There has been a lot of discussion on Social Media recently about the size of one’s yarn stash. It seems to be a ‘thing’ with some folk that they are somehow ashamed of their stash, and feel the need to hide it from their Significant Other, as if it is a crime to buy more yarn (or fibre, or fabric, or craft supplies in general …) for the hobby that they love.
Me? I have a sizable yarn stash for sure, collected over the years. I have probably reached SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy). And there is the fabric collection too. And a few braids of fibre waiting to be spun. I’m absolutely not trying to boast about how much I have acquired, as if money is no object. But am I ashamed of it? No. Do I feel the need to hide it from my hubby? Certainly not! To me, it is a collection of memories of places I have visited (souvenir yarn, if you will) or days out at fibre festivals or fabric shops with my Best Knitting And Sewing Friend. Not everything I ‘collect’ will have an immediate project in mind, but that’s not the way I roll. I love to have a stash to ‘shop’ from when I fancy starting a new project. And, yes, sometimes it might take a while for a lovingly-acquired skein of yarn (or braid of fibre, or piece of fabric …) to tell me what it wants to become. But I count them all as essential supplies for my hobby, and I will not apologise for having a hobby that gives me pleasure. Why should I?
Now, I’m not advocating spending money that you can’t afford on yarn (or fabric) in preference to putting food on the table or a roof over your head. Let’s be sensible about this. But if a pretty skein of yarn or fat quarter of fabric is calling to you, and you can afford it, then why not? And you might well be supporting a local yarn or fabric shop or an independent dyer in the process. And that’s good too, right?
I recently attended Pomfest in London, which was PomPom Quarterly Magazine’s 5th birthday celebration event. Whilst there, I listened to Clara Parkes‘ excellent and thought-provoking talk entitled “A Stash of One’s Own”, in which she talked about the issues of gender, finance, and personal space within the yarn stash. And why we should not be ashamed of our hobby. Her book of the same title will be published in September, and is on my reading list!
And finally, Victoria from Eden Cottage Yarns shared this photo on her Facebook Page and Instagram Feed today, which is what prompted me to write this blog post:
I agree.
And please do check out the Eden Cottage Yarns shop – I have purchased a few skeins from Victoria over the years and they are gorgeous. I’ve even used some of them too!