Stash Happens

So...I took a dive.  This is the main stash closet.  Four bins, a grocery bag and a black tote bag full of yarn.  And yes, this is all of it.  The black tote holds yarn that didn't work out for Rogue, the grocery bag holds all the yarn suitable for charity knitting and bottom bin on the left holds all the odd balls and leftovers that are kept on hand 'just because'. The red box is Holiday stuff...not yarn.

One bin holds every last ball of sock yarn I own...about 50-60 balls. Yes, this is a bit excessive, but I have confessed and owned up to my addiction.  I do knit sock often  and have 30+ finished pairs of socks to wear (many more have either been gifted or 'darned') and the rest of this yarn will be knit or gifted at some point in the future.  Too much of a good thing, which means sock yarn, isn't enough and that's my motto.  The StashAlong has helped me keep further acquisition in check, however.

This bin is about half full of lace yarn. Some 'skanks' have assigned projects and are just waiting for their chance to be on the needles. Many of the other yarns were purchased 'just because' they were super special (like Plain and Fancy Wool lace weight from Estes Park last year) or I just loved the color. Seaweed has taken so much time to knit (it is huge and hasn't had as much attention as it should), so it might be a bit longer before I can dive into this bin for inspiration.

The last bin (bottom right) holds all my future sweater projects. In fact, there was little in this bin before I started to blog (actually there were no bins before I started to blog).  The oldest project is Grant Avenue by Alice Starmore, which I purchased from my LYS more than 2 years ago.  The second oldest yarn is 10 large skeins of Euroflax in Eggplant.  It was to be the linen lace jacket in Jean Frost's Jackets.  I never could get gauge with the yarn and found it very stiff to knit, so the yarn sits awaiting new inspiration.  The other yarns all have projects in mind and are as follows:

7 sk.- Beaverslide Rosewood Heather - future comfy cardigan (fall of this year?)
16 b.- Silk Garden #201 - Bought for Butterfly (rethinking options)
10 sk. - Rowan DK Tweed - Anne and Teri talked me into this discontinued Rowan yarn (it was nicely priced). I love the color and feel of it and think it will become "Storm" from "A Season's Tale".
9 b. - Calmer Peacock - This yarn was purchased for another NBaT but, I changed my mind and bought a little more to make Audrey. However, Rowan 39 has a sweater called Flotsam & Jetsam that would make a nice summer cardigan. It looks interesting and fun to knit.  This may be my next StashAlong sweater.
7 b. - Debbie Bliss - Cotton Cashmere pink, left over from the Eyelet Cardi.  This maybe become Picovoli.
8 sk.- Black Water Abbey - 5 Chestnut (left over from Brier), 3 black, 1 red. I could use this for a felted bag but, my first choice would be a simple cardigan.

That's not so bad, eh?  It certainly is enough to keep me busy and not acquiring more yarn.  Must make it through 5 more weeks!

Comments

[Rachel]

I don't think that there is such a thing as an excess of sock yarn :) The Stashalong is a good thing, though, because that's quite a list of projects you have!

[jacqueline]

i love some of the projects and yarn you have listed. but i certainly understand your desire to stash more yarn...it seems no matter how nice the yarn in our stash is...and how lovely our future projects are, we always want what we haven't got.

[michele]

just drooling over your sock yarn.

[Lolly]

Your sock yarn stash sounds so amazing. Wow, and 30+ pairs under your belt - that is so cool! I will get there someday! :)

Your stash projects sound perfect. I was thinking about a Picovoli as well...

Have a good one, Margene!

[Kathleen]

I think you can! I think you can! Nice stash flash!

[Teresa C]

Does this mean you can't join the Socks That Rock club?

[Kim]

Wow!!!

[Janet]

I would have guessed that you'd have even more non-sock yarn. You should have no guilt over your stash. Sock yarn is so small and inexpensive compared to sweater-quantity yarn that it doesn't count and should be added to at whim!

