What’s in Your Stash?

By Caissa "Cami" McClinton – 18 Comments

We began our yarn conversation in the Yarn Obsession post a few weeks ago. Let’s keep it going here.

One of my favorite things to do is to visit my local yarn store and buy a skein or two of that must-have yarn. I’m usually a one-skein person, because I’m not likely to make sweaters or big projects. I love making hats, purses, scarves, and other small things.

Remember how I told you I wasn’t a yarn hoarder in the other post? I still maintain that is true! However, I do have a stash. And it’s not tiny. While some of the yarn is already earmarked for specific projects, a lot of it is just there looking pretty.

I do this for a reason! When I see a must-make pattern, I want to give it a try right away, so I need this yarn on hand. Right? 🙂

Right now I’m looking at some gorgeous, bulky Karen yarn which is made by Omega. If you’ve ever seen a yarn called Sinfonia in magazines or in the store, Karen is like that, only chunky. It’s a smooth mercerized cotton, and I have 8 skeins of it in various colors. It’s nice to see the cheery fuchsia, turquoise, purple, and orange with the other brightly colored cakes in my yarn basket. That Karen will probably be a bag some day.

So, what’s in your stash?

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18 Comments

  1. Heather W. says:

    Alot of yarn! LOL! I just can’t resist getting a skein or two or three…every time I go to the craft store. Not that I need it but I am like you, I like to have it on hand for any project that grabs me. I hate having to put a project on hold for a chance to get to the store.

  2. corina says:

    i have a big yarn storage, some baskets, yarn everywhere… lol. i really do hate it when i have an idea and can´t start crochet just at this moment i got the idea. ggg. but i love yarn-shopping too. i am also a one-skein-buyer. 😉

  3. Lane† says:

    If I had a craft room, it would probably overflow with yarn. However, that is not the case…. My yarn must fit into a 3×2 dresser. So if I want to make something “on the spot” I either have to dig through my scraps to find the perfect colors that go together or wait till I can buy yarn, sigh.

    One day I will have my craft room! 😀

  4. Nancy Ann says:

    I have a lot of yarn and just organized everything in a big 30 gallon plastic container. I just am upet with myself because I am missing my favorite crochet hook.
    I am so happy I found your site and the chart on which hooks to use is great.
    For all you folks that are near AC Moore, yarn is on sale this week for 99 cents. Certain brands.

    Can someone tell me what type of yarn to use on the smallest crochet hook?

    Thank you

  5. Nancy Ann says:

    Another question, I want to make my sister a lace scarf for her dresser, can you advise me on what type of lacey yarn to use or what type of cotton to crochet and which size hook would work the best.

    Thanks in advance

  6. Summer says:

    I have a lot of boucles and furry yarns (not necessarily fun fur) in my stash. I also have a lot of yarns that can be used for baby blankets. I have a very large stash…much larger than my husband would like LOL! Right now it’s spread around the house in plastic containers and hope chests. I like the idea that Lane has of using a dresser. I just might look at doing something like that!

  7. Joyce says:

    I am currently using up accumulated yarn. Since it is multiple colors and textures I decided to do it in a pattern of undulating waves and it doesn’t matter if you join a color in the middle of a row.
    I have been through this process so many times and swear that I won’t let it build up again, but here I am.

    I am a crocheter with nearly 50 years experience and probably have a piece of finished work sitting somewhere in my house for each of those years. Crocheting is good exercise for the aging brain and boy does mine get a workout daily.

  8. Cathy L says:

    I love yarn. One wall in my craft/office is one wall of yarn. I invested in the Martha Stewart cubby hole storage with pull out cloth drawers. I have them stacked 2 high and each one has 9 drawers for a total of 54 drawers all filled to the brim with yarn! There is approximately 12 to 14 skeins in each drawer for a total of around 576 skeins! I have also given away about that many skeins to a ladies guild who crochets for babies and the homeless. Everyone has their passion/obsession and yarn is mine. I collect vintage Caron Dazzle Wire and have about 250 skeins. Crazy, I know!!!!!!!

