Mount Yarn - pictures!

Mount Yarn!

This picture is Mount Yarn before it was scaled.

And rest assured that yes, there is an unseen pile of yarn behind the forty gallon clear tub as well.

Where did all this come from?!


Heck if I know, folks.  Well.. I mean, I do know, actually.  In fact, I could probably tell you the origin of each and every skein in that mountain/pile/hoarder's-dream-come-true.  The problem was not in figuring out how the yarn got there, but in figuring out how to get rid of it!


Well, it was a long night.  I took this picture around 8:00pm, because that is when a good night owl like myself gets to work!  And it took me until 1:30am to get two trash bags given away.  Although, I did lovingly package most of the balls and skeins into matching groups, then into ziplocs, and, for R, the Mister's sister's bag, I labeled each one with it's fiber content and how to wash it.  She's a new-ish (but awesome) knitter who, unlike me, has zero stash (those were the days!), so I know all my lovingly packaged skeins will be well loved.

Of course, if you're in the process of chucking a yarn stash, certainly do not feel compelled to go as far as I did in labeling each skein and packaging it in ziplocs with it's yarn kin.  I just found that treating it well and sending it off with love made it a lot easier for me to get rid of it.  I also really liked knowing that it was going to someone who would appreciate it (like R).


If you're having trouble parting with your sewing/knitting/scrapbooky/felt creature/crafty supplies, you might try either or both of these two things:

• Lovingly packaging - taking care to package your items well, labeling and preparing them for the next owner, and more importantly, in the process, kind of mentally letting it go of your items.
• Giving your items to someone you know will really appreciate them - either someone who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford your items, or someone you know will just love and appreciate your gift!

They worked for me!

This is my after picture (!!):

I know!!  It doesn't look that different!  But I'm still chippin' away at it.  I've been continuing to unravel more unfinished treasures over the past few days, so a little more yarn than this is accumulating, but a good chunk of the unraveled stuff is going to charity, too.  And I have great and amazing plans to continue the great yarn giveaway until everything -- everything!! -- fits into the big, 40 gallon tub there. That includes all the bits currently strewn about the tiny house either unraveled or patiently waiting to be.  My plan is to continue knitting only from my stash, turning it mostly into items that are useful to people outside of this house, as believe me, we are quite well stocked in the winter woolies, thankyouverymuch,  as well as continuing to cull through and give more yarn away.

This is the smaller tub of yarn (ends and bits) that I may or may not save for making a patchy afghan:

I think I might save it for a set amount of time (say, until June) and see how the potential afghan is progressing (if at all) by the due date, and then decide if an afghan is really feasible for me.

And these are the bags for giveaway:

The one on the left (heart!) is for R.  I stuck some yarn weaving-in needles to the outside with masking tape because I know she needs them and wrote her name on it (so I'd remember which is which - I guess taped-on needles weren't enough?), thus the heart.  Also because I love her!  The other bag is for charity.  Either a thrift shop, or I was thinking I might post it up on Ravelry to see if anyone local wants it for charity knitting.  I'd ship it, but y'know... it's the size of a big bag of trash, soo...

So, that is the current state of my yarn!  If you, or anyone you know lives in Southern Idaho and would like to pick up a mish mash box of mostly wool (some vintage) yarn for free, let me know!  Or if anyone within the US would like to pay for shipping to get free yarn!  Shipping is not extraordinarily cheap (although the box would be lightweight because yarn isn't heavy), so keep that in mind.  Still, the yarn is completely free to you apart from shipping.  I can do surgery on the trash bag and extract some of it's contents (since I'm nearly quite sure no one wants to pay the hundred bucks to ship the whole bag), also I have more to give away that's not even in the bag!

Srsly.  Lemme know.

For now, that's all.  I hope your week is off to a simply splendid start!

Simple Vintage and tackling Mt.Yarn!

borrowed from: thompson family

Just dropping in!  I have Transnational Lit. in an hour or so, so I simply cannot stay!

I think this picture might be getting close to a sort of simplified vintage, don't you think?  I mean, a way that I might accomplish simple-homey-vintage-love  I love, love, love the color palette!  And the round pillows, but I need more pillows like I need a hole in the head.  Oh well, it's good inspiration.

I've been ripping out old, unfinished knitting projects all morning.  Some of them are actually finished, but the fit is all wrong.  The others I just know I'll never finish.  And I'd love to donate finished, gently used knitted (100% wool) items to somewhere like Afghans for Afghans, but I'm pretty sure they don't take them.  It's a shame really, since I have quite a few and they are genuinely in nice shape.

However, I do remember how people viewed used items in South Korea.  There were thrift shops and secondhand stores, but they weren't really considered clean and people who shopped there were certainly considered a little bit off, maybe even "dirty", which has a connotation all it's own in Asian societies.  So, I wonder if the reason they don't take used items could be something like that.

Anyway!

I tackled Mount Yarn for the first time last night.  I started WAY too late in the day and didn't nearly finish, plus I was tired so my ability to be at all objective or ruthless was significantly impaired.  Still, I got two trash bags filled for give away!  One is going to the Mister's sister, the other is going to charity, or to Saver's (did you know they give you a 20% off coupon when you donate!?  I just found out..).  For now, I still have way too much yarn, but I did what I could.  I'll work on it more, maybe this afternoon after class or tomorrow.

I knew it would be difficult with the yarnage.  More difficult than the fabric was.  For some reason, I'm quite attached to wool.  It's more expensive than fabric, maybe that's why.  Or maybe I'm just a little irrational when it comes to knitting.  That might be closer to the truth.

I still own a forty gallon plastic storage bin, stocked completely full, and then a smaller plastic storage bin (4-5 gallons?) full of small, single balls of yarn.  Bits that I only have bits of.  I've got a mind to start an afghan with them, but I could see that going awry...  Plus even a little more than that, and all the things I'm ripping out (although a portion of that is definitely going to be given to charity).

Anyhow, I need to finish unraveling this capelet thing I have strung out all over me so I can get ready for class.  I did take pictures of the yarn disaster and I'm planning on sharing them tomorrow, though, so pop back in for that!  I'm hoping to do a before and after bit with the giant sewing/knitting/all-things-crafting room, Mount Yarn, and the new little sewing area in the living room.  Once I get it all done, that is.

Have a beautiful Friday!