D'NALI

EVERY crafter has a stash. No matter what the hobby is, we have a stash!!!  That is without dispute, undeniably true and I’m no different.  It doesn’t help that I ‘m a process knitter instead of a project knitter.  Meaning — once I get new techniques down pat, I lose interest in the project.  It ends up in my WIP (work in progress) basket and I’m on to the newest project.  To that end, my stash has grown exponentially.  Then add gifts, swaps, purchases, trades, afghan planning, blanket planning, sweater planning, trying techniques out and not finishing projects,  it’s safe to say that I have a fairly decent sized stash.  Now, I cannot say that I’m at S.A.B.L.E  (stash amount beyond life expectancy), but I have a sizable stash and honestly, I don’t want my stash to grow to proportions like the stash in the image below.  I can’t afford it and I want to be able to use what I have — in this lifetime!!!!  Seriously, I don’t know what I’d do with a stash like this!!!This image is from a listing on Craigslist.  The crafter was deceased and her children were selling the contents of her stash.  I can’t even begin to estimate the cost of the above, but what I do know is that I don’t want to die and leave all that.  What would the point be?  Yes — I can attest to the “ooooooh pretty” impulse purchases but at the end of the day, I personally don’t feel that it’s worth it for me to have a SABLE sized stash.

Right now, I have enough for me to make 3 full blankets/afghans, one sweater and a fair amount of socks and other accessories.  While I can’t say that I wouldn’t buy more yarn this year (hellooooo Rhinebeck!!!! :D), I can say that I have more than enough yarn in my stash to knit and crochet to my heart’s content — at least up until the end of the year.  😉  Ain’t it purrrrrrrty?!!!!

I know some crafters have rules … you know, like:

• Number of skeins in = same number of skeins out — either by using skeins for a project or by giving away.
• Yarn diets — which in my opinion are just as hard to maintain as food diets.  😀
• De-stashing — trades or sell

We all stash for different reasons.  What works for one crafter may not work for the other, but at the end of the day, I suppose what’s most important is stashing what we love, stashing what we’ll use.  At least until we get sidetracked by the pretty yarn that’s haunting us in our dreams.  😀

How do  you keep your stash in check?