Sunsets and Diets and Sanity Oh My!

I just returned from an hour walk with my little dog Myzee, where we got to see a gorgeous sunset. I'm not naturally an active person, but I just quit smoking and put an extra ten pounds on an already full figure. So rather than sending one of my kids to exercise the dog, I'm breaking my sedentary lifestyle and taking her myself. And a sunset like today's makes the walk so worthwhile. As I was walking, I got to marveling about my stash.

Like many of you, I have an enormous stash of yarn waiting to be knit. I can't figure out why because, for the last two years, I've had myself on a strict yarn diet. Well...I guess I have strayed a time or two...but…it couldn’t be helped. I took a trip last spring to Ireland and the Isle of Man. Can anyone blame me for ferreting yarn like a heat seeking missile? To my dismay, with a bazillion sheep and a staggering number of lambs, there are few yarn stores there. So, when I got to Donegal, in North West Ireland, and found a yarn shop (Wool'n'Things) that sold tons of actual wool from a nearby mill, I bought like a woman possessed. The picture below shows the Donegal Aran Tweed that I bought a kilo of and am currently knitting using Debbie Bliss' Kilcar pattern.

There have been other times that I indulged, but again, I was not in my right mind at the time. No-one can fault me for buying a sweater's worth of Mirasol Miski last year. When the skeins AND sweaters were passed around at the Jane Ellison Knit-Along at River City Yarns last fall, I fell hard for this baby llama wool. One look and I was smitten; one touch and I was overcome.

So, as anyone can clearly see, when I fall off the diet and buy, I can't be held responsible. Must have something to do with the separation of me and my mind when I'm standing in front of a rack of softness. My eye is caught by the colour; my diet is abandoned with the feel.

I guess there's only one thing to be learned here....diets SUCK!