as 2007 approaches i feel the need to set some boundaries for myself for next year. with a baby on the way, and no budgetary restrictions in place, it's time that i curbed my spending on yarn. i know, i know. i'm asking for a lot here but have you seen my stash? i have a lot of yarn in there and it's nice stuff that i should be using to make nice stuff. yet, the constant siren call of yarn always brings me to purchase some on a monthly basis.
for example, check out my two latest stash enhancements:
exhibit a: dale of norway falk in black and white
here we have some lovely yarn for the "we call them pirates" hat and mittens that i'll be making for my dad in january.
exhibit b: noro cashmere islands, yum!
and some noro cashmere islands color #5 (original, i know) for a hat and mittens for my mom. now, i did buy all this yarn for specific projects but did i really need to? of course, the answer is "yes" (despite what my mom might think) because i've decided that it's the last of my stash enhancement for some time to come.
i've decided to take on a challenge in 2007 and knit from my stash only. wendyknits has devised a small set of rules to go on but i'm changing my set of rules slightly because i don't spin my own yarn. i'm giving myself 2 "get out of jail free" cards: one to use at a LYS and one to use online. i figure that i've gotta support my LYS somehow (besides buying tons of yummy snacks from them every friday) and that i have to be able to branch out from my LYS at least once. seems doable to me.
now, i think that the only reason i'm going to be able to achieve my goal of knitting from the stash in 2007 is because i'm going to have a baby and for about 8 weeks i'll barely be able to think about yarn. clever, i know, but it's gonna work! that and i have another big project on the burner that will take up knitting time. i'm sure i'll be able to widdle down the stash by the end of the year in time for some holiday yarn purchases (the challenge ends in late september but i'm gonna keep it going as long as i can) and i'll make room for all the new yarn that i'll see and want over the course of the year. that, and i'll save a bit of money that really should be put towards baby purchases.
so, what's your challenge for the new year? i know that my challenge certainly isn't for everyone, but maybe you're interested in trying new techniques or starting your own KAL, or something? leave your challenge in the comments or on your own blog!
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