  9. Bethintx1 says:

    I have a large stash that seems to grow faster than I can use it. Some say I have reached SABLE. (Stash accumulated beyond life expectancy!) I’m not sure about that. I make one afghan, and half a basket is gone!

    Since Afghans are my favorite thing to make, I usually have to purchase more yarn to go with the stuff I have. There are some fancier yarns that will not work in afghans. I use those to make accessories.

    I do admit that at one time my stash was all over the house. But since I got it organized I do seem to purchase less.

    Have you reached your SABLE?

    • Jan says:

      yes, I have more than reached my STABLE. I just went to Michaels on Monday and they were having a sale so I bought 8 skeins to make an afghan for my newly engaged SIL.

  10. Beth says:

    What’s in my stash? A ton of yarn! I have just recently taken up crocheting and I thought yarn was a little pricey and I wanted a lot of it so I could make whatever I wanted. So I checked out Craigslist and was lucky enough to find 132 of it for sale for $50! Needless to say, I snatched it up!
    Plus, I keep buying it when I see it on sale. Right now it’s 50% off at Michael’s. Most of the Craigslist stuff is medium weight and I’d like to have a nice selection of bulkies as well.

  11. Beth says:

    That should say “132 SKEINS of it for sale for $50.” My bad…I just get so excited about yarn!! LOL! !!

  12. Dorothy Schmidt says:

    I moved from my last one bedroom apt to a very large two bedroom apt so I would have a whole room for my stash….it is now overflowing…even its walk-in closet. Would like to know what crocheters see as the difference between hoarding and a big stash. I also have a stash in my locker in the basement……

  13. Kyle says:

    I have two bins, plus assorted bags. I swore I would not buy anymore yarn until I figured out a way to use up a lot of what was sitting there. So I had some varigated, but had to buy some coordinating colors. Then my crochet buddy at work came it with a new color I just had to have . . . . Sigh.

  14. Veroncia says:

    Hi Nancy Ann,
    The smallest hook i have is a 0.6mm however you can get a Steel Boye hook size 16 which is a 0.40mm. (not sure how good you are with metric)
    A 0.6mm hook i use size 100 thread – and not very often as the tiny hook hurts my hands after a while. You can also use sewing thread with the smaller hooks and that gives you a huge variety of color choices. Hope this helps.

  15. Veroncia says:

    Hi again Nancy Ann,
    You want to make something for a dresser. Well i would probably use a size 10 thread and a 1.5 – 1.75mm hook. (Steel Boye size 8 – 6 dependent on your tension).
    If you have a large area to cover then you could use what would be called in America (i am in Australia) a Sock / Baby / Fingering weight yarn with a 2 – 3.5m hook (Boye Aluminum hook B, C, D,E) depending on your tension.

    Veronica

  16. AnnieM says:

    My stash is mostly leftover bits from previous projects, but I do have a number of unopened skeins, too. My local stores mostly only carry heavy-ish acrylic yarn that’s kind of stiff (fine for amigurumi, but it’s not so nice to wear directly against your skin) and cotton. So when I was shopping online for fabric for my kids’ Halloween costumes and just happened on a clearance sale of fabulous silk-wool blend yarns…well, who was I to say “no” to that? They feel so good, I can’t wait to work with them. Alas, several other unfinished projects must come first. That is my New Year’s resolution–let no more than two projects sit unfinished at a time.

  17. Woah, these stashes are sounding pretty amazing! I’d love to hear about more! We’ll be talking about yarn all year, so we should update our “stashquisitions” here. That was a good tip about Craig’s List, Beth, I hadn’t thought of that as a yarn source. Nancy Ann, welcome to the site and thanks for sharing the AC Moore deal. I used to love that store when I lived close-by.

    I say I’m not a yarn hoarder, and I still believe that’s true, but you better believe I’ll be destashing in March even though I love my beautiful yarn stash!

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