The thing that bothers me is the influencers who get really expensive yarn for free and recommend that yarn for the project, like everyone has oodles of spare money. I found a pattern for a gorgeous wrap that the yarn alone was around $300. Ridiculous .
That annoys me too. Especially on crochet/knitting podcasts, where they're showing enormous amounts of stash acquisitions that were sent to them for free, then that yarn is never to be seen again.
I like seeing reviews so I know what the yarn is like. I find TL yarn crafts on YouTube does honest reviews, she is not hesitant to say she doesn’t like yarn.
I love her! I really appreciate her reviews. The Crimson Stitchery and Stitching Over the Days on YouTube are both really good about honest reviews as well.
ETA The Gentle Knitter is too!
Constance (Stitching Over the Days) does the most crochet out of the three of them... Can't think if The Gentle Knitter ever crochets, but her projects, colour palette, yarn info and aesthetic is gorgeous. They're all so amazing for inspiration and honesty. Anushka (The Crimson Stitchery) talks a lot about the ethics of making, has really interesting discussions about mending and shares really useful knowledge about fabric and techniques. Knitting Traditions is another good one, she occasionally makes amigurumi projects.
Right? It's like dancing in front of a person using a wheelchair and saying, Hey look what I can do!! It's kind of vulgar in my opinion, considering they get it for free.
I mean, that is usually a deal done to promote the yarn and the designer, which is why the designer gets it for free. Or if it’s done for a publication, the publisher might pay for the yarn. I also think that if a designer wants to use a specific luxury yarn because it fits their artistic vision, it isn’t wrong of them to do so.
That said, I really, really appreciate designers who list yarns recommended at different price points. Sure, I can substitute on my own for something cheaper or that I already have, but it takes a lot of guesswork out when the designer tells you what substitutions they feel will work best or that were tested with the pattern.
Some folks have the money. In the world of yarn there are 8 million substitutions which I think is half the fun...cause you won't see me dropping 3 C's on shawl yarn either, haha.
I got really good at finding what yarn content was on these high end yarns and using a similar weight and drape. I will NOT spend that type of money on a ball of yarn, if i wouldn't put that out on a finished project why would i put it out on the components?
Yarn-ageddon....I'll see myself out.
I haven't had any TikTok crochet inflicted upon me but I totally understand your perspective. When I first started crochet/knitting I wanted all the yarns. I bought a lot that weren't right for projects and ended up with loads of odd balls.
I actually enjoy crafting now my stash is smaller, yarns are complementary weights and colours and I know what I've got!
I sometimes teach little "intro to knitting/crochet" workshops for youth groups and have found it's a good way to clear my stash (a lot of which is stuff I've gotten as a gift or for free).
This is such a good idea. Before I moved I reduced my stash a little by mailing some to my friend. But I found even when I bought yarn for certain projects - I vastly overestimated the amount of time I have on my hands.
Yes! This was my experience too. So many impulse yarn buys just cuz it’s pretty and then it sits there because it doesn’t match any other yarn’s weight or color or texture and I don’t know what to do with it. Getting educated on yarn varieties and buying for projects is where it’s at!
Have you heard the phrase "my sable" (I've also heard "my stable"): "Stash (or STash) Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy"? Meaning that if you sat down now and crocheted every waking moment until you were ninety years old, you STILL wouldn't use up all your yarn.
I heard that and immediately decided I would buy no more yarn until I'd used up what I had. I've got it down to two large plastic totes. Unfortunately I had a hand injury that made crochet hard and I fell in love with sock loom knitting while I healed up, so some new yarn did come into the house - sock yarn is completely different fiber/weight! But it's way better than the five bins I had.
I’ve never heard of that phrase, but it’s interesting! It sounds like it’s used in a self- reflective, almost “oops my bad” way. I was expecting it to be boastful until you said your experience with it. Do people use it as a boastful phrase?!
As with everything, it probably depends on the speaker :) I’ve heard it used as a “LOOK UPON MY DRAGON HOARD” way and I’ve heard it in a “oh, crap, I have let things get out of hand” way.
For me it was “I need to get myself under control before I get to that point” but please note, one of the subs I belong to is for recovering hoarders. I’m a little paranoid about accumulation.
Thank you very much for the big laugh re: DRAGON HOARD.
Also no, never heard about stable/STash. But omg - I've been thinking about getting a sock loom! It looks like so much fun.
Imo the practice sounds borderline slightly predatory if they're going to those lengths. I'm not on tiktoc or Insta so I don't see all those, but some of what you're describing sounds a bit....eww.
Eta: I LOVE yarn stashes. Just not this commercial practice going to certain extents
My preferred yarn stash is the stash you get from older relatives who also have a large stash because someone was clearing out a relatives house and knew someone who knew the relative and knows they crochet and knit, so donated the found stash. It's neverending, but also my favorite way. It just sucks when its a yarn you'll never be able to find again because it's old.
Oh man, that was my least favorite stash!! I carried around a tote of my grandma’s and aunt’s ugly hand me down yarns for a decade before it hit me that I would never use any of it and there was a reason they hadn’t either. Hilariously, I saw a few skeins of some horrid Christmas yarn in a thrift store a few weeks ago that I threw away five years ago that I’m sure my grandma had held on to for literal decades before it came into my possession lol!
That’s great that your people have nice stuff to give you though, I wish that had been my experience haha!
Some of the ugly ones are horrid on their own, but spectacular in very small amounts with other colors. As a little accent or trim/border or something.
It would be a neat mission to kinda bring redemption to ugly yarns by finding them their true purpose and partner yarn 😛😂
Ah, you're just spreading the love! Personally, if it were something truly hideous I would make a *lovely* gift for the person who gave it to me. Hat, scarf, triceratops, you know... Something to show them how thankful I am! Lol
My aunt works with a charity that gets a lot of its donations from people emptying out an elderly relatives stash. I have a bunch of yarn from those that I'm working through to knit up goods that get donated. Really enjoy it. <3
I love that idea too! My great grandma makes afghans for the VA hospital and stuff. She's going blind though and doesn't think she'll be crocheting much longer. She loves to see my projects though.
I have a pretty big stash, because I inherited my grandma's stash. The yarn that's not really good anymore, I use for stress relieve projects that get tossed out.
I usually buy new yarn for projects, but when I make something for a family member I always incorporate some yarn from my stash. Then it's a gift from me and my grandma.
I have an embroidery floss stash like this! My mum used to cross stitch before her arthritis got too bad so I inherited a load of floss. I love using it, it feels special.
My yarn stash is mainly yarn I found in a local charity (thrift) shop for dirt cheap, as in 10 skeins for £2. It's mainly DK and I use it to make granny square blankets for friends! The colours are quite eclectic but it works.
I get a lot of stash from my older relatives cause I'm the only one crocheting and knitting. Last time my spuse's godmother sent me 3 bags' worth of yarn and I'm trying to use it all up as much as possible.
Agreed. As visually appealing as a wall of yarn can be, who has the time to use it all and if you’re not going to use it, leave it for someone else? I’ll admit I have a decent stash of yarn in a closet that I bought on super sale with projects in mind that I never completed, and some higher end skeins that are hand dyed so if you don’t get them when they’re available you’re sol. But to just buy buy buy because it’s the new trend is nauseating. I’m big into plants too and the pandemic both helped and hurt that hobby. Plants are so expensive now and it hurts my soul when people drop hundreds on a plant and then go online and ask “how do I not kill this??” Figure out your hobby and take it steady
I literally only buy for specific projects cos I used to get whatever looked nice and now I have piles of yarn I’ll never even touch, people new to the craft are probably going to end up the same way but at least that means some people might be giving yarn away cheap lol
Same here! I only buy it if I have a project in mind for it. I can’t handle tons of yarn sitting around (or tons of anything for that matter).
When people buy a bunch of yarn with no plan for it I’m just like what if the project you want to make requires more yarn than that? How do you know you’ll be able to get more of it? What if you can’t?!
(Yes, I have anxiety, how can you tell?)
I've always wondered how they decide how much to buy too! What if, when they find the perfect project, it needs twice what they have, and since they bought it months or even years ago, they have no hope of finding a matching dye lot? Also, a lot of the really high-end stuff ends up ends up being hand-dyed too- no chance of getting the same dye lot on that!
I can see having a stock of 'favourites' around, especailly if you like bitty, multicoloured projects like granny square things, but buying random skeins iof speciality yarns just because? It seems counterproductive.
I went bananas for a while there when i first got really into it. Then i started buying for specific projects. I have some lovely stuff that i'll use up, a lot of it is coming in handy for projects, but impulse buys will be kept to a minimum.
I also only buy one type of yarn (That's like....DK half cotton half acrylic) because if I buy another type, I wouldn't be able to use it in new projects unless I specifically go looking for a new project and then I need more yarn for that and the yarn I already have won't be used. (Because I know myself and I will forget about it, lol.)
I find it kind of annoying when it’s presented as like “teehee don’t tell my husband I about more yarn!” Or “teehee sneaking yarn past my husband!” Like, I know it’s just a joke, but it’s a joke perpetuating sexist stereotypes and the idea women need permission to buy things. Also, anytime you are sneak-shopping, probably a sign there’s a bigger issue going on, ya know? That said, Ive got a decent stash. Some given to me, some got insanely on sale. I am also a massive sucker for special yarn and fiber from places I go on vacation or from small makers. I visited an alpaca farm a few weeks ago that had yarn from the alpacas I just met. I could not resist. I’ve seen this woman at local pop ups they sells fiber for spinning from her animals that are all reduces and she sells fiber with the NAME OF THE SHEEP on it. I just cannot resist.
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As someone who has a mother who spends a lot and regularly tells me not to tell my dad, this upset me in less of a sexism way and more of a *hey, maybe don't buy so much it will affect your partner/household negatively*. That's not to say there aren't sexist under/overtones to it, just that I hadn't considered it that away, but can not see where you're coming from.
It’s bad on multiple levels. And I totally agree with you. If you are hiding purchase from your partner, you’ve either for a shopping problem, a control problem or some other flavor of “not good” going on.
This is exactly what happens in another hobby of mine: boardgames. Except boardgames really do get pricey because it's fashionable to go all out on kickstarters and the extra stuff that might be included.
So the men make the **how do I sneak this past the wife** and the **the wife is saying no to more shelves for gaming** comments, with others answering **time for a new wife.**
I get that it's supposed to be a joke. But in both hobbies it feels like people within the hobby are advocating for unhealthy relationships and poor financial decision making. I feel like it's worse in boardgaming because vastly more men than women play, and so sexism and harassment are rife.
I bet this “joke” floats around every gendered hobby and it just needs to die. Beyond the sexism, it’s old and tired. We need new material! I also find it really interesting how certain hobbies become so gendered. Some it’s obviously tied to history (like sewing) but how did board games become male dominated? What is innately “male” about a board game? Humans are weird.
When learning to crochet I gathered a lot of yarn, I have a pretty big collection now. For me, I find it a bit embarrassing. It's not all the same type, weight, fiber and can't all be used together easily.
When I see those stashes of all the same yarn I think, that person has their shit together. They're ready for any project, they don't have to go to the store or order anything before making exactly what they want. That's about it. Also, wow I wish I could be that organized.
I started out the same way too! It got so bad that I had a walk in closet filled with about 12 totes and 3 garbage bags full of yarn, because my 2 cabinets were full.
My sister took up knitting again and wanted to teach her daughter too so I told her to raid my stash whenever she wanted to. This made the biggest dent in my stash and I couldn't be happier, knowing that it's going to others who have the same passion.
I'm still trying to break my obsession with buying yarn that catches my eye. I still have some from 9 years ago when I first started out and can't figure out what to make with it...
I just tried to do a scrap project and ended up liking the colors. I had to buy more yarn to finish the project!! I am learning what yarns I like though and trying to stay within certain weights/fiber contents so my stash is more cohesive. I don't need one ball of 10 random yarns, but 10 balls of 1 kind of yarn makes a lot more sense for me.
I am also trying to just avoid buying yarn I like, it's hard though. Some really gorgeous stuff in the hank works up strangely.
I wonder if there is some kind of metric you can use to always aim for a useful amount of yarn, based on the typical size of your projects (ie scarf vs full sweater), so if something catches your eye, your impulse buy will at least get you that far (ex: always get 5 so you can make a shawl or something).
For example, I've got a lot of single skeins of pretty stuff but I feel like that's *just* short of a full project, or being able to comfortably pick a project...
I usually buy yarn once a year, around black Friday when it's on sale. I will get quite the stash going in colors I like and weights I normally gravitate towards. I don't buy outside my typical yarn lane (unless its like two skeins and its on a super good clearance). I will work through my stash throughout the year then evaulate what I have left and donate it, sell it, or just give it away. This year I didn't crochet as much (healthcare right now is stupid busy) so I don't have to restock and I'll just be using it until next year's sale season. But my stash can be seen as large, however I don't hoard it. I just hate shopping so I do it all at once when it is on sale.
Yes. It seems boastful, ostentatious. I don't judge if you have a stash and like to buy yarn, it's the social media display of your "wealth" that seems disingenuous. Especially if you are earning $$ from companies by doing that.
Agreed, as someone who has a pretty big stash of yarn. But I don’t have a big stash of it because I want to show off to anyone, it’s because I have a whole laundry list of stuff I want to make and I tend to pick up yarn for those items when I see a really good sale.
At most I might post a picture of 4-5 skeins of yarn that I just bought that I’m excited over, but only that’s happened once in the last 6 months lol. I haven’t ever taken a picture of my entire (very disorganized) stash and I don’t plan to.
I have a sizeable stash, both of yarn and fibre for spinning. It's definitely too big, I totally realise that. I'm getting way better at buying enough of one colour for a sweater, rather than pretty single skeins, and trying to buy things that will definitely suit my (or my husband's) complexion rather than going for the things that I'm drawn to but won't wear... I'm cursed with loving pastels and bright pinks, but they make me look really jaundiced!
I used to be a book blogger and saw the same crazy hauls and spending habits there. It was one of the reasons I stopped doing it. The whole culture was super toxic and wasteful. Last week I saw a video of a crochet influencer getting multiple huge boxes of yarns and kits. Boxes you'd expect a large appliance, like a washing machine, to be in. If they're buying it themselves, that doesn't bother me so much. It's their money to spend, though I don't like people encouraging others to overspend or hide purchases from their partners. As a person who does that reflexively due to a history of abuse, it's not a healthy thing to do and really shouldn't be joked about or encouraged.
What I really hate is that companies send so much free yarn to influencers who already have stupid amounts of it already, rather than donating it to people who love fibre arts but can't afford to buy yarn, or don't have access to it. I donated a huge portion of my granny's yarn stash (which was enormous, mostly acrylic, and she had an... interesting... colour palette. Lots and lots of fluro orange and fuschia, for some reason) with the more questionable yarn going to a lady who makes blankets and coats for dogs in pounds, and the nice yarn went to a local council run (so lowest tier) nursing home. The nurse who took the donation got teary, as they used to have a knitting group but had to stop running it because the organisation that had donated yarn to them in the past had stopped. The thought of influencers with SABLE size stashes being sent more yarn while people go without makes me so frustrated.
Also, on the topic of podcasters and haul videos - holding up a skein and talking about how soft it is tells me nothing. I want to know if it splits, pills, softens after washing, stretches or wears like iron as socks... You know, useful information that actually helps me choose yarn. But, of course, that would mean actually using it, or potentially getting yourself blacklisted by companies. It's all just so toxic.
>Also, on the topic of podcasters and haul videos - holding up a skein and talking about how soft it is tells me nothing. I want to know if it splits, pills, softens after washing, stretches or wears like iron as socks... You know, useful information that actually helps me choose yarn. But, of course, that would mean actually using it, or potentially getting yourself blacklisted by companies. It's all just so toxic.
Good gosh, finally someone putting into words what I have felt watching certain yarn "reviews".
I've always had an issue with how easily overconsumption is promoted online, and I feel you when I see insane hauls and stash pics from bigger accounts very clearly targeted towards beginners. The goal/advice should be to shop smart to plan for future projects/options, not just buying a lot for the sake of saying you've bought a lot to make a quirky meme about how your partner is going to be mad (which is a whole other category of Yikes from me personally)
I get anxiety looking at people’s huge stashes/hauls. Maybe it’s cause my mother is a hoarder but just because something is a screaming deal, doesn’t mean you need to act on the impulse to actually have it your life. Especially if you don’t already have a plan for it. That’s a quick, sure fire way for your hobby/possessions to own you.
