As I sit here, knitting and reading a collection of google search results for 'yarn stash', I recall December 20, 2014, when my friends helped me move out of my house into a condo. Although one of my friends told me only students ask their friends to help them move and that as a grown woman I should hire movers, he and his wife still came out and helped us lug boxes from the house to the condo. During this move, his wife said:
“Why am I moving another box called Karen’s yarn?”
I, according to Clara Parkes, am a non-minimalist yarnophile. I can’t help myself, I just love yarn. I would put the yarn I have into the following categories:
- Souvenir yarn that I bought while travelling
- Single skeins that I just couldn’t live without the gorgeous colourways
- Sweater-quantities of yarns I love that I have never gotten around to using
- Super pretty yarns that are soft and squishy and I can’t live without
- Odds and Ends leftover from previous projects
- A few sweater kits
- All the notions, needles, stitch markers and soaps you can dream of
And, as Trisha pointed out, the yarn that I didn't even buy during my usual international travels - I still managed to buy some yarn from Heidi Wulfratt, Red Sock Blue Sock, Blue Brick, and so much gorgeous Malabrigio Rios from Baaad Annas I probably could've gone on vacation instead!
Some random yarn I had sitting on the dresser while writing this blog post
I’m sure there are more ways to categorize it, but essentially I just have a lot of yarn. Too much? Never. But it is time to start busting the stash.
My first stop is research. Stash busting is a science. Google kindly provided me with over 10 pages of results to “stash busting” and I am pretty sure that’s just because I didn’t click the right-hand arrow to view even more. I noticed on Instagram that Anne of I Thought I Knew How podcast has a daily Yarn Stash Destash tip every day on Instagram, and I should be paying attention, if not for one hiccup:
I sold my condo In Ottawa in July and am renting a house in PEI for 5 months. My stash is mainly in Ottawa and, as Trisha says, I have brainwashed Myriam into storing it for me.
But this is not going to slow me down! When I returned to PEI, Land of Quiet at Poppy Estates, I packed with intent, maybe for the first time ever. Literally the first time ever.
I went through my list of upcoming patterns, ideas and everything I have been considering working on, and paired it with yarn from the ginormous stash. I wrote the name of the project on a sticky note, picked the yarn from the stash that I thought would work best, and packed them together in a mesh produce bag. I brought all of those produce bags with me to PEI in a Thule container strapped to the roof of the car, and no other yarn. Not even an extra ball of green merino just in case. Nothing. I will work on the patterns one at a time until the project is finished, and then start the next. I think this may be called Project Management? You would think Trisha and I know something about this from working our day jobs, but no.
Stubbs, helping me project manage my yarn
Today I am working on a chunky heart hat and mittens set. I am hoping to release it mid-January, and the only thing that is holding me back is actually knitting it.
Halfway done the first project of the year
Join us next week, where I will have researched how to not buy more yarn. Which is definitely contributing to the problem.
Karen