Possibilities

There is an email that makes its way around at least once a year. It's the '(Fill in the current year) Edition of Get to Know Your Friends'-or something like that. One of the questions is 'In what store could you max out your credit card?'. Of course I could choose Kohls, because there is about an inch of free space in my huge walk-in closet, and therefore, I need clothes. I could choose Target because I can find all kinds of great things there for the house. But my answer is usually a book store or a craft store.

There is something about a craft store. Michael's, Hobby Lobby, or even Joann's. I can go in with a list, very focused on what I must buy, and as soon as I walk through the door, I feel inspired. Maybe it's something in the air. Like casinos that pump oxygen into the gaming area so you are alert and easily lose track of time. I am pretty sure creativity isn't a gas, so I'm not sure what they are pumping into the store. Maybe it's more of a mythical dust, like the pixie dust that Tinkerbell uses. Suddenly I find myself wandering through parts of the store I might otherwise consider foreign. The sewing area, for instance. My sewing abilities are pretty much limited to replacing buttons on sweaters or blouses. Even then, I will avoid replacing that button as long as possible. Yet, I walk through the fabric aisles, drooling over all the pretty festive patterns, imagining tablecloths, place mats, napkins, and on my more daring days-dresses.

Nowhere do I experience this flood of creativity more than in the yarn section. I go in with one project in mind, and come out with several. One of my worst habits is buying yarn without having something in mind. I found a blue a few years ago that was perfect for my dad. At the same time, I saw a red that I knew my mom would love. I bought several skeins of each color, and it wasn't until last year that I made afghans for each of my parents with that yarn.

I say this is a bad habit, because if you don't have a project in mind, you don't know how much yarn you need. Most of the stores have a return policy of 60-90 days with a receipt. That does not help if you buy something and then wait a few years for the inspiration. So if you buy too much, you are left with extra yarn. If you don't buy enough, you will not match lot numbers, and run the risk of having the yarn discontinued. I almost had that happen last year. It was less than a month before Christmas, I was working on dad's afghan, and realized I did not have enough of the blue I had picked out several years earlier. I went to Michael's and they did not have it. The salesperson told me she thought it was one of the discontinued colors. I felt sick. It was too late to choose something else. I had a good portion of the afghan already done. I panicked briefly, then went to Joann's, which is a couple of blocks away. Fortunately, Joann's had the blue yarn I needed!

You would think I would have learned my lesson after that scare. I learned to keep my receipts. Right now I am working on a project with yarn I bought in March. So I'm using it within months, rather than years. That's better, right? Even yesterday, I went into the yarn section, needing a specific yarn. Then I saw a pretty pink, and thought of Sydney. I saw a black and gray mix, and thought 'that's perfect for Erich'. My mind whirls with ideas. It can be overwhelming. I know it is frustrating for Erich, who wonders why I am wandering up and down the yarn aisles. I'm sure he thinks I'm either wasting time or spacing out. He doesn't know that I do not see displays full of skeins of yarn, I see displays full of possibilities.

I could easily max out my credit card in a craft store. And I could easily keep busy year-round with my crafts if I didn't have to work. Imagine the damage I could do with endless funds!