Liberating the Yarn Stash

General Knitting
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I am having the most liberating knitting experience I’ve had in a while… I’m liberating my yarn stash.

After starting to knit again since my shoulder injury, I’ve cranked out another sweater in a week (!!) thanks to school being out, bulky weight yarn, and staying home a lot to stay home with a sick pet (who finally passed and can be with the great weasle in the sky [I have ferrets]). With that sweater done (and worn as I write this) I’ve had to figure out what to do now with my knitting.

I turned to my yarn stash. It was in a horrible shambles, since I moved furniture and dumped projects, yarn notitions, and loose balls into a pile to make room. The thing that finally made the difference was being able to admit to myself that certain projects would never be finished. Just let go of the baby sock, you don’t even remember what pattern you were using. And oh, that tangled ball of yarn that’s coming undone and is hoplessly ensnarled with scraps, bits, and other useless things? Save what you can and cut the rest free, you have 6 more skeins of that color. I tossed tester swatches that were off needles, that in fact I don’t remember what needles I used on. Useless for gage if I don’t remember needle size, isn’t it? Out out out!

I rescued dpns, 14" strait needles, small balls of yarn, yarn from projects I was never going to finish, stitch markers, stitch holders, etc etc etc. And I remember just how much knitting parifinalia I have blush.

So now, my stash is reorganized, I realize I have enough of certain types of yarn to consider making garmets, and I have time to kill testing whether or not I have enough coordination in my left hand (blasted injury!) to try working with finer gage yarn. I’m no longer secretly horrified by looking at my yarn stash.

In fact, I’m feeling a little inspired…

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Good for you! I’m glad that now you’re inspired and not just frustrated from your injury. I’m sort of liberating my yarn stash…by putting it in afghans. HUGE-needle quick knit afghans. And then, all my yucky acrylic will be gone! I just feel like everything I have can find a use someday…but if my stash got as big as your was, then I’d be in trouble. Hee.

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:cheering: :cheering: :cheering: :cheering: :cheering: :cheering:
[color=green][size=6]I must say…[/size][/color]

              [color=red][size=7] WTG
                    YELLOWNESS
                                      WTG[/size][/color]
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First of all, I’m so sorry about the passing of your pet. :crying:

Secondly, you’ve inspired me, as your pre-organized description sounds suspiciously like my own yarn stash. :blush: I need to do the same thing. I have projects I began that I didn’t leave the pattern with them, and don’t even remember what I was making or what pattern I was using. I like the idea of “liberating” all those needles stuck in those unidentifiable projects. :thumbsup:

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When I find my stash to be out of control I take a good, hard look at what I will finish and what I will never touch again. I rip out the untouchables and donate the yarn to a senior center near my home. This particular home is run by Catholic nuns who are very grateful for the donations. The nuns use some of the yarn to make things to sell in their gift shop. Some of the yarn is used for resident’s projects. Occassionally I bag the yarn with the pattern I had thought I would use.

It helps others and it makes me feel less guilty about the mountain of yarn that can collect in my craft room.

Kelly might have some thoughts on this when she returns from her trip.