In Which The Dr. Catches On. . .

Well, the jig is up. After receiving no less than 5 packages of yarn in the last two weeks, the Dr. finally looked at me last night, and asked suspiciously, "How much yarn do you have, anyway?"

Hmmm. . .enough to keep me busy?

Hand-dyed Superwash from Monkeypal - $6.50 for a 200-yard skein????? Yes, please!

Seriously though, my stash is ridicously inproportionate to my age. Awhile back, I decided to knit those skeins of yarn not intended for any particular project into sweaters for Knit for Kids. So out came the tubs of yarn and the gallon-size baggies, for sorting. (I'm organized that way. Blame it on the OCPD.) I wound up with enough yarn to make at least 30 sweaters. And that's just the first-round sorting! I have a feeling that when all is said and done, I'll have made 40+. But hey! It's for a good cause, right?

So you may be asking, "With 40+ children's sweaters in the works, why all the packages of new yarn?" Okay, you knitters are probably Not Asking That, because You Understand, but for you poor friends and family out there who Don't Get It, I shall explain.

See, I have a love/hate relationship with Destash. You've heard of Destash, right, knitters? I thought so. Well, the love part of the relationship is that a lot of sellers want to get rid of their yarn, and are so desperate to do so that they let it go for unbeatably low prices. Another appeal to me is being able to swatch with so many lovely yarns without really having to commit to a large purchase. I tend to buy single skeins off Destash. . .you know, the ones selling for $5 or less, including shipping. Why, just this past week I snagged 6 skeins of yarn from one seller for only $8! Now, I get to try out two colorways of Knit Picks Shine Sport (which I can already tell is going to become one of my favorite yarns) and a skein of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. As a fledgling designer, I've realized that these kinds of opportunities are too good to pass up; shouldn't I be familiar with (and have tried?) all these different yarns? I consider it an investment for that purpose. These lonely skeins of yarn are also going to be used for Knit for Kids.

Oh, and the hate part of the relationship? Well, there isn't any, really. Just that the pocketbook is getting a little thinner! : )

Besides Destash, there's always Etsy. So many sellers, so little time! Be sure to check out Yarntopia Treasures for some lovely and very reasonably priced handpainted yarns, like so:

270 yards of sport weight rayon for only $3.00????? Go get some! NOW!

I have about six of Yarntopia's items on my favorites right now. Unlike many hand-dyers, you will find more than one skein of yarn available in the same colorway. For instance, there are four skeins of the yarn featured above in the store right now. AND, they'll custom dye more for you, if needed! The shipping prices here are also very low; only $4.85 for the first item, with an additional $1.00 per item! Dyeing everything from bamboo to kid mohair, this store is a must to put on your favorites list.

I wish you all luck to resist! Either that, or I wish you all fat pocketbooks. .

Till next time,
Sarah

PS - My biggest news? I'm gonna be in the Winter Issue of Knitty!!!!!!!! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!