BLOCKED issue 6

BREAKING OUT THE
by Karen Juliano
special Yarn
What do you do with that special ball of yarn brought home from a trade show/holiday trip/fiber festival?
What’s your favorite one-skein project?
When I was traveling with a yarn company to
tradeshows and fiber festivals, I started out as the host
of a “yarn tasting” in the booth, where customers could
sit and knit or crochet for a few minutes with some of
the yarn. Besides working with the lovely yarn all day, I
really enjoyed talking to people. It was so fun to chat
with visitors and find out what classes they were taking,
who they came to the festival with, and so on. Later, my
role changed a bit but in the crowded booths I still had
the opportunity to visit with knitters. I was surprised to
hear people say, “Oh, I have a ball of your yarn. I have
it in a special place in my craft room and sometimes I
touch it and then put it back.” I always wondered if
they knew what they were missing!
This idea, that people have a designated spot for
their “special yarn” reminded me of a phone call I once
received. Some friends knew how much I like tea cups
and dishes; they knew someone who had recently lost
their mother, and wondered if I would like her china
set, as no one in the family wanted it. They later
brought over several boxes and we unwrapped piece
after piece of this pristine service with not a single chip
or scratch but covered in a thick layer of dust. It had
been a precious gift that her husband brought back
after serving overseas in the 1950s. So rarely used, no
one had any memories or emotions attached to the
dishes and they gave the whole set away, to me, a
stranger.
A friend once told me, “My husband knows that if I
die, he’s supposed to call my knitting friends to look
through my stash, and not sell my good stuff in a garage
sale.” How sad to think she would save the best
stuff until too late! I do understand, because I also
have special yarn, but I think it’s eagerly awaiting use.
At least, I am eager to use it! I’m searching for the right
project for that
yarn. (Alright, there
might be two or three special
skeins in my stash.) I’m looking,
and thinking, flipping through books and
magazines and posts to find a great project to
get that yarn on my needles! Friends, get that good
stuff out and make a plan. Who cares if your birthday
isn’t a “5 or 0” this year? You’re here, time to celebrate!
A few times a year I get things reorganized. I think
about what’s coming up and make lists – the neverending
to-do list, upcoming birthdays and events,
things like that. My favorite list is “What to Knit!” Do I
need some new mittens? Is there a new design in my
head? Do I know a baby on the way? What about a
new skill I’ve been meaning to try, or a designer whose
work I’ve been admiring? And how about some of that
scrumptious yarn? I’m going to find a project and
break out the special yarn!
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