And wool again, and Noro wool again

I didn't make it until the end of December without buying more wool, despite my birthday resolution.

On Monday 27th I went to the John Lewis knitting wool sale, both at Oxford Street and at Peter Jones.  There was nice wool there but nothing that I could not resist.  In previous sales the wool has been discounted by 50%, this time it was more like 25 - 30% - difficult to calculate exactly in my head, so it helped that it was not ultracheap.  I did like the discontinued shades of Felted Tweed though, and Wool cotton and especially the Cocoa shade of Kidsilk Haze.  I looked at Kaffe Fassett's Colourscape, but I could not see myself knitting anything with it.  The most difficult thing to resist was Noro Yuzen with great colours.  But I went away without buying anything.

On New Year's Eve I found myself unexpectedly going past John Lewis so I had to go in again to check how the sale was going.  The nicest yarns had gone, but there was still plenty covetable left.  I studied the laminated price list and noticed that it included Noro Sock Yarn.  I was surprised because I had not noticed any in the sales baskets.  So I memorized the four shade numbers and went off to the Noro shelves to check if any of them were there.  My heart sank - there were about a dozen different shades, so I thought I could not possibly go through all of them.  I looked at my favourite shade anyway, the black brown beige one, and it was one of the four sale shades!  So I took it to the assistant who promptly said 'That's not in the sale'.  I showed her the shade number, she checked it against the computer and it was reduced.

After that it was impossible to put it back.  I found two more balls of the same shade on the Noro shelves, enough for a sweater for me, possibly with short sleeves, and I bought them.  Now the three balls sit on my coffee table, looking at me reproachfully.  I know the pattern I want to knit with them, but now is not the right time.  I look towards the summer after the New Year.

I have noticed it in charity shops as well.  Once you start talking to an assistant it gets very difficult not to buy.  If I see wool, even if it is something that I have no intention of buying, I need to know how much it is before I leave it.  Often wool in unpriced so I have to ask, and then I end up buying.

So I bought 300 gr of wool on December 31.  I could say that I used my January allowance (and a little of February's) early.  But I think the whole project is unrealistic.  I will have to see how it goes.

I am knitting.  I finished knitting blanket #137, and here is a close up.  Blanket #138 is underway.  On the Noro Transitions jacket I am doing the collar, but without a pattern it takes time.