Yarn porn and secret projects

So. I promised myself that I would not buy any yarn until I got a job, because it just isn't justified on our one-income plan. But since I am a damn cheater, even on the rules I set for myself, I went to a yarn swap yesterday. For shame! (Fear not, I have already forgiven myself.) We all had a lot of acrylic and a little bit of treasure. I let some things go, but I managed to get more yarn in return (damn you Holly!). I thought I had a lot of acrylic yarn lying around, until I saw this:

Actually, a lot of it is really funky vintage colors, but I couldn't bring myself to take any yarn that didn't come with inspiration. This is my haul:


The vintage acrylics on the left are going to be either a striped hat or a crocheted spiral cushion (if and when I can figure that out). The little balls on the bottom are Lion Microspun, which I have never used. I wanted to noodle around with it, and see if I still like it after all the splittiness. The Dazzle is for the sake of pink, I'm afraid (I don't know what it's going to be, and in taking it I broke my own rule... but it's sparkly!). And the awesome bunch of black Lamb's Pride is going to turn itself into Super Secret Project #1 for Dan, of my own design. We'll see.

Here's Super Secret Project #2:


This should be a quick knit if I can sit down and crank it out, but I get nervous working without a pattern and I tend to drag my feet. But I already have the buttons for it, so there is no turning back now!