Scitchet Knits (and everything else)

So, I need to get this video/DVD, a set of real combs (not the dog combs I’ve been using), and like two months off to just play with fiber.

So, I was scrolling through the knitting tag and I came across this post.  I realize that the freeyourstuff tumblr is about getting rid of stuff.  However, all encompassing posts/articles like this piss me off to no end.  The implication that anyone with a stash has a problem, or that someone who buys supplies for their craft without a specific purpose in mind did something wrong, makes me want to strangle someone with some yarn.

Here is the thing.  Crafting for me is art; it is expression; it is a tangible manifestation of my emotions and my creativity.  It isn’t something cluttering up my life, it is an essential part of my existence.  It is a passion.  I think about fiber all of the time; I obsess over it.  The last thing I would do is consider any of my crafting a hobby.

There is a feeling out in the world that “the stash” is a dirty thing.  It is something you should be ashamed of.  It represents something you are doing wrong with your life.  This is utter and complete bull shit.

So, back to the post: Point one, keep one of every size needle and give the rest away.  Seriously?  First, I have between five and ten projects going on all the time.  Many of them use the same size needles.  This is part of my process.  I don’t knit to kill time, I knit because every aspect, from the fiber, to the colors, to the stitch, and every thing else, fascinates me.  I can not be satisfied with one project.  Second, I knit flat, in the round, weird ass shit, etc.  Which means I would need between 8 and 10 sets of every size even if I did one project at a time.

Point two, write down every project you have planned for the next six months?????  WTF?  The only time I put in that much forethought into a project is when I come across a critter knit that I want to make for someone as a gift.  I buy yarn and fiber that speak to me.  I buy knitting books and magazines because something in them inspires me.  When I start a project sometimes it is because a trip through my stash turns up a yarn that must be knit at this moment, then I find an appropriate pattern or make one up.  Sometimes it is because a pattern or picture somewhere just resonates and I go find a yarn that does the same.  Sometimes I grab a yarn at random just to see where it takes me, or because it is challenging.  I don’t have anything planned past tomorrow, that would ruin all of the fun for me.

Point three, having lots of something means you are a hoarder.  This is more bull shit.  I’m not saying there aren’t hoarders.  What I’m saying is that you wouldn’t call someone with a lot of flowers in their yard a hoarder, you’d call them a gardener.  You wouldn’t call someone with tons of paint and canvases around the house a hoarder, you would call them a painter.  There is a heavy implication in posts/articles like this that art and craft must be planned out in advance with no deviation or there is something wrong and dirty about it. 

Spontaneity is a good thing.  Passion isn’t dirty or wrong.  Creativity isn’t dirty or wrong.  Hell, being dirty and disorganized isn’t dirty or wrong.  Not everyone can fit into a white-washed world of minimalism and labeled plastic totes.  Messy can be freeing.  Plenty, excess, and an abundance of options can open avenues of creativity that you didn’t know you had. 

My bottom line to this rant:  There should be room for every type of artist and crafter.  If having the next six months of projects lined up in labeled totes is what you need to be able to craft, then do it.  If the thought of spending two hours rummaging through your stash for a new experiment is what gets you through a horrible day at work, then have a fucking awesome, massive stash.  If you are somewhere in the middle, and it makes you happy, then be there.  The point of your craft should be to bring happiness into your life and to help you find your joy, not to fit into anyone else’s definition of what is acceptable.