Regarding our yarn stash...

 

Hello there!

 

Pattern~ My Own Vanilla   Yarn~ The Loopy Ewe Legends in the color Michelle's Pretty Pink Cactus  Tea~ Stash Earl Grey.

Whoo hoo-it's Sunday.  How was your week?  Hopefully it went by fast and now you are enjoying a peaceful week.  My Sunday is off to a great start, a cup of tea and some knitting. Basically, every Sunday should kick off with knitting. ;) A little later I am going to visit my yarn stash and do a bit of organizing. I want to chat a bit with you about your yarn stash, but first I will talk about this week's happenings.

 

Pattern~ My own vanilla pattern  Yarn~ Knitpicks Bare dyed with Kool-Aid.

I finished my June socks.  These socks despite being plain vanilla socks make me so happy. Actually it is the yarn that makes me happy. The yarn is Knitpicks Bare sock yarn and was dyed with koolaid more than 8 years ago, during a knit night at my home with a few work friends. Basically this yarn is full of memories and brings me joy.

 

Pattern~ Emily's favourite socks  Yarn~ Circus Tonic Handmade Reverly sock in the color Galah.

Now here is where we have a chat about our stash. I know that for some talking about one's stash can be like talking or discussing one's weight. It can be a sensitive issue and even raise some mild debates.  Regardless I am going to ask you your feelings on the topic of your yarn stash.

 

 Dyed in the Wool Yarn Co.

My friend Jody and I have  ongoing conversations about whether or not she should buy more yarn. She will let me know that she got the latest KnitPicks ad and spied "this yarn" or "that yarn", that she really loves.  My reply will always be, "Buy it!". Yep, I am an enabler with no shame. My view is that we work hard and maybe rather than shoes, purses, books, or whatever some people buy a lot of, we buy yarn. Of course there is no judgment from me if you are like Imelda Marcos and have a yarn stash that matches it.

 

Great Lakes Tweed sock in the color Girl Power.

Part of the sensitivity of talking about our yarn stash may come from the fact that our yarn is not cheap (deservedly so), and the fear that others will think that we must have a lot of money to be able to be able to have all this yarn. I can tell you that I am by no means well off and there have been occasions where I forgo something, like professional hair cuts or dinner out in lieu of a yarn purchase. Not that we should feel the need to justify our yarn purchases, but we do and that's okay.

My stash is rather large and in all likelihood, will take me years and years to knit through it all, I am okay with that. There is no embarrassment when I tell others, " I am going into the stash". There are many articles and posts about minimalism and how we have too many things, I understand where they are coming from , but the desire to minimize my stash is non-existent. Would I like to knit more from my stash-absolutely? At the same time, I enjoy new yarny treats being added to the stash family if I see yarn that I makes my heart go pitter-patter.

 

I would love to hear your feelings on your stash size? Also, please enjoy a song and have the best day today!

 

 

XO,

andi

 

Comments

[Nicky]

I've been in both camps, minimalist stash and Imelda Marcos-esque stash. At the end of the day, I say, whatever works for the individual is what's right for him/her.

My current IM stash used to embarrass me but no longer. It's helped me through some dark days. When I was unemployed and couldn't add to it, the stash I have always provided some sweet nugget for me to get my knit therapy on.

The only difference between the days of accumulating like crazy and now is that although I have the means to add new skeins whenever I want to I no longer feel the pressure to add the latest yarn brand(s) just because I can.

I love my stash and wouldn't trade it for the world! Every yarn crafter should feel that way about his/her stash -- no matter the size.

[Heather]

I'm with you. Do whatever works for you. As long as you aren't spending money you need for other things on yarn (and by that I mean like late on bills etc). It's disposable income right? It's just disposing itself into my stash. ;) I go through periods where I knit and then replenish. It all works out. I mean people spend money on golf or hockey or whatever - what difference is it?

That said you always have gorgeous yarn!

