A lesson in stash management

The other day I decided to buy a couple pairs of new knitting needles. Nothing particularly exciting, just some sizes that I was missing. I went on to Knitpicks and decided that while I was buying needles I might as well take a peak at their new stuff, no harm in looking right? Well, it didn't take long before I had not only bought my needles, but I had also bought a ridiculously elaborate kit to knit myself a Russian inspired old lady purse.

Naturally, I chose the blues colourway. I'm not convinced that it's the nicest colourway, but I'm pretty sure that I'll never actually carry this purse around with me because A) it's not really my style, and B) if I ever finish it I will undoubtedly have put way too much blood, sweat and tears into the thing to ever risk bringing it out in public and getting it dirty. I figure I'll knit it and then just hang it on a doorknob in my apartment where I can admire it. Don't get me wrong, I think it's gorgeous, just a bit excessive.

Anyways, so that's why I chose the blues, because if I'm going to spend hours knitting something that I'll probably never use, I might as well be using colours that I love, regardless of the final outcome. And I do love these colours!

For me, this will be an exercise in process. The pattern is really quite complicated. It incorporates colourwork, short rows, steeking, intarsia, duplicate stitch... some techniques I've never done before. It will be a learning experience, and without the pressure of having to be able to wear it, or make it fit properly, I think it's the perfect vehicle!

So, that's all great, I'm not sure when I'll get to it, with Christmas coming up and TFA taking up most of my time, this will probably languish in the stash for a while.

A while ago I read a post by Glenna which highlighted how much palette yarn she had in her stash. I commented on how I thought that she did in fact have a lot of palette, and how I had a bit as well, but not nearly as much as her. This morning as I was putting my bag kit in the stash next to the other "little bit" of palette yarn that I had I realized that I'd been kidding myself.

I have 59 balls of palette yarn! Many of them are duplicates, a few of the blues are even triplets! It's silly! Especially since I've only ever knit one thing in palette!

But my, they are lovely, aren't they!?