If you are a fiber fanatic, chances are you’ve come across the stash or not to stash debate. Some people curate deliberate stashes. Some are accidental stashers. Still others don’t have a yarn stash at all and buy only what they need for their current project.
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Three Reasons to Have a Yarn Stash
- You can shop your own stash for projects.
- You have yarn if a friend needs something you have.
- You can curate your own yarn wall.
1. You can shop your own stash for projects.
Let’s face it. Sometimes when you want to make something, you don’t want to wait until you can go to town or order online and get the yarn to make the thing you have in mind to make. You can go straight to your stash and get the yarn you want — or a similar yarn — to make the project you have in ind. Having a stash can save you time in the long run.
Also, in times of public crisis, like the recent (and current, depending on when you’re reading this) Covid-19 pandemic, you can stay home to shop your stash.
2. You have yarn if a friend needs something.
Of course, this is only relevant if you’re willing to share your stash. There are some yarns I am willing to share and some I’m not. I’m sure you’re the same, if you have a stash.
3. You can curate your own yarn wall.
I don’t know if you have a yarn wall or not. I don’t know if you think this is a good thing or not. Personally, I love a good yarn wall. Jennifer on Cinnamon Stitches and Christa at The Secret Yarneryo have good yarn walls.
But, along with the reasons to have a stash, there are just as many reasons not to.
Three Reasons to Only Buy What You Need
- You don’t have to figure out where to store it.
- You probably have a larger yarn budge to buy what you need when you need it.
- You don’t have to go on a yarn diet.
1. You don’t have to figure out where to store it.
I’ll be honest. I have yarn everywhere. Sometimes I don’t know where to store it. Yes, I probably have enough to create a yarn wall, but I haven’t yet. If you don’t have a yarn stash, you are much less likely to have this problems.
2. You probably have a larger yarn budget to buy what you need.
The truth of a yarn stash is that sometimes you still don’t have what you need. I recently participated in a test project. I had several skeins of yarn in the correct weight, but I didn’t have enough of one color to complete the project. So I had to buy yarn for the test. That wasn’t as much the issue as making sure the yarn was on sale so I could get what I needed.
3. You don’t have to go on a yarn diet.
Okay. As I write this post, there are ads for three or four yarn sales sitting in my inbox. I am on a yarn diet, so I really can’t get any. My budget won’t allow it. Neither will my stash. So for now, I’m leaving it alone.
If you don’t keep a stash, you probably don’t have to go on yarn diets. Or maybe you’re always on a yarn diet and you have the discipline to maintain it. Tell me your no-stash secrets.
Where Do I Stand on a Yarn Stash?
At this point, you know I have a yarn stash. But I am an accidental stasher. How?
I started out with a moderate yarn stash. I tried to be a little deliberate about it, but that didn’t last long. I heard about an estate sale where I could get bags of good yarn for a great price. So I went to that sale and we ended up buying three or four large black trash bags full of yarn. There were various yarns from KnitPicks and there was yarn from Malabrigo.
Fast forward a couple years and my next-door neighbor’s wife passed away. He gave me her yarn stash to distribute. My intent was to take it to the local yarn group, but I didn’t make it to that meeting, so I I currently still have it. I have donated/given away a good chunk of it, but there is still a lot left.
Given this, you would think I don’t buy yarn, right?
Wrong.
Sometimes a pattern honestly calls for something I don’t have. Or there’s a sale. Or it’s just pretty and I want it.
You get the idea.
It’s Your Turn
Which are you? Pro-stash or No-Stash? Leave a comment and let me know.
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