Down the Rabbit Hole...

I swore I wasn't going to. For months, I resisted the urge. Darn near a year in fact. But ever since I saw two new Patons pattern books online (Next Steps 2 & 3), I've heard the yarn boutique calling my name. I thought maybe Michaels would bail me out. Perhaps Walmart. There would be no temptation there, just a sea of novelty yarns and horrifying baby acrylics. No such luck. I couldn't find them anywhere. So really, it wasn't my fault. I had to go. If I was serious about making these fantasy sweaters, I had to go. Had to. Go.
Sunday, my first excursion there, the little yarn lady had locked the door two minutes before I arrived. Though disappointed, I was a little relieved. I could resist for another day.
Monday I think they're closed anyway. Tuesday I wasn't feeling well. But then it happened. Wednesday...it rained. Not a heavy downpour, but a light spring drizzle, the kind that makes you happy to be inside, curled up with your knitting. Oh goodness, the urge was strong. Knit. I wanted to knit. Everything I had on the go was crap, absolute crap. I was so sick of department store bargain yarn. It never looked right, it never felt right. I HATED IT!
Before I could really know what was happening, I was in my car barrelling down Riverside Drive, headed for Prattes Knitting Boutique, the one and only yarn shop I've found in this god forsaken city.
It's a small shop with a white exterior, and though I can't really be certain, (it may just be a happy imagining of mine) I believe there is a sheep on the sign. Sheep, namely cartoon sheep, are one of my weakness's. Some people collect Hello Kitty stuff...for me, sheep stuff. Like the Serta sheep. I want one so bad. But I digress...
The interior can't be any bigger than my downstairs living space, if that big. But walking through the door is like stepping through a portal into the Wonderful World of Fibre. Yarn overflowing at every turn, piled (or plied...ha! yarn humour) to the ceiling. I was literally a little dizzy at the sight of it all.
I'm probably what most veteren knitters, or at least Stephanie Pearl McPhee, would call a small k knitter. I've yet to make that journey into spinning and dyeing and carding and stashing and major yarn purchasing that would qualify me as a big K Knitter. But believe me, if I had the funds, I'd already be there. And with every trip to the blessed yarn shop, I feel a little bit closer.
It was early in the day so I was the only one in there, and having found my pattern books right off the bat, I spent the next, oh say, 45 mins. running around touching everything. I'm assuming that this isn't an unusual sight, as the little yarn lady didn't seem to mind. She was busy putting the finishing touches on a beautiful little baby sweater, the kind that made my heart skip a beat.
I admit, I was positively giddy. I was flush with excitement. I saw skeins and hanks and balls of all kinds of exotic fibres, (like actual wool!) and my mind was a buzz with stuff I could make.
When I saw a whole section of wall dedicated just to sock yarn, I nearly fainted. And it had nothing to do with the fact that I hadn't eaten yet that day, I swear. Self striping sock yarn too. My faves. And it now comes in 100g balls. I didn't know that! Of course I didn't know that. My budget only allows me to roam the isles at Zellers, forcing me to compromise my artistic visions (or delusions of grandeur, whatever).
I went there with a budget in mind. I thought, if they don't have the books, then I'll buy something, cuz I'd feel bad leaving such a lovely little store with nothing to show for it. Ten dollars, that sounds reasonable. Well, they had the books. Awesome! And both were only $4.95 a piece. Perfect! But I brought this bootee I'm working on with me, and I'd like them to be a gift, so if I could find some nicer yarn, then the project would turn out better. Ooooo, this one feels nice and soft. Great for baby's delicate skin. $6.99 per ball? I can swing it. No problem. And you know what? Throw in a set of double points too. Make it bamboo. Thirty seven dollars later, I have a tiny bag of five items and I'm on top of the world. I really didn't need those groceries anyway. And just like getting a tattoo, as soon as you leave the shop, you want more. I quite literally raced home so I could cast on as soon as possible.
Now I'm planning all kinds of things I can't afford to make! I'm already calculating how many imaginary sweaters I can complete by Christmas. By my estimations, one a month should be sufficient. Perhaps I could strike up a deal with the yarn lady whereby I could exchange blood for yarn. And that seems entirely reasonable to me.
Here's the real kicker though. Almost a slip of Freudian proportions I believe. When I returned home and nestled on the couch to revisit my purchases, I realized that the double points I bought had a twin set in my needle drawer. What I really needed were size 3mm straight needles, not dp's. Oh goodness. They were pretty expensive too. You know what this means. I have to go back.
My stuff...black and white yarn from aforementioned yarn shop to make bootees. Black and white baby bootees you ask? Oh you'll see!
And the craptastic one pounder I bought and didn't know what to do with...it's on it's way to being an afghan. And look! New books! For sweaters!