Expensive Yarn and other musings

I used to be a Michael's or JoAnn's kind of gal. $5 for one skein? That used to be expensive. Then A Tangled Skein opened down the road...and I got a job there. Suddenly, I was exposed to Berroco, Debbie Bliss, Lamb's Pride...hand dyed yarns from Chile, silks, cottons that feel like butter, alpaca...Suddenly $5 for one skein was a steal and $9 wasn't too bad. I mean, after all, it's not that $22 skein of Noro. When I got this job, I swore to myself that I'd never become a "yarn snob" as I called them. But then I touched the Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in that incredible salmon color that just called my name every day at work. So yesterday I took the plunge and bought the most expensive yarn I've ever bought. I got 3 balls of the salmon dream and it wasn't too bad...with my employee discount it was less than $25. And I couldn't be happier. I recommenced the Tea Rose Halter last night and knitting with this stuff is such a joy. I could never go back to that squeaky acrylic that's sitting on my shelf in all of those obnoxious neon colors. So, I think I'll donate them to my mom who is starting to do some charity knitting and (gradually, I HOPE) replenish my stash with beautiful yarn that will be turned into something that feels and looks great. The key now is to limit myself to buying only yarn that I have a project planned for. I'll know I've crossed the line when I get to the point of these 2 women who came into the store last week. Each one bought over $200 worth of Noro and other pricey yarns, and as I was checking them out, I asked what projects they had planned, and neither of them had any! They were just dropping hundreds of dollars on yarn for their stash! So, for now, I'll allow myself a few balls of irresistible yarn when I get a fat paycheck...but when I'm slapping down my Visa and spending my savings on Noro, someone please stop me.