Keeping Tabs on the Stash

Howdy, everyone!

This would normally be the time I would go over my current projects, give progress updates, etc. 

However, since my current projects are actually Christmas gifts for others (NO SPOILERS!), and the projects I’ve previously posted are in a temporary state of hibernation to meet holiday deadlines, I thought I’d put in my two-cents-worth on a topic that most knitters and crocheters have to some extent; some of us are happy to discuss with our fellow fiber artists, but non-crafters just don’t understand it. 

I’m talking about the stash.  That ever-growing collection of yarn, needles or hooks, and—for spinners like me—fiber that’s ready to be spun. 

I’ll be the first to say, mine can still considered by some standards a “baby stash”.

It just barely spills out of the bin, even when haphazardly jumbled in,

Really, this thing is only a foot-and-a-half deep.  And it's not as organized as it could be.  That's about to change...

 

And it only takes up about 12 square feet of space on my kitchen counter. 

 

But what it lacks in size it makes up for in personality, and believe it or not, a person’s stash can say a lot about the owner, as I think mine does.  Let’s take a look at what’s going on…

UFO’s

No, I’m not talking about alien spacecrafts—in this case, UFO stands for Un-Finished Object.

Not pictured:  the beginnings of a shawl in light blue and sage green laceweight

Some yarn I buy with the intent of making a pattern, or at the very least with a general idea of what kind of thing I want to make.  But for whatever reason, I start projects more than I finish them. 

What it says about me:  I dig variety.  And If I get stumped on a technique or ideas for finishing, I don’t stew too long over it.  I’m also easily distracted. 

 

The Crowd of Novelty Yarns

Finally, after five-plus years at the bottom of the stash, they see daylight.  And I actually have some idea of what to do with it! 

Eyelash and fun fur and bobbles, oh my!  
All wound up, they look like tribbles that made trouble in a painter's studio.  And if you're not careful, they can reproduce like the darned things.  Yeah, we've all seen this trend come and go, and like all trends they can bring either fond nostalgia, cringe-worthy flashbacks, or something in-between.  Used well, they can add a little something extra to a scarf or some socks.  Used wrong, though, and results vary from Muppet with a shedding problem to goodness knows how much worse. (Ravelry users, check out the Ugliest FO thread under “For the Love of Ravelry” if you haven’t already become addicted as I have)  Some of these were either purchased for me when I was a young knitter just starting out, or I bought them on an impulse and later regretted it.  But I can’t bring myself to get rid of them. 

What it says about me:  I don’t like wasting yarn, and I will find at least some kind of fun, updated use for an out-of-date novelty. 

 Re-worked Garments and Commercial Yarns

I was considering using the sweater on the left in a crazy-cat-lady costume for Halloween, but even that was too outlandish for me. 

There are times when I have a love-hate relationship with a store bought piece in my wardrobe; I just don’t like the thing itself, but I love the material too much to get rid of the garment in its entirety.  This is where knowledge in the skill of deconstruction comes in handy.  If you know where to take out the seams and how to do it, and you know which tail of the yarn to pull, you’ve got a new sweater, shawl, or other ready to be made.  The same can go for some plain, no-frills yarn, preferably something that has visible singles plied together.  Before you know it, you can split 300 yards of worsted into 600 yards of DK or sock weight.

What it says about me:  at least one of the following... 

·       I’m resourceful

·       I’m not well-funded to buy the 1,000 or so yards required for a sweater

·       I’m freakishly patient

·       I probably have waaaay too much time on my hands, or

·       Most likely a combination of all of the above. 

 

The Bag of Odds and Ends

Oh, boy.  If ever the phrase “not enough to keep, too much to throw out” applied.  In here go all the bits of dreamily-colored discontinued nylon so soft you’d swear it was genuine alpaca, or some extra chenille you didn’t know you even had when you were making an infinity scarf from another ball of the same yarn.  Anything you like, that’s discontinued, or think you could use for something.  I keep all of mine in a gallon-sized zip top bag, along the side or back wall of my stash bin. 

What it says about me:  Besides being a pack-rat, I really don’t know. 

 

Do you have a stash?  Do you think it reveals anything about you?