Now It's Getting Hard

I have just 3 months left in The Year of the Stash, but I've already decided it will have to be a 2-year project. I do want to allow myself to buy something in January, but every time I sit down to make a list, I come up with about 50 balls of yarn. Now, so far this year I have used up 90 balls of yarn--OF WHICH, 5 were not actually in the stash at the beginning of the year but had to be purchased for finishing specific projects. So let's say I have used up 85 balls of yarn from the stash. In December, knowing I was going to do a year without buying yarn but woefully optimistic about how fast I actually knit, I ordered 75 balls of yarn (that was a really fun box to get, let me assure you). So, I added 75 balls and have used up 85.

IT HAS TAKEN ME 9 MONTHS TO REDUCE MY STASH BY 10 MEASLY BALLS OF YARN!!!!!!

I could just plunge into 2009 without any "reward" yarn, but could I really last 2 whole years without buying any new yarn? And I do want to make another sweater for Andy (big talk since his current sweater has gotten derailed by the Fir Cone shawl), and I don't have the yarn for the one he picked out--that would be 20 balls. I'd like to buy some yarn for a sweater for me as a "reward," but I do already have at least 10 sweaters lined up for me.....

Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! Yarn hoarders really do have a tough life....

Comments

Daniele said…
Well, all I can say is that after reading your post, I'm definitely not counting my balls of yarn. I bet it would be the same, and I just can't go there!

Seriously, though, you could always get new patterns, hooks, stitch markers, etc. There are tons of rewards that don't have to be yarney....

Then again - there is always that mohair, silk, alpaca . . . you want. :)
September 16, 2008 at 5:55 PM
Janet said…
I'm in your shoes, yarn always wins out, lol. You are making nice progress on Andy's sweater, the fir cone shawl will not be around "forever" to derail the finishing of Andy's!
September 16, 2008 at 6:14 PM
RobinH said…
Would it help to remind yourself that Knitting = Fun? That whatever you knit you'll enjoy it (and we'll enjoy watching)?

No, didn't think so. Sorry. I have faith in your ability to resist buying more yarn and wiping out all progress though. :)
September 17, 2008 at 6:20 AM
bittenbyknittin said…
Gosh, your stash is scary! I vote for rewarding yourself with enough yarn for *one* project, whatever that may be.
September 17, 2008 at 7:25 PM
Anonymous said…
As to how you approach making 2009 a stashdown year, you should evaluate how knitting from stash this year has changed your view of your stash and/or your buying tendencies. I do think that you should allow yourself to buy yarn for a new project in January, but you need to come up with a plan so that it doesn't end up like last December, which put you in this spot where you've produced a lot but not reduced as much. (at least you've knit more than you bought during your bre-diet binge!)

If you think that this year hasn't really changed your attitude toward buying yarn, then I suggest that you change your strategy. Instead of giving yourself a huge chunk of time and ending up buying piles before and after, pick a smaller chunk and buy yourself a project's worth of yarn at the end as a reward for faithfully not buying new yarn during that time. Pick an amount of time that seems like a challenge, but not an overwhelming one. Then rinse and repeat for the rest of the year. Or instead of limiting it by time, limit it by number of projects. For example, for every five projects completed, you get to buy new yarn for one project.

I also suggest that you not buy yarn for another sweater for your husband or yourself until right before you plan to cast it on. No need to buy it just so that it can languish in your stash.
September 25, 2008 at 2:18 PM
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