Pardon My Stash

We’ve talked about moving forward, we’ve talked about moving back, but what do you do when you aren’t moving at all?

When the very idea of picking up your knitting, crochet, or other fiber arts project gives you the sads?

When you “just aren’t feeling it?

Or… when there’s something else – another hobby, craft, or idea – that hits you in just the right way, and you can’t focus on anything else?

This episode brought to you by Drea’s latest hyperfixation – refinishing a desk that she got for a steal of just $10! We talk about hyperfixating and how it can be both a blessing and a curse, a burden and a boon. We discuss how we handle – and work with – our hyperfixations. And we talk about how to get back on track with your fiber arts when your hyperfixation is over, if you’re ready.

Crafting is supposed to be fun. You don’t owe anybody your craft.

Current WIPs:

We’ve talked about knowing when to take the next step forward, but how do you know when it’s time to take a step back? Not to quit, not to give up, but when to fall back on tried-and-true projects, do something calming, easy, and meditative, rather than something that is a challenge or a stretch?

In all things, people need times of rest and renewal. We can only go so hard and so long before we burn out and get exhausted. In this week’s episode, we talk a little bit about knowing when it’s time to take a step back and breathe a little, so that we don’t burn out on knitting, crochet, and other fiber arts. We talk about the signs and the “doom feeling” that settles on us when a WIP isn’t working for us anymore, and tips and tricks for how to take a step back without giving up entirely. We also talk about our “old reliables” – projects that we like to fall back on when that doom feeling sets in, which can be found below:

Utrecht Beanie by Dolly Vargas

More Simple Lines by maanel

Sunday Swing Socks by Kristel Nyberg

Mini Potion Bottle by StitchbyFay

Current WIPS:

How do you know when it’s time to move forward? Taking the next step in knitting looks different – and is different – for everyone. Everybody’s crafting journey is different… and that’s okay! Some of us prefer to stay doing garter- or 1×1 rib stitch scarves for years. Some don’t ever want to try larger projects like sweaters, shawls, or socks. But for those who do decide they want to seek to learn something more complex, how do you make that leap? When do you know it’s time to take the next step?

This week’s episode was inspired by Jess, who after many years of passionately saying she’d never knit a sweater, is nearly done with her Sweater of Swords by Hannah Mann. The cast talks about the pressure of moving to more complicated projects in order to be considered “real knitters” (spoiler alert: you are a “real knitter” if you know how to successfully execute the knit stitch. Full stop). Each one of us talks about how we took the next steps to learn new skills with knitting, crochet, and crafting in general. And we talk about the “baby steps” you can take if you really want to try something more complicated, but need a little extra confidence! We end the episode talking about the “reach” projects we still want to attempt someday (here’s a picture of Jess’s).

Current WIPs:

On Pardon My Stash, we talk a lot about people who constantly urge you to monetize your hobby, that say it isn’t worth crafting if you aren’t making the big bucks off what you make, and how silly that mentality is. We’ve said time and again that you should never feel obligated or pressured to monetize your craft, that a hobby should be done for the pure joy of it.

But what if you actually do want to go into the crafting business?

In this episode, we talk about the double-edged sword of monetizing your craft, the two sides of a crafty business: the creative (coming up with and producing a marketable product) and the business (the legal, paperwork, marketing, sales side). Tina talks about Finarina Knitwear, and the constant drive to update, improve, and release new patterns. Meg and Jess look back on the successes and pitfalls of the last year since creating Critical Hit Dyes, and why it’s so important to designate roles when working with another person. And Drea explains how she responds to people who urge her to monetize her knitting, and the real reason why every good small business – be it pattern designing, yarn dyeing, or podcasting – stays in business.

Current WIPs:

(Not shown – Jess’s Tea Cozy)

Everyone has their rituals – those patterns and behaviors we all practice at certain times and events. Before big games, before a test or a job interview, or even just when we wake up in the morning. But what about when we craft?

In this episode, Drea leads us through a discussion of what rituals and familiar routines we practice when we do our crafting. Whether it’s making the perfect “nest” on the couch, pouring yourself the perfect mug of whatever beverage you fancy, or freeing your crafting space of clutter and disorder before you sit down and begin, we run the whole gamut of crafting rituals and what it takes to make your special crafting time yours.

Drea and Tina talk about trash TV, Meg stresses the importance of having a clean space, and Jess YouTube’s to her little heart’s content. Everyone is different, and isn’t that what makes crafting great?

