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Weight loss

I've been on a yarn diet since 1st January 2012. That's 140 days without buying yarn.

What is the reason for this self-imposed austerity I hear you cry? What about all the gorgeous yarns out there. Why? Why? Why?

Well this is why:

Needs to be turned into socks
Those 'x's on the photo are yarns I've used since taking the photo. I'm sort of using it to keep track of how much of my stash I actually knit with

This is only part of my sock yarn stash. Admittedly some of the yarns photographed here (in a pique of annoyance of the size of my yarn habit last weekend) are leftovers, but never the less I still have a ridiculous stash. There are packs of jumper yarn picked up in sales, those numerous odd balls which I tell myself don't count, and the "oh, I'll treat myself" skeins when volunteering at knitting shows.

Now I'm not denying the yarn does not bring me pleasure. It does. I love colour. I love texture. And I like supporting independent small businesses, but I need a limit. So I stopped.

For the first couple of months I found it hard, in those cold dark days of winter, when someone shares tempting yarn bargains on twitter, or the latest from their artisan dyepot I would click on the link, sigh, stroke the screen, then look at my stash. Looking at my stash soon vanquished those teasing thoughts and here I am, no new stash acquisitions so far this year (except for a tiny amount of gift yarn, but that doesn't count - honest).

Heck, I even managed to resist Bargain Balls.

I didn't set myself a time limit for this stash limitation, though I am going to Woolfest in a couple of weeks so will need to up my resistance levels. Well that or succumb to temptation.

And if I do fall prey to some lovely yarn (probably sock, in a semi-solid orange colour for that is my Achilles heel), I'll say oh well, it's only yarn.

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