How big is your stash? That’s not meant to be a rude question but we are just curious.

If you are anything like us there are baskets and bags stuffed behind the sofa, under the bed or even in the loft (where technically it counts as insulation). Every time we finish a project there is some yarn left over and we can’t bring ourselves to get rid of it, because you never know…..
There comes a time in the life of any stash when some ruthless taming is needed, so here are our top tips.
Charity
If it is a decent sized ball in a colour you will never use again or if you can’t remember why you bought a particular yarn, your local charity shop can make very good use of it. If they don’t want it, many care homes need yarn for projects for their residents.
Yarn swap
Why not get together with your yarnie friends and have a yarn swap? Not only will you be finding a home for yarns you no longer need, but you might find something wonderful that your friends bring along.
Tidy up
There is nothing sadder than a part ball of yarn that is starting to lose its shape. It is really quite therapeutic to rewind your balls and there are some great tools to help including mechanical winders or the more traditional Nostepinne that makes the most beautiful balls.

Once you have rewound the yarn, pop a piece of paper in the middle with the name of the colour on, to make it easier to identify. Snip a little bit of the yarn off, weigh the ball and put the details in a book so you can record what you have. Having a handy note of your stash is so useful if you are planning a new project.

We like to store our yarn in see through boxes to keep our stash neat and make it easier to track down the colour we want. Many retailers sell boxes to store wrapping paper and we have found this is the perfect size for yarn – not too deep and easy to stack.
It may seem like a chore to drag out all your yarn and sort through it but it can be very therapeutic and even inspiring to see what goodies you have, as well as a great way to keep children or grandchildren occupied.
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