Knitting from my stash

I've been thinking about it, and I think its time I go on a yarn diet... As it is, I currently have enough yarn for 4 sweaters, about 2 pairs of socks, a cabled purse, and several other random projects, all just sitting there waiting to be knit up... and then there's all that yarn in my stash box... including three Handmaiden projects from mom, which really should not have been allowed to make it into the box in the first place, but I was madly cleaning the house one day in anticipation of house guests, and therefore just whisked everything downstairs and into the box...

Anyway, in order to stay on this yarn diet, I have decided to join Wendy's 2007 Knit from your stash-athon... if you want to join too, you can go see the rules that Wendy created, and then do what I'm doing, and alter them to suit your situation. These are my rules...

1) My stash-busting process is starting now, and will continue until September 30th, 2007... roughly nine months, and ending in time for next year's Xmas knitting...

2) I will not buy any yarn during this period, with the following exceptions:

a) I am allowed to buy yarn as gifts for other people, for Secret Pals, and any other swaps that I may decide to join in the next few months

b) I am allowed to buy yarn to make into gifts for other people, but these must be really well researched projects, so that I buy exactly enough yarn for the project, and don't end up changing my mind on which project to make, thereby creating a need to purchase new yarn while the other stuff ends up in my stash. These projects must also have hard and fast deadlines so the projects don't get to marinate and then breed in my stash. (I also get bonus points for using stash yarn to make gifts!)

c) I get one 'get out of jail free' card. This is already reserved though, because of recent discussions among my Newcastle friends about taking a road trip to visit certain yarn shops... so I will have to be very careful about not using this indiscriminately....

d) if absolutely necessary, I'm allowed to buy yarn to finish a project. but only if I really really need an extra skein or something. Deciding that I don't like the way a yarn knits up into its pre-determined project does not mean that I get to go buy new yarn for that project - I just have to pick a new project. (Mike seconds this one!)

3) Trading stash is allowed. Of course this will require me to catalogue my stash, since most of it will be back here in Ottawa, so I really don't remember what's in there... so this option might be more difficult than I thought.

4) I'm allowed to receive gifts of yarn

5) Knitting books and magazines are also included in this diet - I'm only allowed to buy Interweave Knits and/or Vogue Knitting... I already have a long list of appealing projects in my current selection of knitting books and magazines - I'm sure I can find enough inspiration in here to get me through the next few months, should I happen to have extra yarn that needs a destiny...

K, I think that's all... but I reserve the right to add more rules (but no exceptions) in case I need more discipline! :)