Is That What a Stash is For?
July 11th, 2007
Stash is such a huge topic of discussion within the knitting world. There is even at least one book devoted to a knitters stash. I’ve no clue what it’s about, but I know I’ve seen it. It seems like the typical knitter has a huge stash that is taking over her house, with tons of projects on the needles. Obviously this isn’t every knitter (especially the “her” part), but it’s common enough to become a stereotype.
Wanna know something? I barely have enough yarn to be considered a stash. Want to know something else? If it weren’t for the slowly accumulating “stash” of handspun, my whole stash would be a lot smaller. For one, I have very little money to spend on yarn. It was only recently that I budgeted a monthly spending amount. Another thing: I don’t know if I want a large stash.
Wait! Please! Don’t jump to conclusions oh proud-knitter-with-the-stash. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with having a stash. In fact, I’ve seen evidence of its usefulness in many of the blogs I’ve read.
I found this wonderful pattern in insert-publication-name-here, and decided that I must knit it! I searched through the stash for just the right yarn, and look what I found: insert-yarn-photo-here. Just enough of the perfect yarn for this project.
-Fictional Knit Blogger”
Being able to start a new project on the fly, without having to plan a trip to buy the yarn is a wonderful luxury. However, even with the small stash I have there is this nagging urge to knit it all up. I have this need to cast-on with each skein/ball and do _something_ with it. Another problem with me and large stashes: I have the worst memory in the world. Add to that a complete lack of organization, and I would have yarn that would probably never see the light of day once the excitement of new fiber wore off. I don’t want that! I’m not the kind of person that can appreciate yarn as yarn, without any potential to become _something._ Come on, I can’t even be arsed to photograph my yarn in order to catalog it into Ravelry. Only my handspun is special enough for that.
Wait, I’ve got it! What I need is to _live in a yarn store!_
I’m much the same, Kristin. I can’t afford a big stash. Every skein of yarn I own is specifically intended for a certain project or pattern. (Except sock yarns which we all know don’t count).