I was reading through Twist Collective again, and read Ann and Kay‘s article on Stash. (Read it here – great article). Sidenote: am I the only one who clicks through the patterns and sometimes forgets to read the articles? I’ve been thinking a lot about stash lately. From how I want to store/display it, to how much I want/need to have and how it ought to be organized. Ann and Kay’s article helped me to figure out what I did right, what I did wrong, and where I want to go from here, in terms of stash-building. Here were their points:
1. “Don’t buy single skeins.” As a sock knitter, my stash is full (full full full) of single skeins. Not only are single skeins great for socks, but they also come in handy for scarves, mitts, cowls and hats. Single skeins are great. Having said that, I did purchase an expensive single skein of fancy-yarn-with-beads while on a trip, and it continues to sit in my stash more than a year later. I still love it, but I ought to have purchased two skeins in order to make something out of it. (It was too expensive. I would never have purchased two. Instead, I wasted money on one, because I’m smart that way. FPS…) I think Ann and Kay were speaking about this exact problem. Single skeins of sock yarn are A-ok. Single skeins of pricey yarn “because it’s so pretty and wouldn’t it be fun to make something with it but you have no idea what” – not ok.
2. “Figure out what your flour and sugar yarns are.” Now this was a great point. What are the yarns that you will use and knit for the rest of your life because they’re just that perfect for you? I have a good list of what these are for me. Each of us will have a different list. I do find that I tend to put more semi-solids on my list (or those yarns – like Dream in Color and String Theory – that have other colors in them but they knit up looking more solid than stripey or pool-y.). I will always like these colors, and you can’t go wrong with the yarn bases, either. I’ll go heavier on these in my stash, and a little lighter on the “seasoning yarns” – those that have multi-colors that might be popular now, but I might not like in 3 years. (Well, heck – if you hold on to your stash for 20 years, you know those colors will come around again eventually. Can you believe that 80’s styles are coming back into fashion this fall?)
3. “Don’t buy discontinued yarn.” I agree. Unless you really really love it and have plans for it right now. I’d go a step further and say that you ought to be very careful of sale and clearance yarns, too. (Unless it’s one of your flour and sugar yarns.) When I look at the yarns that I’m no longer happy with in my stash, 80% of them were purchased on sale and I bought them because they were “such a good deal and I know I’ll figure out something to use them for.” It’s never a good deal if they just sit there, taking up space. I’ve learned that the hard way.
Now that I have a game-plan, I am going to spend time figuring out how to make a better stash for myself. I have plenty to get rid of, some that I want to expand (I love the flour and sugar idea, and I’m always up for single skeins of sock yarn), and some that will be tucked into a “use or lose” bin for another 6-9 months. Now I need to do the same figuring with knitting patterns, books and magazines. Any ideas? And what are your flour and sugar yarns? Have you ever given it a thought?
Sheri ifIgetridofsomebadstashyarnitmeansIcanaddinmoregoodstashyarn,right?
That really is excellent advice. I have been thinking about my stash and the fact that I would like to see it regularly …so I can be reminded of what I have. I don’t take advantage of the Ravelry stash section but have decided I really must do so. At least then, I can see on the computer what I have. I am headed to read that article now!!
Thanks for the motivation!
I love the idea of not buying just one skein of sock yarn. Many times I have wanted to make other projects with sock yarn and not had enough.
I love many of WM colors and am picky about the ones I have in my stash even though they are hard to get. All of them are either slated for me or presents for others.
I used to try a lot of different dyers as they arrived at TLE. But now I find myself trying to buy only things I “know” (hope) I will use. Once a year I gather all those skeins I know I will not use and give them to charity/people who can’t afford yarns?teachers who can use them.
Now that I have avoided answering the question what is my flour and sugar?
So long as I knit socks, the single skein will still rule the roost in this house. But… I like the warning on sale/clearance/discontinued. Sort of the “ooh… shiny…” rule. Did I get some nice stuff? Oh, absolutely. Have I done anything with it. Um….
