2016 Stash Flash!

Yarn by FogKnitsJanuary 18, 2016January 18, 2016

It’s time to Flash The Stash! Every January, I get all my yarn out for one big family picture! I claim it’s to get organized and to remind myself I don’t need to buy yarn when Stitches rolls through town. In reality, it’s to pet the pretties or as one friend recently said to me ‘oh, you’re gonna play Barbies?’ Yeah, it’s kinda like that. I love playing Barbies!

First up, review the 2015 photo! I go through and black out all the stuff I used during the year. Sort of eyeball what’s been hanging around, what didn’t get touched and of course to compare the general size of pile.

There’s actually not a lot to black out here. The 2015 trend was definitely bring home new yarn and cast on immediately. Turns out the rationalization ‘if you cast on right away, it’s not stash’ is totally true! Unfortunately, I don’t have enough needles for all the yarn I bring home. The 2016 pile is gigantic. The stash definitely grew.

It’s covering the same amount of floor space, but the stacks are higher. There’s a lot of stuff that isn’t visible here. I think the stash probably doubled in 2015. It’s not surprising, considering I worked for yarn in 2015. For that reason, I don’t feel any guilt over being a rampant consumer. No, I love my yarn barbies! We had fun playing! If I had a bathtub, I definitely would have filled it and jumped in!

One thing that’s happened over the years, the quality of the pile has increased. There’s no acrylic in that pile, no big box craft yarn. It’s actually a good thing to document for insurance purposes (another great rationalization!) Of course, I couldn’t stop with one photo, so here’s a little tour of the stash…

The Bulky Section, pencil rovings from Iceland and Oregon, a couple tweeds. The cotton section is in the middle there, along with my purple & acid green Baby Cashmerino and my Icelandic lace weight…I want to cast it all on!

That’s the great wall of Lett Lopi, my icelandic yarn there in the back. I feel like Miss Molly looking through the Magic Mirror…I see Miss Babs, I see Noro, I see Crazy Zauberball, I see Malabrigo, I see Road to China Light, I see Koigu, I see Mrs. Crosby, I see Kauni Effektgarn.

This is the MadelineTosh section, mostly Pashmina but there’s some Tosh Merino light buried and a bit of Tosh DK too!

Mom’s Hand Dyes, wedged between the bulkys & the Road to China Light! Super excited to use all of that!!

We’ve got a little bit of Knit Picks Chroma buried in here, and Jade Sapphire’s Cashmere/Linen blend, Sylph–waiting to become a WestKnit–heavenly!!

The teals in this one are Quince and YOTH. Duh…of course I’m excited for those too.

That crazy pink, purple, green, grey, orange mess in the top right…a Miss Babs Yowza that’s intended to become a shawl. I wish I could knit as fast I come up with ideas. Not a single stinker in the lot! I love it all!

And so, I have collected resounding proof that I do not, under any circumstances, need more yarn and that I am, in fact, a yarn collector who knits on occasion! and I love it.