How do you build a stash?

[Adriann]

I have a hard time buying yarn unless I have a specific project in mind. I went to Smiley's a few weeks ago (I live in Brooklyn) and they had some nice stuff but since I didn't have "plans" for those colors or types of yarn, I didn't buy them because I figured I didn't know how much to buy anyway.

 

I guess I'm asking: what is in your stash, and how did it get there? is it all leftovers from completed projects? Or from projects you changed your mind on? Or do you just scoop up yarn when it's on sale, or if it takes your fancy somehow? And if you are a yarn scooper, how on earth do you decide how much to buy?

[WendyLee]

If I see yarn on sale and know that I will eventually use it I purchase enough to make something. Depends on how much they have and the size of the skeins. Or when I have bought yarn for a project I always get at least one skein more than the pattern calls for. There have been to many times I needed more than required and could not get the same dye lot. A lot of places will let you return the unused skein but I just keep it.

 

I do exactly what you said you couldn't do. If I had gone to Smiley's I would have left with some yarn regardless of having projects planned! If it is novelty yarn I get at least three of those small skeins; that will make a nice scarf if nothing else is in the works. Actually though I have mellowed out a bit about it, probably because I do have a pretty good stash!

[Addey]

Most of my stash is either 'extras' I bought when I started a project but didn't need or projects that I thought I was going to do, but decided not to. I do have a few balls from a while ago that were things on major sale and I thought I might just use them. I do have ideas for a few.... I also have a few skeins that are for a planned project that I still intend on getting to, when I finish this one... I tend to over estimate how much yarn I'm going to need for a project (just in case) so I've got a lot of partial skeins floating around.

[MyissaG]

When I lived in Michigan, I used to go to Mary Maxims once a year for there sale. I would save my money so I could buy a lot of yarn. I usually bought the kits they had on sale. And they always seem to have this deal if you buy 10 or more skeins they would discount the yarn.

Now, I will buy it if I see a new color that I really like. I usually buy several of each color I buy. That way I have enough to make something with it. If I only get one or two it is usually enough to do a scarf . I have also bought the bag deals at Hershners. There are 10 skeins in a bag. That should be enough to make a sweater atleast.

And if all you do is buy one of each color, it would be enough to do a really pretty and colorful scrap type afghan. Just pick up enough black/white or other color to contrast with all the pretty colors you allready have. Here is a round ripple I am working on that is using up single skeins of yarn. I am just using a soft white as a contrast between the colors.

 

And here is my stripey ghan. I am using black in between the colors. Although these are small scraps of yarns. They are just leftovers from other projects. Or where I picked up a skein of a color that I really like.

 

[CrochettingMama]

I have bought yarn on sale. I always buy enough to make an afghan. I buy in colors that are there and strike my eye.

I buy at Walmart too. I just bought some miscellaneous colors that I will make a blanket with too,

I used to buy Caron pounders at Ames before they closed, the price was fantastic.

I also found Lion brand homespun and chunky at the dollar store. Nothing wrong with it and I spent hundreds of dollars on it. Dh and DD even helped me buy.

I will buy yarn anytime and anywhere and dh supports it!!! LOL He says it's a cheap hobby!!!

[CraftyJen]

9 times out of 10 I have no "real" plans for the yarn I buy. lol If I see a good sale, or a new colour or type, I just buy some. Like yesterday, I went into a shop that normally doesn't stock yarn so I was surprised to see it. I bought 4 balls of the eyelash type in yellow and orange and white variegated (no plans for it but have never seen those colours together and it was really pretty) and then I bought some cotton (not sure the size but it's much thicker than the bedspread thread) because they had it in a royal blue and a dusty pink. With the regular double knitting (worsted weight) type, I just pick up a few white balls each time I buy other colours as I seem to use white alot. I've been known to buy 1 ball of each colour that appealed to me that day, just to have them. DH does "support" my yarn buying but wishes I would plan more projects before buying sometimes. lol

[NoLooseEnds]

Im a sale-buyer...my husband hates to hear the words (in English or Spanish!!) "But honey, it was on SALE!" Dollar Store, Big Lots, Hobby Lobby, Herrschners, Joanns, Michaels, LYS...honey I shop em all! Lately ebay has become dangerous for my hobby as well...I tend to get a little yarn-ADD sometimes in the sense that I get "fixated" (aka really excited about working with) a certain type of yarn...wool...cotton...whatever, so I stockpile. My hubby is great, and even gets excited when we go to the LYS (he is such a little kid...he loves to touch all the yarn!) Luckily we have our own attic in our apartment, so as long as I keep it in tubs in the attic, there isnt really a problem...except, of course, that, in turn, I keep buying more tubs!!

[Tiga]

I'm like you, Adriann - I don't buy yarn unless I have a project in mind.

 

That said, I collect free patterns online, buy discount books and generally suffer from Pattern Acquisition Syndrome.

