My 2010 Stash Challenge

Ok. Deep breaths...confession is good for the soul. Hi. My name is Amy, and I am a yarnaholic. It doesn't matter how much is already in the closet, a good yarn sale will tempt me every time! When I first started knitting just over two years ago, buying yarn seemed like a good idea. After all, I didn't have any! One never knew when a given project would be finished, and it make good fiscal sense to purchase supplies for my hobby when there was a sale.

My first few purchases were 100% wool yarn skeins in twos--my first projects were diaper woolies for my son, and that's all it took for one pair of "longies." So, that explains the tub of random worsted weight wool, of which the following is a sample (I started out with the basics!).



Then, I discovered that I could knit sweaters for the kids, and so I bought a slightly larger quantity each time, thinking to make each of them a couple of sweaters. This explains the assortment of Swish DK in the closet.





Once I was on to knitting sweaters for myself, all bets were off. Sales became even more important because I needed 10 or so skeins, depending on the size of the ball. This explains the explosion of full bags of yarn, like this one.



Who knows what my reasons were for the multiple skeins of laceweight or fingering weight--they were pretty?



I just noticed that most of this comes from Knit Picks! I am not sponsored by the company, I promise!! :)

The thing is, I have never been a collector. Friends of mine collected erasers, stickers, charm necklaces in elementary school, and so I did, too--but that might possibly be the last time I intentionally collected something. I don't like "clutter" in my house, so figurines or knick nacks are out. I only really wear a few special pieces of jewelry, I don't scrapbook, and I don't play any sports that require lots of gear. I also couldn't care less about the latest technological device. That's why my yarn stash snuck up on me; I refused to believe that I had become a hoarder of yarn!

I know there is technically nothing wrong with having lots of something, but for me, for my little house, and for my committment to living a simple life, I have too much. So, I am putting it out there in the world that I won't be buying any more yarn until I use up what I have. This will be a fun adventure, "shopping" from my stash and searching for just the right pattern for each little pile of yarn. I also have some really pretty things on the needles that are just waiting for me to finish them up. Wish me luck in my new, frugal, and responsible endeavor!