[Kay]

I have a large stash that occupies my 3rd bedroom. I do not feel shame about that even though I know I will NEVER live long enough to knit it all. This year my stash has been mocking me since my knitting has been non-existent (I’ve only finished 2 pairs of socks that were started last year!) my knit group knows that if they see something in my stash they like I am open to requests. I know that many people would be horrified about my stash and that’s fine. What would really horrify them is that my stash on Ravelry doesn’t have about a 3rd entered. Whatever works for them is okay as long as they don’t try to convert me. I will say my yarn acquistion this year has been small and that was from a win of a $100 gift certificate.

[Aimee]

I also think people should do what works for them but they shouldn’t make anyone feel bad about their stash. I have a huge stash, just huge. But I’m not ashamed of it at all, I’m proud of it. I don’t drink or smoke, I don’t go to movies, I don’t drink coffee (can’t stand the stuff). So any money other people would spend on anything like that, I use to buy yarn.

There was a time in my life where I didn’t have anything, I was basically homeless. So I will never apologize for anything I have now, never ever. I know there could come a day when I am unable to buy yarn ever again, so my stash will be very important.

[Maryse]

My stash continues to be rather small. I don't knit much and I don't really like to have yarn that I don't know what I will knit with. My wish is to empty my stash and start from scratch?

[Shelley B]

I love yarn and am not ashamed of that. I don't have a huge stash, but I have plenty. Do I still buy more when I see something I love? OF COURSE! Luckily for me, we don't have a yarn shop in my town, but when I travel, I do seek out the LYS and usually manage to bring home some souvenir skeins. :)

[Sarah]

I obviously love yarn but I feel like I'm in a different camp then most people - I disliked the size of my stash. As someone who moves frequently and has fairly minimalistic views when it comes to stuff, I found my growing stash was becoming a place of stress. Still had so many lovelies and a great place to go and dream but had the underlining feeling of overwhelm. I have been working on getting my stash to a better place (don't laugh, totally "does it spark joy"d it!) and found I had accumulated a LOT through well meaning gifts or prizes or impulse buys that really I didn't love in the long run. Once I pruned those away I am honestly left with a stash that every single yarn makes me happy and excited! I have decided that I cannot have more stash then what fits in my storage bin and that has led me to going "cold sheep" and not purchasing any yarn for the last 6 months because I don't have room for it. I am finding that resetting my purchase desire has been really helpful in developing my mindset of what I would like my stash to be going forward. I took a bit of a knitting break and am getting back into it now so I'm excited to use my stash and see where I go from there. Some people don't mind a big stash, I'm not one of them, and that's ok! Xo

[Stefanie]

I love seeing your sock WIPs. I don't mind my sock yarn stash. I do neglect my other yarn because they're usually just one skeiners. I have some worsted and bulky that have more than one in number. I may try to use those up first.
May I make a gentle correction? My blog is Stefanie (w/an f) Crafts with Wool Paper Fabric (not fiber) ^__^.

[Meghan]

I view my yarn stash like canned goods. It's always good to have a supply in times of lack. I've gone quite a while at times without buying yarn. Knowing that I can put my hand on a skein without spending a dime is a comfort. Since it is usually used for gifts it saves me from spending twice.

[Dee]

That Pretty Pink Cactus yarn is striping up mighty pretty.

I'll admit, my yarn stash is huge!!! I feel no embarrassment or regret. I can afford my stash. I have room to keep my stash. I make beautiful things for myself and others from my stash.

Do others think I have too much? Maybe. Not that I care. It brings me joy. Where others may go to a bar for a few drinks, or go to the movies, smoke, take fancy vacations . . . I knit. Unashamedly, I also STASH!

[Mary]

Such a timely question as I spent this weekend assembling a glass case bought especially to house my stash. The benefit is that I can see it all at once...the potential downside is, so can everyone else. I frame this to my family as "at my current rate of knitting, this is about four years' worth of yarn," which sounds totally reasonable to anyone with a hobby who might be tempted to judge. What music lover doesn't have 4 (or even 10) years' worth of albums? What reader doesn't have a few years' worth of books, if they're honest? Don't most cooks have years of recipes to try? For me this is a more honest and less overwhelming way to think of it than money or space invested.
I love what Debbie Stoller says about stash being a feminist project. It is ok if what a woman likes takes up money and space and time. We do not have to justify what gives us joy.

