How do you resist?

[Ninn]

I'm trying very hard to keep my stash (what's left of it) organized. I'm keeping patterns in with the yarn I bought for them. How on earth do I resist buying yarn that has no pre-planned purpose? I love to feel them, find great colors, plan out ideas. Sometimes the yarn itself inspires the project. How do I keep it organized as I rebuild my stash and not shop myself right out of my house? How do you ladies resist all those amazing yarns?

[Craw]

I don't know how to do it!! I can't resist!! Especially when something goes on sale or clearance. You could stay out of the yarn stores and don't shop online. That would be impossible for me. Just reading around here can get me to buy yarn!!

[CLLinda]

I don't know how to do it!! I can't resist!! Especially when something goes on sale or clearance. You could stay out of the yarn stores and don't shop online. That would be impossible for me. Just reading around here can get me to buy yarn!!

 

 

Me Too! Clearance sale bins are the worst for me. I stay out of Hobby Lobby and I have to pass it every morning on the way from the gym. It's very hard for me to resist also.

 

One thing that helps is to join the Stashbusting CAL on another thread here. It shows both the good resisters and the ones that fall off track every so often. The Gold, Silver and Bronze is an inspiration, and the "Shoot the Moon" reminds us to behave!

 

Good luck resisting.

 

[SlowCrocheter]

You know I don't really have that problem. I usually by yarn when I have a project I want to do.

My problem is using up this yarn that was given to me as a gift.

I much rather find the project and then buy the yarn right now I have to find projects that well work with the tons of yarn I have.

And one of my problems is figuring out what to do with all the peaches and cream cotton yarn I have. /sigh

[pinkroses]

I am having problems with that .

We are curently building our retierment home in the country on our small farm

I am suppose to be de-weeding and getting rid of.

I have so many hobbies besides crocheting,

knitting, sewing , quilting, the list gos on and on.

I have been doing things like that for over 33 years ; so you can imgaine

There was a time when I had gotten away from crocheting and knitting,

Until the nasty bug bite me again !!!:lol

I am beginging to fear there is no cure for this !!!:lol:lol

[Ninn]

You could send the cotton to me! Kidding, kidding. I've been making market bags and kitchen accessories for Christmas gifts. These are fast and easy and the bags usually are claimed before they are done being made. They sell quick at the colleges around here, too, as they are very sturdy. I made a large one that makes a great laundry bag, too!

[pinkroses]

I love cotton thread too.

Love to make crocheted lace to go on things like aprons.

[mellybelly]

I don't know HOW to resist! And, I don't WANNA know, either

Really, I can't go TOO crazy because I have NO room for a stash. I have to keep it limited to one big plastic storage box (and whatever I can pile on top of it without creating an avalanche). The house we're in is very small and old...SO old that apparently they didn't have closets back then. LOL We've built a couple in, but they had to be small so no extra room for yarn.

BUT, one of these days, I will have a bigger place. Then, I'm afraid I'll hoard yarn just because I CAN

[jillybean]

I used to have that problem, but like mellybelly now I live in a house with NO closets. There's storage in the basement so my stash, what little there is now, is in a duffel bag. If it doesn't fit in the bag I don't buy it. I'm going to have room though, just decided to use up a few big 16 oz-ers I've been dragging around on a lapghan for my step-dad, and will give some of the other leftover skeins to my mom who knits mittens for the Salvation Army year round.

[greatgrammy]

Since I can't resist yarn myself, I'm sorry to say I have no suggestions for you.

 

One of the hardest places for me to resist yarn is thrift stores. I often find such great deals in my favorite thrift stores and I have no idea what I am going to do with all the yarn I have, but I keep buying.

 

And crocheting is only one of my vices. I also do papercrafts and have way more supplies in that craft than I have yarn.

 

Yikes! I need to get off the computer and go do something to use up my stuff.

[lpgeorge123]

How do I resist? Three words: broke college student.

 

I'd suggest making sure you finish all of your projects, and plan out what you're going to make next so you can figure out what yarn to use. Say if you want to make an afghan with some red yarn, check to see what kind of red yarn you have first off. I think it's easier to pick a pattern and then pick the yarn.

 

For now you could go through your stash and sort out the yarn by brand and color. See how much of what you have and try to make something with it to use it up. For the little odds and ends you could always make a scrap afghan.

[ScoobyDoo0811]

How do I resist? I don't, especially if yarn is on clearance. Just recently, I had to move all of my yarn out of my bedroom closet and out of the numerous other baskets etc and clean out the hall closet and put all yarn in there. My stash is growing bigger and bigger and bigger, and I just can't help it. I am a yarn addict and I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry that I have no suggestions for you, as I have a big problem myself but wouldn't change it if I could. My addiction to yarn is so bad that even my kids come in now with bags of yarn :devil:lol.

[thepunkrockinchick]

My mother and I have an addiction.. we don't see what is so bad about it! We love our yarn and it's so wonderful having it on hand. Our budget is the only thing that restricts us truly. We have hundreds of skeins though.

[rshseaeagle]

Yarn and thread I can resist unless it's on sale and/or clearance, then all bets are off. Budget is a big thing. Patterns, now that is a completely different story. I have such a large stash of them I will have to live to be 300 to even put a dent in all the projects I want to do.

 

DH is another problem. He loves my crocheting but says regularly why do you need so many patterns? You will never be able to get them all done. It's an addiction, I admit it. Could be worse I suppose.

