Largely Unrepeatable: Stitches West '09: An Exercise in Trading Plastic for Yarn

Tess Designer Yarns Superwash Merino Worsted, "Marine"

Well, the Social Pressure Experiment is over. I have to admit I didn't do too well toward the end. I hit a few snags when I found out that a Love Affair Yarn was discontinued, and bought a whole mess of it to dye and love and roll in. Then I got some stunningly gorgeous Cashsoft Aran for - are you ready for this? $24.50 per bag. Yes, per bag. Jasmin and I agreed that while it was outside of the Experiment's parameters, it was also a short-time deal and shouldn't be passed up. So I didn't.

And then Malia announced her candidacy to be a mom in July, and I recognized the dearth of baby-weight superwash wool in my stash. So there was that.

Pigeonroof Studios 80/20 Merino/Silk, "Grape Myrtle"

But all in all, the real point of the Experiment was, if you recall, to encourage Jasmin and I to change our spending habits and think more carefully about when, where and why we were buying yarn. And overall, I have to say that in that respect, it was a success. My desire to salve (not solve) problems by buying something new isn't unique, but it is something I try to be aware of and master. Sometimes I win, and sometimes I end up looking at something I now own with a twinge of regret. The yarn I bought in bulk? Definitely a satisfactory purchase. Every time I look at it, I wriggle with anticipatory joy.

And speaking of shopping. Oy. It's a lot of work to shop all day!

Malabrigo Sock Yarn, "Velvet Grapes"

Final Count:

Sock Yarn: 22

Sweater Yarn: 4 skeins, 2 sweaters-worth

Lace Yarn: 2

Roving: 16 oz.

Patterns: 3?

Apparently Stitches this year was all about the sock yarn, which was CLEARLY the weight of yarn I needed...

Lisa Souza Dyeworks 4 oz. Sock Batt, "Petroglyph"

I'm slowly developing a theory about why sock yarn is addictive. Stay tuned for more. I do tend to gravitate to the finer-weight yarns, partly because I feel like I get more bang for my buck, but also because I enjoy knitting with them more than the heavier gauges.

Windy Valley Musk Ox 15/80/5 qiviuk/merino/silk

I have been working steadily on my Scarf #21 for the KAL with Brie. I'm nearly finished with the first edging, and have come to the conclusion that it will be not so much a scarf as a stole. The damn thing is about 15" across right now unblocked and it'll get bigger still before I head into the actual lengthening part of the center. Therefore, I've made a strategic decision. I'm going to knit this first edging, then bind off and knit the second one, which I will then rotate the requisite 90 degrees and commence the center panel. When I get close to running out of yarn, I'll graft the second edging onto the end and be done. It's not the official way to do it, but it will ensure that I don't run out of yarn halfway through the second edging.

Lisa Souza Hardtwist Merino Petite, "Printempo"

The Girasole is in time out. I need to re-start it due to some user errors, but I've been working on other things because I can sense the overwhelming gravitational pull of Jared's gorgeous shawl. The Ravelry comments on this one are littered with "I started and finished it in a week..." and "so addictive!" I think I'll give Scarf #21 a few more days' head start before I dive headlong into Big Red.

Hazel Knits Artisan Sock, "Cami Chic"

I also started one of the yarns from this year's Stitches! Yesterday I cast on the Limeade TOFUtsies yarn I got to complement the Berries 'n' Cream socks. I'm making some modifications to my vanilla pattern, so hopefully these will fine-tune the fit to a place I'm not just happy with, but thrilled with. If it's different enough, maybe I'll write it up!

Tess Designer Yarns Super Sock and Baby, "Teal!"

The rest of my Stitches purchases are already catalogued and posted on the internets. The Ravelry link is here, and the press-pass pictures I took of both my yarn and Stitches-as-a-whole (not to mention Erin's swank and classy party at her shop) are here.