Non knitters often look at me like I’m whacko when I start discussing knitting. It’s usually right around the time I start describing The Stash. My own Stash – and it deserves enough respect to be made into a proper noun, I think – is, sadly, not yet the fearsome beast I wish it was. I have amassed a few skeins of lovely sock yarn, and the odd ball of this and that, and whilst it now fills a 4 drawer unit and two large ziplock bags, I’m sad to say it pales in comparison to many of the beautiful Stashes I’ve seen out there. I get very jealous and whistful flicking through Ravelry.
I find it difficult, bringing myself to take a skein from my stash and winding it into a ball. Particularly when it is a single skein of beautiful sock yarn. I know once it’s knitted, it’s going to turn into something even more wonderful, and the joy of it running through my fingers and enjoying it “become” will be better than the skein just sitting there looking at me. Once it’s finished I even get to wrap it all around myself (well, my feet!) and enjoy its squishy goodness, and even better, show it off to the rest of the world! But there’s just something about skeins, curled up, all pretty and tempting…
They’re so full of promise and anticipation, waiting to burst into something even more beautiful. I love to just sit smooshing a skein, taking in the colours and the textures, so full of promise. What could it become?! That’s one of the many things I love about knitting, as much as the therapeutic movements of the needles, and watching the stitches slowly work their way into fabric, I love the possibilities. The planning, plotting, scheming… I spend many an excitable hour poring over my stash and then poring over patterns trying to form the perfect marriage of yarn and pattern. Mind you, once it’s unskeined, it gives me a good excuse to go and buy more. If it’s on the needles it doesn’t count as Stash any more – never mind how much of the garment has actually been knitted!
I think the best thing about The Stash is though, you can plot and scheme about your next project whilst doing completely boring, non-knitting related tasks (like that housework thing people talk about. I never really understood the concept myself, but do try to participate in it, at least occasionally). Letting my mind wander back to The Stash always makes all the crap in life far easier to handle!
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