The Tidy Up Fairy

Not everyone in your stash is a monster

So far we’ve looked at several of the monsters that might inhabit your stash. This week we are going in search of your Tidy Up Fairy. Now she might be a bit elusive. You might even think you don’t have one but you definitely do. It’s just that she may at some point have thrown her hands up in dismay at one of your stash tangles and gone into hiding.

One of her favourite places to hide is in plain sight. So she is probably in your most recent project. The right size needles with the right sized yarn, maybe with a printed copy of your pattern, some pretty stitch markers, preferably neatly arranged in a pretty project bag.

This is her happy place.

Summoning the Tidy Up Fairy

She loves order but she can get overwhelmed.

So one bright spring morning sneak up on your stash and get out just ONE box or bag.

You will need:

1. One box or bag

2. A clean flat surface. (A dark wood table or a white sheet are ideal)

3. 3 containers labelled DK, 4ply and To Go

4. A couple of bags for each container. The organza bags wool sometimes comes in are great for this. Repurposed cotton pillow cases work well too. Plastic bags are also possible but less pretty.

5.  1 large plastic bag for emergency use.

Open the box (or bag) gently and let’s see what’s in there.

Stop and breathe here.

You don’t want to frighten off the Tidy Up Fairy.

This is not the moment to dump everything on the table, the bed or, worse, the floor.

•  Take out one ball or skein of yarn

• Now give it a good shake.

• Examine it carefully. You are looking for evidence of any unwanted visitors  (🦋🐭etc)¹

Now decide which container it goes into.

Whole balls or skeins of the same weight go together in one bag

Partial balls, basically left overs, go in the other bag.

Place your yarn in the appropriate bag and container and move on to the next one.

When you have finished that bag or box STOP 🛑 

Your Tidy Up Fairy can get a bit carried away and start pulling everything out as she is on a high from her success.

This leads to lots of chaos and the potential for overwhelm.

At that point she may vanish in a puff of smoke 💨 or she may try to persuade you that it ALL has to go 😱

So STOP

Congratulate yourself and your Fairy 🧚‍♀️

Make yourselves a nice cup of tea and relax. ☕️

Tomorrow will be soon enough to tackle the next one.

If you need more help with unwanted stash visitors hit reply and let me know. I’m considering publishing  a short guide to avoiding and dealing with them.

1. If, at any time during this process you find any evidence of unwanted guests the whole batch goes into the emergency plastic bag and gets sealed.