It's Going to be a Really Long Hike...

At the beginning of 2010 I signed up for a Stashdown 5K. The goal was to knit 5,000 meters of yarn from my stash. So I had an idea of where I was going, I ran the spreadsheet that Ravelry so generously provides we woolly many (over 1 million) that tells us how much is in our stash.

I was at 55km of yarn. This wasn't a fully accurate count and I knew that. There was yarn that I hadn't included--it wasn't a full admission of stash. I've spent the year working to be more diligent about admitting all of the yarn I have in my apartment and making sure it's documented so I have a chance to see it and want to use it.

I gave away yarn at the Knit In. I gave away yarn and sold yarn when I moved. I've knit a lot this year--over 12km according to KnitMeter--which is a wonderfully simple and fantastic tool. We still have almost 3 weeks left in the year too and since I don't count projects until I bind off (woven in ends optional), there are some socks that will probably yet be added to that count.

So would someone explain to me how it is that I have 56km of yarn now? All the yarn I've knit, given, mailed, used, everything. And I'm slightly above where I was when I started.  No wonder things aren't fitting in their designated bins if I'm not actually losing yarn weight.

As I said, I've got several projects on the needles that could easily wrap up before the end of the year, so I'll say that this year I was nearing 15km without really pushing myself too hard. I did some holiday knitting but not a huge amount. I knit most days but not every day.

Therefore, it's time for a tangible goal. I need to knit up this yarn I own. All of these beautiful colors and textures. I have gift yarn that I want to use to show the people who gave it to me that yes, I do enjoy it and do appreciate their having given it to me. (We won't talk about the gift certificate burning a tidy hole in my pocket--I think maybe I'll buy some Signature Needles with that. Or project bags. Something NOT yarn--except maybe 1 skein that's prebeaded...maybe)

The Goal

Knit 20 kilometers of stash in 2011.

It's over twelve miles of yarn, which means I'd be averaging a mile per month. It's going to be a slog and it's going to need some big projects. Trying to knit nothing 12 miles worth of socks might be a bit much for even my sock drawer.

I'm not going to say "thou shalt not buy any wool" because that's the surest way I know to turn myself into a yarn buying/craving machine. I will keep in mind though that I own much beautiful yarn. I will remember that I have a huge queue of patterns and plenty of yarn to knit those queued items up. I will stop being paranoid that I might never have another opportunity to buy Wollmeise. When it comes down to it, there are many beautiful yarns and independent dyers. I can support them without losing all of my storage space to them. Maybe 2011 will be the year I buy stitch markers and round out my needle collection.

Between now and December 31, I want to pick out a few patterns and begin to decide upon some options and things I'd like to knit up. My twelve projects for 2010 got a bit derailed, perhaps it's time to revisit.

And to dig out the WIPs and see what can be finished for the end of the year. Half knit shawls keep no one warm.

Here's to the hike for the new year.