Flour & Sugar: that’s a tough one. I have “boring” yarns that I like a lot, but I have to say that I rarely use the same yarn twice. Cascade 220 or Plymouth Encore might be the only things that defy that rule. Maybe Dale Heilo. I don’t really know if I can answer that question!
I finally figured out what to do with those bags of clearance yarn I bought and never wanted to knit. A childhood friend of mine is a nun, and some of the elderly sisters in her order knit either hats/scarves for the homeless (the order runs a shelter in NYC) or to sell to provide scholarships to schoolchildren in Haiti (the order has a convent in Haiti, also, and in Haiti only 10% of children get free public education). So, Sheri, if you know anyone who wants to dump some yarn my way–I know some very nice nuns who will make silk purses out of anything, including that crap chenille I bought four giant skeins of before discovering that I really, really hate knitting with chenille.
I have to agree about the semi-solids yarns now becoming my favorites-I don’t mind pooling (does that make me weird?), but I’m getting to the point that I’m veering away from the stripey stuff. I do love all the colors, tho. I agree about storing my stash where I can see it. I’m thinking of ways to do that. Happy September and thanks for the links.
I try to buy my yarn with a project in mind. It might not happen, but if I buy enough for a project then I will probably have enough yarn to eventually turn around and make a different project.
I prefer semi-solid sock yarns, and other dk weight and lighter. I don’t do nearly as much with my thicker yarns.
Hey, great advice! I’m beginning to get to the point where I know I need to get two of something I really love, so that I can have a lot of different patterns to choose from. I’ve been lucky to have beginning knitters/crocheters to dump–er, hand my yarn down to. 🙂 I always tell them that if they aren’t going to use it, someone at their church or school surely will, so keep passing it down!
I find myself buying Dream in Color and Malabrigo over and over again. They can’t have enough colors as far as I am concerned. Speaking of, any chance you’re going to be carrying Groovy and Chunky now that winter is fast approaching? Mmm…fast thick soft merino goodness!
Where was this advice when I started my stash? just kidding. I have gotten alot better with my buying habits since my first purchase which was 1 ball of the prettiest Rowan yarn and surprisingly to me I had no idea that one ball really wouldn’t make anything. You live you learn. Now I am just addicted to sock yarn and always buy enough for a pair regardless of whether I will ever have time to use it. My “flour and sugar” yarn I think so far is Louet Gems, I love the feel of that yarn so much.
My non-sock yarns are all in WIPs. But I have a sizeable sock yarn stash, though I did recently pull out some things I know I’ll never knit. I don’t have the energy to photograph it and put it up on Ravelry, but I do keep an Excel spreadsheet that I can sort by name or manufacturer. My process of starting a new pair of socks involves dumping out the entire (large) plastic bin on the bed and going through it, so that reminds me of what I own.
I just this week received my first Wollmeise purchase from TLE (yum!). I can tell that I’ll need to force myself to knit with it and not just fondle it. But as I added it (ok, them) to my list I thought, “what if, out of the blue, I was just given this wonderful bin of sock yarn, hand-picked for my taste? how fabulous would that be?”
I’m at the point now, I claim, of wanting to “shop” and knit from my stash for a while. But I say that with the mental reservation of “unless I catch another Wollmeise update, or someone gives me a TLE gift certificate for my birthday next week, and then there’s the credit I have right now” and of course I’m the only one here who thinks like that, right?
A very timely post, Sheri – I’ve been reorganizing my own stash these past couple of weeks and I have a shopping bag of yarn and fiber that will be destashed in the coming weeks in one fashion or another. I generally do not buy single skeins except for sock yarn, and I was just thinking yesterday that I have a lot of single skeins of one particular sock yarn, and it’s true, you can’t do much with one. Thankfully, however, a lot of them are solids or semi-solids, so I foresee a lot of cable knit socks in my future ;-D I’ve found, more and more, that I don’t want to knit patterned socks with variegated sock yarn – all that work and the stitch patterns are obliterated by the variegation. So, I make usually make plain stockinette socks with variegated yarns and let the colorway take center stage.
