Since I’ve been so disciplined with my fabric stash, I’ve been thinking about what was different with my yarn stash. Why do I keep buying yarn? Why do I spend hours drooling over the beautiful yarns online and I hardly ever think about buying fabric? I have more yarn than I will ever use but I have to get to the point where I no longer want more and more yarn. I can remember how excited I would get when a box of fabric would arrive and now I feel the same way about the yarn.
I’m determined to stick with Denise’s challenge in 2012, which is almost like a “no buy” commitment. Before the end of the year, I wanted to be sure I had plenty to get through the year. Once I make up my mind, I’ll be fine. I went through the Bugga and Wollmeise yarn, double checked my spreadsheet to be sure I’m ok and don’t need to do any wild and crazy buying in the next day or so (like some people have been doing)!
My Bugga stash is fine.
This is yarn in the bigger containers and UFOs in the smaller containers, that I brought home this week from the rental. This will all go into the sewing room but for now, it’s in the entry hall. There are also 4 yarn containers under two beds so that’s 8 more containers of yarn! The top container is Bugga. There’s a lot of sock yarn in there .. at least 50 skeins. That’s enough for 50 pairs of socks. That alone would take me at least 4 years to knit up.
Then there’s the Wollmeise:
There’s at least 60 skeins in there. That’s about 5 years worth of sock knitting yarn.
There’s at least 100 various others — Lorna’s Laces, Malabrigo Sock, Madelinetosh Sock, Opal. So, that’s another 8 years worth of knitting. I think that about takes care of my knitting years.
Then there’s enough yarn to make 8 sweaters. I haven’t knitted a sweater in 30 years and I’m scared to try it but I’m going to knit at least one sweater in 2012.
While digging though all the yarn and updating my spreadsheet, I found two more socks without mates. I was lucky . . I found the yarn so I can finish them. I could be wrong but I think I only have 3 socks without mates at the current time.
2012 is definitely going to bring about a change in my knitting and yarn purchasing habits!
Have you ever tried to knit both socks at the same time? I have never knitted socks, so I don’t know if that works, but when I do sweaters I knit both sleeves at the same time. That way they match better than when I do them one at a time. I keep thinking that I am going to try to knit a pair of socks, but since I don’t wear socks very often I have not been very motivated to try. Most of the year I wear flip flops when I am at home and dress shoes when I go out. Is there a cotton yarn that would work for socks?
Wow – I’m lucky that I haven’t gotten bit by the knitting bug. I’m having a hard enough time thinking about the fabric stash.
I did see this word on someone’s blog – SABLE – Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectency. It aptly describes my fabric stash.
good for you, Judy–only 3 single socks to make the mates to!
very smart also to update your yarn spread sheets so you know what you’ve already got, and you can check them when the buying bug hits again.
OK Judy – I may have “sock fever” along with a “flu fever.” :0)
It has been years since I have done any knitting, but like most crafters I am sure that I still know how to ride that bike – - – knit one, purl two, etc. :0)
I just have two questions:
1) What sock pattern would you consider to be the easiest for a beginner?
2) Would yarn would you suggest to start with for a medium weight yarn?
Thanks,
Margo
That’s a lot of yarn. What’s your favorite brand of plastic containers?? Maybe I should buy stock. (just kidding) Really though, you’ve said you like to keep a good stock of food on hand and with the fabric and the yarn, if times get really tough you can eat and keep busy knitting and sewing. You’re prepared and being prepared is a good feeling.
I was afraid for a second you were going to link to me with that link of purchasing yarn lately; but then I remembered, I haven’t blogged about it so nobody knows! LOL Oops, I may have just given myself away!!!!
Have you ever calculated how many miles of yarn that yardage comes to? I did with the YOSS group on Ravelry and it was an eye opener for me.
My yarn stash is very small. Enough for three pair of socks and two sweaters. I’ve made myself promise that I will finish two pair of socks and one sweater before I’m allowed to buy more. I have to remind myself that I’m on a retiree’s budget and that I already have a fabric stash beyond life expectancy. I have to admit though, every time I see new yarn in a gorgeous colorway or new soft blend, I really want some. So far, I’ve been good about not buying it!
Ha ha – heck, we all find our security in different places… yours is in yarn – just roll with it. Consider it a collection, and enjoy it…
I read somewhere about an elderly woman who ‘cut up her entire stash’ into 3 inch squares… so I thought a little about how much fabric I have … it might take the rest of my life just to cut it up into 3 inch squares… oh well…
Just enjoy. That’s my mantra. I work hard, and if I want fabric, I shall simply buy it!
I know this is going out on a limb… because when we stash it’s because we love it… but how about selling some of the “older” yarn stash that you don’t like all that much anymore? Kind of like the fabrics that have lost favor, does yarn do the same thing? Another idea is that since you like to knit socks and you can’t possibly use them all maybe sell the final project? Vince can’t complain if the yarn pays for itself! AND it keeps you busy….
