Taming your stash

Thursday 27th May 2021

Tags: Techniques

If you're anything like us your yarn lives in bags, baskets, behind the sofa or by the side of your bed, depending on what project you are working on at the time.

Some of our WIPs never get completed and we unwind the yarn, to go back into our stash. Sometimes we even buy yarn without knowing what we are going to make with it, we just love the colour/texture/feel. It's easy to forget what yarn you actually have and just keep adding to your stash, isn’t it?

The first thing to do is to drag all your yarn out of its hiding places and try to organise it. Then decide whether you still really love it. If you don't or can't ever see yourself using it, give it away. Someone in your knitting or crochet group may want to give it a forever home, or a local charity may be able to use or sell it.

Now that you are left with only yarn that will bring you joy, why not record what you have?

Embroidery thread bobbins are a great way to remind yourself of which colours you have.

Or you could snip off a little bit of the yarn, weigh how much you have and record it in a handy notebook.

If you have a really big stash, which lives in several boxes you might even consider a spreadsheet, noting the amount you have and which box it is in to make it super-easy to find when just the right project comes along.

Whichever method suits you it’s always worth keeping an eye on what's in your stash. After all, none of us want even the smallest ball of yarn to go to waste.

Once you have recorded your yarn you can spend time, happily searching sites like Ravelry to match it to a project. When you do, why not print off the pattern and put it with the yarn so you are ready to start the project.



 

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