It is January 5 and I have [finally] arrived at my official New Year's resolution.
You ready for this? It's gonna blow your mind.
I will buy no yarn before its time.
That time is 2008* 2009. Period.
There. I've said it. In print electrons. On the internet in front of y'all; that makes it official.
Why have I declared a yarn-buying moratorium? This is why:
I have masked off non-stash portions of the photo in order that you may better focus on the problem. (I am all about the helpfulness here.) That is seven (7!) under-bed storage containers, plus enough yarn in other-shaped receptacles to fill another three (3!) or four (4!). That is way too much yarn for me, people. It weighs on my soul.
No sock yarn exceptions, either; that stuff may cost less per project and take up less storage space, but there are more stitches in a pair of socks than a child's sweater. Trust me, I did the math.
In order to bring this resolution into the realm of possibility, I have made several sub-resolutions:
- I will knit what the yarn tells me it wants to be.
- I will then find a suitable charity to which to donate the resulting objets d'knit.
- I will NOT respond to a charitable request by rushing out to purchase suitable yarn.
- When those tempting what's-on-sale-at-Webs e-mails arrive in my inbox, I will immediately click Delete.
- Ditto for the ones from Knit Picks.
- No entering contests for fibery prizes. It's not the cost of yarn that bothers me; it's the weight of knowing I have so frickin' much.
Something like the Soaring Eagles project or Cornerstone or preemie caps or any other U.S.-based cause generally considers machine washability to be a desirable feature. I have tons of 100% non-superwash wool. See the problem? Therefore, I will knit for Dulaan and Afghans for Afghans and other such causes that crave hand-wash-only woolens.
I will knit for myself, too; the kimono sweater OTN is totally allowed because I have all the yarn for it. I might have yarn for another sweater, too, still need to figure that out. ETA: I have yarn for one, maybe two, sweaters for myself. See? Too much yarn = a problem. Socks for myself -- maybe, maybe not, as I have also declared that life is too short to knit on US#1 needles. Hence, the sock yarn I have will most likely be double-stranded with something else. Remember that woeful lack of superwash wool? That's gonna be a problem.
Overall, though, I feel really good about this. Excess stuff bothers me and all this yarn is just a prime example of Dreadful Excess.
Wish me luck.
* A Freudian slip? I prefer to think that I merely have not yet adjusted to the fact that the current year is 2008. Yup, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