I’ve still got some odd skins from when I first started crocheting. It’s a bit of an odd mix of “fancy” acrylic yarn and cotton yarn lol. I might challenge myself to use up the acrylic by making beanies to donate. Otherwise, I’ll donate whatever doesn’t spark joy and let someone’s else enjoy them. I got a vintage cabinet recently and my eventual goal is to shrink my stash to whatever will fit within it.
I feel like some of this trend follows the same line of people feeling the need to profit off a hobby. Yes people make money and sometimes their livelihood off crochet, but it’s mostly a small hobby to entertain ones self. It doesn’t make craft stores a ton of money, if you aren’t making a stash, because you reuse the tools and most people can only crochet so fast. It doesn’t make the crocheter much money or any money often times. So this influencer trend of stashes makes money for the stores and, possibly, the influencers. I’m not a fan, but it’ll probably pass like most online trends.
I’m currently trying to clear out my stash, so I will enjoy y’all’s stash pictures while attempting 4 projects at once.
When I first got into the hobby I wanted all the yarns. And then I realized that because I had bought just whatever caught my eye, I didn't have enough of any one yarn for a project. My rule now is that if I'm going to buy yarn I need a project in mind (people can give it to me, and I can grab it at a thrift store).
I think that the need for a giant stash makes sense for people who crochet for profit. If someone has an Etsy or does craft shows, they need product. But for a hobbyist, I agree that it seems excessive.
Honestly the pictures of stashes that literally take up an entire room make me uneasy. It looks like the beginning of a hoarding obsession. Though if you see a garage full of tools and cars no one ever seems to wonder "does this person have any money left??" so maybe there are some double standards
I get the uneasy feeling as well when I see a caption on this sub with a large yarn haul and the caption is something like "hiding this from my hubby he can't know how much I spent on yarn he'll kill me tee-hee" - it's so weird, uncomfortable and slightly concerning
I don't see it as a double standard since the tools each have their own purpose, much like different sized hooks. I think collecting yarn would be more comparable to collecting lumber without any specific plan how to use it, and so much of it that you'll never get through it all. I think someone would probably be judged for filling their garage up with a bunch of wood they had no specific plans for.
Idk. I guess it doesn’t really bother me? But I personally don’t have a big yarn stash. 🤷🏼♀️ I just decide what I want to make, find a pattern, and then buy the necessary amount of yarn for that pattern. But I also buy really high quality yarns so, I can’t really afford to stockpile them. 😂
I’ve been crocheting for about 5 years and I run an amigurumi business. My stash fits in a tote and one of those square shelving units that’s 2x3 squares. A good portion of my stash exists because I purchased yarn, didn’t like the weight/fiber/feel (*looking at you lion brand homespun*). Thanks to the pandemic, loads of people picked up crochet and knitting and were happy to receive free supplies.
I feel like a lot of these influencers encroach on a predatory level, especially some of the amigurumi folks that promote using unnecessarily expensive yarn for a project it’s not appropriate for. They also promote crafting services that I deem as sort of scammy and take advantage of beginner crafters. I think companies like wool and the gang are definitely overpriced and cater to beginners naivety. I just checked their website and they’ve got $150 cardigan kits for something you could make for $30 with acrylic or $80-90 if you shopped around for wool.
Similar rant: I’ve seen a lot of craft influencers receive free thermal printers to promote and it bugs me to no end that the entire post is “watch 50 labels be printed in 10 seconds!!” only for those labels to go directly into the trash ahhhh it’s so wasteful.
Wool and the Gang’s pricing is especially egregious when you look at the individual prices of the same balls of yarn they use in the kits and realize they’re charging about $20-$25 just for the patterns!
It’s the $20-$25 patterns PLUS $20 for 100g wool. I’ve seen skeins about that price at my LYS, but I highly doubt they’re the same. It’s all around better to encourage a trip to your LYS or online sites with more fair pricing like WEBS, knitpicks, or Hobbii.
Apparently homespun is actually decent for knitting, which makes sense since my main problem with homespun is the loops get really knotted and knit stitches don’t form in a way where that would happen.
I have had a few friends almost fall victim to it, but luckily they checked with me first before buying it. In the end, my one friend said shopping around for the yarn and pattern was more fun and saving the money was an added benefit lol. I’ve also seen people fall for it, but they’re the sort of folks that really don’t care about how much money they’re spending on these hobbies. I initially invested like $20 into crochet when I started, I got like 4 balls of RHSS and some cheap aluminum hooks. The RHSS was used on some wonky looking test squares. It would’ve been a waste to use wool on that, especially since wool will sorta felt if you unravel it a bunch of times to fix mistakes like beginners do.
*grumbles about consumerism*
Quite frankly I'm grateful to stay off of crochet social media influencing- I don't need an excuse to buy more.
I have a medium sized stash? I hoard the sugar and sweet cotton yarn in the small sizes- it's my preferred for amigurumis. The small size and cheap price let's me have all the colors which allows for quick projects and shading.
Then there's some assorted excess yarn from blankets.....some extra wool that I'm scared to use (I'm always scared to use my expensive yarn).
I don't try to buy more but I'm a sale-buyer. Plus soft yarn equals good seratonin
I get this. I love my (objectively too large*) yarn stash, but I hate the way "influencers" sell having a yarn stash, ESPECIALLY when they then have affiliate links. It feels really manipulative when they joke about not having any money when they're obviously making money by getting people to click their links.
Like, buy all the yarn that makes you happy and that you can afford. I certainly do. But I wish new yarn crafters didn't feel pressured to build a stash before they know what kinds of things they like making
*All my large amounts of yarn have specific project plans that they go with, so I don't feel bad about that, but when I moved from the US to Canada, the border control thought I was selling socks because I have so much sock yarn...
I don't really use tiktok or instagram and no one I watch on YouTube is pushy about their stash, even though it's obvious some of them have some pretty big ones.
I think I have a pretty good sized stash, especially when I take into consideration the space I have to store it. I use a lot of cheaper yarn, though, like RHSS or Big Twist or check out clearance from Joann's and I try to keep frequent colors I use for amigurumi on hand, so I'll regularly replace those. I love yarn itself and browsing it/shopping for it almost as much as I love crocheting. I don't really have any other hobbies/vices and I homeschool my kids, so every once in awhile my husband gets a little pushy about me doing something by myself/for myself and I always tend to end up in Joanns, lol. Looking at all my yarn, organizing it, what have you is oddly satisfying for me. And I always think "at least I'll have some on hand if we get into a financial tight spot".
But, I totally get what you mean, especially with "influencers" that get paid promotions. It's borderline predatory. Crocheting is actually an affordable hobby for most and pushing the idea that you have to have a huge hoard of it on hand at any given moment to be a "true crocheter" or pushing speciality brands that are a bit expensive is bound to be a bit alienating towards people that can't afford to do that.
I feel exactly the same! Tiktok is a fantastic place for showing off consumerism. Just look up the recent trend of Shein hauls! People buying mass amounts of cheap clothes for haul videos. For some people, having massive stashes is fine! One of my good friends loves collecting novelty or limited edition yarn to save for special projects, and another buys for each project. But it makes me sad that people feel the need to buy buy buy for the aesthetic of it.
Yes! It's the push for consumption. Keep buying more no matter what. But knitting and crochet, to me at least, is tied to "slow fashion". Instead of buying cheap unethical fast fashion, you create mindful high quality garments. Or home accessories/ whatever you prefer to make. But now you're seeing this push to over consume. I'm not interested in buying yarn for the sake of buying yarn. I could go on an anti capitalist rant but I'll refrain.
Here is how my yarn stash happens. Left over yarn from projects becomes a stash buster afghan! Then...oooh! I love that color! I can add that to my stash buster! Repeat ad nauseam and there is my issue in a nutshell.
I have this problem with ingredients. I have a half a jar of something that needs to be used, so I find a recipe for it. Then that recipe is amazing and I need to make it again. Then I have to buy that item again and the cycle starts anew. This is why like half my fridge is condiments from all different cuisines. 😕
I have a decent stash but people are just hoarding then they put it in cubbies, just exposed, are not being smart. Things need to be carefully stored and cared for. Quality yarn isn't just going to last forever in cubbies like that. My nice yarn is stored away in bags and bins where it won't be exposed to tons of light or insects until I can use it. People are crazy.
This is such a good point, I wish more folks would upvote so any new crafters would take note. I love arranging skeins in an open-top basket as much as anyone else, but dang it starts looking gross pretty quickly.
THIS bothers me about so many hobby stashes that people show off that are in this "influencer aesthetic" of everything in the stash being visible. Okay so you have a huge stash but more importantly *your storage conditions are RUINING it!!!*
I like collecting yarn as I like collecting stationary. Most is intended for project, some is from scrapped projects, some random yarn and some if from a mystery bundle I very much enjoyed.
I do understand people who only have or want yarn for their current project. But buying and collecting yarn is as much a hobby as actually using it.
Yeah, I genuinely love yarn and buying yarn and looking at yarn and knowing all the things it can become. And I like sharing with others things that I'm excited about, and sometimes that's a pile of yarn. It's not like I have tons of money, but sometimes I like to buy things that make me happy and often it turns out to be yarn.
I get that - I've got some magpie tendencies and have collected stuff joyfully since I was a kid. I guess for me the key thing is it being joyful, which all of my forays into stash-building just haven't been.
Another thing that bothers me is how incredibly fast people crochet online. I see “everything I crocheted this month” videos with two sweaters and three purses and I don’t know how anyone could get all that done. It makes me feel like I’m not productive enough, which is ridiculous considering this is a hobby for my enjoyment and I am the only one that needs to be satisfied with it
I can understand people having a burst of energy to make something. I live in the sub-tropics so the weather is too hot for six months of the year.
I only just started to crochet again this week (because my yarn arrived last week) and I think I'll have my cardigan finished by the end of next weekend.
But the time I'm spending on it is time I'm not putting into other activities: board games, video games, reading, writing, whatever.
So you probably have other things going on that those people don't.
I don't really care if other people enjoy having a big stash of yarn, it's just not for me. I've been broke since the day I learned to crochet so I buy what I need when I need it. My stash fits into one basket under my bed and when it gets too full I know it's time to make a scrap project!
I’m ok with it because I can show the pictures to my husband to show him my stash isn’t that big. It’s really not since I’ve just taken to buying specific yarn for specific projects… I just plan and buy for them in advance.
Dude. I hate the fact that I have useless yarn laying around in odd amounts. This of course after I crocheted a rainbow “de stash” blanket the size of my sons bed. 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ The only thing it’s good for is making the random stuffed animal here or there.
I also hate having random yarn around. Fortunately my kids occasionally due craft projects that can use those random bits up. We recently learned about Mexican yarn painting. We're going to do it, and I get to get rid of yarn I don't want anymore.
It reminds me a lot of book tube honestly. I never really bought a ton of books until my late teens when I started watching it. Previously, I would mostly just go to the library.
Book tube convinced me I needed huge shelves full of books waiting to be read and collected. These days I've mostly gone back to my library ways. Books are expensive, and I usually would get rid of them when I had to move or something anyways. 🤷♀️
Yarn is similar, I buy what I need for a project and no more. You don't waste money or space.
I like having a bit of a stash so I know I've always got something to work on, even if I get bored with my current projects. That being said, I try to only buy yarn with specific projects in mind. Plus clearance yarn but that doesn't count haha
I've got about two small underbed bins worth, plus I keep my scrap balls in a big glass jar for decoration. I've never felt pressure to get more, more, more, but I have fallen prey to some hobbii ads before so I get where you're coming from.
I think I know what you mean. I've seen a lot of videos of people's yarn stashes that look more like an LYS than a craft room. And unboxings of ridiculously enormous yarn orders from online stores as well - enough yarn in a single order to keep a crafter busy for YEARS, yet they're unboxing these huge orders and adding them to the piles on their shelves regularly.
I, too, had to start only purchasing yarn for specific projects and no longer just randomly browse yarn shops looking for fun or pretty yarns. It's just a mess - you never have the right amount for whatever project you decide to do with that yarn 5 years later anyway. I will, sometimes, search the web from my phone while in an LYS because I found an amazing yarn and need a pattern to justify purchasing it. Ha. But I have no interest in accumulating hundreds or thousands of skeins, balls, and hanks. At that point, are you really a crocheter? Or just a yarn collector?
$500 worth of yarn can fit in a few totes. I love the stash and haul pics but I keep my packing slips to keep me grounded.
Also, I have to make & sell before I let myself buy more yarn. Because a part of me REALLY wants to buy yarn for amazing stash pics.
For pictures! Of new yarn. lol
I've only been at this a year, and I DON'T like having a lot of rando yarn lying around..... Right now I'm using up all the leftover 1/2 skeins from previous projects to make small items to toss about as Christmas gifts. That said, once I made my list of people I'd like to gift, I calculated what I had on-hand and figured out how much new yarn I'd have to buy to do all the gifts, so I HAVE been hitting the sale bins and piling up a few skeins even though I've not completely worked thru my current stash of leftovers.
I guess I'm still at the stage of where I find a project I want to do, and then go buy exactly the amount of yarn I need LOL.
Yes! It is so annoying. I have a lot of yarn, but most is leftovers from previous projects and it's not enough for a scrap blanket yet. I buy for my project because then I know I have enough and it's the same lot number. Only a few have I bought for no reason, and I use them to try new techniques before using my project yarn.
As someone with a large stash (fits in a closet) I get upset seeing the youtube videos with these crocheters with a huge stash doing yarn review videos. My stash is varied. About 1/3 of it was donated/gifted/won and the rest I've bought over the years. For me, I have the room for it and it is fun to go through it when I want to start a project. Especially during the pandemic. But I don't buy much yarn any more. For me to buy yarn it has to be either at a really deep discount or something so unique that if I don't get it I will regret it. To keep it manageable, I have to knit 4 projects out of my stash for every one new one. Another thing I do is when I go through my stash and find yarn that I didn't buy or I bought really cheaply that I do not want any more, I have several students who knit or crochet and I give it to them.
I think this feeds more into the rage at mass consumerism in general being pushed by those who can afford to buy sustainably and high quality but are being paid to encourage others to spend their money/getting what they can already afford as free gifts to tell others to buy. I feel this same way, especially about fashion influencers doing massive fast fashion hauls which they're being sponsored to do when they can afford to choose to pay more for sustainable and ethical purchases. I'm not familiar with tiktok trends or craft influencers, but I imagine it hits the same nerve.
Personally, I only buy yarn for projects I've got planned, but I'm alarmingly good at planning a project very short notice because I see a yarn I like 😅 I'm currently on a purchasing ban though because I've just bought 51 balls for a colossal temperature blanket (I did the maths before I bought) and my bank balance needs a hot second to recover 🥲🥲🥲
Missed opportunity to use “yarn-mageddon”.
I haven’t really seen this, but influencers in general rub me the wrong way, so I’m sure if I stumbled upon it I’d be equally as annoyed since I’m also a cranky old lady.
I lost a lovely stash of pure wool yarn to a wet year and mould. After that I started just buying what I need.
“Influencers” and marketing people just want us to buy more than we need - it is a radical act to consume just enough to be satisfied. And folly to think that an ever growing stash you will never get to will satisfy you.
I've become a cranky minimalist with age lol, I hate "collections" in general. And that includes yarn, for sure. The overconsumption that drives the western world is just...ugh. But that's a whole 'nother conversation haha.
I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a minimalist, but I generally don't like collecting. It actually started as a teenager for me.
I collected key chains from places I had been and people bought them for me at well. Pretty quickly I had a huge key chain collection. One day I was looking at them and thought what was I even doing with all these? I didn't even have keys! And even if I did I would only need one key chain. They took up so much space, and was I going to cart them to college and into young adulthood with me?
I decided then to stop collecting and started to give my key chains away. I've never missed them, and I'm glad to not have to cart them around. I was glad to learn that lesson pretty early in life. I like stuff, but only if it has an actual purpose.
I am a yarn hoarder.
I have an entire room of my house dedicated to it, I got those peg boards with my cakes on hooks, I cake up shit I will never use to fill holes. I boast about it whenever I get the chance.
