Image by Martin Tajmr from Pixabay
It seems that there are definite seasonal patterns to my blog posts and I often feel the urge to write about the same topics at the same time of the year. January, without exception is my cue for a little rant about yarn diets or cold sheeping or whatever you want to call it.
Call it what you like because we all know it doesn’t matter a hoot, and most knitters will cave like a soggy digestive at the first yarn show or newsletter offer. If you do manage to resist, obviously hats off to you for your impressive show of restraint.
This year more than ever though it seems appropriate to support our hard-pressed yarn shops and indie dyers. Financial insecurity, the looming shadow of the ongoing Brexit disaster and many other factors mean that where we spend our hard earned money is important now as never before.
For those that don't know, the practice of Cold Sheeping refers to going on a yarn diet or a restricted yarn buying policy - akin to going 'cold turkey'. It is certainly a common feeling at this time of year to feel slightly overwhelmed by your stash, or to feel as though your house in general has way too much clutter in it to even contemplate buying anything more stuff.
However, whatever the answer is I'm almost certain that it doesn't involve going on a yarn diet. For the simple reason that diets never work. If they did the diet industry would go out of business. Anything that advocates extreme restriction or denial will inevitably involve a backlash at some point and freed from constraint you will be gleefully hoarding pretty sock yarn again before you can say 'Blue faced Leicester'.
So, I am proud to say that there will be no Cold Sheep or yarn dieting here. This is a Cold Sheep Free Zone.
My stash is a thing of joy - it brings warm and woolly solace to dark days - and it means that at the drop of a hat (or the news of an imminent baby arrival) I can rummage in the stash, grab some needles and whip out something cute and giftable in less time than it takes to traipse into town to buy a congratulations card.
So, this January I am encouraging you to give the Cold Sheep the Cold Shoulder. Embrace your stash in all its woolly glory and show some love to our fab independent business.
And if you’d like to make better use of your stash and get some inspiration and support, please do check out my new venture - The Stash Appreciation Society. We can promise you a warm woolly welcome.
PIN FOR LATER
