Summer of stash is over, but not forgotten. I have learned much about myself and my nasty yarn buying habits. Organizing my yarn (although not totally done with it) has enlightened me so much.

1. I do like to buy myself yarn with my head full of ideas to knit for other people. These people I may know well or really not know at all. I think my goal at one time was to knit everyone I had ever crossed paths with a hat. I have yarn for everyone from my son’s best friend to the UPS man, and all those people that you can fit in between there. Now my son’s best friend will eventually get his hat (he actually asked for one,) but he will only get one. Not six - which is the number of different greens I bought for him. A few others may receive also. The UPS man, probably not. One we have a new UPS man. Two does the UPS man really want a brown hat? I would think they would want a little dash of color atop their heads, unless of course that made them out of uniform or something. Three I have never met the new UPS person yet - due to my lack of buying anything during the summer.

2. I have matured in my yarn buying, or at least my taste for particular types of yarn have changed. Who knew I was such a fan of the fuzzy fur stuff - certainly not I. I have (well had, since a very excited lady from my local free cycle picked it up) enough fun fur to probably knit this house the most obnoxious electric blue-bright green cozy. Not good. And when you mentally add up the cost of that stuff it’s scary, totally scary. How can one person spend so much on fur and not even have the most remote possibility of looking good in it.

3. Webs is a place that I should only go to with a plan. A totally concrete plan. If I stray from it I must gouge an eye or something. Well not really, but I have to think of something that will deter myself from buying on impulse there. Something goes a wry when I enter that place. I do good in the front half but then I enter the warehouse and it’s smack down time. I have some very scary stuff, well and some very nice stuff if I do say so myself, from that warehouse. The really bad part is that you can buy very scary yarn in coned mass quantities. I got rid of the electric shock pink (also to the fun fur lady - hope she does not use them together) but I’m keeping this turquoise. For some reason it is growing on me.

4. In my early yarn buying days I was a one skein girl. I have many single skeins. Skeins that don’t even have enough yardage to knit a decent hat. Now some of the singletons are good ones. I mean one skein of cascade 220 is just adding color choices to your selection - but one skein of squiggle (actual thread with squiggly stuff hanging down) where is that going to get you. Well the fun fur lady gladly accepted that one also.

5. I have problems passing up a good deal. I blame this problem on the knitty boards yarn sale alert board, ebay, and the mass quantity of bloggers that show pictures of their swag. If I never saw or heard of it - would I want it? Need it? Have to have it now? If I never knew it was on sale at blankety-blank for 50% off and free shipping would I even bother? Now I’m not saying to stop posting pictures of yarn because I have a problem - I love it. What I’m saying is that I have grown. I have matured. I now have will power. Unless it’s late night. I absolutely can not visit ebay or any other online yarn store after midnight. They are just like late hour infomercials. I want to buy, buy, buy whether I need it or not. Late night I’m weak - resistance is low. Can’t allow it!

6. I’m allowed to go into a yarn store, look, touch, feel, and smell the yarn - then leave. It is not required that I buy anything, especially when I do not really need anything. Often I buy just because I feel I must. Like it would be totally rude of me if I left without a purchase. Sometime I need a lift and just go to browse. Other times I’m there with a purpose, but did not find what I was looking for. It’s ok. I’m allowed to leave without yarn. Especially if it is just a singleton because I feel I had to.

I really enjoyed participating in the summer of stash. It was good for me. I now have will power and a purpose. It was not as hard for me as I thought it would be. Ok it probably did help that I had to go out of town the same week as the Warm Ewes summertime clearance sale (everything in store 20-50% off is hard to pass up.)It was during the first week, I was still weak. No matter, I missed, and I did it. Using only from stash is a good thing. I mean isn’t that why we buy the stuff - to use it. That’s our whole reason for stashing, so it’s there when we need it. If you never need it, because you never really wanted it, it was just to good of a deal, what is it’s purpose. This is my biggest lesson learned. It’s easy to pass by temptation if what is tempting you has no purpose. No plan, no pattern, no need. I now know my weaknesses and have guidelines in place to keep me focused. Although I do have to think up of something besides eye gouging to deter myself.

I survived. Now I must be rewarded. And how does one reward themselves for going the whole summer without buying yarn - well with yarn of course. Oh, but see, this yarn does have a plan and a purpose. On it’s way now is some lovely black merino from Lisa Souza to become some lacy knee-highs via Rowan #40. Then there’s Mars Quake, which will become another clapotis. Well geeze, everyone is doing it. I did one for a gift and it was such a fun easy knit I now have the hankering for one for me.

See I have learned. Yarn with a purpose - it’s a good thing.

**I just saw my sight in IE - sorry for all the wonkiness all you IE users. When I get the chance I’ll clean my style sheet** Please let me know if there are any other wonkies in other browsers

Posted in Spew, Stash on Sep 11th, 2006