BUST YOUR STASH
Yarn stash growing out of control? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Some of our favourite designers share their stash stories, and how they turn the mountains into makes.
There comes a moment in every crocheter’s life when you realise your yarn stash is gaining a life of its own. We speak to some crochet designers to discover their solutions for wrangling and making the most of their stash.
Our first port of call was Emma Leith (www.emmaleith.co.uk). “I know my stash has reached crisis point when I run out of room on the shelves, under the beds, in the loft and under the stairs and I have no idea where anything actually is anymore,” she confesses. “There are times when I’ll be stepping over several baskets each containing the latest WIPs just to reach the sofa! At that stage, it’s organised chaos – baskets and plastic boxes bulging at the seams with ’nearly completed’ projects in every corner of my home and studio!”
And Emma certainly isn’t alone. Sharna Moore (www.instagram.com/sweet_sharna) is also prone to the disaster zones caused by tsu-yarnis. “Out of control yarn? That happens to me a lot,” she admits. “I have many muddled baskets full of tangled yarn, cupboards you can’t close and shelves that are jam-packed. I know when it’s out of control as my husband has a good moan at me because there’s a yarn basket in nearly every room of the house, or unfinished projects piled on a chair somewhere. I do have a studio to keep it all in, but I never seem to use it, for some mysterious reason.”
Esme Crick’s (http://redsparrowcrochet. blogspot.co.uk/) yarn mountain is an ongoing landslide-in-waiting. “My stash is definitely at crisis point most of the time due to my inability to say no to yarn, or to get rid of anything,” she says. “Even if I haven’t used it for ages… well, I might need it in the future! When it’s a toppling avalanche, that’s how I know there’s too much crammed in. I get one ball out and end up tidying up the fallout for ages. The image of my stash-shelving only shows half the story as the other half is just too embarrassing and messy to show you!”
Because Esme tends to work mostly on large projects such as blankets, she needs a lot of yarn per project, which naturally results in leftovers. “Lots of other smaller projects get dreamt up at that point – I had lots of little random balls of cotton yarn from various projects so came up with a star motif and made bunting to decorate a few children’s bedrooms. It worked because there was no colour theme as such, just a ‘use what you’ve got’ attitude!”
On a positive note, having lots of yarn allows for lots of colour choices. “When the stash gets completely out of control, I start another throw to try and get back on top of the chaos. I’ll crochet something with lots of colour changes in it,” Esme says. “Luckily, there are always many projects going on to use it up in!”
“If I see some gorgeous yarn it always seems to come home with me.”
YARNSTASHSOLUTIONS
Happily, there are plenty of ways to tackle the ‘problem’ of having too much yarn, but the most obvious is also probably the hardest.
As Sharna points out, when she sees the yarn pile teetering she knows a bit of self-restraint is required. “I need to control my yarn buying habit,” she says. “If I see some gorgeous yarn it always seems to come home with me, but then it usually sits around for ages until it ends up in one of many yarn baskets.”
There’s no escaping the fact that the more crocheting you’re expected to do, the more yarn you inevitably end up hoarding. “Some would say I’m living the dream because I’m frequently sent yarn to play with or to work a specific commissioned piece (often by the team at Simply Crochet!), and this is a major contributing factor to my ever-growing pile,” Emma says. “The thing is, I love yarn and the glorious colours and textures available to us, and in my heart of hearts I don’t really think you can ever have too much, which is why I always return from my annual pilgrimage to shows and festivals, like The Knitting and Stitching Show in London and Wonderwool in Wales, with armfuls of new yarn discoveries!”
The best thing about stash overload is the excuse to get experimental with your crochet. For Emma, favourite stashbusting projects include blankets, bags, baskets and bunting. “A while ago I managed to use up an incredible amount of yarn when I crocheted a chunky basket weave blanket combing three to four strands at a time using a 10mm hook,” she says, “I use the same technique for my baskets and bags, combining several strands at once. This adds texture to the pieces as well as making them nice and sturdy and the colour combinations make each one unique.”
