Distractions, and yarn porn

Since the beginning of 2011, I have been working hard to keep my number of works in progress minimal (three or less). I havealways suffered from startitis, and found that when I limited the number of things I was working on, things (GASP!) actually managed to get finished. Imagine

that! I was successful with this goal for an admirable four months. Up until last week, I was humming along on my Endpaper Mitts, and my Strafford Tee. Not quite monogamous, but as close as I get, and I was making considerable progress on both.

And then... this happened.

Last weekend, I went over to a fellow knitter's house for an evening of pizza, knitting, wine and Harry Potter. I already had the four most important ingredients for a fun time, but then this knitter upped the ante. She busted out her stash.

As someone who has only been knitting seriously for three years, my stash is rather paltry. Oh, sure, I have a basket filled with single skeins of sock yarn that were too pretty to resist, and a LOT of Cascade 220 in various colors. However, if required, I could combine all my piles of yarn throughout the house to one medium sized container. This was not the case for this knitter.

In addition to a respectable stash, this knitter has also a generous spirit, and she encouraged me (and the other knitter who was there) to have at it. There were very few stipulations on what we could or could not take, and I ended up making out like a BANDIT!

See that? That's about 900 yards of Dream in Color - Smooshy. It is squishy and fluffy, and the colors are beautiful. I already have big plans for it - it will become an Audrey in Unst.

And this? Three skeins of 100% alpaca, which is so soft I just want to rub it against my cheek (and have often been found doing just that). This is telling me it wants to become a hat and mitten set. Pattern still TBD.

And this - this is the coup de gras. This I felt so guilty taking that she had to reassure me no less than five times that it's been in her stash for years, and that she'd rather see it go to a home where it it would be used and loved and appreciated.

That's over 1,000 m of Wollmeise. 1,000 meters. Of WOLLMEISE. I carry a skein of it around with me everywhere I go, like one of those horrid women with their 2 pound chihuahuas in their purse. I take it out from time to time, just to tell it that I love it, and to admire its vibrant, beautiful colors.

So instead of monogomously plodding away on my sweater and my mitts, I have spent countless hours on Ravelry, dreaming of what these yarns will become. I am using them as motivation to finish my projects, and it's working so far, but all I want to do is start turning them into something amazing.

You know what? Monogamy is overrated anyway :)