 

This allows me to buy yarn regularly, as I have a ready supply of patterns available to tell me what yarn to buy.

 

I also work on a number of projects at one time - right now I have about 10 "hooks in" projects and 30 projects in various stages of completion (between knitting and crocheting; many are on "hold" as I finish up things on deadlines).

 

I also buy what I have found are my "staple" yarns - skeins of cotton kitchen yarn for my dishcloth obsession; pounders of white, black and brown for "scrap" projects and when Red Heart goes on sale at JoAnn's, I just buy a few skeins of whatever color strikes my fancy - for a buck eighty-eight, I can afford to just have some fun yarn.

 

One thing I did when I needed some "scrap" yarn for the comfortghans for my friends' kids is I solicited donations from the great peeps here at C'ville. However, that yarn is STRICTLY for those 'ghans and other charity stuff (I have used some of it to make charity squares, but I figure that is within the spirit of it's donation. Oh, and I did swap out some yarn that was donated b/c it matched a project I was doing, but I replaced it with something of my own, so again, karmically, I think that's okay, lol!). I didn't ask for spare yarn for stash, per se, but if you have a specific need for scrap yarn, it doesn't hurt to ask here.

 

Personally, I couldn't have just mounds and mounds of yarn without a project attached to it. I'd bought a bunch of Homespun at one point, thinking I'd make some shawls for my friends on my hypotonia support board, but I misread the pattern, and severely under-bought. So then, I was going to make them all purses, but Homespun doesn't really lend itself to being a sturdy Mom-purse.

 

So, it sat in my closet, the only true "stash" I had. It's now becoming an afghan. I couldn't stand it just sitting around without a use.

 

That's not to say I still don't have a closet full of yarn - it just all has a future purpose <grin>.

[Mommy2Max]

I don't buy yarn unless I'm ready to start a project with it, but I ALWAYS buy more than I need, at least a whole skein more, which is slowly growing my stash to unmanageable proportions.

 

Many times, I'll start a project and then put it aside for awhile, having bought all of the yarn for it, so it sits there in my stash until I eventually get back to it.

 

I'm trying to get better about completing the projects I start, but I ALWAYS have at least 3 things on my hook, so it's pretty slow-going!!

[Debbi-a1]

I don't know how I've collected my stash:blush . Some where given to me from my aunt who loves yard sales and asked what I wanted for Christmas. They were new unused skiens, but one of each color. Or if I had some left over from a project I changed my mind with and then used one skien for something else, so I don't have enough to make the item again and then finally I'll frog the item that's somewhat done and then use that for something else... And left over from projects that were extras.

I don't buy too much when it's on sale unless I have a project in mind. Although it can be hard.

Debbi

[V-Hooked]

The same thing happens to me!!! I fall in love with the yarn at my local yarn store everytime I go but for some reason I restrain myself to buy them because I don't have any project in my mind or I'm afraid that when I do find a pattern I won't have enough to finish it, and the yarn store don't have anymore!!

So until now I've been buying the amount of yarn specified in my pattern.

[Pumpkinmouse]

SHOP TILL U DROP

[Mermaiden]

what is in your stash, and how did it get there? is it all leftovers from completed projects? Or from projects you changed your mind on? Or do you just scoop up yarn when it's on sale, or if it takes your fancy somehow? And if you are a yarn scooper, how on earth do you decide how much to buy?

 

Yeah, part of my stash is yarn that went on sale that I'd had my eye on (Hobby Lobby's mostly). I sometimes have no clue what to do with it, so I buy what seems enough to make a shawl. That's usually enough to make what you come across, and if not it's not too bad to buy another skein or two at reg price if need be.

 

Sometimes I have seen cute patterns and then find the yarn on sale that would be so perfect for the job, so some of my stash is yarn I've put away for those projects! I collect patterns as bad as I do yarn, and when you begin to look at them enough, you get a good list of those "gotta make it" things.

 

Then, some of my yarn is a few skeins of just good "staple" yarn, like solid worsted acrylics (you never know when something will call for a dab of this or of that), and thankfully I got a good variety of that from garage sale stash buys. And, stuff like Caron simply soft - one can never have too much of that!

[catsncrochet]

Most of my stash comes from Michael's gift cards. I usually get one for my birthday and for Christmas.

Also, I usually buy a few skeins of yarn almost every weekend...sometimes more if it's on sale. Then I'll buy around 7-10 skeins.

I've also discovered the importance of dye lots...even when it says on the label "No Dye Lot." lol. So, if I'm making an afghan, instead of buying a few skeins here and there, I'll just buy as much of whichever color they have.

[butterfly_girl]

A lot of my stash has come from my mom, who shops at second hand stores, and gets me bagfuls of yarn at a time. But a couple of times there have been the 2 for 1 yarn sales at Zellers, and I've gotten things there. I bought yarn for a specific project, but never got around to making them. Soemtimse I can't remember what project it was, and use it for soemthing else. Also, I have gotten a specific amount of yarn for a project, to find that it's not the right weight, and is too thick. (worsted weight yarn, instead of sport weight, becuase the pattern never specified) And then ppl at work give me yarn in exchange for making them things. That's always nice!

