Saturday, April 01, 2006

Liz's Stash



Most of my stash is actually earmarked for projects, and now that I have discovered the joy of Dulaan and other assorted charity knits, my stash feels even more full of potential projects.

The top left square is projects at the top of the queue: Dylan Goes Electric for Mr. Science, ArtYarns Supermerino for a scarf/hat set for my sister, and Rowan 4-ply cotton for my Orangina.

Middle square is my growing sock yarn stash. Koigu, Fixation, Socks that Rock, Jawoll, etc. This seems to be growing exponentially, as I tend to buy sock yarn to either avoid paying shipping charges on an online order -- I'd rather by sock yarn than pay shipping, or it is an easy thing to buy when I am just checking out a yarn shop, as I have been doing since moving to Philadelphia.

Top right square is sweater quantities of yarn still looking for the right projects...

Bottom left bag is my soon-to-be Noro Silk Garden Mavis sweater, and two balls of Pima Silk, for my current WIP, Picovoli.

Last two bottom squares are the "junk drawers." Frogged projects, ribbon and novelty yarns bought before I knew how much I really hated them, and lots of acrylic bought in my poorer days when I needed to fulfill that yarn-buying Jones. Also lots of leftover one-off balls from finished projects, stuff like that. This is the main source of charity knitting, and crafts for the kids. I may even give some of it away to Rosebud's school...

This is my proud, ever-growing stash. And below is a re-run of the post on stash-love that I did a while back, because that's the best thing I have to say about it.

Stash, to me, is like buying your school supplies in September. As a student, and then as a teacher, there was something so hopeful and full of potential in that trip to the stationery store. That new-folder smell, those pencils with complete erasers. That special excitement when a new school supply was requested by your teacher -- I remember my first jar or rubber cement, and felt an incredible thrill when I first acquired both a protractor and compass.

Those new school supplies, unwrinkled and intact, that held the potential of the best school year ever -- no more lost homework with this Trapper Keeper! And now I get to learn geometry like my older brothers -- I must really be growing up! Or as a teacher, you know that this is the year you will light the lamp of creativity in your students, since you have purchased wonderful bound journals for each and every one of them.

These unused school supplies precede all bad grades, lost assignments, and indifferent students. As does your stash. Stash is that potentially perfect project, lying in wait. Stash is what you have before you forget to account for selvedges or rip that same three inches out for the third time.

Stash is a knitters potential. It promises to erase all the past disasters or uninspired projects, the bad yarn choices, the gauge errors. In my stash, my Manos says this beautiful yarn will make a beautiful garment, and my Noro says this time, your sweater will fit you perfectly. My sock stash promises hand-knitted socks for every day of the week, my Blue Heron, the shawl of my dreams.

3 comments:

Ramona said...

Nice stash!

shizzknits said...

Love your thoughts on stashing. Very true IMO
Thanks for visiting my blog, too. :)

Anonymous said...

Nice stash! I hear ya about the sock yarn - I went into two new (to me) yarn shops last weekend and oh boy were they awful. I didn't want to walk out empty-handed so I ended up with six new skeins of sock yarn! ;o)