That Darn Plarn

  I got sidetracked again. I still have the patterns to publish for November and December's Scarves of the Month, but I started a project that's leading me over to my other blog. And because getting rid of one/starting a new organization system and (kinda) blogging about it isn't enough work, I picked up a side-crochet project too.

  It's a pattern I started back around the holidays, but my big plarn project came to a halt when I ran out of grocery bags. Two months later, there's bags of bags piling up in a corner because I've been neglecting it. I think I'm well on my way to becoming a slob. I used to keep things neat and organized, and get my projects done. Nowadays, you can find a pile of my work somewhere in the way at any given time. It's starting to make me lose my freaking mind.

  Some might say that's okay, since there's not much left to lose...(lol) But I'm doing something about it! I could keeping griping about the people that promise to help even though they never do. I could make excuses about my hands swelling again and work being difficult. I could blame it on the dog that interrupts me a million times a day just to say "here's some slobber"... But none of it is going to get this mess cleaned up!

  During my breaks from navigating the black hole known as my closet, I've been cutting up bags. It's a perfect side project. If I went from the dusty closet to a yarn project, I'd wash my hands before touching the yarn. And since I'm going back and forth between these projects about 20 times a day, I might not have any skin left if did that. I'm not afraid to touch the plarn with dirty hands because I know it's not going to get stained, and it's easily washable.


  *On a side note, I've lost rack of the number of bags that are being used for this project. I got past 500, and decided I'll try to measure it by weight when I'm done. That's an example of how many bags I've been hoarding. I lost track past 500.


  The goal was to cut up at least half a bag of bags every time I took a break from the closet project. Some of the bags were really packed together, so they took more than two breaks. But still, I'm cutting these really thick so it doesn't take much time to knock out 20 bags. I'm still finding it easiest to stack multiple bags and cut with the rotary cutter, and now my bag stash in the corner is gone again.

  But oh! What is it about crafting that can make you start hoarding? While cleaning out said closet, I found a garbage bag full of... Can you guess? Grocery bags. A garbage bag full. Okay, that's not too bad. And then there's that plastic tote... Maybe I shouldn't tell you about the cardboard box stuffed with "special color" bags. That box aside, it's good that I found bags, since I ran out again... Right?


  It would be awesome, if any of them were the right color! I'm making my project with only grey and blue bags (good ole Wally-World), but my plarn stash is full of every other color. Brown, white, yellow... Hey, I found some grey ones in there! Aw, but they have black and red print. No go. If Walmart decides to change the color of their bags (again) mid-project, then I'm going to have to change my color scheme!

  On a side note, that closet-clean-out is getting me even more crochet material. Yay, scrap fabric! Wait... Why did I clean it out of the closet, just to have it sit in a basket on the floor? This isn't working. I still have a project using fabric yarn that I haven't published, plus another in the works that I never finished. I think when I deplete these plies of junk, I need to let go of that save-it-for-crochet mentality. If I have to cut it up for material, then that's just more time that I'm not crocheting.


  So who's with me? Are you on the verge of becoming a hoarder due to your crafting habits? Has an organizational "trick" ever led you to more disorganization?


  Here's my new goal for recycled projects: If I can't get to it right now, I have to let it go. I've learned that when things get stuffed in corners or closets around here, they tend to stay there. I'm going to learn to get rid of it before I'm suffocating in plarn and my house is considered a fire hazard, or before I go(?) crazy.

Now, I need to get back to work. That pile of plarn strips must be lonely. I can hear them asking me to join them.

Happy Crocheting!