Apr 26, 2007

How In The...

Stash busting, Stash and Burn, Knit from your Stash, Year of the Stash
Sense a theme here? The time to tame the stash is upon us...well me anyway. So, what does one do when one wants to get a handle on just how much yarn one has been able to acquire in one's short short fiber journey?

We count. We count yards, we count skeins, balls, hanks, and even scraps.
Yes, we even count the itty bitty leftover bits that still have tags, though they have no apparent usefulness.

I have spent at least 4 lunch hours this week neck deep in my stash; fondling, organizing, winding, un-knotting, and counting...mostly counting. I created a spreadsheet after hearing Nicole & Jenny talk about it a long time back. With much toil, I now have a view of my stash by Brand, Yarn Name, Fiber Content, Yardage, Skein Count, Gauge, recommended needle size, and notes.

Where do I stand?


Current Stash Yardage = 37,735.5 yards
Total Number of Balls/Skeins = 209.5 (see, I even counted the little bits)


Not included in the count are Wally World acrylics - these will either be donated or they will be crocheted into charity pet beds and play mats for the kids. Translation: ignore those.

Strangely enough, this does not frighten me (yet). I haven't decided whether or not this is a completely unmanageable number (it is). I really enjoyed the review of where, when, and why I bought these yarns. I even thought about how many things I've been wanting to make from my stash yarns(for the gazillionth time). It's all good (send help). I can totally get this down in time for Stitches Midwest in August so that I can shop guilt-free (you can stop laughing now).
Have you counted? Where do you stand? Ankle deep, knee deep, up to your eyeballs? I'd love to know! I know, some of you dear readers are not knitters or crocheters; I imagine you are standing fiber-free on the sidelines shaking your heads at the insanity of the yarn obsessed. Don't pity us darlings, just keep telling us how much you love handmade afghans;).