SHOW US YOUR STASH!
Do you have a sizeable stash that needs investigating? This month we take a closer look at Fran Morgan’s box-tastic yarn collection. Could you be next?
How long have you been knitting?
I think I was about 5 or 6 when my mum taught me. So that makes it 58 years.
Have you been stashing yarn since the start of your knitty life?
Oh yes. At one time I had about four knitting machines, so I had a great stash of machine knitting yarn on cones, which I kept in a cupboard under the stairs. I remember watching Signourey Weaver in Aliens when she discovered the Alien nesting ground and thought, oops that’s the reaction she would have if she found my stash.
Do you have a single stash store or multiple stashes all over?
I have multiple stash all over the house, in the sitting room and multiple bedrooms. I recently bought some big plastic boxes to tidy up my stash in the spare bedroom, sorted by weight.
Do you have regular clear outs?
I do have regular clear outs. I take some to the local charity shop. Although I find it very hard to part with yarn. I have the mindset of a ‘war baby’ and like to keep everything just in case.
What stash busting project are you most proud of?
I have several. They are usually blankets. The KAL I did for Simply Knitting is one of my favourites. You can make it in any colourway and it’s a great way to use up yarn.
Favourite stash yarn?
So many! I have some lovely Letilopi, a big bag of Rowan Felted Tweed in lots of beautiful shades. I work for Debbie Bliss as a pattern writer, so I have lots of her lovely yarn. Because I regularly write patterns for magazines, I get send lots of lovely yarn. I am so lucky.
Do you have any plans for buying more stash?
Although I have more yarn than I can ever knit, I always buy more. If I haven’t got the right shade for a project, and I can’t find a suitable substitute in my stash, I just buy more. At the moment I have approximately ten or eleven sock yarns. There’s always a space for sock yarn!
See Fran Morgan’s designs at www.franmorgan.co.uk