Stash Organization and Reduction

In keeping with knitting resolution 1, I’ve spend several days sorting through my yarn stash. Duffle bags were unzipped, plastic bags unknotted and tote bags emptied. Every last piece of yarn I own was spread out on the bed and bedroom floor for inspection, evaluation and categorization into one of the following:

cottons
wool blends
1-5 skeins of the same yarn
yarn to donate
sweater’s-worth quantities
yarn to sell exchange
yarn for charity projects
yarn to teach with
sweaters to be felted or unraveled

Everything was placed in clear plastic bags and, whenever possible, with a little note saying what project(s) I had in mind for the contents of said bags.

I discovered yarn I didn’t even remember having. I’m realizing that a lot of it was bought because it was on sale, not because I needed it for a particular project. That should not be the sole determining factor for acquiring more yarn, but it’s a difficult temptation to overcome.

Had I more space, I would display my stash in all its colorful splendor, but that spot is reserved for my books, so it has to go back to the closets. I feel less guilty about that now, though, because there is more room for each skein, ball and hank to breathe.

Pictured is a ball of chunky cotton yarn I donated (along with her seven sisters) to the thrift store. It was photographed atop a CD case so you can get an idea of what a huge monster it is. At the time, the purchase seemed like a good idea, but after sitting in my apartment for over a year, I’ve realized that whatever I made with this yarn would become very pilly in no time. Why bother? So it was very liberating to take that and another bag of yarn that had lost its original enchantment to the thrift store. There’s more stuff on its way out soon.

Late breaking news: There are two balls of yellow sock yarn missing. They were a gift for participating in a charity knitting event. Where on earth can they be? I thought I had been through the entire stash. Come out, come out, where ever you are!