Stash Analysis

On Dec 30th my in laws took "the boy" for the day, and husband and I were left with an unusual day of "doing whatever we'd like".  I spent the morning having a heart to heart discussion with my stash.  It seems every new year, I like to get into my stash and "assess the situation" if it were.  I've gotten a lot better with working down yarns in my stash... but there is still a long way to go.  One of my resolutions is to keep whittling down what's there- and I'm hoping from time to time this year, I can bring up a picture and discuss what's hopefully missing.  Ultimately my goal is keep just a few things in my stash and buy yarn as I need it... locally to support my local shops.  I achieved my previous goal of being able to close the drawers to the stash holder... now I'd like to empty one... entirely.

My stash can easily be grouped into 5 categories...

1) Sock Yarn/Fingering Weight stash

In the bottom left hand corner is the Wollmeise in all of it's splendor.  I will not allow myself anymore Wollmeise indulgences until at MINIMUM 2 more skeins find their way out of my stash.  (I will not hoarde... I will not hoarde...) There also seems to be a decent amount of self striping stash that needs some chipping away at.  (Although truth be told, it's the stuff I don't mind hanging on to the most- self striping socks are the perfect "I don't know what to knit so I'll just knit a simple sock" project to "cleanse your palate" for new projects.)  There's also some Madelintosh (top purple-y skein) and the much obsessed over "Butter Peeps" (top yellow) that still hasn't achieved it's destiny.  It helps that I knit mittens a decent amount now and that I frequently stash dive for at least one color in here.

2) The Natural Sport/Worsted/Thick Yarns

This is made of any natural fibers, (wool, alpaca, silk... etc).  I'm hoping to cut my teeth on a large "throw" for my living room with the big purple mound on the right hand side- conveniently in the colors my decorator is suggesting.  The light blue stuff on the bottom has been stashed for far too long and it needs to be summer sweater of some kind.  I'm hopeful that the navy and red in the top left will be my first "double knitting" blanket and DAMN do I regret buying the grey multi-color in the bottom right.  (One of those "WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING" and "drunk on 75% off" situations.)  I don't have a purpose for that... but it haunts me and I want it out- OUT... OUT... DAMN YARN!

3) The Cotton Collection

This is another piece of stash I can sort of forgive for being there- a dishcloth is one of those "quick and dirty" projects that help you "take the edge off" when you're looking for something new and fast.  Unlike the self striping yarn though, I do not plan on replenishing this.  No more dishcloths- until I have the time to sit at the door and wait for the husband again.  (I'm guessing this won't be the case until Parker is 21 and moved out...)  It would be lovely to say "this is gone now" and move on.  I kind of not-so-secretly hate knitting with cotton... so the sooner it's gone... the better.

4) STASH OF IMMENSE SHAME (Acrylic collection)

Yup.  I have it.  Truthfully I have busted down a LOT of it- thanks in part to charity knitting projects. I've committed myself to knit an entire WCOBB blanket myself using what's in this pile and the pinks on top will hopefully be gone after I knit a bunch of charity hats for Rockyview hospital.  Beyond that I'm not entirely sure what to do with this lot- but I am greatful that I at least see a large portion of it will be on it's way out this year.  My goal is by then end of next year not to have acrylics... at all.  I can do this!

5) Leftovers

These are the "too plentiful to throw out" bits and bobs and odds and ends from various projects that probably bug me the most.  I feel like I need to use up a whole skein of yarn to count it as used and so a lot of this stuff just kind of sits in my stash, getting under my skin and I don't really know what to do with it. (One can only knit so many baby hats.)  Last post I was asking about a potential blanket that would eat up a lot of this stuff (another post on another day) and I think there's enough in here to get me thru a few pairs of mittens.

My goal this year is to whittle away at this, and the rest.  I'm not committing to not buying any yarn at all- I have too many gift certificates and baby blankets that need to be done to say such outlandish things... but I want to keep chipping away and free up the space.  It's great that I can store my yarns in one bin... but there's a lot up there that I don't particularly feel much love for.

I've learned a lot about yarn stashing over the years.  I go to the sales with ideas that I want to execute on, I try really hard not to let a "deal" impair my practical stashing.  Yes- 75% off is a great deal IF YOU HAVE A PROJECT FOR IT... not so much if you don't and it just sits in your stash... laughing at you.

If I was really smart, I'd do this kind of stash analysis exercise BEFORE I go to a sale... reminding myself about what happens when a "deal" goes to one's head... but it takes time, and that's something I don't have in premium amounts any more.  I'm hoping to revisit these pics sometime this summer, and blur out what I've used, in a way hold myself personally accountable for what's going out there.  So there you have it- that's what's sitting in my stash these days.  What yarns do you have in your stash that you're sort of "meh" on???