You had me at William Morris


I love the aesthetic created during the arts and crafts movement in the 1900's. They say that the movement was an expression of rebellion against the impending industrial onslaught. It advocated truth to materials, traditional craftsmanship and economic reform. It's also been noted that today's renewal in the arts and crafts is a similar means of protesting the electronic age.


I particularly love William Morris and have sourced (with all of the dtermination of Dog the Bounty Hunter) a few fabrics based on his designs to use in my home decorating projects.


When I saw Kelmscott in the Winter issue of Twist Collective and then noted its ties to the William Morris aesthetic - I was instantly in love. Now normally, I would source the prescribed yarn for such a beloved project (aren't they all?) as detailed exactly by the pattern. This time I had a yarn in stash that profiled perfectly for conscription. Said yarn was 10 skeins of Naturally Sensation in a pale lilac shade. It was a perfect substitute based on the following criterion:

1. It was made of the correct fibre content - in this case a 70/30 merino/angora blend.


2. It was of a colour and shade that worked for this project - a subdued whisper lilac.


3. I had in stash the perfect quantity - no more, no less (here's where I often come off the rails but not this time).


4. Most importantly - I had not emotionally connected this yarn to a specific project. Feral yarns that don't have "project homes" are best for deploying on the fly. If I have purchased a yarn with a project in mind - it's often impossible for me to admit defeat and direct the intended yarn to another purpose.

Here was a yarn that I'd bought when an LYS closed. It was a good popular weight and sensible colour so I stashed it without a project in mind.


Kelmscott and Sensations seem to be a match made in heaven! Gauge is perfect, the pattern is humming along and best of all, I'm not haunted with images of what "might have been".


Then - the latest issue of Knit Scene arrives with a smashing wrap cardi by one of my favourite designers in...you guessed it - Naturally Sensations, lilac. I love Connie's work, I love the design here and as luck would have it, the required number of skeins matches exactly what I had in stash.



I'm holding tough and forging on with Kelmscott but darn it all - does this mean I have to buy it again?