For lack of actual knitting content today (well, I finished one of Bossy Boots' socks and cast on for my mom's secret Christmas socks, YAWN, I know! I know! That's why I'm not going to talk about that, hello!) I thought I'd conduct a survey instead. My friends gifted me with a $100 gift certificate (!!!) to Isle Knit, a LYS, for my birthday. Now, I know there are those who think nothing of plunking down hundreds of dollars at their LYS, but this is huge for me, at least. It's no secret that being SIW2K (single income with 2 kids...thanks, Karen for inspiring the acronym) puts a damper on SEX. Though in this case, I am referring to Stash Enhancement Expeditions, thank you very much. Living SIW2K, you learn to select yarn judiciously (i.e. TGKP- Thank goodness for Knit Picks!), getting the most you can for the least you can. It's easy to get used to not wanting what you can't get (Though I still covet. God, I covet. I'm a sinner, what can I say?). So I am left utterly paralyzed by the prospect of being able to afford A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G I want from Isle Knit. The POSSIBILITIES. Oh, the delectable possibilities! I actually lost sleep over this last night.
For the proper effect, please read the following paragraph with increasing speed for each subsequent sentence:
Do I buy yarn with a specific project in mind? Should those projects be for me or can they be for other people? Wouldn't it be okay if they were for other people since what I really enjoy is the process of knitting? Then wouldn't I have received a gift of sorts, anyway? Do I sample luxury yarn I could never otherwise afford with no specific project in mind? (tangential "oooh... can you say Noro, Debbie Bliss Cashmerino...?") Will I then be forever ruined, unable to afford those yarns again and disgruntled with cheaper substitutes? Can you go back to Baskin-Robbins once you've tasted Ben & Jerry's? Can you ever go home?! Do I invest in more needles? Circs? DPNs? Bamboos? Addis? Do I invest in books that I could probably get cheaper online but which wouldn't be "free" like they would be at the LYS? Worsted? DK? Fingering? Do I ......
You get the picture. Total head case. Which is nothing new, I assure you, but in my (albeit, twisted) mind, justifiable neurosis. Which brings me to my query: What would YOU do??? And for the sake of future reference, please note that returning the certificate to put me out of my misery is, in fact, not a polite response.
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a mother of three in her quest for zen and peace in a sometimes contrary world.
4 comments:
well, being SIW2K, i'm sure you're not a stranger to something called a BUDGET.
sure, that's the last thing you'd want to think about when you've got a gift certificate like that...but when i was encounted by big island bernina's yarn store, i set myself a $100 budget and it went something like this:
-favorite yarn: 15% (yarn that you know you'll always like/buy/use)
-gift yarn: 15% (for stuff for other people...a decent estimate)
-splurge yarn: 20% (enough to sample maybe one or two balls)
-books: 30% (cuz books are so durn expensive these days)
-knitting needles, etc.: 20%
that's a rough guide. i'm sure you'd know to adjust the percentages and categories as you see fit. of course, i've never been to isle knit and i'm certain just about any yarn store would eliminate any sort of logic or reason. but at least you'll have something tangible to start with. just in case, you know, you lose yourself for a moment or two. and you're never guaranteed to use the yarn...we've all heard of SABLE: stash acquisition beyond life expectancy. ah, a covetous lot are we!
lucky girl.
Oh, how exciting! I'm a SIW2K too, so I can totally understand the losing sleep excitment. I would probably buy a Rowan book (since I don't own one yet), some yarn (so many though, it would be hard to choose), possibly needles, and some of those cute overprized gadgets. So, I guess I'd buy a little bit of everything. ;-)
Have fun spending your gift! The dreaming is probably one of the great parts of it.
Michelle
Ooh! I think you just go in and squish all the yarn and grab the one the makes you happy!!
Oooh, so many decisions! Well, I would get some Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, since that's my current favorite. And the Vogue Knitting bible - that's a book you'll never regret having. And then pick something really cool from Knitty or IK and buy the really freaking expensive yarn you'll need to knit it. Since the certificate was a gift to you, I'd blow it all on yarn for YOU and not for gifts for other people...
Whatever you do, have fun and don't stress! And don't worry about going back to Knit Picks - I'm a yarn snob (for the most part) and I love their stuff.
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