The Joy of Stash

Doom piles and how to avoid them

We've all seen those Life Laundry type shows and YouTubes where someone has a whole room devoted to their yarn stash. Piles, boxes and bags everywhere. It looks so satisfying to pull every single skein and ball out of the cupboards and pile it all up in a big, colourful mountain in the middle of the floor.

Marie Greene is a wonderful designer but when I read her new book about stash organisation The Joy of Yarn, I did slightly cringe. Her method involves dumping out absolutely all your stash in a huge pile and committing to sorting it systematically. Possibly by colour!😱

I will let you sit with that thought for a minute while your heart rate returns to normal!

Photo by K8 on Unsplash

As knitters, having that much yarn at our fingertips feels like such luxury. She asks us to imagine being able to instantly grab exactly the right shade of green or purple without having to run to the store. Knitting heaven, right?

Well, yes...and no. I'm the first one to advocate indulging in beautiful yarn. Our stashes are absolutely meant to be sources of joy that feed our creativity. A beautiful rainbow of yarn sounds so tempting! 🌈

The reality though could mean we:

1. End up keeping everything in a giant tangled heap

2. Shut the door on said heap and avoid our stash, possibly even hiding it under a bed cover!

Maybe you are made of sterner stuff and you actually push through to achieve a colour sorted stash. You now face multiple bags, boxes or shelves of colour matched …chaos.

Any of these  outcomes can actually do more harm than good.  I learned this the hard way after one Failed Stash Dump too many.

When I first started knitting again after a long break, I was enthralled by all the gorgeous yarns and colours available. I wanted them all! Every time I went online shopping , I'd get caught up in the moment and buy more pretty skeins just because they inspired me. When they arrived, I'd squish them delightedly and then toss them in a big carrier bag in the wardrobe and think "I'll deal with these later."

Well, later came and that wardrobe had became a black hole of many carrier bags of unsorted yarn. The first time I tried to find a particular skein, I ended up pulling everything out and piling it on the spare bed to find what I needed.

It felt great!

For about 5 minutes.

Then I realised I had to somehow get everything back in and reorganised. I ended up shoving it all back in with no system.

The next time I needed yarn for a project, out came the whole mess again. A few rounds of this stash dumping and I really did have a mini yarn shop covering my whole spare bedroom. Like Marie Green I took a deep breath and virtuously sorted the bags by colour. Rainbow heaven!

Only also...a total nightmare 😱

If I ever wanted to actually find anything it was almost impossible. All types and weights of yarn lumped in together was not conducive to mindful project planning!  Oh and is teal green or blue? Maybe it needs its own bag? What about that sandy fleck and where do gradients fit in?

Whenever I had a project in mind, I'd end up pulling every single ball of yarn out of the bags and have to sort through types and weights - trying to recall what I'd bought each one for.  Hours would pass just attempting to excavate the right supplies for a new cowl. As for a bigger project like a sweater? Easier to buy new yarn specifically for it? No? 🤷‍♀️

And when I was done? Back into the bags it would all go, even more chaotic than before.

This was Not Sustainable, my friends.

The turning point came when I was trying to find a particular hand-dyed merino silk in a teal shade that would be perfect for a shawl. I knew I had it. It came to me as a precious yarn swap all the way from New Zealand.  But after digging through all the green or blue bags, twice, I still couldn't find it. I ended up buying new yarn anyway, only for it to turn up in totally the wrong bag a few days later.  It was with the reds. In my defence I’d been considering it as a contrast for a shawl and got interrupted. It happens 🤷‍♀️

I knew then: “This has to change."

As much as I enjoyed the colour rush of having all my yarn shades together in one place, I realised it was actually preventing me from enjoying my stash by making it impossible to access what I needed. The mess was draining my motivation because starting any new project felt overwhelming.

So I took a deep breath and committed to sorting through everything properly and gently creating an actual, usable, organisational system. I realised that the instinct to doom pile is a bit like starting a crash diet. Seductive and just about as effective. I needed to change my approach and do something more sustainable.

Here's what worked for me

This process helped me to go from stash doom pile to knitting nirvana. Omm🧘‍♀️😉

1. Start small - Rather than committing to do your whole stash at once, start with one box, bag or bin. Pick a manageable portion that won't seem too daunting.

2. Do it in stages - Sort through just that one box or bin first. Then put it away and do another one  next week. Taking it slowly prevents burnout.

3. Sort thoughtfully - As you work through each batch, group by yarn weight and only then by colour family. Think about what has worked well for you in the past.

4. Store mindfully - Look out for storage solutions like bins, shelves or dividers that make your sorted yarn easy to access. See through ones are perfect.

5. Catalogue in phases - Keep brief notes on each box as you organize it. Over time, you'll have records for your whole stash. We are not talking spreadsheets! A simple note in the top of the box works well.

6. Stop and assess - Before adding more yarn, look at what you've used from your stash and what gaps you have. Purchase intentionally.

7. Appreciate the process - Sorting and organizing is a chance to re-connect with your materials and get inspired about future projects.

Was it the most thrilling way to spend a couple of hours a week?

No.

Did I question my life choices halfway through untangling the 15th knotted ball of wool?

Absolutely. However once it was done, I experienced the true joy of having a stash I could actually use and appreciate again.

The key is to break the big job down into manageable chunks over time. Don't allow yourself to get overwhelmed. Slowly but surely, you'll create order and be able to truly enjoy your stash again. It's about the process, not getting it all perfect immediately. Just start small and keep building good stash habits. You've got this!

Was my new organised stash system totally perfect?

No, but it made interacting with my yarn so much more enjoyable than dealing with the dreaded doom pile on the spare bed. I could actually find what I needed and dream up fun new projects easily again.

The truth is, our stashes don't have to be minimal. It's good to have options! Too much clutter though can take away the creative joy that yarn is meant to spark. It just takes a bit of effort to create a space that's abundant but not anxiety-inducing.

So if your own stash has somehow become a monster you dread wrestling with, take a deep breath. Commit to an organising method that works for your space. You'll uncover hidden treasures, reclaim knitting mojo and be amazed at the peace of mind a functional stash allows. None of us needs a perfectly curated Marie Kondo-style drawer of 3 lovingly chosen skeins of yarn. What we all all deserve are stashes that make our hearts sing.

Your yarn is there to be enjoyed, not hidden away in a tangle of frustration. With some time and care, you can create a beautiful stash that fuels your knitting passions instead of draining them. So put on a pot of tea (not wine!🍷 That’s for later. Trust me on this 😉) find a good podcast, and start tackling that beastie one box at a time with patience and creativity. Happy untangling!