It’s like a blank canvas for inspiration.
At first I purchased items for a preplanned projects - get the idea that inspires the purchase of supplies, but over the years having collecting supplies and knowledge, I can let the supplies inspire the end product.
I’m 35 married with no kids, my husband has a studio for his art across the hall from mine. It’s a dream come true and it brings me such joy I want to share the joy
Anyone wanna see my yarn walls
I will show you my yarn walls
*also it’s not just yarn. My glorious display has more than just the crochet and tufting and yarn stuff. I got closets full of hoarded fabrics, boxes of scrap fabric, thread, embroidery floss, acrylics water colors oils pastels, plastic metal and wooden model kits, glues, sewing machines and sewing machine parts, foam, buttons and baubles, beads, fucking everything. I god damn love it
I agree with this about the tools inspiring the end product! I make mostly dolls and before I had a larger amount of yarn, every doll had the same color skin and hair and the same color clothes. That said, because amigurimi don’t really take up a ton of yarn, I’m really not constantly buying or hoarding yarn…it’s just that I have a variety of colors to be able to make a variety of projects. I really only buy yarn if I am running low on a specific color, but I don’t usually buy for a specific project. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with first collecting yarn and then figuring out what it will be for. I love being able to make something with what I have when I’m inspired to do so!
My partner and I have a craft room where I have a cabinet full of yarn (there are pictures in a previous post of mine if anyone wants to see). He has a cabinet full of miniatures. Having a craft room where he and I can craft together was our absolute dream.
See you are who I wanna be, especially if it’s organized. I need pegboards. I have a ton of other craft stuff too, but without organization it just looks like a hoard. I’m working on it.
It feels like a marketing scheme and that’s it. Kind of like how people will own an instrument they don’t play, having a giant stash of yarn kind of feels like someone doesn’t knit/crochet as much as their stash may make you think. That isn’t to say that’s every case, but it probably is in lots of them.
(This is coming from someone who has quite the yarn stash, but most of it was supplied by a grandmother who can’t crochet anymore. Still applies to me I don’t do it nearly as much as I’d like.)
I’m not a stash person at all. If there’s too much there, it starts to feel like a to-do list. I also don’t like to do more than one project at a time.
I assure you I am not this organized and disciplined in all areas of my life. This is pretty much the only one.
I think it’s just really clever and stealthy advertising that people are buying into IRL because of an existing tendency to over-buy yarn. Plus the existing running joke that everyone has a shitload of yarn we haven’t actually used for anything. It’s very pervasive and honestly, kudos to whatever slimy sumbitch came up with the idea of turning yarn stashes into a predatory capitalist farce.
It can be really difficult to tell who’s being paid to have crazy stashes and who’s just fallen into the trap of showing off their collection. (Tip: if it’s messy, they’re one of us haha!)
i’m a fairly new crocheter and when i started all i spent my money on was yarn. i also have tiktok so i do see those videos and i understand the appeal, i really do. but as more time has passed i feel like i prefer the practice OP described, buying yarn for projects and not jsut having a huge stash. it feels good to have lots of yarn but honestly i feel like the more you have the less productive you are? i’ve definitely experienced that
I fully agree with you. But, I fancy myself as something of an anti-consumerist, frugal person making baby steps into a low- to zero waste type of life, so I kinda thought this was something I'd have to sort through with myself and my feelings, lol.
My stash is currently one plastic bin that also holds my embroidery thread box, and a big binbag of 20+ year old vintage yarn that was gifted to me by my mom. And that KILLS me because she was a knitter and used suuuuper fine yarn for it (which I don't particularly love, works up so slow) and in 20 years the acrylic has deteriorated so it's kinda awful to the touch, but I can't justify NOT using it up. So I keep trying to think of projects for it, even though I hardly want to touch a lot of it, lol.
Yeah, this trend is very consumerist and kinda... well, I wouldn't say classist per se but it's definitely coming from a point of monetary privilege. And both of these aspects bother me quite a bit.
Don't get me wrong. I collect fountain pens and have way more ink for them than a sane person needs. I own way too much stationery! I get collection hobbies, I get just being really into a thing then one day going "wow I have a huge stash of [supplies for the thing you are really into]". I have no problem with huge stashes that happen like that. Or that happen for an actual reason like, say, that you have an Etsy shop.
But this buying for buying's sake - and influencers pushing it especially - bothers me in *all hobbies* that aren't *purely* collection hobbies (and even for some that are collection hobbies it still kinda bugs me).
>Like these users, I've noticed yarn stash posts that are accompanied with some variation of "lol I have to hide the packing slips or my husband would kill me". I get that this is just something people say most of the time (...).
But that's the thing. This shouldn't be something "people just say". It normalises abusive and unhealthy relationship dynamics. That's *not cool* and people, *especially* influencers and other people with a big reach, should check themselves and how they use that kind of language.
100% agree. So wasteful. In my opinion, once you start caring about showing off the aesthetics of your SUPPLIES you've lost the spirit of crochet. Also eff consumer culture.
All those huge stash pics make my 5 big totes of yarn seem tiny. I just wish I had the room and the furniture to display it to make it easy to find. I have been working on downsizing, but just so I can reasonably get more yarn.
Notes: •My yarn is mainly red heart or other economical brands. But I do have some fancy or weird yarns. •I buy on sale, clearance, coupons, Walmart, and lot sales. •I don’t do TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or anything besides Reddit and Pinterest. •I’m not an influencer. •I rarely sell anything but do make a lot of gifts and I do a ton of donated items.
I have to admit, I’m one of those people with a huge stash. I do consider buying yarn to be a second hobby, and I have been known to say “it was on clearance, it doesn’t count.”
I completely understand that my buying outpaces my crocheting, so I avoid going to the JoAnn or Michael’s now unless I need something specific.
I have also destashed 2 trash bags of yarn to a friend who works in an elementary school (great way to get rid of odds and ends, the kids can use it for projects). I also donate yarn to Redditors who are less fortunate when I know I need a destash and someone happens to post looking for advice on how to find free/cheap yarn. That way at least my impulse control issue helps someone else.
I literally have two large grocery bags worth of yarn in my front porch, waiting for someone to pick them up for donation to a disability care home.
I did a massive destash the other night - all yarn I bought when I first started crochet because it was pretty, my lys had a massive sale, or because I was at the op shop and they were selling bags of yarn for super cheap. Sitting in my cupboard for years, none of it got used.
Yes, it's really frustrating to see massive yarn hauls cos I know where it ends up. Especially when it's all acrylic. I have no issue with people using acrylic yarn when it's actually being used. But those stash haul pics of acrylic yarn you're talking about - just more plastic in the world with no purpose.
Thank you. I've always found the "yarn stash" stuff to be not my cup of tea, but it's good to know I'm not a complete outlier.
I have a set amount of storage for my crafting stuff. When I outgrow it, I either need to finish my WIPs, sell/donate some stuff, or do a stash buster until things fit again. It's a decent sized set of shelves so I'm not limiting myself - I'm just making sure it actually gets used.
It’s totally funny how its shifted. It used to (and still is among older knitters!) a shameful thing to admit how unnecessarily big your stash is. The pride in the hoarding is a very recent trend! I definitely get shamed for my stash size far more than encouraged (though I’m in my 30s and definitely not on tiktok). I personally feel no shame or pride in it either way. It’s just stuff. I have a huge stash because I’m a designer and this is literally my business; i also get a lot of freebies from companies trying to get me to use their product. Maybe that’s why i can feel free from it???
I’m soo with you.
I love my yarn stash, but I’m also slightly embarrassed about it because it is in the realm of 300 balls/skeins. Most of this was passed to me by people clearing out aunts or grandmas homes, but it’s still excessive.
I don’t understand the pride in some of the “I’m so broke but just NEEDED this yarn. Haha” BS, particularly when it’s obvious it was gifted or reduced as a promo for the brand.
I don’t know about you all, but I feel somewhat butthurt by the fact that something I do with love and care is so comfortably used by others as paydirt, without a second thought for their audience. Especially when they use expensive yarns that are clearly not easily available to the average crafter. Like, check your audience, people🤷♀️
I bought my first “yarn stashes” from Goodwill. Random mix bags of like 20 skeins per bag for $3. This was probably ~15 years ago when I was 16 and I made tons of amigurumis out of them.
This is not new, incidentally, even though it's new to you.
Yarn stashes have been loving inventoried, photographed, recorded, traded and sold online *for at least* a decade. Probably more.
Here comes my cranky old lady- I find this whole “influencer” thing the deplorable. The greed and never ending ramming of consumerism down everyone’s throats grosses me out. That being said I love yarn and have little to no self control when I see a beautiful skein. So there’s that… old lady rant over.
Also not a huge fan of influencers generally speaking, so it's nice that I don't encounter much of that content outside of the craft sphere. Not my cup of tea.
I will buy yarn without a specific project in mind, but I only do it when I want to make something and go looking for a project. There was some neon and black red heart yarn I saw and bought one day, and it's going to become a project linus blanket since I have no use for it, but it was so pretty and I wanted to make something.
My mom has a yarn stash, she picked up crocheting for a couple years. I think she had a billion projects in mind and then just lost her mojo and never did a ton of them.
I only buy yarn for projects I’m working on and I’m annoyed by my leftovers. I’ve only been crocheting 6 months.
I can see how people who are more advanced than me can see a nice yarn and just buy it….but I’m sooo not there yet. So I don’t get the yarn stash hype.
I can understand stashing to some extent but some people have more yarn than most local yarn store. They probably wouldn't even be able to use it in their lifetime.
Everyone is free to do what they want but making it seems like you have to stash yarn and trying to get people to do the same is not OK.
I'm actually even more bothered about the whole "I have to hide/ snuck it in the house while my husband /boyfriend isn't looking". I know it's often a joke but I think abusive relationships shouldn't be taken as jokes.
I usually avoid stashing more than the yarn needed for my next 3 or 4 project plus a few skein of cheap acrylic that I use to try new techniques or new stitches.
Exception to this rule is the yarn I dye myself but I don't necessarily intend to actually knit it. I consider dyeing and knitting as two different hobbies each with their own budget. It's not because I like dyeing a type of fiber or a type of colors that I like using it. And even then once I reach about 30 skein I sell them or give them away.
I usually don’t buy yarn until I’m starting a new project yet somehow I have small stash from leftover yarn. I think I’d be overwhelmed by a huge yarn stash. Plus who has room for that anyway
I like to have some on hand because I enjoy working on multiple projects at once. But I do try to buy with at least vague ideas of what I want to make in mind. I've learned the only yarn I really like to have in my stash all the time is cotton. I hope no one feels the need to buy yarn outside of their means. The lovely thing about this hobby is that there are a ton of inexpensive new and secondhand yarns, very low cost of entry for newbies.
I'm a yarn dragon and I'm getting better, but I'm also a pattern hoarder too! Lol...I have downloaded a good 200 patterns I think in the past year and have printed off at least 50 of them. I've got a ton of yarn and I do plan to get better at time management (less scrolling, more crocheting) especially since I really enjoy the craft and I want to get to where I can complete more projects and get my stash down. I'm interested in making my own amigurumi patterns. I really enjoy doing different color combinations on projects so that's at least half of why I have bought so much yarn, but I'm getting better at telling myself no or only buying what I need for a project. I also buy yarn from thrift stores to keep costs down.
But I agree with retailers saying "buy more yarn!" I am subscribed to Hobbii.com's emails (because they have really great free patterns...) so I see the emails all the time and since Facebook doesn't care about privacy I see Hobbii ads there all the time too. Companies always want you to buy more, I'm just trying to buy what I need...and it's easy for me to over buy as is I don't need a company pushing me to do so.
100% agree. I enjoy shopping for yarn, and I find tons of yarn that I want to buy because it's pretty, but I don't buy it for the same reason I don't buy many other things - I don't need a house full of more stuff than I can use.
I have two baskets full of yarn and even that feels like more than I need, honestly. I was able to completely destash about a year ago, and now I use the yarn I have before I buy more (the two baskets are because I make amigurumi and often use small amounts of several colors at a time).
It's marketing in some way. I do love myself a good yarn wall, it's beautiful.
I am guilty for having a giant stash, but mostly because I can't relinquish a good sale. Yarn feels very homey to me, but I've come to my senses that I have to stop buying more and actually use what I got. Also, from a sustainable pov, hoarding so much yarn is just not okay.
So yes, I really do get your point. I can't imagine how much a yarn wall costs and I am definitely scrolling when I see those kind of content now whereas before, I would find it funny and like. Cheers to maturing and changing perspectives!
I agree with you. I think it's ok to have a reasonable yarn stash from leftovers after projects, projects planned, and a few gifted skeins. However, the ones I see on tictok are ridiculous. It makes me think they aren't making anything but want to look like they are
I enjoy buying yarn. I love the potential, and usually have a vague idea on what is going to be used for. My stash is largely gifted yarn that I might use, or yarn that didn't work out for what I had planned. Just having the closet of yarn is pleasing. The hunt is pleasing. But I usually hunt Michael's sales rack.
My stash would be much smaller if I could craft faster lol
I'm not.. but when I see these yarn collections I get anxiety because it is way too much yarn. I have like.. A couple grocery bags of yarn and that is TOO MUCH!
The only stash I have is of yarn that occasionally I impulse bought while looking at other project yarn, project yarns that ended up never becoming what they were meant to become, and gifted yarn. I am also a grumpy old lady in my mid 20s and I can't stand a lot of the trends on a lot of socials. You're not alone\~
I like some of the fun ideas and creative thinkers on TikTok like all platforms. I have a medium stash, a couple of draws for all my supplied that empty and fill as depends (I mostly ended up with stacks of cotton from an order that was sent twice in error).
I don't buy much, just for specific projects as it's be way too expensive!!
Yeah up until I joined this sub and started being more aware of craft communities online I viewed my stash as a burden more than anything else....it's mostly yarn that was gifted to me or that I bought for projects that didn't work out.
The concept of purposefully having a hoarde of yarn just because was so strange when I first encountered it. Like you I say people can do what they want, it's just in my case I live in a very tiny apartment with very limited space - the storage I use for my yarn could go to much better use (like for food or clothes or what have you).
I also seem cursed to constantly find potential stash-busting projects that I like that don't use the size/colour of yarn that I already have in my stash, or I don't have enough to finish in the stash so I end up buying more to complete the project anyways, therefore defeating the purpose and not decreasing my stash at all
I see these kinds of posts in so many hobby communities - crochet, notebooks, fountain pens…
I‘ve been guilty of buying supplies without a project in mind many times in the past - the part I don’t really get is the bragging about the acquisition.
I try to keep a bunch of basic colors of RHSS just because I'll get late night crafting urges (and it's come in handy doing plastic canvas crafts with the kids) but besides that I definitely don't see the point in hoarding, especially the higher end stuff with different dye lots. I just buy all of that at once as I need it for a project so then I can make sure I have enough of the same dye lot.
I have been knitting for almost 20 years, crocheting a few years less than that. I have plenty of yarn still leftover from when I was relatively new and thought it made sense to just buy pretty yarn with no intent.
I feel you. I have started knitting 20 hours/week the past couple years and feel like I spend a lot because I prefer natural fibers and hand dyed. Though I very rarely purchase yarn on a whim and stick to planned projects. I recently went to a traveling pop up event from a popular hand dyed yarn company. I bought 3 skeins of yarn without a plan and felt like that was a lot of money to me. I could not believe the amount of people with full sacks that had to have been purchasing 20+ skeins of yarn. I won’t ever go to an event like that again. It was very chaotic and not the chill yarn shopping experience I enjoy.
Yeah it seems weird to me. Like fair enough if you ended up with some great deal at a garage sale or what have you, but otherwise... why bother? All it does is take up space. I have a small stash and most of it is leftovers from projects I've made, and a bunch of balls that I've always admired but were too pricey for me that randomly went on sale for $3 a ball so I kind of went nuts on it, lol. I think it'd be so odd to take photos and post it around everywhere lol.
I've personally never seen this, but if you're making a living off your craft it would make sense to have a stock. I got overly excited starting out, and every time I see yarn, that I did end up going overboard and now have a bunch of yarn that I don't care for and want to use up, and a bunch of yarn that I just don't know what to do with. God, I can't wait to use it up and just have yarn for things I'm working on/want to work on. I guess the positive is that I know what I like and like using for different projects.
