Thursday, January 12, 2012

The Trouble with Tribbles -- I mean, Yarn




From Wikipedia: Tribbles are fictional asexual animals in the Star Trek universe who first appeared in the episode titled "The Trouble With Tribbles". They are depicted as small, soft, and gentle, and producing a soothing purring sound. These traits are said to endear them to most sentient races which encounter them, with the notable exception of Klingons, who consider tribbles to be "mortal enemies" of the Klingon Empire, as stated in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations".

While appearing in only four episodes and briefly in three of the Star Trek movies, they are one of the most popular and well-known species featured in the Star Trek universe, fairly well known even to casual followers of the series. In 2006, two tribble props from "Trials and Tribble-ations" were auctioned for US $800 to $1,200.[1]

The expression "multiplying like tribbles" has also become commonplace in the context of science fiction or technology.[2]


My name is Dawn-Marie and I am a yarn addict. No, seriously -- yarn has taken over my life! I have bins and bags and drawers and cabinets bursting with yarn! The reasons for this Tribble-like yarn overabundance are basically threefold:

One: I am quickly enamored with the colors and textures of yarn and I MUST HAVE IT IN MY POSSESSION!! I may not know exactly what I'm going to do with the sparkly pink fun fur, but you bet it's going home with me to await its moment in the sun!

Two: People see me crocheting something and say to me, "That's really cute! Can you make me one in green?" So I dutifully march off to the yarn store and buy green yarn. And very few yarn projects take EXACTLY one skein or EXACTLY two skeins, and it's always recommended that you buy a skein more than you think you need because of dye lots and whatnot, so there is ALWAYS yarn left over.

Three: I always have at least three -- if not eight -- projects going at once. This has a lot to do with my fickle nature (see Reason 1), but there are also elements of practicality. A baby hat will fit in my dresser's apron to occupy my time while I'm waiting to do a quick change. A baby blanket will not. And I can't see to crochet with black or navy yarn in dimly-lit places like bars.

Yesterday I began the arduous task of sorting and containing my yarn. It's going to take me quite some time, my darlings! My goal is to have separate bins for baby yarn, sport weight, worsted weight, chunky yarn and thick yarn, plus a bin for projects under construction -- all of which need to live in plastic zip lock bags so the yarn doesn't get all heartbrokenly tangled. It's a big undertaking because, Tribble-like, the yarn has migrated into areas clearly not designated for the storage of yarn. Two skeins of thick orange yarn currently reside in my sock drawer! If I don't get a handle on the yarn containment soon, there will be yarn in my freezer!!

The good news is that I have a craft show for which to prepare. My friends Mary Wells and Molly Costello and I are putting together a craft show in Rogers Park in February, the details of which shall be forthcoming. So I'm planning on making lots of baby stuff, flower pins, dishcloths, hot pads, and lighter weight caps and scarves. I also got a book of patterns for adorable amugurumi "Crobots" as a Christmas present from my darling Canadians, Rob Feller and Tim Power. (From Wikipedia: Amigurumi [編みぐるみ?, lit. crocheted or knitted stuffed toy] is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures. The word is derived from a combination of the Japanese words ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll.[1] Amigurumi are typically animals, but can include artistic renderings or inanimate objects endowed with anthropomorphic features,[2] as is typical in Japanese culture.) They'll sell like hotcakes. One more thing to learn, eh?

But enough idle chitchat! I've got yarn to wrangle and long-forgotten living areas to rediscover! I'll post again on Sunday. As always, my friends, Peace, Love and Yarn!

1 comment:

  1. I could have written this!!! If you're like me, you're still working on the yarn containment...good luck!

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