Dieting

Recently I have come to one conclusion with regards to both my eating habits and my yarn: it's time to get a little more lean and mean.

It's been almost 2 years since I reached my target weight, and in general I've been good. I've gained a little, but not really enough for me to feel like I need to diet to regain ground. What bothers me more is that I've lost some of the self control that I developed while I was in the losing weight process. So my little bit of dieting is more about regaining perspective on good portion size and avoiding boredom snacking. And it's about not waiting until I'm truly unhappy with what I see in the mirror (like I did the last time) before taking action to make things better. So for a little while I am definitely going to be a point counting girl.

As I survey my stash, I think I need to bring a little self-control back into that arena. Now, don't get me wrong. I love my fiber stash. It makes me happy to think about all the possibilities and neat patterns that I am going to try. But when I build up too much, it feels like a challenge to get anything finished. So many different projects call out for my attention. What's begging to be used?

• A beautiful bag of Jo Sharp DK weight wool for a vest for my dad.
• A bag of purple Muench Bergamo to take on Salt Peanuts
• Some fabulous Phil'Eponge for a summer/fall sweater from Famille
• ArtFibers Mousse waiting to become a summer top
• Phil Ruban in Cassis for a summer tank top
• Phil'Onde in Jeans and Ciel for a ribbed sweater for John
• Two bags of All Seasons Cotton to be a Rogue cardigan
• 8 skeins of Elsabeth Lavold's Silky Wool for a fall cardigan
• Butterfly Super 10 for Polka Purl Dots
• Two felted bag projects' worth of Manos Del Uruguay
• Suri Alpaca Lace weight yarn for a fall cardigan sweater
• Enough sock yarn to cover the feet of almost everyone in my family twice
• A whole bundle of Cascade 220 to try out some new bag ideas
• Gorgeous lightweight mohair for a lacy fall scarf/stole
• 2 bags of Jamieson Shetland aran weight for who knows what
• 2 absolutely wonderful Giotto needlepoint cushion kits
• Cotton Ease for the ChickKnits Eyelet Cardi

And that's just what I can remember off the top of my head without venturing to look into my fiber room. And that doesn't include the 4 projects I am already working on.

I already know it's unrealistic to expect to get all that done this summer -- realistically, I've probably got two years worth of projects in the wings. But, although I did consider it, I've decided that I'm not willing to part with any of it either. And I know that I won't be able to deny myself yarn for a long period of time without creating the need to binge. So what's a girl to do?

Well, a while back Carolyn proposed a good solution: knit three projects out of stash, then purchase yarn for a specific project and knit that project immediately. Repeat as often as necessary to keep things in balance.

I've decided that it's okay for the first round if those three projects come out of my current projects list. After all, once ThreadBear moves to Lansing, so close to my growing up place of Ann Arbor, I'm going to have to make at least one trip to welcome them back to one of my favorite states in the Union.

With that in mind, I've decided to get back to work on a project that I'd set down for a while because it takes so much concentration: the Kidsilk Haze Filigree Lace Jacket. I'm still going to take this one on at a relaxed pace. There's only so much complicated lace pattern work I can handle in any given evening.

5 Pattern Repeats Down, 2 to Go

This is the second sleeve on the project. There's only two pattern repeats left before the cap shaping. After that, there's only the remaining front piece, the seaming and a whole lot of stitch picking up to put on the picot edging.

Heh. I guess it's clear what project likely won't be amongst my first three finishers under my new yarn diet plan. But it feels good to get it underway again.