As I’ve mentioned a few times this year, I’m working on clearing out my office and decluttering, organizing and getting rid of some things I don’t need or won’t use.
I have focused a lot on getting rid of books and magazines so far (and I definitely want to write about how to do that) but a post by Clara Parkes at Mason-Dixon Knitting got me thinking about the other kind of “stuff” knitters have: yarn.
I haven’t actually gotten rid of any yarn yet, but I know I will need to and I want to. I have a closet (OK, it’s actually the washroom of a Jack and Jill bathroom, but I call it the yarn closet) that’s stacked pretty high with yarn and knit objects, and it’s the last part of my office that will get sorted/cleared. It should get started today, actually.
I feel like I have too much yarn. From years of writing about knitting and getting free stuff I haven’t used. From buying more than I could knit up. From buying things and then wondering why in the world I picked that color or that kind of yarn.
But, as Clara says, stash is really personal. It depends on what fits comfortably in your home, how much excess you are comfortable with having, if you’re blowing your budget or it feels out of control.
If you’re happy with the yarn you have and it fits in the storage you have in your home, that’s probably fine. If you’re not, or it doesn’t, it might be time to pare down.
There are probably some easy things to get rid of (for me that’s acrylics in colors I don’t love) and some things that will take more thought. It’s a process that requires time and energy. The KonMari method might be helpful here: what sparks joy? Do you love the color, the fiber? Do you already have a project in mind?
The yarn I have already sorted has gone into bags: things I really want to use and maybe already have for a specific project, and things I don’t care as much about using. These will probably get donated to my daughter’s school or used in a class.
The next step: finishing all those projects I started. There are a shameful number.
Then: get started on using the stash I love. Preferably one project (or two, I’m not that crazy) at a time.
Have you ever had the feeling you had too much yarn? Have you destashed? I’d love to hear about it!
[Photo via Inspiration & Realisation.]
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I have destashed. I have donated a great deal of yarn and that feels so good. I have also sold some on Facebook….more money to buy!
Your photo makes me smile. I don’t have tons of stash. I would like to use the patterns and yarns that I purchased at Stitches midwest. Lovely to have a store of your own in the office!
A few years ago, I spent months knitting beanies and winter hats which I donated to a shelter. I enjoyed it and it used up tons of my stash. I was able to try different techniques and patterns I’ve been wanting to try. I took photos of all of them so I could refer back if need be. I think there were more than 25 hats! Then we moved recently and it forced me to totally destash. It was liberating, actually, to cut it all down to one large storage tub. A huge stash is too daunting – you don’t know where to start. One tub is more manageable. Thanks for your thoughts on this unusual subject!
I am glad that I read your article. You sound like me and my stash. I am busy getting rid of everything else first before my stash I am even on a Zoom group to deal with organizing and getting rid of stuff. I am cleaning out my deceased parents’ home as well as mine. I have gotten rid of some stash that I know I will never use like acrylic yarn and other yarns. My local yarn shop gives us credit to us when we give here odds and ends of yarn. It must be complete and have the original packaging. She then repackages it and sells it. I know that she won’t take my acrylic stuff so that goes to the non profit second hand store that I donate everything else to. I am knitting many things that I also donate since everyone in my family and friends already have lots of my hand knit stuff. As I have aged [78], I prefer simpler things since then knitting can be like a meditation. I am trying to finish some old projects and donate those too. After reading your article, I learned that knitting is a major priority in my life and that is why I have gotten rid of very little of it. So, I have pushed it down to the end of my 78 year old getting rid of stuff because it is a much higher value to me that anything else I have.
A couple of years ago a friend who lived near the Paradise Fire in CA posted about crafters who lost ALL their yarn and crafting supplies. I cleaned out about half my stash and added more yarn from friends and drove up a packed-to-the-gills car to the distribution point in the area. It felt like the right way to destash to me!