Riannon Selcuk (www.imakeknots.com) runs crochet workshops, which are ideal for using up scraps of yarn in need of a purpose. “My stash and the workshop stash is all in the same place,” she says. “I tend to buy stock in bulk, so usually five bales of super-chunky merino/acrylic and then at least 80 spools of fabric yarn at the start of summer festival season. I usually add an extra 100-150g to each workshop make because everyone’s tension is different, especially if you’re a beginner. So I tend to have scraps over.”
“When I can no longer put anything else into my stash, I know it’s hit SOS stage.”
REUSINGLEFTOVERS
It’s after these workshops that Riannon finds her yarn heap is at its biggest. However, she’s always happy to have these leftover scraps. “I try to put back what hasn’t been used, but I find it very hard to chuck away any bit of yarn. I love saving them for other projects, such as adding pompom embellishments or tassels to the giant crocheted clutch bags.”
Smaller items, from children’s toys to classy accessories (we’re thinking Riannon Selcuk’s crocheted collar necklaces and Sharna Moore’s gorgeous giant bows), make the ideal stashbusting projects.
Larger projects featuring a rainbow riot of colours are also great stashbusters. “My big, mad blankets are ideal for using up the yarn mountain,” says Esme. “I’m working on this huge sedge-stitch piece at the moment to clear some of the terrifying yarn pile…”
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
For many of us, hoarding yarn is a way to ensure it doesn’t end up in landfill, and you never know what you might be able to use it for. “I hate yarn going to waste,” says Sharna. “You always think: ‘what can I do with 50g?’, especially super chunky. I check out my stash wondering what I can make with my leftover yarns. It really helps to get your creativity flowing, because it’s such a small amount of yarn to create something with. It’s good for practising different textured stitches and also making accessories such as big bows or flowers to dress crochet slippers, headbands and items like that.”
“I often turn leftovers into granny square wrist warmers – I can never have enough,” Sharna continues. “I find it very satisfying to make something speedy – using odd bits of yarn in my stash gives me that quick crochet fix of finishing something fast that’s fun and looks great, which gives me a small break from big, ongoing projects that take time.”
Of course, you don’t need to keep your yarn scraps to yourself for it to have a positive impact. “When I can no longer physically put anything else into my stash, I know it’s hit SOS stage, so I contact local schools and charity shops and donate whatever’s usable,” says Riannon. “I’d rather it goes towards fuelling someone else’s creativity than being lost at the bottom of a monstrous stash.”
CROCHET FOR CHARITY
Esme had a grand idea not so long ago that not only used up yarn from her own and other people’s yarn stashes, but had hugely far-reaching results as well. “I came up with the Patchwork Tree project, which raised £1,500 for the fantastic charity Breast Cancer Now,” she says. “It also helped to raise awareness of the importance of recognising signs of breast cancer. Many lovely people sent me squares from all over the world, which we stitched together to make a piece of community art. I would definitely recommend organising a fundraising yarn project in your local community as a way of stashbusting, as it’s the most fabulous way to turn those bits of yarn into something beautiful, memorable and ultimately worthwhile for charity.”
Esme coordinates a lot of yarn-storming projects that are also fab for using up remnants, and she has a back-up plan for any leftovers. “At the end of every large-scale yarn bomb event I give away much of the remaining yarn to my friend Janine, who suffers with fibromyalgia and who finds great comfort in crochet,” says Esme. “She in turn uses it to create little blankets for a cats and dogs home as well as baby hats for the hospital, so the love keeps on spreading.”
Esme has a plan for her crochet club that we’re keen to try too. “When I run my monthly club, all my ladies talk about the yarn stashed away in their houses,” she says. “It’s like we’ve all got dodgy yarn secrets... so I’ve started a yarn-swap evening so that we can swap colours and actually use what we’ve chosen!” What a fabulous idea. Written by Judy Darley