Measure for Measure
When I went to part time this September, I decided that I would start a yarn diet (with the exception of Rhinebeck). It makes sense: if I'm bringing home less money, I shouldn't be spending it on yarn when I have a perfectly wonderful stash. As it turns out, I haven't done so well.
I felt the intense need to buy the bulky yarn at the New Jersey fiber festival. I then needed to buy some yarn to be the trim on my Back to School vest. And this yarn? Well, it was on sale, and I didn't find any red tweed at Rhinebeck and I really wanted some red tweed.
When the (very on sale!) Kathmandu Tweed arrived from Webs to augment the red tweed in case it wasn't enough to make an entire sweater, my dear fiance mentioned mildly that it didn't seem like I was on a diet at all. How could he think that?
Feeling a little guilty, I started thinking about this diet thing. I don't do well with them. Like Jody mentioned, as soon as I think about a diet, I want to buy every ball of yarn available anywhere. Stella's post about her yarn diet made me *want* to join her, but I knew that I couldn't do it.
I did, however, come up with a great alternative.
I can buy as much yarn as I want, BUT for every ball of yarn I buy I have to run laps on the track with David as punishment payment. Believe me, this is a deterrent. I really don't enjoy running. But if there is something that I must have, this is a good gauge to how much I want it.
After much discussion, we decided that I need to run 4 times the amount of yardage that I buy. So a skein of sock yarn earns about a mile. Doesn't that work out nicely?
The next thing to deal with is a time limit. Stella is going until April, but I think I can actually sustain this for longer than that. So my plan is to stick with this until Rhinebeck next year, or until my stash is half of what it is right now. According to Ravelry, I have 124 balls of yarn (plus four that haven't been entered in), so I would have to have 64 balls or less before the punishment payment plan is lifted.
Do you think I can make it? I wonder how many miles I'll end up running for yarn in 2008.
what a neat idea - whittling down your stash and maybe getting a few miles in too! I love that tweed. I have put in my cart so many times at Webs but never bought it....
Posted by: stacey | November 30, 2007 at 10:43 AM
Dude, I would be running a marathon if I followed your clever system. Lovely tweedy yarn BTW.
Posted by: Kim | November 30, 2007 at 10:48 AM
It's so crazy it just might work! I wish you luck and I think it'll be fun to hear how this all unfolds.
Posted by: Jean | November 30, 2007 at 11:03 AM
Oh, if I did that, do you know how freaking skinny I'd be???? Christ. I might waste away. It's a very interesting idea, however. I don't know if I could bribe myself to run on a track but logging extra miles for yarn, now that's something...
Posted by: Elinor | November 30, 2007 at 12:32 PM
That's a pretty sweet deal!
Posted by: Amy | November 30, 2007 at 12:33 PM
I wish you luck. Do you get to knit whle you're on the treadmill? :-)
Posted by: Dave | November 30, 2007 at 12:57 PM
Hee! I was wondering how you were going to work the distance bit. I think it's a great idea. It's good to have a contingency plan since sometimes something is so perfect and so on sale that you'll actually SAVE money by buying it NOW. :) Maybe I'll do something similar after my total fast (and the brief subsequent binge, of course) is over.
Posted by: Stella | November 30, 2007 at 01:07 PM
Very intriguing idea! And don't beat yourself up too much about the tweed. There's only so much deeply-discounted tweed any knitter can resist. Though it's possible I'm telling you this to pre-justify buying exactly the same yarn on my trip to Webs tomorrow. :)
Posted by: Ariel | November 30, 2007 at 01:29 PM
Whatever works...
Blessings!
Posted by: Susan Pandorf | November 30, 2007 at 02:18 PM
Fantastic idea! I wonder if I have enough will power to join you! :)
Posted by: Nora | November 30, 2007 at 02:55 PM
I love the idea of this - just figure, if you do horribly at the yarn diet, you'll be in fantastic shape!
I've been sort of yarn dieting, but I've been somewhat lenient about it. I have purchased a couple of no-nos, but not half as much as I would have otherwise. My big weakness is yarn sales of sweater amounts of yarn, and I've managed to avoid them completely since going on the diet.
Good luck to you!
Posted by: kelp! | November 30, 2007 at 04:32 PM
Brilliant.
Posted by: Bea | November 30, 2007 at 07:08 PM
I know you can do it! I never do well with yarn diets.
Posted by: Tanya | November 30, 2007 at 07:16 PM
Makes sense to me....although that would me I could never buy yarn again. :-)
Posted by: sharon | December 01, 2007 at 09:27 AM
Good luck! I can't do that. I hate running.
Posted by: Oiyi | December 01, 2007 at 10:51 AM
hhahaha David sounds like Moose.
When purging my closet a long time ago moose said for every new item of clothing I have to get rid of two old..... I did it but now that I have a quarter of the clothes he still expects the 2 old pieces to be taking a hike.... pretty soon i'll be walking around in the buff.
Posted by: Kelly | December 01, 2007 at 02:36 PM
Wow. Didn't realize you were planning to do this that long. But still, I think you can do it! And like everyone else said, you'll be in great shape otherwise! :)
Posted by: Jessica | December 02, 2007 at 08:13 AM
Great deal...and think of what great shape you'll be in for your wedding!! :-)
Posted by: Sara | December 04, 2007 at 10:52 AM