Celebrations:

Tina finished a freehand stockinette hat!

Current WIPS:

(Missing: Drea’s Akemi Shawl, Jess’s Tea Cozy)

Everyone familiar with this phrase?

Usually it’s stated as a challenge to “try it and see” – attempt to get away with something and accept the natural consequences of your actions. But on this crazy, non-sequitur episode of Pardon My Stash, the cast goes a little off topic in content, and has more of an informal knit night to give our listeners a little insight as to who we are as people.

Meg leads the cast in a series of insightful, thought-provoking, and at times comical questions in a deeper dive of who we are as individuals, outside of crafting. Far removed from our original introduction episode, we talk about such topics as Tina’s idea of a perfect day, what Jess collects (the list is long but distinguished), Drea’s best habits, and what 21 year old Meg might say to Meg in the present day. In other words… we literally “eff around” and you, the listener, “find out.”

A final note: we do non-sequitur episodes every so often, exclusive to our subscribers, so if this format is more your jam, there’s lots more over on our Patreon!

Current WIPs:

(Not pictured – Meg’s Sun Drop Top)

My precioussssssss…

We all have them – those super special skeins, hanks, and balls of yarn that we treasure close to our hearts. We adore them. We display them. Every so often we reach up and pet them, or take them down to admire them. What we don’t do…

Is use them.

How do you finally bite the bullet and craft your irreplaceable yarn? How do you gather the courage to consume that which, once used, can never be used again? Furthermore, what qualifies a yarn as “irreplaceable?”

Is it value? Is it a skein so amazingly precious in fiber content or monetary value that you work yourself into a frenzy thinking that no project will ever bring it justice?

Is it its origins? Did it come from a place you may never return to, a yarn shop that is now closed, a dyer that has shut up shop and quit the business? Are there a limited number of skeins in the world, and you know you’ll never have another?

Is it the unique colorway? A base that has been discontinued? The possibilities are endless!

In this episode of Pardon My Stash, Tina leads the cast in discussion what makes a yarn precious, and ways to combat this Gollum-like reluctance to move from adoring our yarn like so much art and using it for its original purpose – to create art. We discuss yarns that we have prized over the years, how we finally convinced ourselves to use them, and even a few confessions of how we have not convinced ourselves… and still need more convincing!

Celebrations:

Meg finished Selbu Modern!

Current Projects:

There’s nothing like settling in with a friend (or like-minded strangers who are about to become friends) with some good yarn, needles (or hook), and a project you can share! This week the cast – led by Drea – talks about make alongs, why we love them, the ones we’ve participated in in the past, and what keeps us coming back for more.

Speaking of Make Alongs, the cast of Pardon My Stash will be kicking off our 2023 make along season with the Tea Time Cozy MAL! Running from April 1st -September 1st, the Tea Time Cozy MAL is all about comfort… and tea! Pick any project that you like, as long as it in some way relates to tea time? A tea cozy for your tea pot? A fancy doily to display those cute little tea snacks? Maybe a pair of mitts to protect your hands from the heat of your mug. Or a mug insulator, to cut out the middle man. The possibilities are endless and the restrictions are few! If you’d like to join us (and we hope you do), head on over to our Get Involved page to sign up! Sign ups run from now until March 31st. And be sure to tag your progress with our official hashtag, #PMSTEAMCOZY23MAL.

Current Projects:

“Knitting and crochet are for old ladies!”

“You’re going to wind up a spinster with a dozen cats!” (Is that meant to be a blessing or a curse?)

“How much could a sweater you make possibly be worth? $20?”

We’ve allllll heard them – the typical misconceptions about knitting/crocheting/weaving/spinning/working in the fiber arts in general! Which, to be fair — aren’t there misconceptions about any hobby that we ourselves don’t personally partake in? In our latest episode, we talk about the common — and fallacious — beliefs that outsiders have about the fiber arts in general. We consider how to respond (or not respond) when someone actually uses one of these misconceptions on us, and we also refocus on the why we choose to hand-make anything. Which, in the end, is probably the part that befuddles outsiders the most!

Current WIPs:

What misconceptions have you met from people outside the fiber arts? Anyone ever ask you why you don’t sell your handmade objects? Let us know in the comments!

And the next time someone calls you old, just channel our good friend Jackie, look them dead in the eye, and say “I’m Old Lady/Man/Person Level Grinding.”