Yarn Shopping Syndrome (aka making a sweater-step one)

I have a shopping problem. And not in the normal teenage girl way. 

I don't like spending money.

And I'm indecisive.

I have this theory that if anyone were to watch the security tapes from any store that I enter, they would immediately start laughing. Not only do I take forever to chose something, but I then carry that thing around with me and proceed to put it back, take something else, carry that thing around, put it back, take the original thing, repeat. Either that, or I'll confidently grab something, carry it around for a good half hour or more, put it back and leave without buying anything.

It gets worse with yarn shopping.

As a knitter, going through yarn isn't just normal shopping. You look at the yarn and you see possibilities. Colors, fibers, weights, yardage, etc., can all become hats, scarves, mittens, socks, headbands, doll clothes, blankets, sweaters, etc. There are just too many possibilities. 

And my yarn shopping experience has been nearly exclusively the craft aisle of Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart doesn't have the greatest selection of yarn. Especially when it comes to choosing yarn for a sweater. Last year, I decided to knit my first sweater with some white yarn I'd gotten from a rummage sale. I'd chosen a fisherman's pattern with lots of cables. Bad idea. I should have realized that there was no way I'd have enough. Cables take a lot of time, energy, sweat, tears, and yarn. I'd finished the front when I realized that there was no way I'd have enough for the back. Soo I went to my main yarn resource (Wal-Mart) and tried to find the closest white.

-__-

Needless to say, the whites were glaringly different. I had refused to acknowledge that fact during the sweater making process. 'Maybe it's just the light' or 'maybe after I wash it, the colors will...even out or...something'. Well, it wasn't the light, and the colors didn't 'even out'. That poor sweater has been worn out of the house exactly one time. Never again.

I've decided to make this sweater again. But not white. 

Step one in making a sweater- choose your yarn. If you suffer from Yarn Shopping Syndrome (or YSS as the medical professionals call it) like I do, I would recommend not bringing anyone along with you. Unless you have a patient family member or close friend who is willing to walk up and down the same aisle for an hour giving their opinion.

p.s. make sure you buy ENOUGH so you won't have
to run back to the store mid project!