Didn't most of us start out by thinking that novelty yarn was cool? Who didn't wander into Lincraft, Spotlight or some other big craft store and gush over what can only best be described as Yarn Barf?
I am willing to bet that RoseRed never did. She's always had posh taste in yarn, I'm sure. I dare her to contradict me!
For the rest of us, there was almost certainly a time when Dead Muppet Fur (as I read it called recently) seemed like the height of knitting glory. I look back now and think I must have been insane.
Here is a case in point, dug up tonight when hunting for something in the room where my stash lives - a stash I am proud of now that I've moved on from the early years.
This is a hat I crocheted in something that I can't even identify. It's kindly modelled by Sean.
I had a quick look around the net for green muppets and came up with Pamela.
The hat is rather like her, isn't it? If she had eaten a box of crayons.
Seriously, what was I thinking? Quite apart from anything else, who did I ever think was going to wear this?
And why do I still have it?
I suppose I kept it because I couldn't think of anyone to inflict it on and it reminds me when I come across it from time to time of how far I've come. Even Sean only wore it for the few seconds required.
So when I meet a newish knitter who has an abiding fascination with novelty yarn, I try not to be too judgemental. After all, I don't have to look very hard into my own (relatively recent) knitting past to be reminded that we all start out somewhere.
For the record, this Dead Muppet Fur is surprisingly soft. I can only imagine that the softness of it was what drew me to it back in 2004, signalling a future in which I would love the sensual, soft delights of malabrigo as much as next yarn snob.
So go ahead, post your own shame, if you dare. We all want to see!
Bells
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