Flour and sugar – Hmmm, I have a variety . . . for felting (fulling) it’s Cascade. For Aran sweaters right now it’s Queensland Kathmandu Aran (which I think you would like – it has cashmere and silk in it 🙂 ). It knits up amazingly well. For socks, my favorite standby is Opal. For dishrags and potholders it’s Sugar ‘N Cream.
Discontinued – I have bought some discontinued yarn, but only if I could get enough for a sweater. If I buy yarn without something specific in mind, like you, it invariably sits in my stash . . . I love Ravelry’s cataloguing feature. I use it to manage my stash all the time and am about to add some additional notes so I physically know where stuff is – clearly my stash is approaching S.A.B.L.E. ;-D
Great post and advice – especially since I am headed to the Stitches Market tomorrow evening!!
I still need to look at the new Twist Collective.
That being said, my stash is on its way out. I’m using the fact that I’m a student and have to choose between fresh vegetables and yarn, but the real reason is – if I’m not knitting it, why keep it around? I mean, yes, I will knit with it *eventually*, but really – unless it’s spectacular and special, something just as nice will eventually come along.
I won’t lie though, that veggie conundrum is part of my rationale, and I can’t eat the yarn. 😀
Flour and sugar yarns for me are DIC, NN, Sanguine Gryphon and String Theory Caper.
I do buy single skeins still for socks, but I’ve learned to buy mulitples of yarns that I really love.
Stash decluttering – it would be like giving away a good friend. Sure some have less personality than others or might not be as pretty or as talented, but they need a good friend and a good home. And they’ve given me a lot of comfort and joy : )
But every once and awhile a bag of yarn will go to live with my dear dau-in-law – another yarn addict. I know they’ll be happy with her, too.
Thanks for posting the link to the article, Sheri. I’m guilty of always looking at the patterns with the intent to go back and read the articles, but I rarely do. Great reminder. Thanks for sharing.
I read this article from Twist Collective a couple of weeks ago – great article! But I find it ironic that you are advising us on our stash -well for me at least, you are the REASON for my stash! Without TLE, I would have a much smaller, controlled stash, but not as pretty, tho! Thanks for enhancing my stash and I will continue to build my stash with single skeins sock yarn from the TLE!!
I have been working on my stash for the last several months. I used to do the same thing (dare we use the word hoarding) with fabrics and trim and it got totally out of hand. I have that and my other crafting stashes well under control now and what a huge relief that is. I have gotten pretty good at buying single skeins of sock yarns only (great for baby knitting too). If I see a yarn that I know must be made into a sweater, I really try to find a pattern first and then buy the yarn….of course I’ve ended up a skein or two short every time but fortunately have found the needed yarn somewhere! My goal is to keep “knitting down” and a new granddaughter and this economy have been added motivators. My flour and sugar yarns tend to be sock yarns, cotton yarns (Debbie Bliss, Tahki, and Rowan especially), and Dale of Norway yarns (for making knitted toys). I seldom buy anything anymore above a sport weight. And who doesn’t keep a few skeins of Sugar ‘n Cream yarn at the ready?
I think that one skein thing needs a qualification. I think that depends on the weight and yardage. As you said, for sock yarn, one skein is usually enough. Sometimes lace weight is, too, and I’ve seen worsted or DK in hefty enough skeins that you can easily make a scarf or hat and mittens or sometimes a child’s sweater out of one skein.
But I get picky. 🙂
My flour and sugar yarns? Frog Tree Alpaca, Numma Numma, Malabrigo, and Black Water Abbey. Depends on what I’m making. I just got a new space to move my stash to, so I’m still organizing. Right now, it’s in rubbermaid tubs, and will likely stay there for the moment. I’ve got the patterns filed in a file box, to be further organized later. Books and magazines finally have shelves. I’m a happy girl!
