On Knitting, Life, and Money

The Knit Wits received some news this week.  News that we had been expecting for sometime, but none the less, news that our beloved little yarn shop in Dunlap, IL will be closing before the end of the year.  I guess like death, we all knew it would probably come, but we kept hoping that someone would come along and pick up the torch and keep the shop going.  It has been our meeting place for several years and great friendships have come about from this little shop, so now we are faced with the decision as to where to go and knit and stay together.  Our Thursday nights are up in the air right now, while we figure out who will take us in and allow food to be brought in and can accommodate at least 15 people which brings with it some noise.

After yesterday,  I think I've found the place I am going to knit in on Saturday mornings. Several of us went down to the cutest coffee place in Peoria.  There was plenty of space, coffee, light, and they don't mind if you spend several hours sitting drinking coffee and knitting.  Easy to get to for me and best of all???  I can knit on whatever yarn I want to.  Now, you may think that is not all that important, but I am a proponent of if you are knitting in a shop, taking their space up, you need to be knitting on their yarns.  And that is exactly what I have been doing.  But, then I would come home and knit on what I really wanted to be knitting on.  As friend, Sue, it is like now having the freedom to knit on what you want to.

The other plus?  I've put myself on no yarn buying status with one caveat.  The only yarn that can be bought is if it is a color or yarn that I need for a project for a present and I do not have it in my stash.  I have a great stash and so many wonderful yarns to knit on and I need to use them.  By not knitting at a shop, I will not be feeling compelled to buy yarn because it is there and because it is shiny and new!

My friend, Sue, lent me a book last week, "Total Money Makeover".  I've been a bit of reading on it this week, and he has some really valid points so that I am thinking about incorporating into our lives.  After some brutal weeks at work, both the Tall Guy and I really are wondering at what point in time, we can retire and enjoy life without all the stress.  To do so means that we really need to think about where our money is currently going, so that when we do retire, we don't have to go out and get part time jobs to do the things we want to do.  By not being surrounded by yarn twice a week, there is a bit of a chunk of change that can be saved in a year just by not buying yarn to add to the stash.

  Something I am finding in the book is that some of the points can also be applied to weight loss, life and money.  I'm pleased to say that I have made it one week on Weight Watchers, following the program.  And I made myself a vow last week, that I would start going in to work on time and leave on time and take a full lunch hour.  One week down and I had success everyday.  Oy, I felt so much better on both avenues.  I was less crabby when I got home and although, tomorrow is weigh in day, I just feel more in control, whether the scale moves a little or a lot!

There are so many more things I could blog about on these subjects this Sunday morning, but I feel that I shouldn't keep on as I want you to come back again tomorrow for the true knitting content, but I felt compelled to write these things down, if nothing else so that it is a reminder to me that in order to retire some day and not have to work to enjoy life, I need spend smarter now.

If you are still with me tomorrow, I'll see you on the purl side, I am off to finish the laundry and knit!

Have a great Sunny Day wherever you are.