Escavating my yarn stash
If you become involved in knitting or are otherwise involved in the fiber arts, you begin to accumulate a stash. You visit a quaint little seaside town with the equally quaint yarn shop, you buy yarn. Go to a knitting conference, you buy yarn. Your favorite local shop has a special that week in worsted malabrigo in just the color you have been looking for, you buy yarn. Some knitters have a serious habit, before they knew it every spare nook in the house if full of yarn.
I am not one of those knitters (Believe me, I am not judging here, but remember, acknowledging the problem is the first step in recovery!) Most knitters would consider my single, plastic container of yarn and lingering past projects absolutely bulimic in size. Still, I had to admit the truth, I have been knitting nearly 15 years and until last week I was not exactly sure what was in there. I have been working at putting my house in order and the yarn stash was next on the list. (Last month was consolidating my retirement accounts, next month is cleaning up my tree gear.)
When I first opened the container, it was all a jumble. There were individual remainder skeins of past projects; I have a remnant of my first sweater - an Icelandic wool called Lopi. And remnants of scarves for past girlfriends and socks that I ran out yarn halfway through the second sock. I had 3 different brands, several skeins of each brand, of off-white baby blanket yarn. There were uncompleted projects including my first blanket, not finished because I could never find more of the yarn. I finished it off today, it was just short enough yarn to bind it off. It has an odd dimention, 1'x4'. I drapped it over an easychair in my room. Maybe it will come in handy this winter as a foot warmer. There were also an assortment of kneedles, I separated the wooden and the steel. I need to look for some better storage for them. For now I have them laid out on top of my dresser, I like them there. I was fortunate to find an heirloom that I thought I had lost. A darning kneedle that had belonged to my maternal grandmother, an avid knitter in her day, it is the only piece I have that was hers. Also among the flotsom were several skeins I knew I would never use, I am long past enjoying working with cotton. And true to stash lore, there were at least a couple of skeins in there I have no recollection of purchasing.
It took me most of a morning, but the needles are now separated out. The yarn I want to keep is now in individual ziplock baggies. And the yarn I don't want has been taken over to the Minions for them to pick over.
All in all, it was an interesting walk down the yarn of my past.
I am not one of those knitters (Believe me, I am not judging here, but remember, acknowledging the problem is the first step in recovery!) Most knitters would consider my single, plastic container of yarn and lingering past projects absolutely bulimic in size. Still, I had to admit the truth, I have been knitting nearly 15 years and until last week I was not exactly sure what was in there. I have been working at putting my house in order and the yarn stash was next on the list. (Last month was consolidating my retirement accounts, next month is cleaning up my tree gear.)
When I first opened the container, it was all a jumble. There were individual remainder skeins of past projects; I have a remnant of my first sweater - an Icelandic wool called Lopi. And remnants of scarves for past girlfriends and socks that I ran out yarn halfway through the second sock. I had 3 different brands, several skeins of each brand, of off-white baby blanket yarn. There were uncompleted projects including my first blanket, not finished because I could never find more of the yarn. I finished it off today, it was just short enough yarn to bind it off. It has an odd dimention, 1'x4'. I drapped it over an easychair in my room. Maybe it will come in handy this winter as a foot warmer. There were also an assortment of kneedles, I separated the wooden and the steel. I need to look for some better storage for them. For now I have them laid out on top of my dresser, I like them there. I was fortunate to find an heirloom that I thought I had lost. A darning kneedle that had belonged to my maternal grandmother, an avid knitter in her day, it is the only piece I have that was hers. Also among the flotsom were several skeins I knew I would never use, I am long past enjoying working with cotton. And true to stash lore, there were at least a couple of skeins in there I have no recollection of purchasing.
It took me most of a morning, but the needles are now separated out. The yarn I want to keep is now in individual ziplock baggies. And the yarn I don't want has been taken over to the Minions for them to pick over.
All in all, it was an interesting walk down the yarn of my past.