What constitutes "Stash?"

Tonight, after picking up my eldest at college in VT for Thankgiving Break (see note about side trip to a new LYS store for me, on the way to Norwich ...), I had a delightful surprise, and saw that my new Holiday WEBS catalog arrived in my mailbox! After dinner, clearing the table and washing the dishes, I poured myself a cup of coffee and read the catalog from front to back page, and mumbled out loud about some of the items. THAT'S when dear Hubby said..."Dear, you already HAVE everything yarn-related, don't you?" I couldn't believe it. What does he know about yarn and things? :) He compared me to the squirrel (Hammie) in Over The Hedge....


and said my stash of yarn is hidden all over the house. Sigh...he's right. Here are some ramblings from last month that I wrote on the subject:

Stash Ramblings...
Does Anyone, Except Me, Care About My Stash?
October 22, 2007

Stash? Is this a word with a negative connotation? To me....no. I’ve come to terms with my stash, and although I’m a HUGE fan of those who podcast about theirs (Stash and Burn, one of my FAVORITE podcasts!), I’ve come to terms with my stash.
My stash is a part of me. NO, not physical, not spiritual (that’s for sure), nor in any other abnormal way. Really. Let me explain.
OK, let’s meet my stash. Once upon a time (in August), my eldest left for his first year at college, and I “cleaned” out his room, and turned it into a “sewing/craft room”, with a dresser, twin sized bed, desk, and night stand for his use while home for the holidays. I scrubbed the room top to bottom, and stuffed into the bookshelves all of my squirreled-away knitting books, pattern books, knitting technique books, my Socks That Rock Club notebook, and everything I’ve ever printed from Knitty and such. I do mean ALL of my written knitting paraphernalia. I gathered every knitting printed item from all corners of my home, and lovingly put it on my bookshelves.
Next, it was the knitting “accessories”. Yes, the “accessories”...every stitch marker, needle sizer, dpn holder, every Lantern Moon, Crystal Palace, Brittany, and Rosewood dpn... every Addi in every length that I could coax out of hiding...every knitting bag from sock bag to my Jordania Page messenger bag...and everything in between. Yes, it was painful...the items keep appearing from bags...tins...purses...stuffed into yarn balls...still in original bags...etc.
Once the “stuff” reached the craft room, I put on some Iz music, and arranged my straights in a nice clear vase, the dpns in a mug (I like to see them, don’t ask why) and the Addis are currently (gulp) in a large decorated Maxwell House coffee tin. Yup. (And, yes, I have lovely handcrafted needle holders to use if I choose to). This...was the fun part. Pardon my grammatical mistakes while I jot down my stash blurb.
THE yarn was last. You know the saying about save the best for last. I was a bit apprehensive about pulling EVERY bit of hidden, stashed, bagged, skeined, caked, shoved yarn into the room. I made sure my wonderful hubby was at work (he wouldn’t understand this humongous undertaking, and would gasp at the sight of any yarn that wasn’t currently a WIP), poured a big cup of coffee, and went to all of my nooks and crannies in the house. This was sort of fun. Yes.
Some of the yarn I didn’t even remember purchasing. It was like Christmas. Some of it was sad, when I realized that either the person intended for a particular garment had passed away (such as my sister-in-law from lung cancer at an early age), or a child had outgrown a particular pattern that I had envisioned him in. I didn’t write a spread sheet for my yarn (yet), not did I catalog it or even write down what I had. All that my ADD mind could handle was to sort sock yarn into a bin, felting wools (including my beloved Manos del Uruguay) into another, and the rest was also sorted by weights. Laceweight and Qiviut have their own tote, and I’m happy.
I realize that I’m not in love anymore with some of the particularly colorful striping sock yarns, and some yarns that were well-meaning (but acrylic) gifts...and I can safely say that these will find good homes by appreciative and appropriately chosen knitters.
Fondling laceweights, Indie sock yarns, my Manos and my STR skeins put a contented smile on my soul. Only knitters understand this. Not my wonderful hubby, mother, or even close friends who are not knitters. I have an outlet for my physical body (everyday life and my wonderful family), I have an outlet for my spiritual body (I am a born-again Christian, first and foremost of importance to me), but what defines me, besides being a Christian, a wife, a mother, a registered nurse, a home schooling mom, a daughter, and a sister...is ...my knitting.
My stash is not an embarrassment to me. “What I’ve chosen to purchase, keep, hide away, plan for, dream about and even fondle...is part of me. :) I am a knitter and I love yarn...and I’m OK with that. Truly. :)

Back to the side trip to the LYS that I've never visited before: It's Knit New London, in New London, NH...about an hour away, where my family has a vacation home on a nice lake up there. Nice shop, lots of various yarns, models, quite a bit of Manos...and a bit of everything...I was very pleasantly surprised, and I wil visit this store often while in the area. Tomorrow they have a class, and I want to go SO bad! AND there's room! It's for the Hemlock Throw, and done in a soft luscious yarn, Cascade Eco +. A good friend is trying to talk me out of going, as I don't really have the time or finances this week, and I'll probably come to my senses and go to her house, have some good company, great coffee, and a wonderful time knitting with her tomorrow instead. :) And...go to the Elegant Ewe, BUY the yarn for the Hemlock Throw, and cast on anyway!
I'll let you know.