[Julie]

It's funny how being minimalist and being a crafter seem at odds with each other! I've been thinking about hosting some sort of mini skein swap with other knitters, to help reduce the cost of yarn (you are so right, well-deserved prices) when you sometimes just need a little variety. Your socks are all looking amazing!!

[Jane]

I have a good sized stash that I enjoy. I like being able to pull out a skein at 9:00 p.m. and start a new project. While I am not a minimalist, I do keep my stash sized to fit the storage space I have allotted to it. Lately I have been buying yarn more selectively and with some type of project in mind - like this skein is for socks or these two will make a baby sweater. Every January I go through my stash and find good homes for yarns I likely will never knit into projects. This year I donated that yarn to a high school crafting group looking for supplies.

[José]

Tough question. I don't have a large stash, due to my current income, and I guess I would like it to grow a little. On the other hand, if there's yarn in it that I really like, and if there would be too much like that, I might start to feel stressed about it just lying there instead of being used. So I think I should keep it at the two bins I currently own. Although I'm not sure that if I'd had the means, I could resist expansion...

[Kat]

I have a pretty decent yarn stash, and I love it. I'm a firm believer in surrounding ourselves with things we love and that make us happy, and as long as all my essentials are paid for, I have no qualms about feeding the stash!

[Sheila]

My stash brings me joy. I wish I had it more organized and someday, maybe I will. But in the meantime, I continue to add to it especially when I see some yarn that brings a smile to my face.

[Denise]

I have some yarn that is several years old. I love it and have not found the perfect project yet. I have had 2 local yarn stores go out of business and bought yarn at reduced pricing. Who could pass up a sale? I tell my husband this is my 401k. I am buying now so that when I retire and may be on a reduced income, I will have plenty of beautiful yarn set aside to knit.

[Cortney B]

I love my stash. Truly love it. I spent some time last fall organizing it, and that has made me love it infinitely more. My tastes have changed over the years since I started knitting, so I put anything that didn't sing to me up for destash. I organized everything else into categories that make sense to me and boy does it make for some fun stash-surfing! I enjoy being able to go into the stash and dream up a new project or cast on a new sock project just because it calls out.

The one thing I will say that is that I find myself really wanting to knit with the yarn in my stash at the moment. I've been trying to purchase yarn intentionally for specific projects this year and that has made me want to purchase less until I knit up some of those beauties. The bottom line is that I have no problems with the size of my stash, no problems purchasing new yarn, and I love all the yarn in my stash. <3

[karen]

I inherited my mother's stash when she died in 1998 and I have yet to put a dent into that one. I have my own stash as well. I like having choices when I want to start something new. I've cut back considerably in buying yarn but I do still buy yarn. I like to keep the lys stores in business :) :)

[kathy b]

I , too, go for bargains in my life so I can afford nice yarn. I dyed my own hair on sunday. NOT BAD!! I love all the colors you are showing in the post today. Your sock success is reason enough to buy more yarn

[Angela]

The light pink sock is soooo lovely Andi!!! All your work is so beautiful. Thanks for the music link! Have a great week and 4th of July!

[Rebecca]

My thoughts on stash exactly! I am somewhat minimalist in many other areas, and we live pretty modestly even though we are pretty comfortable. So I don't feel too guilty about the occasional splurge and will never likely see the bottom of my stash in my lifetime. I am ok with that too, and try to convince my self my family will take proper care of it!

[Tammy Goodwin]

I have a massive stash...right now I'm in the process of moving it to a new room...my Stash Space....Most of it is listed on Ravelry, I do try to keep it updated.

My Hubs calls my stash my "retirement fund" as when I do retire and don't have the disposable income, I will have the stash...it doesn't embarrass me, it gives me pleasure...

[Knittingdragonflies]

Great post! My stash is pretty large, but when I talk to others, maybe not. I do love having enough to pull out and knit a sweater. I look at stash as "entertainment", haha, right? I love your socks, I have never been much of a sock knitter, but maybe I'll give it another go.
Vicki