When you’re a crafter, loving yarn is natural, and sometimes you feel a little bit out of love with your yarn stash.
I already talked about my method to keep an organized stash, so I know the yarn I have, and I can do projects I love.
One thing I haven’t mention is that the yarn that sparks joy always comes with a plan.
What does it mean?
It means that when I buy with a plan, the yarn is more likely to find its way onto my needles.
I buy that yarn with intention, not for “trying something new” or for “stretching my comfort zone.”
Yes, sometimes the plan changes, but buying with a plan means I’ve brought home enough yarn for an actual project in a color that I love.
So let’s talk about how to shop for YOUR yarn stash with a plan.
- Knowing how much yarn you need for a project. It is hard to buy enough for a project if you don’t have those numbers handy.
If you’re a knitter designer, you will know it using a gauge and a yarn calculator.
Always make a decent guess, not purchase twice as much yarn as you need! - Think about what you have in your closet. What colors do you love to wear? Do they change during the year? Do you follow fashion colors?
Next time you’re out and about shopping for yarn, use your answers as a resource to help you decide if what you’re choosing is something you’ll wear.
I love neutrals, and I don’t feel bad about stocking natural yarn because I know I will use them. Sometimes we tell ourselves it’s’s annoying to get more one-color yarn when we already have the same at home, but the truth is โ if yellow yarn makes your heart happy while knitting, then more yellows might be just what you need. - Don’t be tempted by the sale yarn (don’t worry, we all do!); don’t let the discount turn you into someone you’re not. Making compromises because some yarn is on sale can be the quickest way to end up with a useless stash.
- Use Ravelry to track your stash.
From there, you can easily compare what you have so you can double-check in the store.
Shiny Happy World writes an easy to follow step-by-step tutorial on setting up your online stash library. - Use your stash! There was a reason you bought that yarn in the first place, and it probably wasn’t to be buried in a plastic bin for the rest of its life. Did you choose it for a sweater that you never made? Revisit your queue and find which pattern is was initially destined to be, then actually make the thing.
- If your stash is a bit uninspiring at the moment, you can give it a good refresh: see what you have, give away or sell what doesn’t inspire you, and make space for gorgeous new yarns that make you smile.
The key to shop for your yarn stash with a plan is knowing what you love and going back to your stash to use it.