Coo coo ka-choo, how do you do?
Happy Monday! Can you believe October is almost over? I can't either! Next Tuesday is Halloween! I should've been making a bucketful of ghosts, pumpkins, and candy corn like everyone else! I haven't taken advantage of the spooky spirit!
Lately, my sleep schedule has been completely backwards and I've been exhausted even with sleeping through hours of the day. It could just be a seasonal depression type deal, but it probably is the copious amount of caffeine I've been drinking. I got a great deal, or at least what felt like a deal, on my favorite flavor of Monster. Pipeline Punch typically goes for unreasonable prices, but I managed to snag a pack of 15 for $30. (Just checked, it's only $23 now. My wallet cries.) And since I wasted my drink budget on that, my only other option is tap water. I'd limited myself to 3 energy drinks a week, but now it's maybe 1 per day. Whoops.
One thing I've noticed about myself is that if I don't make a mental note, I will forget about whatever I have. Whenever I download files to my computer, be it patterns or textbooks, I put them into meticulously (translation: obnoxiously) organized folders. My computer is full of nesting dolls of pattern sources, makers, and types. Are they a paid pattern or free? Does this maker have a set of patterns I want to use? Is this pattern a blanket? Is this a CAL and are the pieces able to be combined? Things like this are the layers to my "Patterns" folder, which is also nested in "Crochet" and then "Crafts" and then "Business".
I watched a Youtube video recently about how difficult it is to decide if something is a collection or something is a hoard. The video talked about how Marion Stokes recorded years and years worth of VHS tapes of the news, creating a fantastic resource, but she also collected piles of old syrup bottles. That only in the future people would consider what parts were "worth having" versus just being a serious problem.
I feel like I definitely hoard digital files, especially after seeing multiple patterns I planned to buy get de-listed. Nowadays, I'll drop money on a pattern I'm only slightly interested in, telling myself I'll use it for something. It's only after I buy I see tags like "Make for yourself, not to sell" and I feel a little silly. Most cardigans, blankets, or giant motif capes (true story, it was one of the last "in stock"), I probably could find a use for. A set of specific but popular fandom plushies? No thank you.
Along with yarn colors being discontinued, I see myself planning to get an obnoxious collection of currently available colors. Eventually, not using them because I'm nervous they'll never be able to be used again. I have a handful of Lion Brand Cupcakes sitting in storage because they've been discontinued. I found and tested a pattern for some crocodile stitch gloves perfect for Mandala yarn. Since they both were basically the same exact yarn, I figured I could just use them both. I started a pair with Pot of Gold, tangled it slightly, and have been paralyzed in fear since! I even switched the drafted listing to Mandala Sparkle colors only! I keep telling myself "Ah, one ball makes 3 gloves, I'll never be able to even it out. I might as well give up." instead of just finishing what I've started.
Additionally, if I don't remember which yarns have been put away, I will forget I even own them! Though, this might not be specifically my fault. I put yarn somewhere, my family members "clean up" and move them. I got some Mandalas for my birthday and I still don't know where they are! So I buy replacement yarn, get yelled at for buying more yarn, replacement yarn gets "cleaned up", and the cycle continues. There's yarn somewhere, it's just... lost behind decades old dishware sets and Christmas decorations. Probably. Does it count as hoarding if I don't even know what size of hoard it is? I'll buy yarn and within a couple hours it's been "cleaned up"! No wonder I forget I have it!
I've rambled too much, let me summarize. Don't give into "Fear of Missing Out" like I do! You'll end up with a house full of clutter and your computer will run like a snail!