Craft stash hoarder and collector

Allira

whywhywhy

My latest haul. It will see me through winter plus my stash until long after I’ve gone. Happy crafting and buying!

I like buying yarn for the bags whywhywhy! 😂😂😂

I recognise those bags Lovely yarn there whywhywhy.
Do you think many people tick the box to not get the bag?

I have enough fabric to sink a battleship, but none that suits my latest project. Some yarn that in theory is allocated to specific things, but a load of cotton yarn left over when Octopus for a preemie charity closed Only one ball of each variegated colour so not sure what I'll do with them.

In various cupboards and boxes are loads of lace making tools and threads that haven't been touched in 20 years or more, including the most beautiful beaded wooden bobbins.

And now this thread has prompted me to return to knitting the second of the lovely merino wool hats I'm making for my granddaughters. One in a beautiful deep red is finished, the other is half done in deep royal purple.

My mother would buy enough yarn for a project but never seemed to over-buy.
Mind you, she must have bought a lot of wool to knit us all Aran jumpers. About eight (at the time) grandchildren and also one for me!

BTW, talking of our mothers’ craft things, while sewing up my first octopus’s first tentacle, I forgot the ‘stuff as you go’ instruction, but luckily I inherited my mother’s collection of knitting needles, so a vast 12 mm needle - what on earth she used it for I have no idea! - was perfect for pushing the stuffing down.

My yarn stash fills two large drawers in a spare room chest - I still often have to order more of a particular colour. And my store of stuffing for the items has to go at the bottom of a wardrobe.

But having decided on a ‘rainbow’ octopus for my next make, I was pleased to find enough of 16 suitably bright colours in my stash - 2 for each tentacle, tops and undersides in different colours and stitches (tops SS, undersides GS.)

I got rid of loads of crafting stuff on Ebay. It just sat there unused. I also gave lots of paper and felt to the local nursery school.

When I had to clear my Mum’s house it was really sad because she had so many hobbies - knitting, crochet, sewing, patchwork, corn dollies, ribbon work etc. everything was very neat and tidy. All the yarns were in sealed bags sorted by colour and I could just see her sitting in the spare room enjoying her “me time” after years of looking after everybody.

I found good homes for everything but some of the items were so lovely that I kept them.

My smallest bedroom is my craft/art room too Flippinheck, and I too have a sizeable enormous stash in there plus in the ottoman under the bed plus several cupboards downstairs which hold unfinished projects 🫣
I don’t know why I keep crocheting blankets, I give some away, I honestly don’t need any more!
I do have a clear out occasionally, donating art materials to the school etc but I really should whittle down more…or should I?

I knit and sew and have huge stashes of fabric and yarn, and every ‘handy’ tool featured on Temu. Now that my g’dtrs are nearly adults and no longer need my overnight babysitting services I have donated their bunk beds to charity and transformed the spare room into a craft room. I have to share it with the cat but it is my happy place. In an attempt to reduce the stash I am busy transforming my piles of spare yarn into jumpers etc for children and giving them to charity. Problem is Temu and TikTok both have fabulous prices for decent quality yarn so I am buying faster than I am knitting.

I finally bit the bullet and got rid of a load of crafting stuff I know I would never use. I enjoyed ordering the stuff and planning various projects but I am afraid that is where it ended.

I sorted my stash carefully and then dropped it all off at a charity shop.

whywhywhy

My latest haul. It will see me through winter plus my stash until long after I’ve gone. Happy crafting and buying!

I like buying yarn for the bags whywhywhy! 😂😂😂

Chocolatelovinggran

It is said that crafting is one hobby,and buying craft materials a different hobby.

😁

Oh goodness, I've never heard that before Chocolatelovinggran but that sums it up perfectly.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202510/medium-88ou5y-img-4474.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202510/medium-1mdq8u-img-4473.jpeg

My latest haul. It will see me through winter plus my stash until long after I’ve gone. Happy crafting and buying!

I went down the rabbit hole that is Temu. I was looking for glass beads to make a bracelet. I ended up spending £50. I would see something that was 'only' 95p, put that it the basket - and repeat........

In fairness, some of their stuff is the same that is sold on other sites. It's all mostly made in China anyway.

It is said that crafting is one hobby,and buying craft materials a different hobby.

I am gradually letting my 5 (almost 6) year old GD access to most of my crafting supplies. She has so much fun and and she is really good at creating things- and most importanly she's not wasteful when using them either.

Fingers crossed we will be downsizing very soon and I am now ploughing through my huge stash of materials for many crafts, accumulated over decades. When the family all left home I had plenty of chests of drawers and cupboards available in their old rooms so of course I loaded them up with embroidery fabric, crewel wool, felt, calligraphy stuff, rubber stamp kit, knitting wool, punch needle stuff, card-making stuff, dolls' house stuff... the list goes on!
It is agony parting with any of it but I'd have to live another 200 years to make use of it all so I'm trying to be brave (and not doing very well!). I have many unfinished projects, which, in my dreams, I will have so much time to finish when I'm settled in my new home... maybe!
I do blame lockdown for the pile of unused knitting wool... I was afraid there might be a world shortage and went on a mad online shopping spree buying every colour under the sun 'just in case'!
Off now to shuffle it all about again and try to get tough...

I love sewing, crafting and painting and sometimes find they get in the way of my one true hobby of shopping for supplies

I have a stash that would keep our town busy!!!! Arghhhhhhhh! Wool, wool and more wool! I’m addicted to it! I need help!

My mum is 96, and has very poor eyesight now, but she still has a craft room with mountains of wool, fabric, dolls house furniture projects and the like, at least enough to last her until she is 200. Being unable to resist interesting new stock goes with the territory for crafters I think.

I have found half finished projects and can't even remember starting them. Some I'm going to have to unravel because they certainly don't fit me any more. I am being good and using up my washing basket full of wool scraps to crochet covers for jam jars. (I don't make the jam, but take it as gifts round the parish to the 80s and over with a card signed by the parish church dignitaries.)

But I agree that browsing through catalogues, making plans and buying new wools and fabrics is sometimes more fun than actually starting on the work!

sophie232

I can relate so much! Half my stash is untouched because I keep finding new supplies I just 'have' to get. At least it makes card making even more fun when I finally sit down to use them.

This is me, but I knit, rather than make cards.

I've just come back from Yarndale in the North of England ( a fabulous break in a lovely part of the country), and was bowled over by the amount of wonderful yarn I could have added to the already ridiculous amount I already have in the spare room.

My DH made me do a clear out a few years ago! I was holding on to yarn purchased years ago, but it seems whenever I start a new project I need yarn that I didn't have, so purchased more.

It was hard to let go, but I knew he was right. Now I plan my project, then purchase the yarn.

My painting and drawing supplies are limited to one clear box and I try not to buy any more.

Don't end up like me with mountains and mountains of supplies .
Today was another day when I did a sort out
I found some old tubes of acrylic colours and they are solid.
I was in an art shop only yesterday and I was tempted and managed to get out having bought some paper which I probably didn't need .
At least I didn't go as crazy as I usually do .

I can relate so much! Half my stash is untouched because I keep finding new supplies I just 'have' to get. At least it makes card making even more fun when I finally sit down to use them.

😁

I need just one more ball of yarn but .... the colours in the shop look so tempting.