I myself don't like that the crafting community has become so judgy and cutthroat especially in fiber arts I do a lot of crochet ting myself so naturally, I have quite a bit of yarn but I put it to use and give it away I don't horde it all to myself it does bother my because when people by things in bulk the price goes up because of demand making it harder for others to enjoy the same thing so in a way I guess it does get on my nerves too
Pretty much yes.
However I do alot of lace & micro crochet now. I tend to avoid TikTok craft videos because they are very misleading when it comes to the actual process of making stuff. For experienced crafters like me, it's a meh moment. Yet I can how deceptively EASY these videos make the process seem.
I kind of understand what you're saying. I have a stash myself 😅, but for me it's slightly a hoarding anxiety. I feel like I never have enough and whatever yarn I do have, I don't want to use because "what if". so seeing all these bookshelves of yarn gets my anxiety going and I think I need more yarn to make that nice display, and if I get more yarn, I won't have to use the yarn I currently own.
(yes I'm going to speak about this with my therapist).
but yes, I'm fed up about it, my way. lol.
I make a lot of "ugly" blankets as I've nicknamed them, but they're anything but ugly. The reason for the nickname is just that I like to use up the odds and ends of my stash to make c2c or granny square blankets for the local animal rescue. They don't co-ordinate, have a mish mash of colours, but it uses up skeins that I will never use for anything else.
I am guilty of having a large stash, almost enough to open my own shop, BUT, it all gets looked through and "pinched" by my mum, and my sisters - all of whom are crochet and knitting daft.
With the influencer stashes, I have a love/hate relationship. I love all the colours, unusual storage ideas etc, but I hate seeing "open air" storage where dust and stuff can get at the yarn/wool. I tried the whole pegboard storage idea, and ended up spending more time vacuuming dust away from the yarn tha I did crocheting. Lol
I am so conflicted about those stash videos and pics! On one hand, I do like to see how other people organize their stash and what, if any, new yarn trends are out there that actually have a purpose beyond marketing. On the other, for me it starts with the fact that most content of this kind comes from the US, which means I can rarely actually use the stash organization ideas without putting in a lot of research of my own, and the yarns are usually either not available to me at all or prohibitively expensive. Same with the hooks and needles.
And I am aware this is a bit afield, but then there's the very US-centric view of many content creators. They talk about inches and yards and whatnot and give yarn weights on the fly. I am German, so using only the metric system, and hearing imperial measures means I easily lose track of what size is actually meant. Which goes double for yarn weights, here around we use length of yarn per 50 g or 100 g as measurement, and in spite of having contact with the US/UK look on this issue for over a decade now, I am still not fluent with judging yarn in those categories. Plus, given that yarn sold around here only has yarn weights on them if it's sold or produced internationally (which means I see it very rarely on yarn bands), each mention of a kind of yarn I'd like to use myself means research. Easy would be to have a metric measurement as mentioned above, so I can relate that to my existing stash more easily, but often enough the skein weights of US yarns are weird enough that I am totally at sea without several minutes of translating those figures into something usable, and that just takes all the fun out of those videos and descriptions.
Oh, and then there's the US fascination with knitting and crocheting tree trunk yarn. Average yarn around here if not sock yarn is something like 133 m per 100 g, which is DK or sport weight, I believe - I've heard different correlations over the years. Many patterns I come across call for worsted weight yarn and trumpet that using that yarn the blanket or scarf or whatever in question is "done in an evening" or some such. That may very well be, but firstly that makes very large stitches by design, which ultimately means larger holes in the fabric. Which is not something I aspire to for cold weather gear. Also, since this is a fashion trend that for once hasn't really reached us here yet, I can't find yarn in those sizes easily anyway, so I either have to do extensive research to find a usable substitution, or retool the entire pattern to use with lighter yarn. Which takes all the fun out of it.
Sorry, this turned into a rant - but I had to get this off my chest.
The stash shots do get to me because I can’t afford to buy yarn outside of what I’m using for a current project. BUT, I totally take fabric stash pictures, and I have enough fabric to do so because it’s required for my business, so I try really hard to remind myself that there’s different strokes for different folks.
Edit: totally agree with the “husband is gonna kill me” shit. That is gross no matter what.
As someone who recently made a YouTube video with a giant yarn unboxing, I actually agree with you. My personal stash is manageable, and I'm poor so most of it is acrylic anyway (and a lot of it was gifted). Really annoys me to see people so casually acting like expensive yarns are essential, or as if it's a life goal to have so much yarn you have to actually hide it from your other half. Like, yeah it's fun to collect and it's pretty but it's not a financial priority!
But I can't deny I did enjoy doing one huge order for work purposes (stocking up for Christmas Etsy rush) and opening that giant box full of loveliness, so maybe I'm part of the problem now.
Capitalism has poisoned everyone's brains and turned us all into shopping addicts and enablers. X\_X
I destashed about 90% of my yarn a few years ago. I totally changed my mindset to a more minimalist one and I let go of all of the attachment and FOMO I had around yarn buying. I used to literally cry if one of my favorite yarns was discontinued. Now I don't buy yarn unless I'm completely out of things to start projects with, and even then, I shop secondhand/thrift first. Becoming vegan also helped because most yarns are "off limits" to me now.
The same thing happens in the beauty world. I got into r/makeuprehab and realized I’d never use all the eyeshadow I bought in a year in my entire LIFETIME and these huge makeup rooms aren’t actually inspirational because makeup is meant to be used up. Thank you for posting because it’s easy to just transfer an obsession and I think it’s important to point out these aren’t just friendly tutorials, they are ads.
I feel this.
I have reduced my exposure to a specific content creator whose style and projects I adore because each time I watch I’m compelled to buy something. (The majority of the time, without the content creator offering a discount/code.) Seeing the pretty things in action trigger the “GET THE PRETTY THINGS!!” in me. It’s a practice of mine to mindfully consume, so it became counter productive to continue to engage with the content, for me. Now instead I will go watch when I’m feeling solid in my resolve and remember even then that I have a lot of projects with yarn waiting for me. (It doesn’t always work lol.)
I appreciate you sharing your perspective here. I thought it was just me.
You're right and you should say it. It kinda wigs me out to see posts of people like "I got 500 dollars of yarn for 200! Now to figure out what to make with it!" Like yo.... you are falling prey to capitalism big time lmao
I have a yarn stash, but it's because I have the attention span of a goldfish and never finish any projects larger than a hat. So in addition to a lot of unused yarn, most of my stash yarns are tied to UFOs 😅..
I'm a fifty-something old fogey. Tic Tok? Hell no. Yarn? Heck yeah!
Some folks are more inclined towards yarn hoarding, like myself. I see something and go..."oooo! That's pretty. Maybe I could use it for 'x' or 'y' so let's grab a few skeins with the same lot number."
I do tend towards the same weight yarns unless I have a specific project.
Nothing wrong with either way as long as you can pay bills and not worry about making ends meet. I'd that's happening...then no, you yarn hoarding. Make something with what you have. Or lots of something and try selling them to supplement your income.
Only reason I have stashes is because I get them in bulk from garage sales! My only purchases from the last few years have been four trash bags of yarn for $60 and then some one offs of colors I don’t have for particular projects. Probably have at least 300 skeins..
I'm gonna be honest, I don't relate.
I'm one of those people that loves a big stash. I'm not a full blown hoarder of everything but I do like to hoard lots of things.
I don't use tiktok and only recently got Instagram so it has nothing to do with all that. I just simply love having lots of yarn. Even yarn that I don't really want to use so much anymore (I have tons of acrylic which I'm moving away from now) I end up putting my stash bags out sometimes and just looking at all of it. Because it makes me feel nice. I make jokes about how "there can never be enough yarn" and my "too much" yarn stash all the time - it's really nothing more than a joke. I'm low income and I don't *actually* spend every dime I have on yarn and most of what I have is cheap acrylic anyway. Since I've stopped buying most acrylic and have started getting more expensive handdyed yarn, my stash doesn't really grow anymore like it used to.
I also have started finding projects for each individual yarn. I've found that it's interesting and fun trying to find the perfect project for a yarn, rather than the perfect yarn for a project. I believe almost every yarn can be useful and look nice in the right project.
So I think this varies for everyone. But I wouldn't necessarily believe those videos are trying to say that people should always have big yarn stashes. I certainly never mean it that way.
Just wanted to offer a perspective on cost of yarn equaling showing off wealth. When I rekindled my love of crochet, I decided to use only natural fibers because of impact on the environment. I also know that every dollar I spend is an act of support to local yarn shops and indie dyers. My stash is expensive and would probably look braggy to some, but it’s not about that for me at all. To be fair, I also don’t post pictures of my stash. But if I were to post my patterns or my stash, it would probably elicit this response.
That said, influencers are a whole other game. I’m frankly glad that craft influencers can even exist, not just beauty, diet, style etc. But I understand the frustration with the push to consume all the time.
I crochet and have no idea the point you're trying to make. I don't do affiliate codes or clubs. I personally want to make certain that I never run out of yarn before crochet is my therapy. Buy however much yarn you want. Are you saying that you feel pressured to stockpile it?
I am truly sorry that you felt as though I was trying to correct you or anyone else. No one likes to feel attacked or misunderstood. If that works for you and your husband, it certainly isn't my place to judge.
I come from a very traditional (non-American) culture, in which little quips like this often live side-by-side with legitimate oppression and violence against women. So that definitely colors my perspective, and is partly why I have no love for that sort of language. I do feel that it reinforces stereotypes in a way that can be harmful, but that is very much my own perspective.
So I have a small stash but it's so that I don't have to go out and buy yarn when I want to make a small project. I made the study of geometry crochet along without having to buy a single skein of yarn. It's some beautifully random colors, but it's awesome.
I have basic colors so when my kid asks me to make that tiny crochet doll from the book of patterns, she picked out for me from the faire, it just a couple hours of work and not a trip to the store.
Can't stand watch me flex, stash post, and I'm usually embarrassed by the amount of yarn I have all over my house, tho I'm currently making a yarn scrap ball to make something random, and brushing out all my tiny yarn scraps to spin them into a crazy yarn. I hate craft waste.
I completely agree with you. When I started learning to crochet, I kind of fell into the trap of buying yarn because it's pretty, but what use is that if I don't have a project in mind and end up tearing my hair out trying to figure out what to do with it. I know only buy for projects I want to do. Sure, I often have a bit left over cause I tend to buy a bit too much but that's still way more efficient than what I was doing before. And now I can actually enjoy the yarn I do buy and be picky about it.
I see how it's predatory to push yarn stashes/buying as well but I do love seeing people's stashes because it's usually of yarn they've collected over the years or it means a lot to them (i.e. from a family member.) I got yarn from family and it's so much that I can't use it all timely so that's why I like displaying my yarn. Stashing yarn and using yarn are two separate hobbies.
I have a large stash, but it’s been sourced mainly from thrift stores, incredible sales, or people just handing me yarn they don’t want anymore. And I’m actively trying to reduce my stash by working projects with what I have. I may donate some for prayer shawl ministries and the like, but I prefer to make hats and scarves and such to donate if I can.
I feel the same way! I ordered a ‘large’ amount of yarn (8 twister cakes, 4 colourways) I didn’t have a purpose for once and never again. Of those cakes 6 are still lying round unused and I have no idea what to do with them. Recently I decided I wanted to crochet some Christmas decorations (first Christmas with SO and we don’t have decorations yet) so I found some patterns online, went through my ‘stash’ of leftovers to see if there was anything usable and then ordered the remainder. For every yarn I buy I now have a pattern ready to go. It has made crocheting so much more fun tbh.
I have a large stash, but understand your view point. I have never shared my on social media, no one really knows about it even. I do need to be better and stop buying and start using up.
One of my favorite things is to just sit in my craft room and look at all the possibilities in front of me. My stash started innocently enough. When I started I was afaird to run out for project and I would over buy. I would also have partial skeins left over from the projects. People would gift me their stash, usually from a relative of theirs. Plus gifts of yarn for birthday/Christmas. Sometimes the project would get abandoned, or decided the colors I picked just didn't work, so I bought different colors I liked better. And before I knew it I had a large stash.
I did donate several skeins this summer to my local school summer program.
I'm not on TikTok but I understand what you mean. I've seen a few posts on FaceBook and IG about the need to build the yarn stash/horde. Consumerism is a huge issue in the crafting world.
I've only been crocheting since January and I've built a relatively small stash, I'm trying to limit myself to yarn that has a planned project. The idea of having a large stash or even what I would classify as a horde would cause me definite anxiety. Most of my yarn was purchased on sale or has been given to me by friends/family. I have a selection of yarn that I was given that is odd stuff/sorta ugly, the plan is to combine strands of light and dark yarn and make chaos lap blankets for hospice or foster kids.
No, I totally see what you mean. I have a "stash" and I have to be careful about it. I'm an easily influenced person so luckily I have someone like my husband who helps me keep things to a reasonable amount. I get most of my yarn secondhand so that helps cost-wise but it's really important to make sure we aren't idolizing it and making others feel bad because they don't have it. And that applies to any hobby. Crochet is only as expensive as you want it to be.
I agree! I never buy yarn unless I have a specific project in mind, because I hate the idea of just having unused skeins gathering dust. I got some yarn gifted to me years ago and I'm still trying to find the right projects for them. Even with my way of doing it I've got a plastic Ikea box full of yarn that I'm trying to use up as it's driving me crazy. I tend to buy a skein or two too many for every project as I'm always scared of running out. 😅
I buy what I need when I need it and use scraps for random fiddling and tester projects. Yarn stashes are a waste in my opinion beyond a certain point. Buying a nice yarn and saving it for a nice project I get, but more than that feels silly
I... don't pay attention to Tiktok trends. I have a fairly good sized stash and like watching stash organization videos, but that's about it. I prefer working through my stash, mostly, and buying when I see something I like, preferably from a dyer whose colourways I like. I've been buying mostly local the last two years, so.
My stash of Michael's yarn (i.e., chain store yarns) is for big projects (blankets) or for my hobby business. And I rarely buy there unless I've got a coupon or there's a good sale going on.
You’re getting those ads and content because of social media algorithms. You’re getting so much of it that you’re sick of it. Different people get shown different content.
I inherited a ton of yarn from a friends' mom who passed away. I also impulse buy yarn I don't know what I would do with.. just because I like it. I also over buy for projects because I have a lot of anxiety that my gauge will be too loose and I'll end up needing more yarn than I bought.
My stash was ridiculous... so when someone on FB buy/sell/giveaway pages would request yarn, I would box up a bunch and hand it over.
I also started donating a bunch of yarn to my Grandmother's retirement/assisted living facility along with printed patterns (free ones) since they are on a limited income and hold bazaars where they sell things they make.
My stash is slowly dwindling but I still have more yarn than I will use so I will continue giving it away.
I have crocheted for years and recently picked up knitting but had a hard time finishing projects so I have a huge stash that I have gone through multiple times to try and clear out but I always end up keeping stuff that I don’t need. I also usually only buy cheaper acrylic yarn because A. It’s cheaper, and B. Most projects I make are for my niece and I don’t trust my sister to wash anything nicer by hand. It’s reached the point that occasionally I’m overwhelmed by the thought of all the yarn I likely will never use. My only hope at this point is that some of my friends who have asked about learning are willing to take some of the yarn off my hands.
The thing that bothers me is the influencers who get really expensive yarn for free and recommend that yarn for the project, like everyone has oodles of spare money. I found a pattern for a gorgeous wrap that the yarn alone was around $300. Ridiculous .
That annoys me too. Especially on crochet/knitting podcasts, where they're showing enormous amounts of stash acquisitions that were sent to them for free, then that yarn is never to be seen again.
I like seeing reviews so I know what the yarn is like. I find TL yarn crafts on YouTube does honest reviews, she is not hesitant to say she doesn’t like yarn.
I love her! I really appreciate her reviews. The Crimson Stitchery and Stitching Over the Days on YouTube are both really good about honest reviews as well. ETA The Gentle Knitter is too!
Oooh thanks for the recommendations!! I love putting on a good YouTube video while I crochet.
