for years i’ve said that knitting is cheaper than therapy. if you are feeling down, or had a long, hard day at work, or your family is driving you a little crazier than normal, yarn and needles in your hands can make it all a little better!

and it is not just in our heads! science has proven that something really changes in the brain when we’re knitting! the yarn harlot does a whole talk about it! apparently the feel-good brain chemicals get going when we’re knitting and it is just like any other addiction! we are hooked!! (well maybe i should say we’re needled cause hooks are for crochet! but you get the idea!)

and we have dealers (your LYS owner or your favorite hand-dyer). and we have enablers (our husbands, children, or friends). and we have fellow addicts.

these fellow addicts are the only people who truly understand our obsession with knitting and yarn. the social knitter, much like the social smoker, cannot truly understand the bliss we get from a wonderful yarn sliding through our fingers as we knit a row or two. i used to stay that smoking was my one true vice and that is why it was so hard to give it up. i was a really good smoker!!!

but i did give it up! or maybe i just traded smoking in for a healthier habit?

yarn collecting (cause let’s admit it – that’s what i do) is just as expensive! have you seen the price of cigarettes lately??? and yarn is just as addictive. although you do have something to show for it at the end!

when i smoked i used to cobble together enough money to get a pack of cigarettes (especially the day before payday). and sometimes i feel the same way when i’m in a yarn shop and money is tight but i just have to have it! i check my credit card balance and see if i have enough money to make the purchase or think about what holiday is coming up so i can say “this is for my birthday!”

and the ARKANSAS YARN CRAWL is another great reason to collect some new yarn. this year it’s october 13th through 22nd and 8 shops from arkadelphia to eureka are participating. (i’ll be teaching a fix-it class on sunday, october 15 at THE TWISTED PURL!)  what a great way to see our great state and add to your collection!

so look under the sofa cushions or car floor mats or wherever else you might find some change! grab your mad money and get ready for next month’s big statewide yarn event!

happy knitting.

h.