The Diet Starts Now

It’s finally happened. I…I have enough yarn. Words I never thought I’d say.

How much yarn do I have? Enough that my “good” yarn tub is at capacity, so much so that I have two yarn purchases sitting on my desk because I have nowhere to put them (my “good” yarn is mostly natural fibers, often from local-to-me farms, as well as anything that would fall under the umbrella of “fancypants”). Well, I mean, I could start a second good yarn tub, but given that I have two regular yarn tubs and a fabric tub already, I think my ever-patient husband might rebel.

This storage crisis got me to thinking, however. Why am I buying yarn if I’m not using it? The obvious answer is that it’s pretty and soft and I have grand plans for it. But, my stash has reached the tipping point of becoming a bit silly and wasteful. I shudder to think of what the dollar value of all that unused luxury is. It’s stored, so it’s not like I’m petting or admiring it daily (both noble pursuits). I actually forgot about two skeins of beautiful baby alpaca yarn I have from Galpaca Farm. That’s just shameful. No one’s enjoying all this beauty, and that’s a waste.

So, here we are. A yarn diet. To borrow a term from the beauty community, I’m going to shop my stash for projects this year. The last two yarn purchases I made were cashmere from Bijou Basin Ranch and a Valentine’s Day limited edition skein from Colorful Eclectic. If those beauties can’t hold me for a while, I have a bigger problem than I thought.

I’m not saying I’m not going to buy any yarn this year. I do still get custom orders requiring specific yarn. If I need something to make a project out of the yarn I already have, I’ll get it if I’m about to start that project. For example, I have some more silk yarn that I like to hold double with mohair, but I don’t have enough mohair for a second project. When I’m ready to make that project, I can get the accompanying mohair. Otherwise, I need to use what I have. I think this has great potential for creativity!

Has anyone else reached this point? What have you done to reign your stash in? Let me know in the comments below!