) That’s what I tell my husband anyway… if I’m not busy with my hands then I am busy buying things so it’s in HIS best interest to let me keep a nice stash so I am busy!
Wow, that is an awe-inspiring stash! Knitting 2 socks at a time is very doable… the only way to go as far as I’m concerned. Best of luck using it up, and keep me in mind if you ever need to unload some of that Wollmeise!
Who cares how big the stash is! You have a great way to transport it to the sewing room.
Ahem!! Someone is doing wild and crazy buying??? I have no clue who that person is. LOL Even with the recent purchases, if I piled them all into those storage totes, I “might” fill the big one and one of the flatter ones – maybe – so I was just trying to catch up a little.
(one backordered skein arrived today, the last order is on it’s way to me but I think 3 hanks were backordered out of that). I should have told them to hang on to the backorders and just send me one hank per month and then it would “feel” like getting new yarn! We may have to plan a month where we just close our eyes, reach into the mass of yarn, and whatever we grab we use next.
please ask Vince to email me when you have the garage sale…LOL. You’ve got your hands full to try to clear that stash….Now I know why you need a large storage area..
Thanks for posting your yarn stash, makes me feel good, mine is lots smaller. Course I just purchased 26 balls of yarn for an afghan. Looks like an awful lot of yarn.
Hugs!!!!!
i FOUNd a fabulous yarn shop this past weekend – just east of McKinney tx – Farmersville, TX – Fiber Circle… Thought I had died and gone to heaven !!!
I WISH I knew how to knit socks!!! However, I’ve waited soo long to be able to sit and make quilts (aka: be done w/school, so I can sew more), and that time has finally come. So, I guess it’s OK to focus on quilting for awhile. I really love it, so I’ll be OK. Every now & then, I’ll buy yarn and my SIL will knit me a pair of socks. She’s made 2 pair – I’m a lucky SIL!!
I think your yard would be beautiful set out in the open, just so all the pretty colors are visible… Looks like a gorgeous yarn stash you’ve got going there!
My Gram used to knit socks for us all. I’ve finally worn out the last socks she made for me and I’m all sad because she’s gone (been gone a long time). If I could find someone (possibly etsy?) that knitted socks the same way she did, I’d buy some in a heartbeat.
I only have two bins of yarn, some of it is older stuff that I used for crocheting donation afghans from so easy care acrylic like Cannon simply soft and since starting knitting I have just one bin with sock/scarve/shawl yarn and even that will take me several years to knit up. I know I need to make more time for knitting but I end up going for a month or two without picking it up.
WOW!! What a beautiful yarn stash! And I was going to send you my purple wool yarn that I bought 3 years ago for socks (remember when you cast the stitches on those tiny needles for me?) Well, they have been off and on those 3 or is it 4?? little needles at least 2 dozen times and I still do not have one sock !!! It’s hopeless. I don’t think I will ever get the hang of it to finish one sock, much less two. I’ll have to find some to buy if I want to experience handmade wool socks. Seriously, if you need a variegated purple pair, just let me know. I’ll gladly send the yarn to you!
Very nice! I hate it when I run out of sock yarn because it is such an ordeal to get to the store, usually! This year I made my MIL a pair of cashmere/wool blend socks – she is so happy with them! I have 2 skeins of sock yarn right now and a tiny ball for baby slippers. When you design your sewing room, maybe you should make a special comfy corner just for knitting! Cheers! Evelyn
Admittedly, I’m not a knitter. But I think you have shown me that what the world really needs is someone to invent how to do scrap knitting.
Shocked, I’m shocked at the amount of that yarn stash. I actually gasped out loud; you don’t fool around when you collect stuff, you really collect stuff!
Our yarn stashes are cousins!!! I just came back from visiting my sister in Phila. She took me to Yarnings, her LYS. I would have been rude not supporting this lovely shop. I hope to take Denise’s no purchase pledge but I really., really want to add some Madelinetosh to my stash.
I am now loom knitting myself here – but not socks – mostly hats and scarfs, stuff like that. Wondering, what looms are you using for your socks Judy? I have a growing collection of yarn now too — ugghhh — more stash to deal with – right now, it’s all over the place in bags, baskets, plastic bins — not sure where I am going or how I am eventually going to store it — I find, if I can see, I will use it —- seems to be working better with the quiltin fabrics since I put it in front of my face rather than stored in bins like before.
Wow, your stash of yarn rivals mine! Although you surely are ahead in the sock department. Very impressed you have so much Wollmeise; everytime I’ve looked, it’s gone….. Happy knitting. PS I did the same as you, stocked up before the end of 2011 and then fell off the wagon. Sigh.