If cable TV was a proportionally accurate representation of society, you'd think America has a hoarding epidemic--everyone a perilous moment away from becoming trapped under a fallen stack of newspapers from the 1980's or dying of mold related illness from that months old sandwich we were saving 'just in case'. While this might be a
bit of an exaggeration, I think it's just human nature to treasure and want to hold on to certain things. I know plenty of knitters have massive stashes of yarn, such that they might as well open up their own yarn shop. My stash is pretty small. But I do have a little (heh heh get it?) confession.
My name is AC, and I'm a tiny yarn ball hoarder.
Mmmmm. Wool/alpaca blend. Hand-painted. From Truckee, CA, I love Truckee. But it's not like I don't have two, count 'em, two items made from this yarn if I want to reminisce. I know that there's little chance that I'm going to make anything with this. And yet, I can't seem to get rid of it. I have a whole bucket of these:
And I don't see the supply getting any smaller. Maybe eventually I'll have enough for one of those ball play pits....that would be pretty sweet.
I'm so glad I'm not alone in doing this. I'm yet to find someone who keeps ends after sewing up a project though... Think that's a whole new level of weirdness...
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a ball pit. Have you thought about making a patchwork knitted blanket with those wee balls?
ReplyDeleteI love those little balls! So pretty! I'm collecting all my leftovers and dreaming of making a big, colorful blanket! I do also keep the ends that smurfpop mentioned, although only the ones that are long enough to do something with them :D I use them as stitch markers and they might be useful if I decide to decorate a project with embroidery.
ReplyDeleteWhat Vanessa said :) Or crochet - granny squares would really work for the patchwork idea :)
ReplyDeleteI used to have lots of those... but now I give them all to a friend who is knitting a scrap blanket. Happy to foist the problem on someone else! (Though a ball-pit of leftover yarn would be awesome.)
ReplyDeleteI don't think you are alone. I store mine in a glass vase, they look so pretty.
ReplyDeleteA yarn ball play pit would be awesome. I think I would play in it all the time...Or take the yarn out and put it in my stash.. I haven't been knitting long enough to have small yarn balls like that so I will keep you posted on my desire to hoard them when it comes XD
ReplyDeleteI just had to force myself to get rid of a huge tons of tiny ends. I did comprise a little and have started keeping sock yarn ends for a blanket. I think we all keep them. I don't know why, but we do.
ReplyDeleteA tiny stash ~ a tiny problem. I also keep all the little leftover balls of yarn. You just never know when they might come in handy!
ReplyDeleteAmigurumi stuffing. Felt all the little balls, then string them as garland - you could even stick beads into the felted balls for a little added bling.
ReplyDeleteAnd, as Vivienne said, a motif afghan. While I love crochet, you'd be better to knit the little squares, since you only have a little of each yarn, and it will go just a little farther if knit. :)
Lots of awesome ideas, you guys rock. Stupid question maybe, but with the motif afghans, do you need each square to be the same size? The same yarn gauge? I'd guess no as to the second since you are sewing them all together at the end anyway...
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you brought this to light considering I also have this problem and thought it was odd. I made an attempt to organize them a few months ago - by that I mean shoving them into a ziploc bag so that they weren't just all over the house. Perhaps we should start a support group... ;)
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