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Is There Such a Thing as a Perfect Yarn Stash?

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is there such thing as a perfect yarn stash?I have gathered a lot of yarn through the years of being a professional writer about knitting. Some of it is great, and some of it isn’t. Some of it just isn’t great for me, and would do better in someone else’s stash, or, even better, with someone who would knit with it.

I believe that having some stash is good. You don’t always want to have to run to the store when the mood hits to start a new project, and it’s nice to have all that potential just sitting in your house. But it can definitely get out of control.

So I found this article on Post Stitch’s blog really interesting. It’s about how to build the perfect yarn stash. It suggests that knitters should keep a variety of weights on hand, should stock up mostly on solid colors (because they’re easier to combine in projects) and should remember that, unless you only knit one skein projects, sometimes buying more than one of the same thing is a good idea.

They also suggest keeping your stash organized and documented using Ravelry or their printable yarn stash cards, which are really cute and maybe an easier way to keep track than loading it all into Ravelry. (Though I’d like a spot on the card where you could indicate where the yarn is stored, since I have yarn in a couple of different places in my house.)

Do you think it’s possible to have a perfect stash? What would that mean to you? (For me, a perfect stash would like in a TARDIS-like closet and all hanks would be self-winding!) I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Photo via Post Stitch.]

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Comments

  1. I don’t believe in the perfect yarn stash. If my yarn stash was perfect, then I wouldn’t have to buy anymore yarn. Who wants that? 🙂

Have you read?

A Blanket Knitting Pattern Where Yarn Selection is Everything

Many times when I write these posts I will say something like “you can use any yarn you want” or “this would be a great stash-busting project.” That’s just how my mind works. And my stash, too, since I probably have sweater quantity of two or three yarns at most, but tons of singles and odd balls and leftovers.

Blankets are generally a really good way to use up those bits, but in this case, I think you’re going to want to plan it out a bit better.

Looking at photos of the Color Study Blanket from Purl Soho, it looks like it’s made with two yarns held together, and that block in the center is worked with one of each color from the adjoining sides to make a mixed up color.

But that’s not actually how it’s done. This is three separate colors (four, really, with the neutrals in the corners) chosen form a yarn with an expansive palette so they play off each other. The project calls for a worsted weight superwash wool, which is a great choice for a blanket that’s both warm and washable.

This pattern was originally designed by Laura Ferguson and was updated by Hiromi Glover. It is worked in one piece in garter stitch intarsia, which is a great way to learn the intarsia technique if you don’t already know it. It comes in crib or throw sizes.

Despite the introduction to this post, I am going to go ahead and say that, yes, of course you could do this blanket with scraps or odd balls or even just choose five colors that don’t blend together so easily. But I really do love the look of the color play, and I think it would be worth your time to find colors that play well together to get a similar effect.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]