[Susan]

Margene, I know we've sort of discussed this before, so at the risk of sounding redundant, I have to say that you have a wonderful stash that many knitters would love to shop from! I think that my stash is out of control, although I am learning to love the stash and go to it to find projects. . . with the size of my stash, that had better be the case or I am in real trouble!

[Lucia]

You can do it, Margene! My stash is much larger and less organized than yours, so I am truly impressed.

My stash is so large and my yarn habit so severe, in fact, that I had the greatest difficulty keeping a straight face when telling my DH that I was using stash yarn for my Olympic project, even though it was true.

I'm beginning to get this Stashalong thing. Of course I missed it -- maybe there will be another one? Or maybe I should just do one on my own, kinda a solitary thing.

[susan]

Aah, you'll have all the yarn knit up in 5 weeks. Then it's time for a shopping spree. Three Wishes??

[Rachel H]

Hmm... you had no yarn bins before you started blogging, I had no stash before I started reading blogs. Does that make the knitblogiverse a good influence or a bad one? ;o)

[Trinamac]

Thanks for showing us your stash! Your list of intended projects is inspiring. I think my stash wouldn't weigh so heavy on my mind if I could give each yarn a project as you have. Ok, I'm off to work on my list.

[Sarah HB]

Thanks for the stash photos!

Mine is about the same size minus the plethora of sock yarn!

[marie in florida]

thanks for showing me yours. i'd show ya mine if i had a digicam, mine is beginner level but now that i'm working at hobby lobby you can guess what will happen next!

[stitchnsnitch]

Despite knitting 10 things from my stash for the StashAlong, I still have A LOT of yarn. Maybe I'll get a snapshot of it when I figure out how to use my digicam this weekend! :)

[AmyDe]

Thanks for the pic - looks great and as many I admire your organization - I'm working on it myself, but there's a long road to travel so... BTW - if your looking to unload any of the Euroflax Linen I'd love to buy a couple of skeins from you.

Confession: I too have more stash since entering the "blogiverse", but hey - there's safety in numbers right?

[hillary]

Thanks for the tour of your stash. How can you not buy when you find yarn in some amazing color or texture. I too am jealous of your sock yarn. I just discovered the joy of knitting socks.

[PumpkinMama]

I always love seeing people's stash - its like seeing someones home, a glimpse into their (knitting) life. It really doesn't seem like yours is too over the top, ample, but not outrageous.

[Cara]

Ooh I like that Flotsam and Jetsam. Or maybe I just like saying Flotsam and Jetsam.
Flotsam. Jetsam. FlotsamandJetsam. ;-)

[Peg]

I agree with two gals - I love Flotsam and Jetsam and must see about getting the pattern! I also agree that before blogging, I could carry all my yarn in a grocery bag, but now I find I should buy a tote! That is not all bad, is it?! Thanks for sharing your stash with us, Margene! I might someday get the courage to knit something like Grant Avenue!

[christine]

Such a wonderful stash..........surely you can make it five more weeks! Of course you can....And in my humble opinion, there is no such thing as TOO MUCH sock yarn. (sorry)

[Zarah]

That's a lot of yarn! I've been wondering how much you have to have "stached" before you can join Stashalong and not go crazy. I recently organized my stash, and it all fits into one plastic bin. Seeing your collection makes me feel pretty good about that!

[claudia]

I think that is a lovely stash, full of yarny goodness.

[Karen]

I have been thinking about going through my stash and organzing it too. Maybe one day I will actually do it. I bet I would be surprised at some of the yarn I forgot I had.

[stinkerbell]

wow the lovely swimming one could do in there!

[Snow]

Your stash is really very reasonable, Margene. Are you sure you really need to be in the Stashalong?

[Lee Ann]

At least you don't also have to SPIN your stash to use it ;-)

[Rebekah]

Thats not a very big stash at all, but it all looks like lovely stuff. I need a serious stash reduction, working on it, slowly.

Have a great day. Your vest is amazing by the way.

