Stash Flashing

It’s that time of year. The time for looking back. The time for considering goals for the new year. The time for flashing stash…

This is how my stash looked at the end of June, after six months of knitting from the stash:

This is how it looks today:

Probably even larger than what it was at this time last year. But this doesn’t bother me. You see, my aim with Knit From Your Stash was to clear out some old yarn and bring in better yarn. That’s where a yarn diet isn’t like a food diet. You don’t get rid of fat so that you can then put on better fat. (Well, you might try if you could decide where the new fat went…)

Major stash enhancement came in the form of a gifted stash from a deceased knitter, a trip to the Australian Country Spinners mill shop, a shopping trip in Canberra, order from the Blue Mountains yarn store, and ‘rewarding’ Bendigo Woollen Mills for finally setting up a website.

The Breakdown:

1. Cotton stash: larger mainly because of the adopted stash and leftovers from projects.

2. The varigated sock yarn stash: shrinking.

3. Solid and mostly solid sock yarns: increasing, but currently on hold during Sockless Summer.

4. 5ply Bluebell stash: adopted stash added to it. Used mainly for crocheting. Might cull in future.

5. 4ply and thinner stash: warp yarns being added to the last remaining laceweight. Still a potential source of culling.

6. 8ply stash: one fair isle project ready to go, plus some baby alpaca for a vest and a scarf/hat.

7. More 8ply: one cabled cardy project ready to go, plus a packet of blue 8ply

8. More 8ply: misc yarn

9. Bendigo stash: lots of Classic – including yarn for Sweetheart and Neon for a scarf

10. Handmade stash: some of my handspun plus handdyed 8ply.

11. Thick and fancy stash: 12ply, bamboo, silk, boucle and more.

12. Thick and neutral: including Naturally Sensation (10ply), Merino et Soie

13. Inca stash: two large lots in browns and blues.

14. Handspun naturals: undyed, and includes warp yarn for a jacket project.

As always, I’ve left out the small batch of acrylic I keep for craft purposes, and the tub of odd balls leftover from projects. I don’t really consider them stash, because it’s more likely I won’t use them than I will.

This stash examination brings up a few questions:

Did I stick to my stash manifesto? Well, I did buy yarn thinner than 8ply, but it was warp yarn so I think I can excuse that. I also bought small amounts of yarn with the intention of knitting scarves and hats, but only time will tell if I was deluding myself. And though I managed to ignore yarn bins in op shops most of the time, I did succumb once. But mostly I’ve stuck to the manifesto relatively closely.

Will I try to knit from my stash again? Probably, but not yet. I still have to knit the projects in my Knit From Your Books challenge. But after that I might, because it’s a good way to get myself to knit the projects waiting in my stash. And keeping the stash restricted those tubs would be good, too.

Since I’m not spinning, what going to happen to the fibre stash? I have a few ideas, including felting projects and weaving with roving. And I might still pick up the spindle now and then.

All in all, I’m much happier with the contents of my stash now than I was this time last year. Only trouble with looking through it is I want to start about six of the projects waiting in it.

2 thoughts on “Stash Flashing

  1. If the wool can be organised into categories, then it’s a resource not a stash. I’ve got to get myself some organising bins.

  2. I love that your stash is so organized.

    I like the idea of clearing out the old to make room for the new rather than just for the sake of reducing stash.

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