the misbehaving peach yarn.
Unhappy yarn is frustrating to knit: it splits, doesn't lay flat, or refuses to be knit into a particular project. My solution has been to frog (rip out) and start a different project with the yarn, hoping I will eventually find what it wants to become.
Very rarely, I've been known to actually throw unhappy yarn away; however, I have also offered it for adoption to my knitting buddies. I've even donated cranky yarn to thrift shops, hoping that it will be happier in someone else's hands.
How do you deal with unhappy or downright cranky yarn?
I consider a skein of yarn with several knots in it to be unhappy yarn. That's the problem I encounter most often. It's very frustrating, but there's not much I can do about it except keep knitting with an eye on the next knot, so I can keep all joins on the ends of the rows.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time I get rid of it but I am guilty of not buying the best quality of yarn so maybe that is where I should begin a change:)
ReplyDeleteLife's too short to live with anything (or anyone) cranky!
ReplyDeleteMarie Kondo it!
Great Question Nancy.
ReplyDeleteIF it is horrid and split I give it away or dump it. Some things are not meant to trouble me or anyone else!
I currentlyhave a nice skein of worsted in a warm brown. I tried to knit squares for charity but it has NO give to it. IT is like knitting with twine and it isn't worth the frustration> I can give it to a friend who crochets. I don't think you need that GIVE when you crochet.
I also can give yarn to a friend who runs the prayer shawl committee at church.
I have encountered some angry, hostile yarn in my day. Last year I dumped a lot of it in a big basket and sold it at a garage sale. I priced it at $1.00 a skein and the woman who bought it talked me down to $.50 a skein plus $5 for the basket. I waved a happy bye, bye to the horrible stuff as it left.
ReplyDeleteI do all the things you do with cranky yarn. I do it with yarn I know I'll never get around to using. GREAT Image! I like the idea of Yarn happy hour, I just need to stop making mine right before bed!
ReplyDeleteIf the yarn is truly and utterly cranky, it may find itself donated OR if really, REALLY bad, trashed.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of the peach yarn ---- it's mostly operator error. I think pattern and yarn WILL agree if I can just get my mind set on making it right! LOL (It's been a stressful month and my mind is just not on my knitting right now.)
Oh, I definitely do not like unhappy yarn :)
ReplyDeleteAll great ideas! Time out usually works for me.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a yarn owner, I'd give away my unhappy yarn. Life is too short to live with yarn that makes for unhappiness.
ReplyDeleteI must be oblivious. Or maybe I put up with cranky yarn. I can't think of the last cranky yarn I worked with. Maybe I just haven't been knitting enough recently.
ReplyDelete