I ran into an idea at Ravelry that is just zinging round my brain and refusing to leave. It is part of the Stash Knit Down Ravelry group, and I have to give credit where credit is due because it’s a crazy good idea. The notion? Create your own yarn club.
I’ve seen sock yarn clubs and thought they looked like an awful lot of fun. Every month a new skein of yarn shows up in your mailbox along with a pattern. Talk about good mail. The cost was always a bit daunting, and I’m not a person to knit lace socks and many patterns were just that – socks with drafty holes. So I’ve stayed away.
This version, though, takes your own yarn and turns it into your own personal party. The group has several different variations, but here’s the idea for the sock club:
1. Take out your yarn and patterns and match 12.
2. Put a pattern and its yarn in a brown paper bag and staple it shut.
3. Once a month, open one up. Enjoy the surprise.
People are doing sweater versions, or blanket versions, yarn without patterns, or whatever suits their fancy. Here’s how I’m thinking of doing it: I’ll make mine a mix of gifts I know I want to get a head start on, socks, as well as mittens and hats I know I want to have on hand the next time the season of frostbite rolls around. I was thinking of only doing nine, but having a few marked ‘bonus’ for months when I’m getting a lot done. I like to have two projects on the go (usually a sock for portability and something larger for couch knitting), and these little surprise bits would mesh with that perfectly. I could still pick larger projects like vests or sweaters.
They’d be surprises, and yet surprises I also consider “To Do” items. They could even be things to knit on my list of 101 Things in 1001 Days. So it’s a wonderful mix of treating myself and making a game out of a task. If you’ve ever wondered why I chose Poppins as an internet identity, it’s because my philosophy for so many facets of life (homeschooling to housework) is “In every job to be done, there is an element of fun, find the fun and – snap – the job’s a game!”.
There are so many ways to do this: match it up with Project Spectrum, or use it to knit for charity, or get all your holiday knitting done, or just pamper yourself and make it all about using up those luxurious skeins you keep saving for ‘someday’.
As you can tell, I’m still considering this. I don’t want to just leap in and then find it’s not a good match and disappoint myself by not completing it. I hate the feeling I get when I am clearing away something I was once excited about but then felt my motivation fade or discovered that life got in the way.
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I’ll try to overcome my natural dislike of tooting my own horn long enough to mention that I’ve been nominated for Best Hobby Blog by Kim. Thanks, Kim, it’s so wonderful to know people like what I do.
Handmade Homeschool 
That’s an excellent idea. I’m tempted too.
Sounds like a great idea. My stash isn’t big enough to swing it. And I get the thing about not wanting it to turn into another thing you feel you HAVE to do. How about 6? one every 2 months. and if you get ahead of yourself you have to make yourself wait, to heighten the anticipation?
By Jove, I love that idea! lol – Jove’s idea, that is, about making it one every other month & having to wait if you get ahead. Because otherwise, you might stumble onto some fabulous project you want to do, but you don’t have time due to the challenge knitting. And that would suck.
Like it? Honey bun, we LOVE it. You inspire me every day, not just about crafts, but about taking a minute to absorb the things that make life special, the way color makes everything feel alive with possibility. I knit nothing, do no crafts to speak of, but I come by here every day. love, V
OME that is such a great idea. i’ve got to pay attention to that group more!
now if only i could get a bag like mary poppins.
I really like this idea, too. I did the SockAMonth for two years, and liked the way it motivated me to get knitting socks. I seem to have lost my sock mojo, recently, so I like your take of gift knitting.
I’ve been thinking about how to use this idea too and also want to avoid starting something that turns out to be a bad fit.
I like the 6 project idea.
Truth is I probably won’t make the brain space to figure it out until after the holidays. Keep us posted on you thinking about it all.
Mariah
who is rambling in the early, pre-coffee morning
What a fabulous idea! 🙂