Monday, March 20, 2006

No more yarn ???

Could I really do it?

Has anyone ever had that one moment when you say " I am not buying anymore yarn this year!"
Well I have had that thought running through my head over and over again. Don't panic I am absolutely not giving up knitting.. that would be physically impossible but I have really been thinking about a life budget, and that would mean a yarn spend down...downsizing the stash.
Don't call Bellevue and Nan... don't panic, there will be no worries of me raiding your stash while at the house... Let me explain my train of thought.

At work yesterday I became interested in a new release called Not Buying It by Judith Levine. It is a quasi-autiobiography of this couple who decide to voluntarily simplify their lives by not spending money on anything non essential for a year. No movies, no dinners and no mascara. Everything was brown bagged or home made, and only those vital items where bought. The couple was heavily in debt and they were constantly fighting about money. This gave them the time to regroup, communicate with eachother and friends they barely saw. They took long walks, utilized the parks more, free days at museums and all those great and free events in the city. They paid off their credit cards and even lost a few pounds by avoiding the donut cart and chocolate at the drug store. They have some advantages of course of two homes and no kids to spend on but they realized that they were just spending way too much on stuff they did not need.

But I need the yarn ... right?

I spent over $250.00 less than one week on yarn two months ago and I haven't touched it yet.
I use a large gift certificate for some gorgeous Lambs Pride wool and I have yet to start that sweater.
I then went to another store and spent almost another $50 bucks on some Debbie Bliss which is sitting on my knitting cube still. This doesn't include the sock yarn in bags and the new storage bin that I bought at the Container Store because the knitting cube is full.

So what I have decided is this. I have been thinking about getting my own home, I earn enough to put myself in debt with a mortage and all the repairs. I have to realize that I don't need so much junk, and my mom needs to understand that I don't need a new dish rack just because she likes hers better. I have to downsize my spending now.

Of course then there is ICELAND. I will be traveling to the fair isle in three weeks, and they are known for their yarn and wool and yarn and wool. So with the money I have put aside for my vacation and extra spending money I will be stocking up on some wool goodies.

So....I am promising myself to use up at least 75% of the yarn that I have in stash for my projects this year. I have to do this. If not for my future home but for my sanity in knowing that I have some will power. If not over the Haagen Daas then over the Lornas Laces.

This will be hard, almost like putting a carb-aholic person in a Krispy Kreme store alone for a day and telling them not to nibble on a glazed donut.

MY NAME IS MARIBEL AND I AM A CARBO-AHOLIC

MY NAME IS MARIBEL AND I AM A YARN -AHOLIC.

3 comments:

AngeliasKnitting said...

I think the solution is to just use up the yarn you have (as opposed to not buying any more!). I'm still trying to come up with a plan that allows me to buy yarn AND make money!

But damn! You and Nancy are both leaving us for Iceland???? What will we do????? :-)

Nancy Wetmore-Mathews said...

I don't know man, yarn is an essential food group you know.

Anonymous said...

sing it sista!
Virtually all the yarn, in my always growing and monstrocity of a stash is never used. I buy it 'cuz I like it, but never with a project in mind. Then when I want to do a project, I never have the right thing in my stash! Off we go to the yarn store again, and the cycle continues!
Seriously...I think its an illness.
And I have been shopping around for a spinning wheel. Can you just IMAGINE the mess I'd be in with fiber once I start spinning? Oh my..I get embarrassed just thinking about it!

Have fun in Iceland, and beware the fiber! I have two lovely, LOVELY balls of lopi spun wool from Iceland in my monstrocity of a stash. Friends bought it on their trip to Iceland and brought it back. I look at it every time I open that storage bin, and try to picture what to make with it