Organisation - crafty people reclaim the STASH and Work In Progress

Day 3 Knitting and crochet blog week

When I hear a knitter mention her stash I always experience a tiny tremor of surprise although you should not take this as an indication of a miss-spent youth. 

No, when reference to a stash reminds me of a pocket full of illegal substances it is because in the 1970s I worked as a nurse in the A&E department of a central London hospital.  After being brought in semi-conscious by vague looking friends ('Um I don't know what happened nurse, perhaps he took something, he just went funny') the first words the man or woman would say on coming to were 'where's my stash!!'  - long gone taken by the 'friend'

Stash, as in a miser's hoard, is a fitting description of a knitter's yarn collection.  Not just a bundle of left overs but a treasure trove of yarn bought for its beauty, colour, texture or even fibre content (as in 'oh I haven't got any alpacca and silk mix'...yet).    And, like any miser worth her salt, I keep mine under the bed!

Three boxes with clip on lids.  One for fabric, one for haberdashery, trimmings and embroidery silks and one for yarn.

Can you see how much I covert my stash? - the yarn is grouped into categories - small amounts of brightly coloured cotton and wool, for little projects, intarsia and fairisle and larger amounts just waiting for the right pattern.  Multiple textures and different shades that give joy. Even some recycled 'sari' yarn that I haven't a clue what to make up into but just had to buy it for its sheer loveliness (I probably won't make anything for a while, keeping it just to be able to spot its glowing jewel like colours in my box). My cherished needle roll made by my father-in-law is there too.

My mother called her collection of fabric remnants 'the bit bag' and her wool was just 'oddments'.  Stash has a much better ring about it, hinting of safe keeping and appreciation of the delights of hoarding.   It is entirely appropriate that crafters have reclaimed the stash. 

Then after the stash there is  Work In Progress.  All those projects started and then not quite finished.  And how handy are those little cloth bags that retailers are replacing plastic carriers with?  Perfect for the four projects that constitute my WIP at the moment!