Life’s Short…Buy the Good Yarn!

Last week one day I found myself with an odd little half hour gap between finishing my run and picking up kids from school and, for some unfathomable reason, I did not have  yarn and a hook on me. I remember leaving the house for my own school earlier in the day. It was a two-test Thursday and I had been up early (5:30 am) to study.

Gross is right!!!

Because of the tests it was of utmost importance that I get to school on time if not at least a tiny but early. On time is not something I’m great at. I was frantically grabbing all the last minute stuff when I spotted my yarn and knitting needles…”Nah”, I thought, “I won’t have time for those” and left without them. So naturally that was the day I did have time for some yarning.

Lucky (or maybe dangerously) for me there’s a yarn store right by my kids’ school. I quickly remedied the lack of yarn and hook or needle situation I had going on. Crisis averted! By that time though I only had a few minutes to start something. I had intended to make a super quick run-in and by yarn store standards it really was just a quick stop in (seriously, I think time stops in those places) but I did linger slightly longer than necessary over my oh-so typical debate over quality verses cost. Don’t get me wrong, I love my (mid-range) cheaper acrylic yarns, they really are ideal for so many projects, but every once in a while I want grown-up, good yarn. As I went through the aforementioned familiar debate a small part of me thought “Fuck it, buy the good stuff once in a while!” This is an attitude I apply liberally to both coffee and beer…hey, beverages are kind of a big deal!

So I did…

And then I started this scarf     

and I love it…even though I have three other projects going on right now including two that are somewhat time relevant. (The scarf is another one of Elk Studio Crochet’s “Make it for ME” January series. Ironically, I’ve made two of these projects and neither is actually for me.)

The take home here is: Life is short, get the good yarn, make the projects you want to make, don’t wait.  At least once in a while.

And while you’re at it buy the quality coffee, the good beer, and go running when it’s fifty degrees (Fahrenheit) in February even if it means not getting the laundry and dishes or homework done… because life is better when you enjoy it starting with the “little” things.