the big reckoning, aka "stash sale"

I've been thinking about my stash, and how ridiculously large it has grown over the last 10 years. Over the last several months, or maybe longer, I grew tired of all the space it was taking up, physically and mentally. I am tired of having to find projects to go with the yarn, or else if I have a project in mind, I am tired of digging for the appropriate yarn.

Mind you, I have loved this yarn. Everyone that knows me a little, knows that I love yarn. I've always loved yarn for as long as I can think. Ever since I was in second grade, I've done things with yarn. Unfortunately, my love for yarn is bigger than the amount of time I reasonably have to knit it all up. Having become a spinner and a dyer in the last 3 years, doesn't help one bit.

So the other day, I began sorting. The first step was to bring every single bin of yarn I have out of the house and into the back yard on a sunny day. I thought I had 24 bins.

There were 30 18 gallon bins. Also there are 3 30 gallon bins on the enclosed front porch that I didn't drag to the back.

The goal is to reduce the yarn stash by half. I also have 4 bins of spinning fiber, which I am not selling. It's too new, I am too attached to it, I am looking forward to working with it.

This week, because my dyeing fiber is backordered from the company and I can't dye (grrr...), I'm dedicating most of my time to sorting and pricing. There will be a big yarn yard sale on Saturday, May 1st, raindate May 2nd. Consider yourselves warned. My blog readers are the first to hear about it, but I am considering advertising on craigslist.

As I am sorting, I will show you what I have, so you can get an idea and decide whether it's worthwhile to come over. I will have everything neatly packed in ziploc bags, and priced. It will be a cash only sale.

If anything is left over, I will either put it up for sale online or donate it, depending on what it is.

I'll leave you today with a picture of a yarn that I will NOT sell. It's a German yarn that I got about 20 years ago, I made my mother a sweater from it once. There are 6 skeins of it, it is pure white DK weight; fiber composition is 50% microfiber, 25% alpaca, and 25% merino wool. Very nice stuff.

It's just the name that's a little unfortunate.

(Woll Butt was a venerable yarn company)