Does fabric breed like rabbits?

Through the week I worked out if I sewed 10 metres of fabric a month, on average, & I bought no more fabric, (that's impossible), I could sew up my stash in 7-8 years! My fabric stash is getting out of hand, again.

The last time I felt that it had bred uncontrollably, like rabbits, in my sewing room, I purged the stash & gave about 30 kg away! It hardly made a dent.

I spoke to myself harshly at the time & told myself that I would control my fabric buying & only buy what I really needed....thing is I always need it! Its a compulsion & it seems that every time I go into my favourite fabric shop- I buy more fabric. I rarely come out of there with out something. Usually its a huge bag full which I hide in my car until DH goes out & I can sneak up to the sewing room unobserved & hide it away, bit like 2 of my sisters with their shoes! I thankfully missed that compulsion.

At one point I even tried to avoid going in & looking as I knew I would have to buy something. I lasted 3 weeks.....I needed a fabric fix. Is there something they put in the fabrics that is addictive, that wonderful new fabric smell & it works on our brains telling us to buy it?LOL

This shop now sells roll ends- you have to buy what's on the roll- they won't cut it & its upholstery fabrics- really good quality fabrics & boy haven't I picked up some great bargains for $4 & $5 a metre-I know I don't need 4 metres of it, but at that price who cares? And so the stash grows.....and grows!

Now for all this huge stash of fabric when I went to find fabric to make some boomerang (V) pillow slips I had nothing in enough length that was suitable. So what's a gal to do?....you just HAVE to go to the fabric shop. In my defence I was very good & only bought what I went in to get-fabric for the pillowcases. Mind you I over estimated what I needed & had enough to make myself a nightie out of the left over fabric from one lot!

Before I got the embroidery machine I used to sew less & use more fabric. These days I sew more & use very little fabric, but I keep on buying it.....I may just need it.

This weekend I made myself a winter robe (so who cares that its 35*C outside- it WILL get cold again!)-from stash fabric- bought on sale at Lincraft at the end of last winter for this very purpose. That used 4 metres. 6 V pillowslips- that was about 12 metres- not from stash, I had to buy fabric to make these, so no reduction there and the nightie from left over fabric. At least I managed to sew up what I bought within the week-to me that's a bonus.

So, after sewing all weekend I have managed to reduce the original stash by 4 metres- hardly a dent in the 13 crates I have stashed away.

I was even nice to DH & took up his jeans that he asked me to do.....mostly he gives up & wears them long! Mind you with all his snoring he did last night he was lucky not to be strangled by his jeans-sheesh give that man a curry & a few beers & can he snore! There is much to be said for separate rooms as you get older!

The scarf is now finished-I am so glad I got to the end of it after all the problems I had doing the pattern- I hope my DIL likes it! DD liked it as well but I'm doing a different pattern for her.There is no way I'm knitting that pattern again! This was a freebie from Lincraft- I did a knit stitch each end on the purl rows so it wouldn't curl.

I started the Mockery socks from wired for fibre this week-have done 3 pattern repeats ,I think I should have checked the yarn's tension (I never check tension) as the yarn I'm using is a little finer than the ones in the original pattern. They'll stretch. Hopefully.

I'm one of these people that has to finish one project before starting the next-if I stop & move on I know I'll never go back to it....I don't have a cupboard full of UFO's thankfully.
Since joining Ravelry I notice my yarn stash is increasing as well- I hadn't really bought much yarn for years. I did the odd edge around something or baby item, even did 4 pairs of socks, but I bought the yarn for each project as I needed it.

I now find I'm looking at more yarns & buying them as well-heaven help me if I end up with a yarn stash as big as my sewing one! I think I can control this one a little better than the fabric obsession!

This year my resolution is to use up at least 120 metres of fabric from stash & not to buy anymore unless I need it to complete a project & only to buy what I need.

Well, that's the goal.....we'll have to see!

Market bags

It seems that if I get on here once a week I'm doing well. I'm not sure where my evenings go- certainly not in a flurry of productivity-but the week has zipped on by once again

This week I finished 2 knitted bags- I downloaded the pattern through Ravelry & knitted the first bag as per pattern.

It was way too small for what I had in mind- perfect if you don't want to use plastic bags & you want to take 6 of these bags grocery shopping with you to put the carrots in one, the potatoes in another & so on-but this is not what I had in mind. I found the handles too short & the opening too restrictive....but with all things- you live & learn. So, here is the first attempt- one thing- I loved this easy pattern, but hated the fiddling of starting off- I'm really very lazy & always want the easy option when it comes to doing things like this.

So, not to be beaten & wanting to produce the produce bag into something more usable- I went & purchased 2 balls of 8ply cotton (also 4 metres of polar fleece & 3 lots of 2 metres of cotton waffle weave in the most gorgeous pastel shades- why is it that I can't just buy what I go in for?LOL)

So back to the drawing board- I started off with a crochet hook & double crochets- did rounds until I had about 120 stitches, then picked them up with a circular knitting needle-I also used 15 mm needles this time-knitted the pattern until I judged I had enough yarn to knit the top & when I got to making the handles I crocheted chains about 35 stitches long, then picked up the loops on the next row while knitting.

This worked out a hell of a lot easier for me,but then I can knit & crochet & I realize there are many that only do one or the other.So here is the second attempt-this will hold my shopping & then some- has decent handles & a decent opening that's not restrictive either. And I just love this cotton yarn- it's so colourful. I have put it into my handbag ready to go to work with me to put my purchases in.

When I dropped into Spotlight the other day to grab this yarn I had a look through all the fabrics- lots on sale-I want to know why is it that I can't seem to get out of any fabric shop without buying more fabric- is this some compulsion that I should see a psychiatrist for? ( a million other women would join me!)

I mean, I have about 700 metres of fabric stashed- it's not like I needed more,but I did buy more! Just add it to the piles....then when I go to make something I don't use what I have in stash as I feel I might want it for something better, so I buy more- go figure!

The waffle weave I bought I was going to make some pretty embroidered tea towels from but I feel the fabric, now it's washed, is a little flimsy....so now that's 6 more metres to add to the stash-if I knew someone having a baby it would probably make pretty baby wraps for the summer.

Have now finished all the cotton I had in stash- made them into dishcloths mostly- the kids felted clog pattern arrived through the week, so will start on those as well- my GS will love them. Also have a scarf in mind- saw a picture on Ravelry but the pattern was only available in a book but I didn't want to buy another book (that's a whole 'nother stash!) but have nutted it out from the picture, in my head, so will start that this week as well.

Seems I do most of my knitting sitting up in bed these days watching TV- while DH snores, not so softly, beside me! What an exciting life we live!!!