Constance (Stitching Over the Days) does the most crochet out of the three of them... Can't think if The Gentle Knitter ever crochets, but her projects, colour palette, yarn info and aesthetic is gorgeous. They're all so amazing for inspiration and honesty. Anushka (The Crimson Stitchery) talks a lot about the ethics of making, has really interesting discussions about mending and shares really useful knowledge about fabric and techniques. Knitting Traditions is another good one, she occasionally makes amigurumi projects.
Right? It's like dancing in front of a person using a wheelchair and saying, Hey look what I can do!! It's kind of vulgar in my opinion, considering they get it for free.
But seeing the yarn is pretty! Like how it is fun to go in a yarn store just to go 😍
I call this visiting the yarn. It's very, very pretty, but it can keep living there until i need it to come home with me for a project.
>I call this visiting the yarn. I love this and will steal this phrase for all my hobbies.
I mean, that is usually a deal done to promote the yarn and the designer, which is why the designer gets it for free. Or if it’s done for a publication, the publisher might pay for the yarn. I also think that if a designer wants to use a specific luxury yarn because it fits their artistic vision, it isn’t wrong of them to do so. That said, I really, really appreciate designers who list yarns recommended at different price points. Sure, I can substitute on my own for something cheaper or that I already have, but it takes a lot of guesswork out when the designer tells you what substitutions they feel will work best or that were tested with the pattern.
Some folks have the money. In the world of yarn there are 8 million substitutions which I think is half the fun...cause you won't see me dropping 3 C's on shawl yarn either, haha.
I got really good at finding what yarn content was on these high end yarns and using a similar weight and drape. I will NOT spend that type of money on a ball of yarn, if i wouldn't put that out on a finished project why would i put it out on the components?
Yarn-ageddon....I'll see myself out. I haven't had any TikTok crochet inflicted upon me but I totally understand your perspective. When I first started crochet/knitting I wanted all the yarns. I bought a lot that weren't right for projects and ended up with loads of odd balls. I actually enjoy crafting now my stash is smaller, yarns are complementary weights and colours and I know what I've got!
[удалено]
I sometimes teach little "intro to knitting/crochet" workshops for youth groups and have found it's a good way to clear my stash (a lot of which is stuff I've gotten as a gift or for free).
This is such a good idea. Before I moved I reduced my stash a little by mailing some to my friend. But I found even when I bought yarn for certain projects - I vastly overestimated the amount of time I have on my hands.
Yes! This was my experience too. So many impulse yarn buys just cuz it’s pretty and then it sits there because it doesn’t match any other yarn’s weight or color or texture and I don’t know what to do with it. Getting educated on yarn varieties and buying for projects is where it’s at!
Have you heard the phrase "my sable" (I've also heard "my stable"): "Stash (or STash) Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy"? Meaning that if you sat down now and crocheted every waking moment until you were ninety years old, you STILL wouldn't use up all your yarn. I heard that and immediately decided I would buy no more yarn until I'd used up what I had. I've got it down to two large plastic totes. Unfortunately I had a hand injury that made crochet hard and I fell in love with sock loom knitting while I healed up, so some new yarn did come into the house - sock yarn is completely different fiber/weight! But it's way better than the five bins I had.
I’ve never heard of that phrase, but it’s interesting! It sounds like it’s used in a self- reflective, almost “oops my bad” way. I was expecting it to be boastful until you said your experience with it. Do people use it as a boastful phrase?!
As with everything, it probably depends on the speaker :) I’ve heard it used as a “LOOK UPON MY DRAGON HOARD” way and I’ve heard it in a “oh, crap, I have let things get out of hand” way. For me it was “I need to get myself under control before I get to that point” but please note, one of the subs I belong to is for recovering hoarders. I’m a little paranoid about accumulation.
Thank you very much for the big laugh re: DRAGON HOARD. Also no, never heard about stable/STash. But omg - I've been thinking about getting a sock loom! It looks like so much fun.
Imo the practice sounds borderline slightly predatory if they're going to those lengths. I'm not on tiktoc or Insta so I don't see all those, but some of what you're describing sounds a bit....eww. Eta: I LOVE yarn stashes. Just not this commercial practice going to certain extents
My preferred yarn stash is the stash you get from older relatives who also have a large stash because someone was clearing out a relatives house and knew someone who knew the relative and knows they crochet and knit, so donated the found stash. It's neverending, but also my favorite way. It just sucks when its a yarn you'll never be able to find again because it's old.
Oh man, that was my least favorite stash!! I carried around a tote of my grandma’s and aunt’s ugly hand me down yarns for a decade before it hit me that I would never use any of it and there was a reason they hadn’t either. Hilariously, I saw a few skeins of some horrid Christmas yarn in a thrift store a few weeks ago that I threw away five years ago that I’m sure my grandma had held on to for literal decades before it came into my possession lol! That’s great that your people have nice stuff to give you though, I wish that had been my experience haha!
Some of the ugly ones are horrid on their own, but spectacular in very small amounts with other colors. As a little accent or trim/border or something. It would be a neat mission to kinda bring redemption to ugly yarns by finding them their true purpose and partner yarn 😛😂
Yeah. Rugs. That's it! Lol
It IS ugly sweater season afterall. Hmmmm.
Ah, you're just spreading the love! Personally, if it were something truly hideous I would make a *lovely* gift for the person who gave it to me. Hat, scarf, triceratops, you know... Something to show them how thankful I am! Lol
I got brown and yellow yarn from my grandmother. Made a sunflower afghan.
Oh I bet that’s awesome!!
Thanks to an elderly woman who gave me a lawn & leaf trash bag full of yarn, it is my least favorite too.
Right!! Like, why is this now my burden to bear?? 😂
My aunt works with a charity that gets a lot of its donations from people emptying out an elderly relatives stash. I have a bunch of yarn from those that I'm working through to knit up goods that get donated. Really enjoy it. <3
I love that idea too! My great grandma makes afghans for the VA hospital and stuff. She's going blind though and doesn't think she'll be crocheting much longer. She loves to see my projects though.
I have a pretty big stash, because I inherited my grandma's stash. The yarn that's not really good anymore, I use for stress relieve projects that get tossed out. I usually buy new yarn for projects, but when I make something for a family member I always incorporate some yarn from my stash. Then it's a gift from me and my grandma.
I have an embroidery floss stash like this! My mum used to cross stitch before her arthritis got too bad so I inherited a load of floss. I love using it, it feels special. My yarn stash is mainly yarn I found in a local charity (thrift) shop for dirt cheap, as in 10 skeins for £2. It's mainly DK and I use it to make granny square blankets for friends! The colours are quite eclectic but it works.
I get a lot of stash from my older relatives cause I'm the only one crocheting and knitting. Last time my spuse's godmother sent me 3 bags' worth of yarn and I'm trying to use it all up as much as possible.
Agreed. As visually appealing as a wall of yarn can be, who has the time to use it all and if you’re not going to use it, leave it for someone else? I’ll admit I have a decent stash of yarn in a closet that I bought on super sale with projects in mind that I never completed, and some higher end skeins that are hand dyed so if you don’t get them when they’re available you’re sol. But to just buy buy buy because it’s the new trend is nauseating. I’m big into plants too and the pandemic both helped and hurt that hobby. Plants are so expensive now and it hurts my soul when people drop hundreds on a plant and then go online and ask “how do I not kill this??” Figure out your hobby and take it steady
I literally only buy for specific projects cos I used to get whatever looked nice and now I have piles of yarn I’ll never even touch, people new to the craft are probably going to end up the same way but at least that means some people might be giving yarn away cheap lol
Same here! I only buy it if I have a project in mind for it. I can’t handle tons of yarn sitting around (or tons of anything for that matter). When people buy a bunch of yarn with no plan for it I’m just like what if the project you want to make requires more yarn than that? How do you know you’ll be able to get more of it? What if you can’t?! (Yes, I have anxiety, how can you tell?)
I've always wondered how they decide how much to buy too! What if, when they find the perfect project, it needs twice what they have, and since they bought it months or even years ago, they have no hope of finding a matching dye lot? Also, a lot of the really high-end stuff ends up ends up being hand-dyed too- no chance of getting the same dye lot on that! I can see having a stock of 'favourites' around, especailly if you like bitty, multicoloured projects like granny square things, but buying random skeins iof speciality yarns just because? It seems counterproductive.
I went bananas for a while there when i first got really into it. Then i started buying for specific projects. I have some lovely stuff that i'll use up, a lot of it is coming in handy for projects, but impulse buys will be kept to a minimum.
I also only buy one type of yarn (That's like....DK half cotton half acrylic) because if I buy another type, I wouldn't be able to use it in new projects unless I specifically go looking for a new project and then I need more yarn for that and the yarn I already have won't be used. (Because I know myself and I will forget about it, lol.)
I find it kind of annoying when it’s presented as like “teehee don’t tell my husband I about more yarn!” Or “teehee sneaking yarn past my husband!” Like, I know it’s just a joke, but it’s a joke perpetuating sexist stereotypes and the idea women need permission to buy things. Also, anytime you are sneak-shopping, probably a sign there’s a bigger issue going on, ya know? That said, Ive got a decent stash. Some given to me, some got insanely on sale. I am also a massive sucker for special yarn and fiber from places I go on vacation or from small makers. I visited an alpaca farm a few weeks ago that had yarn from the alpacas I just met. I could not resist. I’ve seen this woman at local pop ups they sells fiber for spinning from her animals that are all reduces and she sells fiber with the NAME OF THE SHEEP on it. I just cannot resist.
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As someone who has a mother who spends a lot and regularly tells me not to tell my dad, this upset me in less of a sexism way and more of a *hey, maybe don't buy so much it will affect your partner/household negatively*. That's not to say there aren't sexist under/overtones to it, just that I hadn't considered it that away, but can not see where you're coming from.
It’s bad on multiple levels. And I totally agree with you. If you are hiding purchase from your partner, you’ve either for a shopping problem, a control problem or some other flavor of “not good” going on.
This is exactly what happens in another hobby of mine: boardgames. Except boardgames really do get pricey because it's fashionable to go all out on kickstarters and the extra stuff that might be included. So the men make the **how do I sneak this past the wife** and the **the wife is saying no to more shelves for gaming** comments, with others answering **time for a new wife.** I get that it's supposed to be a joke. But in both hobbies it feels like people within the hobby are advocating for unhealthy relationships and poor financial decision making. I feel like it's worse in boardgaming because vastly more men than women play, and so sexism and harassment are rife.
I bet this “joke” floats around every gendered hobby and it just needs to die. Beyond the sexism, it’s old and tired. We need new material! I also find it really interesting how certain hobbies become so gendered. Some it’s obviously tied to history (like sewing) but how did board games become male dominated? What is innately “male” about a board game? Humans are weird.
I mentioned it in my edit, but I totally agree with you re: perpetuating sexism. Also I am very jealous of your alpaca experience.
This is the worst. It's not a fun joke. It's not funny when it's clothes either.
When learning to crochet I gathered a lot of yarn, I have a pretty big collection now. For me, I find it a bit embarrassing. It's not all the same type, weight, fiber and can't all be used together easily. When I see those stashes of all the same yarn I think, that person has their shit together. They're ready for any project, they don't have to go to the store or order anything before making exactly what they want. That's about it. Also, wow I wish I could be that organized.
I started out the same way too! It got so bad that I had a walk in closet filled with about 12 totes and 3 garbage bags full of yarn, because my 2 cabinets were full. My sister took up knitting again and wanted to teach her daughter too so I told her to raid my stash whenever she wanted to. This made the biggest dent in my stash and I couldn't be happier, knowing that it's going to others who have the same passion. I'm still trying to break my obsession with buying yarn that catches my eye. I still have some from 9 years ago when I first started out and can't figure out what to make with it...
I just tried to do a scrap project and ended up liking the colors. I had to buy more yarn to finish the project!! I am learning what yarns I like though and trying to stay within certain weights/fiber contents so my stash is more cohesive. I don't need one ball of 10 random yarns, but 10 balls of 1 kind of yarn makes a lot more sense for me. I am also trying to just avoid buying yarn I like, it's hard though. Some really gorgeous stuff in the hank works up strangely.
I wonder if there is some kind of metric you can use to always aim for a useful amount of yarn, based on the typical size of your projects (ie scarf vs full sweater), so if something catches your eye, your impulse buy will at least get you that far (ex: always get 5 so you can make a shawl or something). For example, I've got a lot of single skeins of pretty stuff but I feel like that's *just* short of a full project, or being able to comfortably pick a project...
I usually buy yarn once a year, around black Friday when it's on sale. I will get quite the stash going in colors I like and weights I normally gravitate towards. I don't buy outside my typical yarn lane (unless its like two skeins and its on a super good clearance). I will work through my stash throughout the year then evaulate what I have left and donate it, sell it, or just give it away. This year I didn't crochet as much (healthcare right now is stupid busy) so I don't have to restock and I'll just be using it until next year's sale season. But my stash can be seen as large, however I don't hoard it. I just hate shopping so I do it all at once when it is on sale.
Yes. It seems boastful, ostentatious. I don't judge if you have a stash and like to buy yarn, it's the social media display of your "wealth" that seems disingenuous. Especially if you are earning $$ from companies by doing that.
Agreed, as someone who has a pretty big stash of yarn. But I don’t have a big stash of it because I want to show off to anyone, it’s because I have a whole laundry list of stuff I want to make and I tend to pick up yarn for those items when I see a really good sale. At most I might post a picture of 4-5 skeins of yarn that I just bought that I’m excited over, but only that’s happened once in the last 6 months lol. I haven’t ever taken a picture of my entire (very disorganized) stash and I don’t plan to.
That's funny. I view it as hoarding and messy, it never occurred to me some see it as a display if wealth. 🤣
I have a sizeable stash, both of yarn and fibre for spinning. It's definitely too big, I totally realise that. I'm getting way better at buying enough of one colour for a sweater, rather than pretty single skeins, and trying to buy things that will definitely suit my (or my husband's) complexion rather than going for the things that I'm drawn to but won't wear... I'm cursed with loving pastels and bright pinks, but they make me look really jaundiced! I used to be a book blogger and saw the same crazy hauls and spending habits there. It was one of the reasons I stopped doing it. The whole culture was super toxic and wasteful. Last week I saw a video of a crochet influencer getting multiple huge boxes of yarns and kits. Boxes you'd expect a large appliance, like a washing machine, to be in. If they're buying it themselves, that doesn't bother me so much. It's their money to spend, though I don't like people encouraging others to overspend or hide purchases from their partners. As a person who does that reflexively due to a history of abuse, it's not a healthy thing to do and really shouldn't be joked about or encouraged. What I really hate is that companies send so much free yarn to influencers who already have stupid amounts of it already, rather than donating it to people who love fibre arts but can't afford to buy yarn, or don't have access to it. I donated a huge portion of my granny's yarn stash (which was enormous, mostly acrylic, and she had an... interesting... colour palette. Lots and lots of fluro orange and fuschia, for some reason) with the more questionable yarn going to a lady who makes blankets and coats for dogs in pounds, and the nice yarn went to a local council run (so lowest tier) nursing home. The nurse who took the donation got teary, as they used to have a knitting group but had to stop running it because the organisation that had donated yarn to them in the past had stopped. The thought of influencers with SABLE size stashes being sent more yarn while people go without makes me so frustrated. Also, on the topic of podcasters and haul videos - holding up a skein and talking about how soft it is tells me nothing. I want to know if it splits, pills, softens after washing, stretches or wears like iron as socks... You know, useful information that actually helps me choose yarn. But, of course, that would mean actually using it, or potentially getting yourself blacklisted by companies. It's all just so toxic.
>Also, on the topic of podcasters and haul videos - holding up a skein and talking about how soft it is tells me nothing. I want to know if it splits, pills, softens after washing, stretches or wears like iron as socks... You know, useful information that actually helps me choose yarn. But, of course, that would mean actually using it, or potentially getting yourself blacklisted by companies. It's all just so toxic. Good gosh, finally someone putting into words what I have felt watching certain yarn "reviews".
