The state of play

OK, new blog, new approach! With space to devote to my knitterly pursuits, I'm going to attempt to keep all this more planned and under control. When I got the urge to start knitting again sometime around April, I was very loath to spend much money on it to begin with. I wasn't even sure if this strange phase was going to last! So I decided that my first project would be with yarn I had lying around from the last time I was knitting - a rather yummy cotton chenille from John Lewis that never quite made it to being a jumper - and using needles that my Mum lent me years ago. I then started getting inspired, and buying all kinds of odds and ends that yarn shops had hanging around on special offer and eBay could offer me cheaply. Well, no more. I've spent a hard-hearted half hour dividing my nascent stash into 'yarn with already allocated projects', 'nice yarn waiting for an inspiration to strike' and 'what on earth was I thinking?!?'. Everything in the latter category has been <gasp> disposed of. I have resisted the temptation to sell it back on eBay, as it takes way too much time and probably won't raise me much money anyway. Now, it isn't hanging around causing me guilt and stress with its very presence. So, how to stop this state of affairs from arising again? Well, I'm not going on a yarn diet, but I am going to set some ground rules about yarn buying. I will only buy yarn that I actually love exactly as it is, and that I can actually see myself using. Good reasons to buy yarn include:

• I have a pattern that uses this yarn (or one that uses the same gauge) and I would love it in that colour
• I really want to try playing with that yarn and seeing what it can do
• Someone I know would love *something* in that yarn, but I'm not sure what yet (but I do know roughly what size of project I'm talking about...)

I will not buy any yarn for the following reasons (or at least for the following reasons alone:)

• It's really cheap
• I might be able to dye it a different colour
• The ebay listing doesn't have all the specifics, but it's worth a try
• I might be able to find some more like that later

So, with my newly slimmed stash, what's going to be happening? Hmmm... Well, I'm going to produce a series of sidebar elements to list my completed, current, upcoming and planned projects - and a wishlist - eventually! Till then, I'll just have to tell you that I'm knitting Anne Modesitt's silk lace corset - in cotton. I've finished knitting, but not assembling, 'Waves' from the Rowan 'All Seasons Cotton' collection - in Summer Tweed, and I'm planning Glampyre's funky minisweater (aka Boobholder) in a yarn that knits to a different gauge. One day, I'll do something the way the pattern says. Pictures to follow!