Preparing for Madrona

(sorry, picture heavy below)

Step 1
Clean casa del chaos in preparation for the minor disaster about to be unleashed into the family room (there is a limit, after all, to just how much disorganization the house can take at any one time).

Step 2
Remove all fiber from Basement of Wool (tm) and place in family room.

Step 3
Admire assembled fiber with pride and mentally pat self on the back. My, haven’t you been a busy shopper these past few years?

Step 4
Observe the assembled fleeces and prepped spinning fiber and sense a disturbance in the fiber force. Something is missing.

Step 5
Examine all decorative elements around the house used to ‘maximize storage opportunities’. Gather more fiber from antique Chinese basket and red rice bucket in living room and place in family room. While looking for something else, inadvertently find additional fiber in stacked baskets by spinning wheel and in the office. (What? You don’t keep spinning fiber in your office?)

Step 6
Re-review piles of fleeces and prepared fibers in the huge pile now assembled in the family room. Consider taking picture of the huge, unsorted pile in its entirety. Recall that husband knows about blog and decide against it.

Step 7
Suddenly realize that you have only spun about 3 pounds of fiber in the last year. Have a brief dizzy moment when some quick mental calculations indicate how many years of dedicated spinning are represented by the fiber stacked up around you. Close eyes and breathe deeply allowing the soothing power of the concentrated wool fumes to calm you.

Step 8
Separate fiber into like groups to get a better sense of the complete inventory. Observe that you have an apparent fondness for grey.

Step 9
See labels on some of the older stash items and remember regretfully how organized you used to be. Read labels and feel a bit shocked at how long some of this stuff has been stored in the basement. Realize that you actually made a wise decision to stop carefully labeling everything with details that include purchase date.

Step 10
Take photos of individual groupings to take with you to Madrona, to be used in the event your resolve weakens and you become convinced that you ‘need’ more fiber.

The Marvelous Eugene Fleece from Black Sheep

(doesn't really count since it's being shared with Holly after processing)

Grey Romney fleeces
(Appx 15 pounds from separate purchases)

Angora blend batts & Merino cross batts in back
More Romney in the front

Grey merino cross and NC kid mohair

The Never Ending Internet Fleece (NEIF)
(A post all its own at some point)

Satin Angora

Exotic fibers

Assorted dyed locks

The Dicentra collection and some Chasing Rainbows silk

Misc. prepared fibers

Chasing Rainbows silk and silk blend along with some silk caps from ?

Step 11
Recall again that husband knows about blog and wonder whether posting photos of your lack of self-control inventory was a wise choice. Convince self that husband can be persuaded that some fiber appeared in more than one photo, thereby giving the illusion that there is more than there really is. Silently wonder if that will really work. He’s pretty sharp, darn it, and you have done an excellent job over the years on educating him about fiber.

Plan instead to remind him that he now owns a sailboat and spent more in the first year of ownership than you did in your first five years of spinning and knitting. Hope he does not bring up the fact that you have now been spinning for over 13 years now and ask for a revised total. Actively regret reminding him the other day how much you have spent on spinning wheels during that homeowners insurance coverage review.

Step 12
Decide that stronger measures will likely be required in order to maintain some minimal semblance of control in the Madrona marketplace: