I have a problem

Actually, the truth is, I have several problems (frizzy hair, sick kiddo, blah, blah, blah), but only one is the providence of this blog. As you can see by the button in the sidebar, I (unofficially) joined the Stash-along. Not because I have a huge stash (which I don't, really), but because I have multiple projects on the needles and at least as many waiting to be brought back out to light. Add to that, with Eric in school, the yarn budgets gets pretty slim at times. (Alas, no cashmere for me - not that I would know what to do with it if I had it. I think I would be afraid to knit such loveliness.) The knitting group that I belong to was started by a couple of the employees of my LYS (my favorite shop in the area). So, on Tuesday one of my friends mentions as she is leaving that the shop is having a clearance sale. Buck a ball. "Um, buck a ball", I repeated unsteadily, weak at the thought of all of that unloved yarn finding a safe haven in my stash. She confirmed the price, adding that most of it was novelty yarn. All I could think was that she said most - which meant that there was a possibility of finding something else, cuz yarn junkie or not - there is no room in my stash for novelty yarn*. So, Wednesday, I stopped after work and this just fell into my hands, honest...

What can I say, a wool/alpaca blend with enough synthetic so it won't felt. I'm thinking of making socks for Caleb, specifically tube socks so he won't grow out of them too quickly. With the alpaca, they should be good for playing in the snow next winter. Needless to say, I won't be starting these for a while (to allow for the eleventy-third growth spurt of the year) even though my fingers are just ITCHING to cast-on. Because there was only one ball of each color and there is only 100 meters a ball, they may have to be striped tube socks. I'm just not sure how far 100 meters of this stuff will go.

The Jaywalkers are not moving much at all. Work has been so busy that I haven't even brought them along. Blaze is moldering in the basket, for no good reason, especially now that winter is just about over here. Dang - I swore I would wear that sweater before spring. To top it off, I cast on for a felted purse today. Yep - nothing like startitis in the spring (or any other time of year for that matter).

*This is not to say that I won't knit with novelty, I just won't put it in my stash. I've got nothing against novelty yarns in general, especially as they are the crack cocaine of the knitting world - just one garter stitch scarf and you're hooked for life. Obviously Berroco is striving for world domination.