Good Ol' Stash!

Nothing like rummaging through one's stash to get the mojo flowin'!  

Leftover bits of yarn

Over the long weekend, I decided to clean out my two yarn baskets--full of used patterns, misplaced (or "lost") needles, leftover yarn and almost finished items.  Do you have one too?  A bin, basket or other suitable receptacle where all the leftovers or WIPs collect?

Yarn, socks and lacy scarf

In re-organizing all those bits and pieces, I had to rummage through my stash containers.  Lo and behold, there was my mojo!  Hidden away in a plastic drawer filled with special yarns in pretty colours.  Funny how one's stash can inspire . . . .  
 

Almost there . . .

So I finally got back to ripping out and finishing one of those Angry Bird hats.  Some of those itty-bitty face parts got made too. Excited to sew all those bits in place 'cuz then I'll be almost done (although I have to confess that I'm eyeing a special project for a family member, but it will require some "designing". . . ).

Yarn for last Angry Bird hat

Happy to report there's just one more hat to make!  This last Angry Bird will have to be a different colour.  There's not much red left.  So one of my nephews will get either a yellow or black Angry Bird--not sure which colour to use yet.  I promise to keep you posted. :)

Who Loves a Bargain?

It's so nice to add to my Rav stash page as I do it so infrequently--and it helps me stay on top of everything.  Love how Ravelry looks through your stash and makes suggestions about which yarns might work for a pattern you're checking out.

Then I realized I hadn't yet shared my "bargoons" from Romni Wools. My budget was limited because I'd already spent a fair amount at LK Yarns when we were in Halifax a few weeks earlier.  Thankfully Romni Wools' lower level has a huge selection of discontinued yarns. And bonus:  there was a 20%-off-everything sale in the entire store.  Talk about lucky!

Lang Yarns sock yarn

First I checked out the sock yarns--and there was no shortage of colours, brands or fibers.   Decided on a brown mix called Lang Yarns Super Soxx Jubilee Denim.  Not sure about its regular retail rate, but it was marked down to $9.00 with an additional 20% discount at the register.  Not bad for over 450 yards--enough for a pair of socks.

Regia Lace

With the Regia Lace, I scored another great buy.  At over 600 yards, it was marked down to $9.90 with another 20% taken off.  Talk about value!  So much knitting fun for so little money.  And of course, I just love the rich colour.

Fritidsgarn in yummy colour

Then I spied more colours in the Sandnes Garn Fritidsgarn.  At $3.00 a ball plus an additional 20% off at the register, it was a steal.  Perhaps these can make a lovely woolen beret for one of my nieces.  Although both balls look identical, they have different colour and dye lots on the label, but I honestly couldn't tell the difference. 

Yummy candy colours . . . 

The Sirdar Baby Bamboo wasn't really an impulse buy, as I'd hoped to find some yummy colours to pair with some existing stash bamboo yarns in green, lilac and orange for a pretty multi-colour item: perhaps a scarf, shawl or shrug?  I'll figure that out later.  With or without the 20% off, these two skeins were still a great buy because they'll help me use leftovers from other projects.  Don't the colours look great together?

Colourful novelty yarn

My final purchase was a total whim--and whether it's folly or not remains to be seen--but I couldn't resist this fuzzy novelty yarn. The whimsical colours of Alessandra Filati Frizzante caught my eye.  At two bucks a piece, how could I not buy a couple of balls?  Maybe a funky hat for one of my nieces?

Yup, pleased as punch about my finds.  And honestly, it was all about the colours.  The prices were a bonus.  Thank heavens I don't live near Romni Wools, or else I'd be over there, rummaging through the basement bins, on a weekly basis. 

Organizing . . .

So I spent the rainy Saturday re-organizing my craft closet.  It's a nice big space, but stuff got dumped willy-nilly when we first moved in.  I had attempted to keep it organized, but more "stuff" kept getting dumped into the space.  Then yarn would come out--and it never quite made it back to the right spot--it was a mess!  So messy that I dared not photograph it for the fear it would instill to the viewer--seriously!  Some re-organization was in order.

First off, I emptied the whole space--and I can't believe how much stuff I have!  My scrapbook and art supplies stayed on the shelves, but my daycare stuff got pared down (its so easy to hang-on to bits of crafting items when sometimes it just needs to "go away").  Someday I'll get back to painting and scrapbooking (although I still make the odd gift album).

Sometimes you can forget what you have if you don't look at it . . . 

I had forgotten how much yarn there was in sweater quantities!   And I still love the colours.  Guess I better get crackin' . . . .!

After spreading my wares all over, I had to decide on the yarns to which I needed easy access (like my sock yarns and wool for mittens and hats). 

Those items I might not use for a year or more (donated or inherited acrylics) got put into a big tote and pushed to the back. It's odds and ends for toys, slippers or Christmas decor.

The stuff I was probably gonna use in the next few months went in totes closer to the front of the closet.  And all the wonderful artful and special yarns were moved to rolling drawers so they could be more easily accessed--just in case I needed to pet them or feel inspired.

I like the space much better and have a better idea of what I've got.  Now I can get back to finishing long-standing WIPs . . . I'll keep you posted. ;)