I organized my stash a few months ago and put in boxes lots of yarn for charity. The problem is that I do not know where to send it. I would love to send it to Kim Bradley, 3:40 pm post. If we can contact each other. I love semisolids yarns and my last love is Caper, which is soft, a pleasure to knit with and the colors are to die for. Love, LOVE Dream in color but unfortunately I am allergic to it. Do not like knitting with cotton or bamboo, prefer the wool yarns. I have not read the article because I am like you, look at the patterns and ignore the text……
Thanks, Sheri, for reminding your readers about that great little piece Kay and Ann wrote in the fall issue. They always manage to entertain and enlighten at the same time. I love what you did with it.
I like the idea about not buying yarn just because it’s on sale. I have recently cleared out my stash and I got rid of mostly yarn that I got just because there was a sale and I never used it and won’t ever use it. I actually love the striping and color pooling that some of the yarns do. Does that make me weird? I like wild socks!! Although I do try to keep some solids and semi-solids in there as well. As far as the single skein, as long as it’s sock yarn I’ll keep buying single skeins.
Hmmm, some food for thought there! I don’t have a huge stash – and I think most of it is lace weight or sock yarn…or single skeins that could be a hat, cowl or scarf. I do have some sale yarn that I know I’ll never knit, and a lot of dishcloth cotton that I’m sure I’ll slowly use up over time. Dream in color classy and malabrigo would be my flour and sugar yarns, I think, I can’t imagine ever getting sick of them!
I haven’t found my flour and sugar yarn yet, clearly i need to knit more until i do 🙂 How’s that for justification? On the whole my stash consists of sock yarns most of which i have dyed myself or bought from TLE. Although i did find myself looking through the shawl patterns this week (yes, even the girasole is in the picks) and although, i don’t wear shawls i have this longing to knit lace at the moment. My eldest has said she wants the pretty as a peacock shawl… she is 16.. apparently i am bringing up a rebel.
I think part of the stash problem for me is that it doesn’t really get hot enough for anything knitted in heavier yarns than about 5ply. So that knocks out a bunch of truly gorgeous yarns simply on the weight. Believe me when i say i wish we had real winters here. DIscounted yarn isn’t really a deal unless i already have a pattern worked out for it and am ready to make it, otherwise it’s just going to sit in the stash until i forget about it.
On the subject of the magazine …. oh yes, i look at the pretty pictures first … and then if i am not totally lost i go back and read the articles and look at the pretty pictures again. Incidently i love the socks on the front cover…
When I buy a sale yarn that I really love(excluding sock yarn) if it’s a solid or tweed. I look around for a couple of coordinating indies to pack with the sale lot. One thing I have found is when picking out a sweater in September that I may make next May is risky because as sure as I’m sitting at the computer I’ll want a different one next year. This way if I need more yarn than I have, I can always add an accent color somewhere. When I really change my mind and don’t like it, it becomes a bag. Felted if possible. You can do anything with a bag (sizes, shapes, intarsia, needle felting, anything.
The other thing I do when I buy pattern books I go through them and look at the featured yarn for the patterns and write in the book how many yards a particular item takes. I keep my books. As Sheri said, the 80’s are back so when I dig into my patterns I’ll know what the yardage is for a given project. The book may call for 5 skeins of something out of print so its important to keep track of yardage.
A few years ago, I was using my scrap yarn for newborn hats for the hospital. Recently I came across an Episcopal Nun who knits for charity. I am putting together a bag of “stuff” I know I will never use.
Lastly, today I went through and put projects together in bags with patterns and wool and staggered big and small. This way I only need to reach into the closet and pick one. I want them all so any one will do. Everything else is socks and there are always at least 2 pr of socks on needles at any one time. I do love my socks.
I have in the past been one that bought tons on sale. It is still in the stash over 10 years later. I have occasionally cleared some out and donated it to the local girls club, a nursing home and the senior center. I plan to clear out some of that sale yarn now and donate it. I have some I would really love to knit with but never get to it. Maybe if I clear out the yarn I know I will never knit, the other yarns will finally move onto the needles.
I also am one that has never knit socks but I have quite a sock yarn stash. I have been using it to make scarfs, mitts, cowls, etc so I don’t mind the single skein for that. Plus, I get to enjoy the yarn I read so much about.
