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.