[Debi]

I believe my sock yarn stash makes yours look puny :)

And I have to stop my self at least daily from acquiring more!

I haven't gotten my Rowan yet but I love that Florsam and Jetsam and have just the perfect Pool Calmer in my stash :)

[Beth S.]

That looks like a fairly disciplined stash to me! There's a lot of sock yarn, sure, but you knit socks all the time.

[Stephanie]

Beautiful projects in the wings. I can't wait to see which you choose next.

[Vicki]

I didn't have any bins full of yarn Before Blog (BB), either! Now there are drawers, hampers, big bins, small boxes, baskets -- not all full but, you know, it's a LOT more than I used to have just hanging around. I was the same way with cross-stitch -- had to have a little bit of every floss color just in case I wanted to start something. We won't even talk about magazines and books, okay?

Grant Avenue is just beautiful. Oh, I have to try something like that someday.

[Kim]

I read the title of your post and thought "Oh man--another one has fallen off the wagon!" Your stash is much more organized than mine(and much bigger)--you have a very enviable sock yarn stash :) Isn't sock yarn the best? It's my favorite thing to buy on vacations and in general! Happy knitting!

[Terry]

Thanks for the show, I spied right away, the STR!! I was thinking, hmm, four bins ain't bad then I re=thought how many skeins you mentioned and the light bulb lit - they're the BIG, really big bins ( I use many small ones). That great, you got it all sorted!

[Carole]

I'm envious of the sock yarn stash.

[Julia]

Man, this bloggin' thing has really lead to the volume increase in stash, no question. But I also would never have tried knitting lace before bloggin' or knitting socks for strangers. In fact I am quite sure I have grown as a knitter precisely because of the blogging community. I can't talk to anyone in my real life about knitting at all. For most of my life it's been this way. I heart the knitting blogiverse!

[Bliss]

Ooooh stash pictures. YUM! Sock Yarn!!! Blah...blah...blah...scrolls back up to look at sock yarn...blah blah new project...blah blah...project...blah blah...project...scrolls back up to look at sock yarn. Hee!

Can you tell I am a sock yarn addict? Honestly I love your list of projects too, but the sock yarn is like a MAGNET I tell ya.

[Tracy]

I love it when I go back to my boxes and discover new treasures don't you? If my sock yarn stash was to meet yours we could set up our own business ;)

[Scout]

Hot damn that's some yarn p*rn! Is someone allowed to send you yarn or is that against the rules?

[Imbrium]

Mmm...seeing so much yarn in one place makes me unreasonably giddy.

What is that beautiful, autumnal stuff in the lower right corner of your lace stash? It looks divine.

[Laura]

Oh how fun. This makes me not feel a tiny bit badly about wishing to win one of your generous contest prizes. heh You have so many beautiful yarns to pet and admire day in and day out, it's probably not hard to give a little away in a contest. :)

[julia fc]

Not so bad at all. I actually admire how restrained you are in the aquisition department. Enjoy the modest bounty.

[Isela]

You can definitely survive with that stash--you are prepared for the future for sure

[Bonne Marie]

50-60 skanks of sock joy? M'lady, 100+ would be excessive...

[Chris]

That's not so bad. :) You really don't even need to be in Stashalong.

I think I fell out of Stashalong, since I SOOOOO didn't need to touch the extra yarn I bought for my Hourglass...

[Casey]

I only with I had that much yarn! There are so many things I want to knit but I feel guilty going out and buying all the yarn. If I already had it in my house . . . Well, things might get out of hand.

[monica]

Your stash sounds very small compared to mine. And pretty manageable too!

[Anne]

You can do it! Five weeks isn't that long, and by then it will really feel even more like spring and you can go shopping for things to knit summer cardigans from then!

[Judy H.]

That's nothin'! Although, I think in a head-to-head (skein-to-skein?) competition, your sock yarn could beat up my sock yarn. Speaking of, what's that lovely stuff in the top left? That bluey-greeny stuff?