Ok, I am becoming a yarn snob of sorts. I love doing socks as they are quick and fun. Instant gratification. I always tend to overbuy for a project, just in case. I think this will work ok as I can always trade if it is not going to be used, or I can use the remainder for small projects.
I got so constipated over yarn control, i put my swatch on a removed tag and staple it on, and when done I guesstimate my yardage.
I grab those “moleskin” note pads ( look in book stores ) that are flat and take up little room in purse or knit bag to keep track of what I have etc. Patterns etc.
Then when I get the time, I spread out a big white towel and lay out yarns , tags showing, and take photos and upload to my iPhoto , or any photo program will do. So I can scan thru quickly.
I don’t have a huge stash , but I’m also a quilter, and let me tell you, things are gettin’ ugly in the fabric stash!
I love to buy yarn ‘on spec’ I do it with quilt fabric too- one thing that helps when I’m shopping is to see things made up in the various yarns – I would love to see the same item made in a variety of yarns to see the differences- Ravelry is a good place to see what others have done with a pattern -by changing the yarn used.
I am just organizing my yarn stash- my fabrics are by color but don’t think that will work for yarn – I will sort by weight
This list has me wondering about my fiber stash. Do the same rules apply, or do I get a pass since I haven’t spun all the types of fiber yet, so therefore I don’t know what my flour and sugar fibers will be?
Very intriguing! Thanks for the great post, Sheri.
I have many of the same problems described in the article. Apparently it is something a lot of knitters share. It is called addiction to yarn. One of the hardest things for me is the urge to try new yarns by new dyers. I hate to buy several skeins of a new yarn only to discover that it doesn’t work for me. (especially if I’m buying online), but I agree that sock yarns in single skein quantities are usually o.k.
Flour… Dream in Color Classy. Definitely! And for kids… I go with Knit Picks Swish a ton. Sugar sock yarns… my two favorites are Hazel Knits and Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino (the old one, I’m chicken and haven’t tried the new).
Mostly my stash is sock yarn and most of it is Loopy yarn too. I am getting quite a fiber stash as well since I really enjoy spinning. I know it isn’t much to most but to me five plus lbs of fiber is a lot of spinning.
My flour and sugar yarns are Dream in Color, Lorna’s Laces, and Socks that Rock because I know exactly what I am going to get from those yarns. My flour and sugar fibers are BFL and Corriedale usually from Gale (I have decided she is an evil evil woman for making such gorgeous fiber).
My local fiber arts guild sometimes has yarn swaps. Recently, I went through all of my stash and weeded out some yarns that I was just not in love with anymore. Among those were most of the yarns I had picked up at swaps. The only yarn from swaps that I kept was some black Rowan Big Print. There’s enough for a sweater and I have the pattern with the yarn. It is coming up on “the list” pretty quickly.
Even when I buy sock yarn I try to have a pattern in mind for that yarn. If I think I’ll want to make a set of something – wristlets or mittens and a scarf – I’ll purchase more than one skein.
I’ve been holding off buying more yarn lately because of our upcoming move to Lubbock. Just a couple more weeks!
Actually, I have given my stash some thoughts. Right now, I’m very interested in trying yarn that come from different breeds of sheep and the yarns from small farms. Now if I only had the means to buy to my heart’s desire.
I don’t think I have a flour or sugar yarn as I’ve made it a goal to try a little bit of everything. Although I have discovered that I only like superwash yarns for socks. I also don’t like projects made with worsted weight or heavier cotton…that stuff is hot for anything. And I like cotton!
One yarn that I don’t like is Brown Sheep. It’s fine for felted items but I made a scarf that is just too scratchy around my sensitive neck.