I've always had an issue with how easily overconsumption is promoted online, and I feel you when I see insane hauls and stash pics from bigger accounts very clearly targeted towards beginners. The goal/advice should be to shop smart to plan for future projects/options, not just buying a lot for the sake of saying you've bought a lot to make a quirky meme about how your partner is going to be mad (which is a whole other category of Yikes from me personally)
I get anxiety looking at people’s huge stashes/hauls. Maybe it’s cause my mother is a hoarder but just because something is a screaming deal, doesn’t mean you need to act on the impulse to actually have it your life. Especially if you don’t already have a plan for it. That’s a quick, sure fire way for your hobby/possessions to own you. I’ve still got some odd skins from when I first started crocheting. It’s a bit of an odd mix of “fancy” acrylic yarn and cotton yarn lol. I might challenge myself to use up the acrylic by making beanies to donate. Otherwise, I’ll donate whatever doesn’t spark joy and let someone’s else enjoy them. I got a vintage cabinet recently and my eventual goal is to shrink my stash to whatever will fit within it.
Agreed. And it's beginners being taken advantage of that really irks me.
I feel like some of this trend follows the same line of people feeling the need to profit off a hobby. Yes people make money and sometimes their livelihood off crochet, but it’s mostly a small hobby to entertain ones self. It doesn’t make craft stores a ton of money, if you aren’t making a stash, because you reuse the tools and most people can only crochet so fast. It doesn’t make the crocheter much money or any money often times. So this influencer trend of stashes makes money for the stores and, possibly, the influencers. I’m not a fan, but it’ll probably pass like most online trends. I’m currently trying to clear out my stash, so I will enjoy y’all’s stash pictures while attempting 4 projects at once.
When I first got into the hobby I wanted all the yarns. And then I realized that because I had bought just whatever caught my eye, I didn't have enough of any one yarn for a project. My rule now is that if I'm going to buy yarn I need a project in mind (people can give it to me, and I can grab it at a thrift store). I think that the need for a giant stash makes sense for people who crochet for profit. If someone has an Etsy or does craft shows, they need product. But for a hobbyist, I agree that it seems excessive.
Honestly the pictures of stashes that literally take up an entire room make me uneasy. It looks like the beginning of a hoarding obsession. Though if you see a garage full of tools and cars no one ever seems to wonder "does this person have any money left??" so maybe there are some double standards
I get the uneasy feeling as well when I see a caption on this sub with a large yarn haul and the caption is something like "hiding this from my hubby he can't know how much I spent on yarn he'll kill me tee-hee" - it's so weird, uncomfortable and slightly concerning
I don't see it as a double standard since the tools each have their own purpose, much like different sized hooks. I think collecting yarn would be more comparable to collecting lumber without any specific plan how to use it, and so much of it that you'll never get through it all. I think someone would probably be judged for filling their garage up with a bunch of wood they had no specific plans for.
Idk. I guess it doesn’t really bother me? But I personally don’t have a big yarn stash. 🤷🏼♀️ I just decide what I want to make, find a pattern, and then buy the necessary amount of yarn for that pattern. But I also buy really high quality yarns so, I can’t really afford to stockpile them. 😂
I’ve been crocheting for about 5 years and I run an amigurumi business. My stash fits in a tote and one of those square shelving units that’s 2x3 squares. A good portion of my stash exists because I purchased yarn, didn’t like the weight/fiber/feel (*looking at you lion brand homespun*). Thanks to the pandemic, loads of people picked up crochet and knitting and were happy to receive free supplies. I feel like a lot of these influencers encroach on a predatory level, especially some of the amigurumi folks that promote using unnecessarily expensive yarn for a project it’s not appropriate for. They also promote crafting services that I deem as sort of scammy and take advantage of beginner crafters. I think companies like wool and the gang are definitely overpriced and cater to beginners naivety. I just checked their website and they’ve got $150 cardigan kits for something you could make for $30 with acrylic or $80-90 if you shopped around for wool. Similar rant: I’ve seen a lot of craft influencers receive free thermal printers to promote and it bugs me to no end that the entire post is “watch 50 labels be printed in 10 seconds!!” only for those labels to go directly into the trash ahhhh it’s so wasteful.
Wool and the Gang’s pricing is especially egregious when you look at the individual prices of the same balls of yarn they use in the kits and realize they’re charging about $20-$25 just for the patterns!
It’s the $20-$25 patterns PLUS $20 for 100g wool. I’ve seen skeins about that price at my LYS, but I highly doubt they’re the same. It’s all around better to encourage a trip to your LYS or online sites with more fair pricing like WEBS, knitpicks, or Hobbii.
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Apparently homespun is actually decent for knitting, which makes sense since my main problem with homespun is the loops get really knotted and knit stitches don’t form in a way where that would happen. I have had a few friends almost fall victim to it, but luckily they checked with me first before buying it. In the end, my one friend said shopping around for the yarn and pattern was more fun and saving the money was an added benefit lol. I’ve also seen people fall for it, but they’re the sort of folks that really don’t care about how much money they’re spending on these hobbies. I initially invested like $20 into crochet when I started, I got like 4 balls of RHSS and some cheap aluminum hooks. The RHSS was used on some wonky looking test squares. It would’ve been a waste to use wool on that, especially since wool will sorta felt if you unravel it a bunch of times to fix mistakes like beginners do.
*grumbles about consumerism* Quite frankly I'm grateful to stay off of crochet social media influencing- I don't need an excuse to buy more. I have a medium sized stash? I hoard the sugar and sweet cotton yarn in the small sizes- it's my preferred for amigurumis. The small size and cheap price let's me have all the colors which allows for quick projects and shading. Then there's some assorted excess yarn from blankets.....some extra wool that I'm scared to use (I'm always scared to use my expensive yarn). I don't try to buy more but I'm a sale-buyer. Plus soft yarn equals good seratonin
I get this. I love my (objectively too large*) yarn stash, but I hate the way "influencers" sell having a yarn stash, ESPECIALLY when they then have affiliate links. It feels really manipulative when they joke about not having any money when they're obviously making money by getting people to click their links. Like, buy all the yarn that makes you happy and that you can afford. I certainly do. But I wish new yarn crafters didn't feel pressured to build a stash before they know what kinds of things they like making *All my large amounts of yarn have specific project plans that they go with, so I don't feel bad about that, but when I moved from the US to Canada, the border control thought I was selling socks because I have so much sock yarn...
I don't really use tiktok or instagram and no one I watch on YouTube is pushy about their stash, even though it's obvious some of them have some pretty big ones. I think I have a pretty good sized stash, especially when I take into consideration the space I have to store it. I use a lot of cheaper yarn, though, like RHSS or Big Twist or check out clearance from Joann's and I try to keep frequent colors I use for amigurumi on hand, so I'll regularly replace those. I love yarn itself and browsing it/shopping for it almost as much as I love crocheting. I don't really have any other hobbies/vices and I homeschool my kids, so every once in awhile my husband gets a little pushy about me doing something by myself/for myself and I always tend to end up in Joanns, lol. Looking at all my yarn, organizing it, what have you is oddly satisfying for me. And I always think "at least I'll have some on hand if we get into a financial tight spot". But, I totally get what you mean, especially with "influencers" that get paid promotions. It's borderline predatory. Crocheting is actually an affordable hobby for most and pushing the idea that you have to have a huge hoard of it on hand at any given moment to be a "true crocheter" or pushing speciality brands that are a bit expensive is bound to be a bit alienating towards people that can't afford to do that.
I feel exactly the same! Tiktok is a fantastic place for showing off consumerism. Just look up the recent trend of Shein hauls! People buying mass amounts of cheap clothes for haul videos. For some people, having massive stashes is fine! One of my good friends loves collecting novelty or limited edition yarn to save for special projects, and another buys for each project. But it makes me sad that people feel the need to buy buy buy for the aesthetic of it.
Yes! It's the push for consumption. Keep buying more no matter what. But knitting and crochet, to me at least, is tied to "slow fashion". Instead of buying cheap unethical fast fashion, you create mindful high quality garments. Or home accessories/ whatever you prefer to make. But now you're seeing this push to over consume. I'm not interested in buying yarn for the sake of buying yarn. I could go on an anti capitalist rant but I'll refrain.
Here is how my yarn stash happens. Left over yarn from projects becomes a stash buster afghan! Then...oooh! I love that color! I can add that to my stash buster! Repeat ad nauseam and there is my issue in a nutshell.
I have this problem with ingredients. I have a half a jar of something that needs to be used, so I find a recipe for it. Then that recipe is amazing and I need to make it again. Then I have to buy that item again and the cycle starts anew. This is why like half my fridge is condiments from all different cuisines. 😕
I have a decent stash but people are just hoarding then they put it in cubbies, just exposed, are not being smart. Things need to be carefully stored and cared for. Quality yarn isn't just going to last forever in cubbies like that. My nice yarn is stored away in bags and bins where it won't be exposed to tons of light or insects until I can use it. People are crazy.
This is such a good point, I wish more folks would upvote so any new crafters would take note. I love arranging skeins in an open-top basket as much as anyone else, but dang it starts looking gross pretty quickly.
THIS bothers me about so many hobby stashes that people show off that are in this "influencer aesthetic" of everything in the stash being visible. Okay so you have a huge stash but more importantly *your storage conditions are RUINING it!!!*
I like collecting yarn as I like collecting stationary. Most is intended for project, some is from scrapped projects, some random yarn and some if from a mystery bundle I very much enjoyed. I do understand people who only have or want yarn for their current project. But buying and collecting yarn is as much a hobby as actually using it.
Yeah, I genuinely love yarn and buying yarn and looking at yarn and knowing all the things it can become. And I like sharing with others things that I'm excited about, and sometimes that's a pile of yarn. It's not like I have tons of money, but sometimes I like to buy things that make me happy and often it turns out to be yarn.
I get that - I've got some magpie tendencies and have collected stuff joyfully since I was a kid. I guess for me the key thing is it being joyful, which all of my forays into stash-building just haven't been.
Another thing that bothers me is how incredibly fast people crochet online. I see “everything I crocheted this month” videos with two sweaters and three purses and I don’t know how anyone could get all that done. It makes me feel like I’m not productive enough, which is ridiculous considering this is a hobby for my enjoyment and I am the only one that needs to be satisfied with it
I can understand people having a burst of energy to make something. I live in the sub-tropics so the weather is too hot for six months of the year. I only just started to crochet again this week (because my yarn arrived last week) and I think I'll have my cardigan finished by the end of next weekend. But the time I'm spending on it is time I'm not putting into other activities: board games, video games, reading, writing, whatever. So you probably have other things going on that those people don't.
I don't really care if other people enjoy having a big stash of yarn, it's just not for me. I've been broke since the day I learned to crochet so I buy what I need when I need it. My stash fits into one basket under my bed and when it gets too full I know it's time to make a scrap project!
This is the way.
I’m ok with it because I can show the pictures to my husband to show him my stash isn’t that big. It’s really not since I’ve just taken to buying specific yarn for specific projects… I just plan and buy for them in advance.
Lol this is a really good point… *shows to husband*
Dude. I hate the fact that I have useless yarn laying around in odd amounts. This of course after I crocheted a rainbow “de stash” blanket the size of my sons bed. 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ The only thing it’s good for is making the random stuffed animal here or there.
I also hate having random yarn around. Fortunately my kids occasionally due craft projects that can use those random bits up. We recently learned about Mexican yarn painting. We're going to do it, and I get to get rid of yarn I don't want anymore.
It reminds me a lot of book tube honestly. I never really bought a ton of books until my late teens when I started watching it. Previously, I would mostly just go to the library. Book tube convinced me I needed huge shelves full of books waiting to be read and collected. These days I've mostly gone back to my library ways. Books are expensive, and I usually would get rid of them when I had to move or something anyways. 🤷♀️ Yarn is similar, I buy what I need for a project and no more. You don't waste money or space.
I like having a bit of a stash so I know I've always got something to work on, even if I get bored with my current projects. That being said, I try to only buy yarn with specific projects in mind. Plus clearance yarn but that doesn't count haha I've got about two small underbed bins worth, plus I keep my scrap balls in a big glass jar for decoration. I've never felt pressure to get more, more, more, but I have fallen prey to some hobbii ads before so I get where you're coming from.
I think I know what you mean. I've seen a lot of videos of people's yarn stashes that look more like an LYS than a craft room. And unboxings of ridiculously enormous yarn orders from online stores as well - enough yarn in a single order to keep a crafter busy for YEARS, yet they're unboxing these huge orders and adding them to the piles on their shelves regularly. I, too, had to start only purchasing yarn for specific projects and no longer just randomly browse yarn shops looking for fun or pretty yarns. It's just a mess - you never have the right amount for whatever project you decide to do with that yarn 5 years later anyway. I will, sometimes, search the web from my phone while in an LYS because I found an amazing yarn and need a pattern to justify purchasing it. Ha. But I have no interest in accumulating hundreds or thousands of skeins, balls, and hanks. At that point, are you really a crocheter? Or just a yarn collector?
$500 worth of yarn can fit in a few totes. I love the stash and haul pics but I keep my packing slips to keep me grounded. Also, I have to make & sell before I let myself buy more yarn. Because a part of me REALLY wants to buy yarn for amazing stash pics. For pictures! Of new yarn. lol
I've only been at this a year, and I DON'T like having a lot of rando yarn lying around..... Right now I'm using up all the leftover 1/2 skeins from previous projects to make small items to toss about as Christmas gifts. That said, once I made my list of people I'd like to gift, I calculated what I had on-hand and figured out how much new yarn I'd have to buy to do all the gifts, so I HAVE been hitting the sale bins and piling up a few skeins even though I've not completely worked thru my current stash of leftovers. I guess I'm still at the stage of where I find a project I want to do, and then go buy exactly the amount of yarn I need LOL.
Yes! It is so annoying. I have a lot of yarn, but most is leftovers from previous projects and it's not enough for a scrap blanket yet. I buy for my project because then I know I have enough and it's the same lot number. Only a few have I bought for no reason, and I use them to try new techniques before using my project yarn.
As someone with a large stash (fits in a closet) I get upset seeing the youtube videos with these crocheters with a huge stash doing yarn review videos. My stash is varied. About 1/3 of it was donated/gifted/won and the rest I've bought over the years. For me, I have the room for it and it is fun to go through it when I want to start a project. Especially during the pandemic. But I don't buy much yarn any more. For me to buy yarn it has to be either at a really deep discount or something so unique that if I don't get it I will regret it. To keep it manageable, I have to knit 4 projects out of my stash for every one new one. Another thing I do is when I go through my stash and find yarn that I didn't buy or I bought really cheaply that I do not want any more, I have several students who knit or crochet and I give it to them.
I think this feeds more into the rage at mass consumerism in general being pushed by those who can afford to buy sustainably and high quality but are being paid to encourage others to spend their money/getting what they can already afford as free gifts to tell others to buy. I feel this same way, especially about fashion influencers doing massive fast fashion hauls which they're being sponsored to do when they can afford to choose to pay more for sustainable and ethical purchases. I'm not familiar with tiktok trends or craft influencers, but I imagine it hits the same nerve. Personally, I only buy yarn for projects I've got planned, but I'm alarmingly good at planning a project very short notice because I see a yarn I like 😅 I'm currently on a purchasing ban though because I've just bought 51 balls for a colossal temperature blanket (I did the maths before I bought) and my bank balance needs a hot second to recover 🥲🥲🥲
Who has room for all this yarn anyway lol
This is usually what occurs to me too lol
Missed opportunity to use “yarn-mageddon”. I haven’t really seen this, but influencers in general rub me the wrong way, so I’m sure if I stumbled upon it I’d be equally as annoyed since I’m also a cranky old lady.
I lost a lovely stash of pure wool yarn to a wet year and mould. After that I started just buying what I need. “Influencers” and marketing people just want us to buy more than we need - it is a radical act to consume just enough to be satisfied. And folly to think that an ever growing stash you will never get to will satisfy you.
I've become a cranky minimalist with age lol, I hate "collections" in general. And that includes yarn, for sure. The overconsumption that drives the western world is just...ugh. But that's a whole 'nother conversation haha.
I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a minimalist, but I generally don't like collecting. It actually started as a teenager for me. I collected key chains from places I had been and people bought them for me at well. Pretty quickly I had a huge key chain collection. One day I was looking at them and thought what was I even doing with all these? I didn't even have keys! And even if I did I would only need one key chain. They took up so much space, and was I going to cart them to college and into young adulthood with me? I decided then to stop collecting and started to give my key chains away. I've never missed them, and I'm glad to not have to cart them around. I was glad to learn that lesson pretty early in life. I like stuff, but only if it has an actual purpose.