[shortylam]

I have no real plan either. I just go around and around the store (good for cardio exercise too!) and look. Finally I would set my mind at something I like the most and pick 2 skeins. A trip to the store usually does me $15-30 in damage to the pocket. Most of the time I have discount coupons so I actually get a lot of stuff out of my money.

 

Another source of yarn is from swapping. All of my swap partners so far gifted me yarn which makes me very happy. The downside of that is I don't feel like using those yarn and tend to wait for the perfect project to use them

[antara]

leftovers from completed projects? Or from projects you changed your mind on? Or do you just scoop up yarn when it's on sale, or if it takes your fancy somehow?

 

Yes, yes, and yes...so that's where my paychecks go...

[nucki]

Up until recently, I didn't have much of a stash. I couldn't, really, because I couldn't afford to buy much yarn. Most of what I DID have, I'd had for years (I have yarn handed down to me by my GRANDMOTHER from BEFORE I was even BORN! ).

 

Recently, I've started to build it up a bit more simply because 1) we have more money to spend on it and 2) I've been finding it on sale practically everywhere in the past few months.

 

I buy at least 2 skeins of a certain color, unless it's a "neutral" color that will go with anything. If it's a "fun-fur" type yarn, I always buy at LEAST 2 balls of a certain color, unless I'm specifically going to use it for edging or something of the sort.

 

But I never EVER throw away yarn. If I finish a project and have yarn left over, I save it. (But I have to admit, that's partly the Polish in me that can't bear to throw away something that can be used later. ) With kids around, small balls of yarn ALWAYS come in handy for SOMEthing.

 

Edited to Add:

99% of what I do buy when I'm simply "stash building" is acrylic yarn. It's a good staple, it's versatile, and it's the cheapest. I'll buy cotton if it happens to be on sale, but anything else I buy only for specific projects. For example, I need to buy some bamboo yarn to make a scarf/hat combo for my SIL. That - to me, anyway - is a "specialty" yarn, and that's not something I'm going to buy a whole bunch of. Just enough to make what I'm buying it for. But I'll check the "clearance" bins at my LYS - lately they've had some really nice stuff on sale RIDICULOUSLY cheap, so you never know... I just might end up coming home with more than I intend to!

[zeropixie]

Most of all my yarn comes from yard sale or Freecycle. Yard sales are the best depending on were you live I hit a sale once of a woman that was clean out her deceased mothers house and I got around 30 skeins and 20 partials for 5 dollars. Nothing fancy but even now after five years I still have a few skeins. :hook

[giaana]

This is so fun to read! I'm new to crocheting too and wondered how people grow a stash! I have a stash but most the yarn I have bought is specific to a pattern...I have a hard time buying random yarn because I wonder if I'll have enough ( or the right yarn type) to make a pattern when I see one I like. All this talk of buying yarn makes me want to go out and buy some!!

[giaana]

This is so fun to read! I'm new to crocheting too and wondered how people grow a stash! I have a stash but most the yarn I have bought is specific to a pattern...I have a hard time buying random yarn because I wonder if I'll have enough ( or the right yarn type) to make a pattern when I see one I like. All this talk of buying yarn makes me want to go out and buy some!!

[Doula4U]

When I am around a thrift store I look to see if they have yarn. I try to only buy the yarn if it is 50% off the color of the tag that day. Unless, it is really nice yarn then I may buy it at full price.

 

Usually I get a bag full of yarn (4-5 skeins) for $2.

[LI Roe]

A lot of my stash was donated yarn to my volunteer group that no one wanted to store and since I had a basement, I said I would take it. The rest of my stash is yarn I already had and I am constantly buying more, especially when it is on sale or clearance. And if I see new colors, I tend to grab a couple of skeins to start with (well, usually it turns out to be more than just a couple). I have gotten yarn in discount stores, dollar stores, even Big Lots had yarn. And if it is a store like that, I have learned to get it when I am there and don't try to go back for the rest, because it disappears. I also use coupons all the time. Have to check a couple of the thrift stores by me, not that many though. And sometimes I have gotten it from people who didn't need it anymore.

 

Currently I have about 91 boxes, containers, tote bags and wicker baskets of yarn. Does it stop me from buying more?? Of course not. Used to tell my late husband, it could be worse, I could be shopping at Tiffanys or Cartiers jewelry store. But he was good, as long as it was neatly stored, he didn't care how much there was. I do a lot for gifts and charity.

 

My name is LI Roe and I am a yarnoholic.

 

LI Roe

[Knit Happens]

My stash is most definitely leftovers from previous projects. Now, pass me the meatloaf and gravy.

[Zaraliz]

My problem is how not to build a stash, mine is many years in the making and I still can't resist a bargain in yarn. Zaraliz