A few years ago I found some lovely silk yarn that I loved. I couldn’t afford to buy more than 2 skeins so that is what I bought. On the way home I found myself ‘petting’ the yarn and realized that was a great source of enjoyment for me. So right then I gave myself permission to buy yarn just to fondle and pet. 🙂 I don’t know if I’ll ever make anything out of that yarn but every time I run across it in my stash…I give it some nice squeezes and rubs. lol
Other than sock yarn I tend to buy stash in sweater quantities, so that may be a plus. But boy does your stash grow quickly. On the other hand I’m on a stash busting roll at the moment, swatching, designing sweaters/shells on my computer then knitting them up on my machine. 3 garments in about 4 days and I have yarn pulled for another 4 or 5. (Sadly this barely scratches the surface of the stash.) Note a knitting machine will quickly let you knit up some serious yardage, especially if the yarn cries to be knit in simple stockinette. Like all the large amounts of handpaints in my stash.
Flour and sugar yarn, Mountain Colors 4/8’s. I love the single skeins for heavy socks for my boots. I like Dale of Norway Baby Ull or Cascade Fixation for baby booties. And Jamiesons shetlands in spindrift, DK and Soft Shetland are my basics to simply have colors to play with.
My flour and sugar yarns are Lorna’s Laces, Blue Moon socks that rock,Koigu, and countless Loopy vendors, love it all !!! I have too much, I get hit with fairy dust when I am around yarn , I absolutely lose my mind and sometimes I feel so guilty with all my yarn but I think outside of my other guilty pleasures candy, wine, books, plants, more candy, more wine, yarn is really kinda healthy and bonus in todays world GREEN.
Brilliant article, thanks for the link, Sheri! I learned on my own, the hard way, to avoid buying single skeins (sock yarn excepted). Now I estimate how much yardage I’d need for a specific garment and try to buy that amount. Even if I end up not knitting up the pattern I had in mind (funny, that happens a lot), at least there’s enough to make something. I need to concentrate on the other two rules, though, especially the one about not buying discontinued yarn! When my LYS closed a few years ago, I snapped up everything she had. And it’s still sitting there.
Reading all the comments about charities that accept yarn (e.g., Kim Bradley’s comment), I started thinking it would be great to have a list of places like that for those of us who haven’t found a local organization to give the orphans of our stash to. It’s a lot easier to give it away knowing it will be put to good use.
I guess the beginning of the Fall season is meant for stash organizing. As I was attacking my sewing stash…I found 27 zippers in assorted sizes!!! I just said to my friend…”when we’re at Rhinebeck makes sure I buy more than one skein of yarn to use for felted bags” I’ve had to make some striped bags because I didn’t have enough of one color. Lorna Laces is my “sugar and flour” yarn…must always have a few skeins close by!
In case anyone is interested in sending yarn to my nun friends, you can get information from them at http://www.ssmbos.org. (They are, by the way, Episcopalian. They are one of those orders that prays many times a day, like monks; they take vows of poverty. )
My flour and sugar favorites are Dream in Color; Malabrigo (in all weights) and Cascade 220 for felting.
Have been in the process of paring down stash and spreading the wealth to others. I continue to purchase single skeins for socks — I just cannot resist a gorgeous sock yarn!! As far as sale yarn is concerned, I have managed to stay clear of 50-75% off sales.
I recently heard the term “Sable” = stach acquisition beyone life expectancy. As I’m 60 years old, I may be nearing that state in my stash!
By the way, the sock club shipment was awesome. I love everything. I can’t believe I have my first Wollmeise. I think it will be for a shawl. How wonderful. Love the sock bag and the notepad is perfect. This has been my first year of sock club with Loopy Ewe and I definately will try for a spot next year.
My sugar and flour yarns are Colinette, Dream in Color, Regia, Claudia hand painted, Blue Moon, Opal, Trekking, Fiber Trends – love sock and shawl knitting.
Thanks for all you hard work.
What a great post. Really makes me stop and think about all that yarn in my stash. I need to remember to think before I shop!
No matter what sock yarn will always be a flour and sugar part of my stash!
My flour and sugar yarns are DIC Smooshy, Hazel Knits, and Socks that Rock. I think I would be happy knitting those yarns forever! Although I still stock up on every other hand dyed/hand painted yarn that catches my eye…I seem to go back to those three yarns most often.