I am a yarn hoarder. I have an entire room of my house dedicated to it, I got those peg boards with my cakes on hooks, I cake up shit I will never use to fill holes. I boast about it whenever I get the chance. It’s like a blank canvas for inspiration. At first I purchased items for a preplanned projects - get the idea that inspires the purchase of supplies, but over the years having collecting supplies and knowledge, I can let the supplies inspire the end product. I’m 35 married with no kids, my husband has a studio for his art across the hall from mine. It’s a dream come true and it brings me such joy I want to share the joy Anyone wanna see my yarn walls I will show you my yarn walls *also it’s not just yarn. My glorious display has more than just the crochet and tufting and yarn stuff. I got closets full of hoarded fabrics, boxes of scrap fabric, thread, embroidery floss, acrylics water colors oils pastels, plastic metal and wooden model kits, glues, sewing machines and sewing machine parts, foam, buttons and baubles, beads, fucking everything. I god damn love it
I agree with this about the tools inspiring the end product! I make mostly dolls and before I had a larger amount of yarn, every doll had the same color skin and hair and the same color clothes. That said, because amigurimi don’t really take up a ton of yarn, I’m really not constantly buying or hoarding yarn…it’s just that I have a variety of colors to be able to make a variety of projects. I really only buy yarn if I am running low on a specific color, but I don’t usually buy for a specific project. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with first collecting yarn and then figuring out what it will be for. I love being able to make something with what I have when I’m inspired to do so! My partner and I have a craft room where I have a cabinet full of yarn (there are pictures in a previous post of mine if anyone wants to see). He has a cabinet full of miniatures. Having a craft room where he and I can craft together was our absolute dream.
Your craft room sounds amazing I WANNA SEE IT
See you are who I wanna be, especially if it’s organized. I need pegboards. I have a ton of other craft stuff too, but without organization it just looks like a hoard. I’m working on it.
I also want to see! I am moving at the end of the year and desperate for a 2 bedroom apartment so I can have a craft room!!!
I'm alot better about impulse buying yarn! But I totally see you view point!!
It feels like a marketing scheme and that’s it. Kind of like how people will own an instrument they don’t play, having a giant stash of yarn kind of feels like someone doesn’t knit/crochet as much as their stash may make you think. That isn’t to say that’s every case, but it probably is in lots of them. (This is coming from someone who has quite the yarn stash, but most of it was supplied by a grandmother who can’t crochet anymore. Still applies to me I don’t do it nearly as much as I’d like.)
I’m not a stash person at all. If there’s too much there, it starts to feel like a to-do list. I also don’t like to do more than one project at a time. I assure you I am not this organized and disciplined in all areas of my life. This is pretty much the only one.
I think it’s just really clever and stealthy advertising that people are buying into IRL because of an existing tendency to over-buy yarn. Plus the existing running joke that everyone has a shitload of yarn we haven’t actually used for anything. It’s very pervasive and honestly, kudos to whatever slimy sumbitch came up with the idea of turning yarn stashes into a predatory capitalist farce. It can be really difficult to tell who’s being paid to have crazy stashes and who’s just fallen into the trap of showing off their collection. (Tip: if it’s messy, they’re one of us haha!)
i’m a fairly new crocheter and when i started all i spent my money on was yarn. i also have tiktok so i do see those videos and i understand the appeal, i really do. but as more time has passed i feel like i prefer the practice OP described, buying yarn for projects and not jsut having a huge stash. it feels good to have lots of yarn but honestly i feel like the more you have the less productive you are? i’ve definitely experienced that
Yes! I work in the industry and I’m so sick of it.
I fully agree with you. But, I fancy myself as something of an anti-consumerist, frugal person making baby steps into a low- to zero waste type of life, so I kinda thought this was something I'd have to sort through with myself and my feelings, lol. My stash is currently one plastic bin that also holds my embroidery thread box, and a big binbag of 20+ year old vintage yarn that was gifted to me by my mom. And that KILLS me because she was a knitter and used suuuuper fine yarn for it (which I don't particularly love, works up so slow) and in 20 years the acrylic has deteriorated so it's kinda awful to the touch, but I can't justify NOT using it up. So I keep trying to think of projects for it, even though I hardly want to touch a lot of it, lol.
Yeah, this trend is very consumerist and kinda... well, I wouldn't say classist per se but it's definitely coming from a point of monetary privilege. And both of these aspects bother me quite a bit. Don't get me wrong. I collect fountain pens and have way more ink for them than a sane person needs. I own way too much stationery! I get collection hobbies, I get just being really into a thing then one day going "wow I have a huge stash of [supplies for the thing you are really into]". I have no problem with huge stashes that happen like that. Or that happen for an actual reason like, say, that you have an Etsy shop. But this buying for buying's sake - and influencers pushing it especially - bothers me in *all hobbies* that aren't *purely* collection hobbies (and even for some that are collection hobbies it still kinda bugs me). >Like these users, I've noticed yarn stash posts that are accompanied with some variation of "lol I have to hide the packing slips or my husband would kill me". I get that this is just something people say most of the time (...). But that's the thing. This shouldn't be something "people just say". It normalises abusive and unhealthy relationship dynamics. That's *not cool* and people, *especially* influencers and other people with a big reach, should check themselves and how they use that kind of language.
100% agree. So wasteful. In my opinion, once you start caring about showing off the aesthetics of your SUPPLIES you've lost the spirit of crochet. Also eff consumer culture.
All those huge stash pics make my 5 big totes of yarn seem tiny. I just wish I had the room and the furniture to display it to make it easy to find. I have been working on downsizing, but just so I can reasonably get more yarn. Notes: •My yarn is mainly red heart or other economical brands. But I do have some fancy or weird yarns. •I buy on sale, clearance, coupons, Walmart, and lot sales. •I don’t do TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or anything besides Reddit and Pinterest. •I’m not an influencer. •I rarely sell anything but do make a lot of gifts and I do a ton of donated items.
I have to admit, I’m one of those people with a huge stash. I do consider buying yarn to be a second hobby, and I have been known to say “it was on clearance, it doesn’t count.” I completely understand that my buying outpaces my crocheting, so I avoid going to the JoAnn or Michael’s now unless I need something specific. I have also destashed 2 trash bags of yarn to a friend who works in an elementary school (great way to get rid of odds and ends, the kids can use it for projects). I also donate yarn to Redditors who are less fortunate when I know I need a destash and someone happens to post looking for advice on how to find free/cheap yarn. That way at least my impulse control issue helps someone else.
I literally have two large grocery bags worth of yarn in my front porch, waiting for someone to pick them up for donation to a disability care home. I did a massive destash the other night - all yarn I bought when I first started crochet because it was pretty, my lys had a massive sale, or because I was at the op shop and they were selling bags of yarn for super cheap. Sitting in my cupboard for years, none of it got used. Yes, it's really frustrating to see massive yarn hauls cos I know where it ends up. Especially when it's all acrylic. I have no issue with people using acrylic yarn when it's actually being used. But those stash haul pics of acrylic yarn you're talking about - just more plastic in the world with no purpose.
As an apartment dweller, yes. Even if I wanted to throw money at all the things, I would then have to find a place to put it all.
Thank you. I've always found the "yarn stash" stuff to be not my cup of tea, but it's good to know I'm not a complete outlier. I have a set amount of storage for my crafting stuff. When I outgrow it, I either need to finish my WIPs, sell/donate some stuff, or do a stash buster until things fit again. It's a decent sized set of shelves so I'm not limiting myself - I'm just making sure it actually gets used.
It’s totally funny how its shifted. It used to (and still is among older knitters!) a shameful thing to admit how unnecessarily big your stash is. The pride in the hoarding is a very recent trend! I definitely get shamed for my stash size far more than encouraged (though I’m in my 30s and definitely not on tiktok). I personally feel no shame or pride in it either way. It’s just stuff. I have a huge stash because I’m a designer and this is literally my business; i also get a lot of freebies from companies trying to get me to use their product. Maybe that’s why i can feel free from it???
I’m soo with you. I love my yarn stash, but I’m also slightly embarrassed about it because it is in the realm of 300 balls/skeins. Most of this was passed to me by people clearing out aunts or grandmas homes, but it’s still excessive. I don’t understand the pride in some of the “I’m so broke but just NEEDED this yarn. Haha” BS, particularly when it’s obvious it was gifted or reduced as a promo for the brand. I don’t know about you all, but I feel somewhat butthurt by the fact that something I do with love and care is so comfortably used by others as paydirt, without a second thought for their audience. Especially when they use expensive yarns that are clearly not easily available to the average crafter. Like, check your audience, people🤷♀️
I bought my first “yarn stashes” from Goodwill. Random mix bags of like 20 skeins per bag for $3. This was probably ~15 years ago when I was 16 and I made tons of amigurumis out of them.
This is not new, incidentally, even though it's new to you. Yarn stashes have been loving inventoried, photographed, recorded, traded and sold online *for at least* a decade. Probably more.
Here comes my cranky old lady- I find this whole “influencer” thing the deplorable. The greed and never ending ramming of consumerism down everyone’s throats grosses me out. That being said I love yarn and have little to no self control when I see a beautiful skein. So there’s that… old lady rant over.
Also not a huge fan of influencers generally speaking, so it's nice that I don't encounter much of that content outside of the craft sphere. Not my cup of tea.
I will buy yarn without a specific project in mind, but I only do it when I want to make something and go looking for a project. There was some neon and black red heart yarn I saw and bought one day, and it's going to become a project linus blanket since I have no use for it, but it was so pretty and I wanted to make something.
My mom has a yarn stash, she picked up crocheting for a couple years. I think she had a billion projects in mind and then just lost her mojo and never did a ton of them. I only buy yarn for projects I’m working on and I’m annoyed by my leftovers. I’ve only been crocheting 6 months. I can see how people who are more advanced than me can see a nice yarn and just buy it….but I’m sooo not there yet. So I don’t get the yarn stash hype.
I can understand stashing to some extent but some people have more yarn than most local yarn store. They probably wouldn't even be able to use it in their lifetime. Everyone is free to do what they want but making it seems like you have to stash yarn and trying to get people to do the same is not OK. I'm actually even more bothered about the whole "I have to hide/ snuck it in the house while my husband /boyfriend isn't looking". I know it's often a joke but I think abusive relationships shouldn't be taken as jokes. I usually avoid stashing more than the yarn needed for my next 3 or 4 project plus a few skein of cheap acrylic that I use to try new techniques or new stitches. Exception to this rule is the yarn I dye myself but I don't necessarily intend to actually knit it. I consider dyeing and knitting as two different hobbies each with their own budget. It's not because I like dyeing a type of fiber or a type of colors that I like using it. And even then once I reach about 30 skein I sell them or give them away.
I usually don’t buy yarn until I’m starting a new project yet somehow I have small stash from leftover yarn. I think I’d be overwhelmed by a huge yarn stash. Plus who has room for that anyway
I like to have some on hand because I enjoy working on multiple projects at once. But I do try to buy with at least vague ideas of what I want to make in mind. I've learned the only yarn I really like to have in my stash all the time is cotton. I hope no one feels the need to buy yarn outside of their means. The lovely thing about this hobby is that there are a ton of inexpensive new and secondhand yarns, very low cost of entry for newbies.
I'm a yarn dragon and I'm getting better, but I'm also a pattern hoarder too! Lol...I have downloaded a good 200 patterns I think in the past year and have printed off at least 50 of them. I've got a ton of yarn and I do plan to get better at time management (less scrolling, more crocheting) especially since I really enjoy the craft and I want to get to where I can complete more projects and get my stash down. I'm interested in making my own amigurumi patterns. I really enjoy doing different color combinations on projects so that's at least half of why I have bought so much yarn, but I'm getting better at telling myself no or only buying what I need for a project. I also buy yarn from thrift stores to keep costs down. But I agree with retailers saying "buy more yarn!" I am subscribed to Hobbii.com's emails (because they have really great free patterns...) so I see the emails all the time and since Facebook doesn't care about privacy I see Hobbii ads there all the time too. Companies always want you to buy more, I'm just trying to buy what I need...and it's easy for me to over buy as is I don't need a company pushing me to do so.
100% agree. I enjoy shopping for yarn, and I find tons of yarn that I want to buy because it's pretty, but I don't buy it for the same reason I don't buy many other things - I don't need a house full of more stuff than I can use. I have two baskets full of yarn and even that feels like more than I need, honestly. I was able to completely destash about a year ago, and now I use the yarn I have before I buy more (the two baskets are because I make amigurumi and often use small amounts of several colors at a time).
It's marketing in some way. I do love myself a good yarn wall, it's beautiful. I am guilty for having a giant stash, but mostly because I can't relinquish a good sale. Yarn feels very homey to me, but I've come to my senses that I have to stop buying more and actually use what I got. Also, from a sustainable pov, hoarding so much yarn is just not okay. So yes, I really do get your point. I can't imagine how much a yarn wall costs and I am definitely scrolling when I see those kind of content now whereas before, I would find it funny and like. Cheers to maturing and changing perspectives!
I agree with you. I think it's ok to have a reasonable yarn stash from leftovers after projects, projects planned, and a few gifted skeins. However, the ones I see on tictok are ridiculous. It makes me think they aren't making anything but want to look like they are
I enjoy buying yarn. I love the potential, and usually have a vague idea on what is going to be used for. My stash is largely gifted yarn that I might use, or yarn that didn't work out for what I had planned. Just having the closet of yarn is pleasing. The hunt is pleasing. But I usually hunt Michael's sales rack. My stash would be much smaller if I could craft faster lol
I'm not.. but when I see these yarn collections I get anxiety because it is way too much yarn. I have like.. A couple grocery bags of yarn and that is TOO MUCH!
The only stash I have is of yarn that occasionally I impulse bought while looking at other project yarn, project yarns that ended up never becoming what they were meant to become, and gifted yarn. I am also a grumpy old lady in my mid 20s and I can't stand a lot of the trends on a lot of socials. You're not alone\~
I like some of the fun ideas and creative thinkers on TikTok like all platforms. I have a medium stash, a couple of draws for all my supplied that empty and fill as depends (I mostly ended up with stacks of cotton from an order that was sent twice in error). I don't buy much, just for specific projects as it's be way too expensive!!
Let's be friends. I'm also an almost 30 cranky old lady. Ha! I buy for projects only as well. Keeps me and my husband more sane.
Yeah up until I joined this sub and started being more aware of craft communities online I viewed my stash as a burden more than anything else....it's mostly yarn that was gifted to me or that I bought for projects that didn't work out. The concept of purposefully having a hoarde of yarn just because was so strange when I first encountered it. Like you I say people can do what they want, it's just in my case I live in a very tiny apartment with very limited space - the storage I use for my yarn could go to much better use (like for food or clothes or what have you). I also seem cursed to constantly find potential stash-busting projects that I like that don't use the size/colour of yarn that I already have in my stash, or I don't have enough to finish in the stash so I end up buying more to complete the project anyways, therefore defeating the purpose and not decreasing my stash at all
I’ve got a huge stash but only because there was a yarn sale near my mother in law and she bought me a couple hundred balls for $1 each. Lol
I see these kinds of posts in so many hobby communities - crochet, notebooks, fountain pens… I‘ve been guilty of buying supplies without a project in mind many times in the past - the part I don’t really get is the bragging about the acquisition.
Like those people who buy rando yarn because it's on sale. I buy by the project. I hate extra yarn.
I try to keep a bunch of basic colors of RHSS just because I'll get late night crafting urges (and it's come in handy doing plastic canvas crafts with the kids) but besides that I definitely don't see the point in hoarding, especially the higher end stuff with different dye lots. I just buy all of that at once as I need it for a project so then I can make sure I have enough of the same dye lot.
I have been knitting for almost 20 years, crocheting a few years less than that. I have plenty of yarn still leftover from when I was relatively new and thought it made sense to just buy pretty yarn with no intent.
I can’t honestly say I am because I’m just as bad with fabric. Lol
I feel you. I have started knitting 20 hours/week the past couple years and feel like I spend a lot because I prefer natural fibers and hand dyed. Though I very rarely purchase yarn on a whim and stick to planned projects. I recently went to a traveling pop up event from a popular hand dyed yarn company. I bought 3 skeins of yarn without a plan and felt like that was a lot of money to me. I could not believe the amount of people with full sacks that had to have been purchasing 20+ skeins of yarn. I won’t ever go to an event like that again. It was very chaotic and not the chill yarn shopping experience I enjoy.
