Earlier this week I walked into my studio space (read: spare bedroom/craft room) to discover that my glass fishbowl that has been collecting leftover ends and other bits of yarn and fluff for YEARS had walked off the shelf and shattered into thousands of tiny bits all over the place.
​
I blame the sometimes over-vigorous washing machine on the other side of the wall that also likes to go for shimmying little walks from time to time.

At first I had hoped that I'd be able to salvage some of the yarn.

But alas, it didn't dump half its contents out into my chair on the way down and then break on the floor. No, it fell off onto the corner of the slightly deeper shelf below it and there was glass dust all over the top of my chair as well.

It was all ruined.

There was no way I was going to trust myself to pick out every single tiny shard of glass from ANY of those fluffy little wads of yarn and fiber. I mean, can you imagine how that could shred my fingers up if I decided to try to spin with it!?

So it all went into the trash.

There it is.

Far more yarn than should ever have been able to fit in that pretty little fishbowl.

A brown paper sack full of the whispers of stories from making SO many beautiful things nested right in there with the nearly hidden shards of glass that represent the broken remains of the best laid plans.

Before I start rolling my eyes at my own self, though, because that DOES sound dramatic, I want to say this: if you've been saving something up for later, whether it's leftover ends of yarn to make something out of someday or that super special skein of yarn that you've been saving for the perfect project, what exactly are you waiting for?

What if the bowl breaks and there's an impossible amount of glass embedded in your yarn ends? Start the scrappy blanket project now.

What if mice get into your yarn stash and absolutely ruin that super special skein of yarn? Pick a pattern and make something fun with it now.

What if something truly terrible happens in your life and you can no longer physically do this thing you've been dreaming of? Start working on it now.

Don't put off your dreams, my friends.

Sometimes some day never comes, for one reason or another.

Now. It's time to start a NEW bits and bobs stash, but maybe in something less pretty, like a ziplock baggie, with a DATE on it. And at the end of the year? I'm spinning up some confetti yarn for a fun commemorative project!

(Anybody know where I can get a good blending board for cheap??)

-Connie

P.S. I walked through the door and started to put my sandals back on right after spending half an hour cleaning up, to find this definitely not small piece of glass right by my shoe! How does that happen!?

Will definitely be wearing shoes in here for a while. Yikes.

P.P.S. I know I said I should just use a plastic bag from now on, but just look how pretty my little fishbowl was! (I took this picture before we moved from Texas to California back in 2021.)

Maybe I can find a plastic one?? What do you think? Got any great ideas to share? Hit reply and let me know how you like to store your yarn ends!

Post post post script: (Is that a thing? I don't have the heart right now to go through the photos I've taken this week with my big camera for a chicken/bird update. Raincheck?)