I haven’t tried enough yet to know what my flour and sugars are, but I like Malabrigo, Yarntini, and I have some from Three Irish Girls on the way, one of their Sock Summit colorways. I too tend to stay away from the trendy or stripey colors in favor of the semi solids. I have some Smooshy in my stash that I haven’t knit with yet, but I like its squish. I really want to try some Fleece Artist and Socks that Rock. All in good time, though. I’m in no hurry.
This is a great post, interesting question and makes you think. Thanks for sharing!
Some good ideas, but I should point out that there are certain projects that just scream for single skeins and discontinued yarn. Ages and ages ago, I knit Kaffe Fasset’s tumbling blocks sweater out of bits and pieces that were finds, discontinued, discounted, or “I’ll jut have one skein of that” yarns. Probably had about 30 different skeins in all and the sweater turned out beautifully — and I don’t think I paid more than $5 a skein on anything. Wore it for years until a former roommate nicked it as a parting gesture (I mourned the loss of the sweater, but was so glad to get rid of her that I counted myself lucky).
That is the exception — If I’m buying for a larger project I *always* buy extra because you never know when something might happen. What’s left gets collected for another project that either needs “just a bit” (such as custom iPod socks) or another massive multi-color project.
My Sugar and Flour yarns are Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Several of the Valley Yarns and Casacade. For socks, my favorite is Blue Moon but I am like the sock club because it has allowed me try several different yarns. I mostly buy sock yarn by color but I’m not afraid to order from a vendor I haven’t tried because I don’t think I have ever been disappointment with my socks.
I’ve never been so much a Spring Cleaning person as a Fall Nesting person when it comes to cleaning and organizing the house. Stash organization is DEFINITELY a “nesting” activity going into the wet and overcast months (you know, 8 or 9 of them here in Seattle!).
My favorite yarn is no longer available – the old 100% merino base from Cherry Tree Hill. I’m devastated at that loss because it made not just lovely socks, but lovely shawls. I know I can get the same base with Louet Gems, but I don’t care for the colors so much with Louet’s offerings (ok, I really, really want the 100% merino Sugar Maple yarn back!!!!!). I find the whole discussion here really interesting because I’ve reached the point where I don’t want to buy one skein of a 100% nonsuperwash wool as much as I want to get 2-3 now so that I can use it for a shawl in the future (if I’m in stash enhancement mode). As far as destashing my sizeable (too much!) collection of single skeins, I saw an interesting shawl at Sock Summit. It was knit of Koigu KPPM and of one skein of each. Anyone familiar with watercolor quilts would recognize the concept – each change of color was noticeable, but there was a logical transition in the colors that made a beautiful effect overall. I may raid my stash over the winter for some compatible sock yarn skeins to do a similar approach on my own.
I agree with the poster who doesn’t care for Brown Sheep yarn. I think it looks beautiful, but I can’t wear it with the mohair! Itchy.
I have about 40 balls of Silky Wool that I just “had to have” because they were half off. Sigh. The worst part is, most of it is this super ugly taupe color. Will I ever learn?
good points! i am guilty of the single skein but am good to be sure the yardage is enough for a pair of socks if i only buy one!
That’s why socks are so awesome. The stash I can rely on is mostly sock yarn – DIC Smooshy, Lorna’s Laces, Socks That Rock rarely stays in the stash too long. I will buy Noro on clearance because you can always mix multiple colors for those for pretty scarves and anything I think I can overdye into something I’ll use. I have a 2 skein minimum rule for stuff like Malabrigo, that’s enough for a scarf and hat.
My flour and sugar yarns are sock yarns, koigu, brown sheep, cascade and some good ole sugar and cream cotton for knitting dishcloths.
I don’t usually buy sale yarn anymore unless it’s something I need.
as i move my stash i’m am reevaluating each and every skein.
and wanting more.
i’ve been on a sale yarn or a really good ppy (price per yard) kick and probably will for a while but I find it provides me more creativity. 🙂
BUT if i buy yarn that isn’t my comfort zone yarn, I have to buy it with a specific project in mind. Otherwise it’ll sit for years.