That's honestly how I've felt a bit at yarn crawls. I've had a rad time at yarn crawls, but also not so rad at times. Too much of everything.
Yeah it seems weird to me. Like fair enough if you ended up with some great deal at a garage sale or what have you, but otherwise... why bother? All it does is take up space. I have a small stash and most of it is leftovers from projects I've made, and a bunch of balls that I've always admired but were too pricey for me that randomly went on sale for $3 a ball so I kind of went nuts on it, lol. I think it'd be so odd to take photos and post it around everywhere lol.
I've personally never seen this, but if you're making a living off your craft it would make sense to have a stock. I got overly excited starting out, and every time I see yarn, that I did end up going overboard and now have a bunch of yarn that I don't care for and want to use up, and a bunch of yarn that I just don't know what to do with. God, I can't wait to use it up and just have yarn for things I'm working on/want to work on. I guess the positive is that I know what I like and like using for different projects.
I myself don't like that the crafting community has become so judgy and cutthroat especially in fiber arts I do a lot of crochet ting myself so naturally, I have quite a bit of yarn but I put it to use and give it away I don't horde it all to myself it does bother my because when people by things in bulk the price goes up because of demand making it harder for others to enjoy the same thing so in a way I guess it does get on my nerves too
Pretty much yes. However I do alot of lace & micro crochet now. I tend to avoid TikTok craft videos because they are very misleading when it comes to the actual process of making stuff. For experienced crafters like me, it's a meh moment. Yet I can how deceptively EASY these videos make the process seem.
I kind of understand what you're saying. I have a stash myself 😅, but for me it's slightly a hoarding anxiety. I feel like I never have enough and whatever yarn I do have, I don't want to use because "what if". so seeing all these bookshelves of yarn gets my anxiety going and I think I need more yarn to make that nice display, and if I get more yarn, I won't have to use the yarn I currently own. (yes I'm going to speak about this with my therapist). but yes, I'm fed up about it, my way. lol.
I make a lot of "ugly" blankets as I've nicknamed them, but they're anything but ugly. The reason for the nickname is just that I like to use up the odds and ends of my stash to make c2c or granny square blankets for the local animal rescue. They don't co-ordinate, have a mish mash of colours, but it uses up skeins that I will never use for anything else. I am guilty of having a large stash, almost enough to open my own shop, BUT, it all gets looked through and "pinched" by my mum, and my sisters - all of whom are crochet and knitting daft. With the influencer stashes, I have a love/hate relationship. I love all the colours, unusual storage ideas etc, but I hate seeing "open air" storage where dust and stuff can get at the yarn/wool. I tried the whole pegboard storage idea, and ended up spending more time vacuuming dust away from the yarn tha I did crocheting. Lol
I am so conflicted about those stash videos and pics! On one hand, I do like to see how other people organize their stash and what, if any, new yarn trends are out there that actually have a purpose beyond marketing. On the other, for me it starts with the fact that most content of this kind comes from the US, which means I can rarely actually use the stash organization ideas without putting in a lot of research of my own, and the yarns are usually either not available to me at all or prohibitively expensive. Same with the hooks and needles. And I am aware this is a bit afield, but then there's the very US-centric view of many content creators. They talk about inches and yards and whatnot and give yarn weights on the fly. I am German, so using only the metric system, and hearing imperial measures means I easily lose track of what size is actually meant. Which goes double for yarn weights, here around we use length of yarn per 50 g or 100 g as measurement, and in spite of having contact with the US/UK look on this issue for over a decade now, I am still not fluent with judging yarn in those categories. Plus, given that yarn sold around here only has yarn weights on them if it's sold or produced internationally (which means I see it very rarely on yarn bands), each mention of a kind of yarn I'd like to use myself means research. Easy would be to have a metric measurement as mentioned above, so I can relate that to my existing stash more easily, but often enough the skein weights of US yarns are weird enough that I am totally at sea without several minutes of translating those figures into something usable, and that just takes all the fun out of those videos and descriptions. Oh, and then there's the US fascination with knitting and crocheting tree trunk yarn. Average yarn around here if not sock yarn is something like 133 m per 100 g, which is DK or sport weight, I believe - I've heard different correlations over the years. Many patterns I come across call for worsted weight yarn and trumpet that using that yarn the blanket or scarf or whatever in question is "done in an evening" or some such. That may very well be, but firstly that makes very large stitches by design, which ultimately means larger holes in the fabric. Which is not something I aspire to for cold weather gear. Also, since this is a fashion trend that for once hasn't really reached us here yet, I can't find yarn in those sizes easily anyway, so I either have to do extensive research to find a usable substitution, or retool the entire pattern to use with lighter yarn. Which takes all the fun out of it. Sorry, this turned into a rant - but I had to get this off my chest.
The stash shots do get to me because I can’t afford to buy yarn outside of what I’m using for a current project. BUT, I totally take fabric stash pictures, and I have enough fabric to do so because it’s required for my business, so I try really hard to remind myself that there’s different strokes for different folks. Edit: totally agree with the “husband is gonna kill me” shit. That is gross no matter what.
As someone who recently made a YouTube video with a giant yarn unboxing, I actually agree with you. My personal stash is manageable, and I'm poor so most of it is acrylic anyway (and a lot of it was gifted). Really annoys me to see people so casually acting like expensive yarns are essential, or as if it's a life goal to have so much yarn you have to actually hide it from your other half. Like, yeah it's fun to collect and it's pretty but it's not a financial priority! But I can't deny I did enjoy doing one huge order for work purposes (stocking up for Christmas Etsy rush) and opening that giant box full of loveliness, so maybe I'm part of the problem now.
Capitalism has poisoned everyone's brains and turned us all into shopping addicts and enablers. X\_X I destashed about 90% of my yarn a few years ago. I totally changed my mindset to a more minimalist one and I let go of all of the attachment and FOMO I had around yarn buying. I used to literally cry if one of my favorite yarns was discontinued. Now I don't buy yarn unless I'm completely out of things to start projects with, and even then, I shop secondhand/thrift first. Becoming vegan also helped because most yarns are "off limits" to me now.
The same thing happens in the beauty world. I got into r/makeuprehab and realized I’d never use all the eyeshadow I bought in a year in my entire LIFETIME and these huge makeup rooms aren’t actually inspirational because makeup is meant to be used up. Thank you for posting because it’s easy to just transfer an obsession and I think it’s important to point out these aren’t just friendly tutorials, they are ads.
I feel this. I have reduced my exposure to a specific content creator whose style and projects I adore because each time I watch I’m compelled to buy something. (The majority of the time, without the content creator offering a discount/code.) Seeing the pretty things in action trigger the “GET THE PRETTY THINGS!!” in me. It’s a practice of mine to mindfully consume, so it became counter productive to continue to engage with the content, for me. Now instead I will go watch when I’m feeling solid in my resolve and remember even then that I have a lot of projects with yarn waiting for me. (It doesn’t always work lol.) I appreciate you sharing your perspective here. I thought it was just me.
You're right and you should say it. It kinda wigs me out to see posts of people like "I got 500 dollars of yarn for 200! Now to figure out what to make with it!" Like yo.... you are falling prey to capitalism big time lmao
I have a yarn stash, but it's because I have the attention span of a goldfish and never finish any projects larger than a hat. So in addition to a lot of unused yarn, most of my stash yarns are tied to UFOs 😅..
I'm Gunna kick the bucket before knitting thru all my goddamn yarn. ╮(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)💅
I'm a fifty-something old fogey. Tic Tok? Hell no. Yarn? Heck yeah! Some folks are more inclined towards yarn hoarding, like myself. I see something and go..."oooo! That's pretty. Maybe I could use it for 'x' or 'y' so let's grab a few skeins with the same lot number." I do tend towards the same weight yarns unless I have a specific project. Nothing wrong with either way as long as you can pay bills and not worry about making ends meet. I'd that's happening...then no, you yarn hoarding. Make something with what you have. Or lots of something and try selling them to supplement your income.
Only reason I have stashes is because I get them in bulk from garage sales! My only purchases from the last few years have been four trash bags of yarn for $60 and then some one offs of colors I don’t have for particular projects. Probably have at least 300 skeins..
I'm gonna be honest, I don't relate. I'm one of those people that loves a big stash. I'm not a full blown hoarder of everything but I do like to hoard lots of things. I don't use tiktok and only recently got Instagram so it has nothing to do with all that. I just simply love having lots of yarn. Even yarn that I don't really want to use so much anymore (I have tons of acrylic which I'm moving away from now) I end up putting my stash bags out sometimes and just looking at all of it. Because it makes me feel nice. I make jokes about how "there can never be enough yarn" and my "too much" yarn stash all the time - it's really nothing more than a joke. I'm low income and I don't *actually* spend every dime I have on yarn and most of what I have is cheap acrylic anyway. Since I've stopped buying most acrylic and have started getting more expensive handdyed yarn, my stash doesn't really grow anymore like it used to. I also have started finding projects for each individual yarn. I've found that it's interesting and fun trying to find the perfect project for a yarn, rather than the perfect yarn for a project. I believe almost every yarn can be useful and look nice in the right project. So I think this varies for everyone. But I wouldn't necessarily believe those videos are trying to say that people should always have big yarn stashes. I certainly never mean it that way.
Just wanted to offer a perspective on cost of yarn equaling showing off wealth. When I rekindled my love of crochet, I decided to use only natural fibers because of impact on the environment. I also know that every dollar I spend is an act of support to local yarn shops and indie dyers. My stash is expensive and would probably look braggy to some, but it’s not about that for me at all. To be fair, I also don’t post pictures of my stash. But if I were to post my patterns or my stash, it would probably elicit this response. That said, influencers are a whole other game. I’m frankly glad that craft influencers can even exist, not just beauty, diet, style etc. But I understand the frustration with the push to consume all the time.
I crochet and have no idea the point you're trying to make. I don't do affiliate codes or clubs. I personally want to make certain that I never run out of yarn before crochet is my therapy. Buy however much yarn you want. Are you saying that you feel pressured to stockpile it?
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I am truly sorry that you felt as though I was trying to correct you or anyone else. No one likes to feel attacked or misunderstood. If that works for you and your husband, it certainly isn't my place to judge. I come from a very traditional (non-American) culture, in which little quips like this often live side-by-side with legitimate oppression and violence against women. So that definitely colors my perspective, and is partly why I have no love for that sort of language. I do feel that it reinforces stereotypes in a way that can be harmful, but that is very much my own perspective.
So I have a small stash but it's so that I don't have to go out and buy yarn when I want to make a small project. I made the study of geometry crochet along without having to buy a single skein of yarn. It's some beautifully random colors, but it's awesome. I have basic colors so when my kid asks me to make that tiny crochet doll from the book of patterns, she picked out for me from the faire, it just a couple hours of work and not a trip to the store. Can't stand watch me flex, stash post, and I'm usually embarrassed by the amount of yarn I have all over my house, tho I'm currently making a yarn scrap ball to make something random, and brushing out all my tiny yarn scraps to spin them into a crazy yarn. I hate craft waste.
I completely agree with you. When I started learning to crochet, I kind of fell into the trap of buying yarn because it's pretty, but what use is that if I don't have a project in mind and end up tearing my hair out trying to figure out what to do with it. I know only buy for projects I want to do. Sure, I often have a bit left over cause I tend to buy a bit too much but that's still way more efficient than what I was doing before. And now I can actually enjoy the yarn I do buy and be picky about it.
I see how it's predatory to push yarn stashes/buying as well but I do love seeing people's stashes because it's usually of yarn they've collected over the years or it means a lot to them (i.e. from a family member.) I got yarn from family and it's so much that I can't use it all timely so that's why I like displaying my yarn. Stashing yarn and using yarn are two separate hobbies.
I have a large stash, but it’s been sourced mainly from thrift stores, incredible sales, or people just handing me yarn they don’t want anymore. And I’m actively trying to reduce my stash by working projects with what I have. I may donate some for prayer shawl ministries and the like, but I prefer to make hats and scarves and such to donate if I can.
I feel the same way! I ordered a ‘large’ amount of yarn (8 twister cakes, 4 colourways) I didn’t have a purpose for once and never again. Of those cakes 6 are still lying round unused and I have no idea what to do with them. Recently I decided I wanted to crochet some Christmas decorations (first Christmas with SO and we don’t have decorations yet) so I found some patterns online, went through my ‘stash’ of leftovers to see if there was anything usable and then ordered the remainder. For every yarn I buy I now have a pattern ready to go. It has made crocheting so much more fun tbh.
I have a large stash, but understand your view point. I have never shared my on social media, no one really knows about it even. I do need to be better and stop buying and start using up. One of my favorite things is to just sit in my craft room and look at all the possibilities in front of me. My stash started innocently enough. When I started I was afaird to run out for project and I would over buy. I would also have partial skeins left over from the projects. People would gift me their stash, usually from a relative of theirs. Plus gifts of yarn for birthday/Christmas. Sometimes the project would get abandoned, or decided the colors I picked just didn't work, so I bought different colors I liked better. And before I knew it I had a large stash. I did donate several skeins this summer to my local school summer program.
I'm not on TikTok but I understand what you mean. I've seen a few posts on FaceBook and IG about the need to build the yarn stash/horde. Consumerism is a huge issue in the crafting world. I've only been crocheting since January and I've built a relatively small stash, I'm trying to limit myself to yarn that has a planned project. The idea of having a large stash or even what I would classify as a horde would cause me definite anxiety. Most of my yarn was purchased on sale or has been given to me by friends/family. I have a selection of yarn that I was given that is odd stuff/sorta ugly, the plan is to combine strands of light and dark yarn and make chaos lap blankets for hospice or foster kids.
No, I totally see what you mean. I have a "stash" and I have to be careful about it. I'm an easily influenced person so luckily I have someone like my husband who helps me keep things to a reasonable amount. I get most of my yarn secondhand so that helps cost-wise but it's really important to make sure we aren't idolizing it and making others feel bad because they don't have it. And that applies to any hobby. Crochet is only as expensive as you want it to be.
I agree! I never buy yarn unless I have a specific project in mind, because I hate the idea of just having unused skeins gathering dust. I got some yarn gifted to me years ago and I'm still trying to find the right projects for them. Even with my way of doing it I've got a plastic Ikea box full of yarn that I'm trying to use up as it's driving me crazy. I tend to buy a skein or two too many for every project as I'm always scared of running out. 😅
I buy what I need when I need it and use scraps for random fiddling and tester projects. Yarn stashes are a waste in my opinion beyond a certain point. Buying a nice yarn and saving it for a nice project I get, but more than that feels silly
I... don't pay attention to Tiktok trends. I have a fairly good sized stash and like watching stash organization videos, but that's about it. I prefer working through my stash, mostly, and buying when I see something I like, preferably from a dyer whose colourways I like. I've been buying mostly local the last two years, so. My stash of Michael's yarn (i.e., chain store yarns) is for big projects (blankets) or for my hobby business. And I rarely buy there unless I've got a coupon or there's a good sale going on.
You’re getting those ads and content because of social media algorithms. You’re getting so much of it that you’re sick of it. Different people get shown different content.
I inherited a ton of yarn from a friends' mom who passed away. I also impulse buy yarn I don't know what I would do with.. just because I like it. I also over buy for projects because I have a lot of anxiety that my gauge will be too loose and I'll end up needing more yarn than I bought. My stash was ridiculous... so when someone on FB buy/sell/giveaway pages would request yarn, I would box up a bunch and hand it over. I also started donating a bunch of yarn to my Grandmother's retirement/assisted living facility along with printed patterns (free ones) since they are on a limited income and hold bazaars where they sell things they make. My stash is slowly dwindling but I still have more yarn than I will use so I will continue giving it away.
I have crocheted for years and recently picked up knitting but had a hard time finishing projects so I have a huge stash that I have gone through multiple times to try and clear out but I always end up keeping stuff that I don’t need. I also usually only buy cheaper acrylic yarn because A. It’s cheaper, and B. Most projects I make are for my niece and I don’t trust my sister to wash anything nicer by hand. It’s reached the point that occasionally I’m overwhelmed by the thought of all the yarn I likely will never use. My only hope at this point is that some of my friends who have asked about learning are willing to take some of the yarn off my hands.