Spring Cleaning & Letting Go of the Yarn Stash

Do you ever feel like you might have too much yarn?

Most of us joke that there's no such thing as too much yarn, but on the other side of that coin is Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy (SABLE). It might be early for me, but I already have fears of SABLE, and to be perfectly honest, it makes me sad to look at so many beautiful skeins of yarn going unused, trapped in a storage bin. Perhaps I shouldn't have purchased the clear variety, or stacked them in my office so that I have a near-constant guilt trip as I work, but nevertheless, my stash is starting to bum me out.

It's all filled with yarn....and there are more bins not pictured! Eep!

Don't get me wrong - I've stashdived plenty for projects in recent years (Find your Fade and So Faded, I'm looking at you especially). The problem is that those efforts are a mere drop in the bucket. Yarn keeps showing up on my doorstep to distract me from my best intentions.

Now, let's add in one more factor: I'm a handspinner, and I spin yarn faster than I knit/crochet/weave with it. That is an unfortunate but undeniable fact.

So, on the average day, I feel as though I might die underneath a mountain of yarn. That may sound glorious or even romantic, but I assure you that the reality is far from it. I carry guilt for all of this yarn that hasn't realized its full potential because I simply don't have enough hours in the day (plus I'm very easily distracted).

This post on the Interweave blog pretty much encompasses my fiber-related existential crisis. Though I spent quite a bit of time in the "depression" stage, I think I have finally moved into acceptance, and with that, I have begun the slow process of rehoming these skeins of yarn which - quite honestly - deserve better than being stored in an airtight bin for eternity (click here to see all of the yarns which are patiently waiting for their forever homes. I'd love nothing more than to send a few skeins your way.)

A sampling of the yarns I've listed for destash. Think you can put a few to good use?

Yarn isn't my only weakness, however. I have an insane amount of knitting needles, crochet hooks, and project bags as well - probably more than any singular human should own. And until fairly recently, my knitting needles were a horrifically disorganized mess. This adorable sheep bin became a dumping ground for everything I'd used in a project and was too lazy to put back in its proper place:

Yup, that's another bin of yarn!

I should have take the "before" photo of the mess of needles, hooks, and interchangeable cords and tips, because it was a doozy. I'm not sure if I was too embarrassed or if I just forgot, but it conveniently slipped my mind before embarking on The Great Needle Reorganization of 2018. The good news is that I had plenty of cases to corral the mess, but there were two instances where I was at a loss for how to restore order: first, with my collection of DPNs, and second, with the variety of interchangeable cords that I've amassed.

So many needles - and what to do with those cords?!

The first challenge ended up being an easy fix - I treated myself to a Della Q DPN Roll-Up, and now all of my DPNs have a lovely little place to call home:

Loving this needle roll-up from Della Q - everything has a place now! 

The cord situation is still unresolved, however. For now, they remain a mess of spaghetti in the storage bin, although they're at least confined to just one corner. I'm really not sure how to restore order with them - does anyone have any clever solutions for this problem?

Needless to say, I'll be looking for ways to use up the stash that remains and have started by collecting possible knit and crochet patterns for mini skeins and leftover yarn here on Pinterest. If you liked this post, I'd love it if you pin the graphic below on Pinterest!