Accumulating yarn

When I rediscovered knitting a couple of years ago I bought yarn when I started a new project. It never occurred to me that I might buy yarn without a specific immediate project in mind, or just because I liked the yarn. After all, this is what I do with books and reading. Though I read quite a lot, and have accumulated many books, I don't usually buy a book unless I have the immediate intention or need to read it.

But knitters who are reading this blog will know what inevitably happened. Swaps, gifts, tempting yarn sales, glittery on-line offers, yarns dyed or spun by friends and acquaintances - all have led me down the slippery slope of yarn acquisition.

I've been dealing with the yarn accumulating in my life with my usual strategy for life's challenges - I've ignored it. I've had two main tactics for doing this. Given my suspicion that nothing really exists till you name it, I have never ever referred to my yarn accumulation as 'stash'. Others of my knitting friends have wonderful stashes that clearly bring them great pleasure. Mine just excites a feeling of mild concern.

My second tactic has been not to store the yarn systematically, but simply 'put it away'. But I'm now at the stage that I can only find anything with difficulty, and where storage space, and safety from moths are becoming real issues.

Clearly, both my ignoring tactics have their downsides.

So, as a first step to acknowledging that I am accumulating yarn (I'm still not calling it 'stash'), I'm acknowledging my newest acquisitions:



These I bought at the recent Craft and Quilt Fair at Darling Harbour. It's Habu Aresco from Dairing in 100% cotton that looks like fine slivers of paper smudged with black Indian ink. I fell in love with its graphic quality and bought some black lace-weight wool from Kaalund to accompany it. I have fantasies of a loosely knit vest or sleeveless cardi.



I'd seen Koigu both knitted up and in the skein, and friends recommended it highly. These skeins were bought on a whim from Knit-Purl, probably my favourite on-line shop. Seeing these skeins all together, I'm (pleasantly) surprised by their pinkness. I have no immediate plans for these.



Now these I do have a plan for. I want to make Fiona's top by Rasmilla for the dotee, and the new Morris and Sons' 'Empire' 4 ply in pink stranded with a stone/grey colour seemed ideal...and the sale was ending, so it seemed wise(?) to buy.

I should find somewhere accessible and safe to store them, and maybe this will encourage me to assess and face up to the rest of my yarn accumulation.