Fibre Diet

Ok, so I've never felt the need to diet before... I don't have a huge stash (at least I don't think so, I managed to photograph it and load it up to the Ravelry website in one day so it can't be that big) but it is most definately more than I can knit and spin in a year ( or maybe two). However, there are some great gaping holes in it. A selection of beautiful, rich, basic colours of wool fingering weight for fairisle swatching...some really kickass sock yarn in multis and solid "I'm-a-man-and-I-want handknitted-work-socks" colours... lace weight (I love lace weight!)...different blends of fibres to play with...and so forth ad nauseum. I really need this stuff. I do.

Now, I know this stuff is out there. I've seen it, I've felt it, but it doesn't live in my local yarn store. Actually, here in Brisbane we have a local craft chain store and a very expensive LYS. Having lived in Canada and worked/travelled in the US I know the sort of prices and value you can expect there and I just can't bring myself to pay the prices here, plus they don't stock the basic range of basics I'm craving at the moment.

So, this brings me to the point of this whole ramble. Talking with my Mum on the weekend, we decided that it would be too hard for her to take time off work this Christmas to visit us in Australia, and instead we will go to visit her. Yeehaw! I now get to troll the online bargin stores that only ship to North America (hello Knit Picks and Elann) and best of all I get to spend hours in my hometown LYS, Beehive Yarn Shop in Victoria (which is huge, has been in business ofr over 100 years and is literally stacked from floor to ceiling with amazing yarn) picking out colours and fondling the candy. OH Bliss! However this means that if I want to spend to my heart's content in December I must go on the aforementioned Fibre Diet.

I hearby resolve that I will reduce my stash of yarn and fibre by spinning and knitting at least half of my current stash before we head to Canada in December and not buying any more during this time...unless it's really on sale like the eco yarns fibre I got last month...or the Patons "Jet" that was so ridiculously on sale that it couldn't be passed up last weekend...

Hopefully this resolution will be aided by the fact that I will have many people to gift to in Canada. I can knit away on small stash busting projects like hats and scarves (to give to people who live in a climate where they will actually use them) without having an intended recipient in mind and just bring a whole suitcase of finished objects to give, then voila!, empty suitcase for the shopping spree. Makes sense, no?

Let's see how well it works in real life.