12 Sweaters. 12 Months. Or Not.

I hate setting goals for myself, especially when it comes to something that I do for fun in my spare time. I'm terrible at finding something realistic and yet challenging, so I tend to just ignore my fibery failings and shortcomings.

Even more than personal goals, I hate January 1-centric goals. Everyone always vows to do something life changing and fabulous to change what they hate about themselves. Everyone is an optimist on January 1st. This is all good, but the gym is usually empty by the third week into the year.

So here it is, the first day of the last month of the year. I am my usual scroogey self. I am going to take this opportunity to make the rather bold statement that I am ready to knit down my stash to scraps this coming year. I realize this could be a lost cause by the third week of January, but I am in love with the idea of having less yarn and more clothes. As much as I love knitting socks, they can take me as long as a sweater. Plus, sock yarn doesn't take up that much space. You would never even know I had a sock yarn stash if you came over.

So here is my tentative list, which I'm sure I'll be making modifications to as I go. I'm halfway ashamed that I share my living space with this much yarn, but for some odd reason the guilt does not apply to a gluttonous amount of knitwear.

1. Valley Yarns Northampton- 8 skeins. I'm using this for the Avast cardigan, which I started on the cable band last May but didn't pick it back up until now-ish.
2. 9 skeins of my Madder-dyed Alpaca. February Lady.
3. 12 skeins of Noro Silk Garden. Westland Sweater.
4. 2 giant skeins of my eucalyptus-dyed silk/merino/alpaca blend. Opulent Raglan.
5. 5 skeins Rowan soft chunky. Belle Cardigan maybe. I'm kind of at at a loss when it comes to yarn this chunky.
6. 5 skeins Rowan soft tweed that I overdyed in Alkanet. Yarn-Over Steek Vest. (what, a vest doesn't count?)
7. 7 skeins of wild apple hill farm Shetland yarn. I have no idea yet- it is needing a dye job. Then I'll decide.
8. 14 skeins of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Cashmere. It's only 612 yards- they are tiny skeins. Originally, I had a Norah Gaughn top picked out, but it would be more practical to do that one in a cottonish yarn. I was thinking a Hey Teach, but I'm open to suggestions.
9. 8oz Handspun merino. Thought I was making sock yarn. My sample lied. It's worsted.

10, 11, 12....I'm all out of sweater-stash yarn. I guess I'm going to have to start spinning up those fleeces that live under my bed.

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