 

He really doesn't mind he just teases me:devil. I have to keep myself from any pattern sites that are not free because I will see something I just can't live without, then I am in real trouble. My 86 year old MIL crochets also, so I am always on the look out for stuff for her. She doesn't see very well anymore (diabetic retinathopy) so I help her out as much as I can. She loves the yarn and patterns as much as I do so that doesn't help.

 

I sneak my stash in when DH is home by saying it's Mom's stuff. She will keep if for me until I can bury it in the stash pile. .

 

I really can think of alot of worse problems for all of us to have. Crocheting is my "therapy" If I couldn't do it I would definately fall apart.

 

LOL to all,

Toni

[Sylviaf]

The only way I can resist is when I know that I absolutely cannot afford anything.

[teapot]

Nope can't help ya there!! I just cracked about a week ago, or is it falling off the yarn wagon??? LOL

I couldn't help myself while getting a couple of more skeins to work on a shawl.

Then there was this lovely skein of baby yarn in a big ball, it was sooo pretty. It said buy me buy me!!!

Didn't help, there was this lady next to me just throwing in big skeins into her cart!!!! And yarn in Canada is expenxive compared to what you pay in the states!!!

Teapot:hook:manyheart:yarn:laughroll

Can some one send me another big yarn tote??????

[forestergirl]

I resist because I hate spending money. Growing up, I never had any of my own money, and I've never really wanted anything, so what money I did have went into savings. Then in college, I've had to pay for everything myself (without financial aid or parental help) until my dad died and I got married. We do pretty well now, but the memory of having to pick between rent and groceries still sticks with me, and I know that if things turn around, it can happen again. It also helps that if I stack any more yarn and projects on top of the bookshelf, it'll probably fall on my head in the middle of the night.

[crochetluvknot]

resist what does that mean lol I see it I buy it I stash it in the house sigh.. no will power at all for me

[Ninn]

OK, I feel a bit better now. I'm avoiding yarn stores like the plague right now. I have to. I have zero money in my discretionary budget and I just don't think I have the willpower to resist. There are some wonderful yarns out there that I just can't wait to play with. I have to get some at evilmart this weekend to finish off some Christmas gifts. After that, no yarn for me for a while. I'll have to keep myself busy making kitty toys out of my scrap bag....lol.

 

However, once we get through hubby's layoff period, all bets are off. I'll be working again by then and fully intend to fill up my stash room! Yes, I have a ROOM for my yarn! Well, actually, it's a really big closet, but I could fit a chair in there if I wanted to. I guess it helps that hubby crochets as well. I just found ALL my white yarn in his bag.........lol. He won't tell me what he's making, but he has it all. It's fun to go yarn shopping with him. He doesn't know much about prices, but he loves to feel up the yarns and think about what he could make with them.

[Crochet Garden]

I can only say, my credit card gets more of a workout than I do

 

That said... if it is not on sale, I can resist easily, because I know it will pretty much always be there (within reason if not discontinued etc).

 

Rarely will I impulse by unless a certain yarn strikes me right there with an idea. But for the most part, I wait for sales and then I go through the roller coaster of ride. Opposite most people, my cart will "begin" full, and then I shop for an hour removing balls until my wallet is happy I guess I am kind of backwards

[Real Deal]

I don't resist. I do the opposite now. I've lived most of my life not being able to have a stash, and now that we have dollar stores, I have a great stash. Not of foofy yarns either. Regular worsted weights, chenille, suede, baby yarns, plush, bulky and super bulky. I love it!

 

I occasionally buy at Walmart or JoAnn's on-line sales, but not often.

 

I figure, I'm in my 50's, and why should I have to resist? I'm not spending $15 per skein. I'm spending less per skein than I ever have in my life, and I love having all this on hand to choose from so I can keep a number of projects going all the time.

 

I also like to be able to surprise people when they've run out of yarn before finishing their project, or need yarn for charity work.

[Ninn]

Real, I'd love to be able to do that! Just surprise someone with yarn, I mean. Our local dollar store carries yarn occasionally, but it's all the foofy stuff. Very rarely do I find worsted weights in a color I would actually use. I did find a ton of orange there a few weeks back. Now they have nothing, and won't until after Christmas. Grrr.

[papersmiles]

This is a great topic. I didn't appreciate the advantage of having TWO salaries in our house until one salary went away. With it went any major stash expansions. The other side of this equation is that NOW I am so very glad I GREW the stash when I did have money. I can go shopping in my storage areas.....yay!!!!! I do miss being able to take advantage of good sales or terrific opportunities on C'ville to pick up some lovely yarns.

 

As to organizing my yarn it is all in Totes by the different weight and fiber content with labels on the ends of each tote. I tried sorting by colors but found mixing and matching fiber and weight (thickness) of yard didn't always work on projects. So I completely reorganized by weight and fiber and that has worked better.

 

As another member said, I also have a number of other crafts I indulge in and there too I am sooooo glad I accumulated stashes early on and didn't give in to the urge I had a few years back to clean out the house. This year once again I am making all my gifts either through crochet, sewing, canning or baking as well as making all the greeting cards and the only thing I had to buy was a 50 pound bag of extra clean shelled corn for $7.00. That's a pretty cheap Christmas bill (LOL).

[fc1123]

I've had to resist the urge I had me fiance buy me 2 redheart yarns they are on sale at Walmart for 2.00 plus last night he bought me a new crochet hook.