The Stash. Let Me Flash It For You.

So some clever Ravelry user decided a while back that April first should be "Flash Your Stash Day" (actually I have no idea how it came about, perhaps it just sprung forth from the ever-fertile Internet, fully formed). I did it last year, and here I am again. I don't really share the yarn and fibre stash for the benefit of others (I do hope that you don't mind seeing it though), rather, it's an exercise in personal stash awareness. It helps me remember what I have, fall in love with it all over again, and reassess what I plan on doing with it. It lets me feel comfortable buying a few new things if it's getting low, and it helps me to stop buying more if things have started getting out of hand (yeah, that's where we are this time). It's also a good time to shake everything out, get it some air, and check for bugs.

Well, there it is. That's a queen sized bed, fully covered. The far half (well, five eighths, if we're being accurate) is all yarn, the rest is fibre, and the blue basket is all the partial balls from previous projects and a few tiny sample skeins of handspun. Works in progress and their corresponding supplies are not included. And there are two washed fleeces in the garage. I recognize that this is a LOT of fuff. It represents a significant investment. I don't really feel guilty about it, as my hobbies have not yet driven us into the poorhouse and yarn doesn't have an expiry date. However, more fibre has since arrived (extenuating circumstances, I didn't pay for it, seriously!) and now the stash really and truly doesn't fit in its two underbed storage bins. In fact, the bins barely fit under the bed because of the way their lids bulge. Ever seen a rugby scrum? That's the method I have adopted to force them under there. I plan on working it down a bit before doing any more shopping, but I'm just one woman, and I can only knit so fast. Occasionally I get a little twitchy about how quickly I'm using the stash up, as if I might run out (ha. ha ha.), but then I slap myself silly and remind myself what it's there for.

I have to say I'm proud of how much of it is from independent hand dyers, just like myself. I'm a big advocate of supporting indie dyers (I know, that's like a baker being an advocate of eating artisinal breads) and it made me happy to see that I have put my money where my mouth is. I also enjoy seeing the way my taste in colour has matured over time. Apparently I need more reds to round out the collection, so I did pick up one skein of Madelinetosh Tosh Sport in "Tart" since taking this photo. It's really, REALLY nice.

The partial balls also made me happy, because they are hard evidence that I've actually been putting a lot of knitting time in. Even better, I just started a scrap project (more on that another day, but it's not hexipuffs so don't get too excited) so those small balls are still getting use, and definitely justifying their continued storage.

So there you have it! I bet some of you are looking at those photos thinking that I could definitely add a few skeins, and some of you are justifying your smaller stashes by saying "well, at least mine isn't as big as hers." I would even bet a few of you are wondering why the heck a person would stash yarn at all (question for you - ever collected rocks? Stamps? Pokemon cards? Sports memorabilia? Books? Well, this is the same thing. I know where each skein came from, and what the occasion was when I got it. We all collect weird things, my collection is just really useful and fluffy).

 

Just for fun, here's last year's photo. Note the lack of spinnable fibre. And all that acrylic (since donated). And the lack of sweater quantities. My crafting habits sure have changed.