A Fibre Junkie ... Admitting it is the first step - but to what?

Welcome!

I have been working with fibre since my early teens; I am a self-taught knitter and crocheter of mediocre talent ... I enjoy the crafting - yarnwork is relaxing, meditative, therapeutic. And it's fun to create something unique by hand.

But the fibres themselves - there's the magic. Raw fleeces, washed fleeces, carded fleeces, rovings, batts, and yarns ... pure and simple or wild & woolly. They all have a basic appeal  - beautiful in their own right, but also full of possibilities.

When I learned to spin, my instructor stressed: "Spin your yarn according to its desired end use." I remember thinking, "USE? What USE? I just want this beautiful yarn!"  The finished yarns were like jewels ... treasures in themselves.

Look at this:

I think this is one of the most beautiful yarns I have ever seen! I love the colours, the texture, the lustre.  It's hemp, and I bought these two unlabelled skeins from funky shop in Guelph ON (where I spent many years in University, and which I miss daily!).

What will I DO with it? Dunno. Probably a scarf - that's one of my favourite ways to show off a unique yarn in a versatile & useful way! Maybe knit with oversize needles - am open to suggestions.

The point is - what I make of it is almost secondary (to me) - What matters is the yarn - the way the colours are combined, the way it feels, the way it makes ME feel.

I guess that's why I'm a fibre junkie!

I buy yarns on impulse - often in token quantities - just to have them in my stash. Which is how stashes grow.

And my illness is not restricted to shiny new fibres ... I pick up remnants of others' projects at the local thrift store - where I also buy flannel garments to cut into strips for crocheted rag rugs. And lately I find myself scanning my environment for other things that can be knit or hooked into something interesting ...

Hence this blog! 

Stay tuned for further adventures in fibre ...