Knitters Are Lovely, and Yarn Multiplies in Storage
Talk about extra yarn: festival attendees walk the Saffron Walden Knitted Maze. Photo by Linda Pollard.
So on Sunday night I went diving under our guest room bed, trying to find a pair of shoes to wear out to dinner, and I found – lurking in the middle of the underbed space, behind some empty plastic containers – more yarn. People, this is an emergency. I can’t ship all this yarn! You will have to take it. So, even though you have until noon today to comment on the last giveaway post, I’m popping some more yarn up here for you to win (see end of post for details). As a result, I think this will be a sort of conversational post, in the way that Cowper’s The Task is a conversational poem: moving from subject to subject as they occur to me (Hey! Look at me dropping in a piece of my master’s degree class from last summer). If this is off-putting, do skip to the end of the post for some nice yarn.
[A brief aside: this is not the first time The Great Discovery of Knitting Supplies has happened. Indeed, last week I opened the handy-dandy file cabinet section of our amazing coffee table and found…like 25 knitting books. I am thinking of posting a few of those here to give away as well, except that mailing them will be more expensive than mailing yarn (larger mailers with heavier contents). Does anyone want a nice knitting book or two?]
Jamieson & Smith: Gorgeous teal tweed. Not to be missed.
Meanwhile, back in Saffron Walden, the Knitted Maze became a reality this weekend. It looks like they had a beautiful day for it; I so wish I could have been there. I keep peering at the photos, trying to find my little scrap of the whole. [I will admit that I also am wishing I’d found the latest cache of yarn earlier, so that I could have knit it into more strips for the maze, hence getting it out of my house sooner. But I digress.] You can see more photos of the big day on Flickr. I just love that the idea of one woman became an international effort, and gave pleasure to an entire town (and their maze festival). For I am a cheeseball.
Speaking of which, I have to tell you all that I was so touched by the comments that came in on the last post (helped to a large degree by Amy of Knitty re-tweeting a link to the post). There are an amazing number of wonderful knitters out there, with so many great stories! I hesitate to pull out any of them, because every one is lovely, and if I got going I’d never stop. Pop over to the last post if you haven’t had the chance, and read what knitters will do for one another.
Debbie Bliss and Dream in Color: A hurried photo due to found-yarn panic.
In an unexpected bit of fortune, I was chosen (randomly) to participate in a Google+ Hangout with the glorious Franklin Habit and Kimberly Reynolds this evening. I am ridiculously excited, and will try to tweet a bit during the discussion. Any questions for Dolores? Also, if you’d like me to send you an invitation to Google+, let me know.
And what can you do for me? You can give some of my stash a home! Today’s yarn:
- Two skeins of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran: one in 300201 (a lovely deep teal color) and one in Grape (just what it sounds like). The Grape is much prettier than in the panicked photo here.
- One skein Dream in Color Groovy in Alpine Flurry (the Dream Club yarn for January) PLUS one skein of Louet MerLin Worsted Weight in a nice purple color.
- One ball Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock in a beautiful semisolid red. [Provenance: Karida gave it to Danielle, and Danielle gave it to me.]
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Stonehenge Fiber Mill Shepherd's Wool: Ever so soft and shiny.
Three balls Stonehenge Fiber Mill Shepherd’s Wool: white, gray, purple. These are partial balls, but full skeins of Shepherd’s Wool are hefty (250 yards of worsted weight) and these probably have around 175 or 200 yards left. You could easily make a few complementary Turn A Square hats with these, or perhaps even some striped French Press Slippers (you’d have to stripe them due to yardage, I think). The yarn is utterly gorgeous: soft and smooth. You will not be disappointed. To sweeten the deal, I’m including a skein of Cascade Yarns Eco Alpaca in Straw.
- Three skeins Jamieson & Smith Shetland Aran in an amazing teal tweed shade. Photos do not do this yarn justice. I would love to keep it, but am telling myself I’ll be able to buy J&S in the UK. These would be gorgeous in a Jared Flood pattern, as well, maybe one of the cabled hats.
Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock: From Danielle's house, to my house, to yours.
As always: the yarn has been stored in airtight containers in my non-smoking, one-cat home since being purchased. Before mailing, I freeze the yarn for 24 hours – this is solely for your peace of mind, as I’ve never had any kind of moth problem.
Comment on the blog by Friday, August 26 at noon EDT for a chance to win. Possible topics: Do you want to join Google+, or would it just feel like one more thing? Who would teach at your dream knitting retreat, and what would they teach? What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever hidden or found yarn? Would you respond to a knitting book giveaway if I asked winners to contribute a few dollars toward postage? And what would you say to Franklin Habit if you had the chance?
Knit Like You Mean It. 
My yarn stash is mostly in plastic bins in my guest closet and a huge one under that bed with current lovely hanks hanging out in my Fibre Space bags for a quick “fix”…but sometimes if I buy a big quantity like I did last winter, I let it live in my trunk for a while until I feel bold enough to try to find space in my guest room! Also sometimes shove it into my (home) office closet, since it’s nice having some fiber to “get lost in” as a break from my freelance work. I would be happiest if I had a display wall of yarn, like interactive art, as I feel it’s just gorgeous as skeins/hanks.
Wow… giving away more yarn… you are much too kind and wonderful! I would happily give a home to either of the teal offerings (the Bliss or the amazing looking Tweed) or the Studio Sock. Thank you again for your fun posts. The knitted maze looks like such a delight! Would have never known about it without your blog.
Wow what a great bunch of questions to ponder. I would have loved to walk the maze (and knit it too) No more joining anything for me until the snow falls as it is harvest season and I should be canning not surfing or knitting. My dream knitting retreat would include a yarn swap and creating a yarnbombing project as a group (teacher unknown).
Yes, I would be willing to pay postage on books.
Went to a game workshop last night and learned a great Ice Breaker that involves tossing a ball of yarn around the room and spinning a web as everyone answers questions to show we are all connected.
The game was great but I was longing to take the ball of pretty variegated yarn home with me so clearly I don’t have enough and would be a great home for some of your overflow.
As always, you bring a smile to my face with your writing. I can SO picture the panic when you looked beneath the guest room bed…Since I have still not commenced any socks (too many choices of cast-ons, too many choices of TAAT or on two needles, too much researching alternatives, too much YouTubing to figure out what exactly I’m doing, it’s like going to Target for a tube of toothpaste…), I will take whatever you care to throw my way, SHOULD you care to throw anything my way, and will treasure it and what becomes of it. Most likely self-induced panic when I look beneath the bed and learn that it has, by itself, multiplied…
Here’s an idea: I would gladly take a LOAN of a knitting book or two, especially if they have techniques and/or patterns. I will only do this if I can pay ALL the postage for you to send them. These would be like library loans, and then I will return them to you when you return. The books will get to do their job of instructing and inspiring, but then they will go back to their rightful owner when she returns. It’s one thing to give yarn away (you can’t exactly ask for it back after someone has knitted it) but another thing to give books away that you will regret no longer having them. I’m still kicking myself for giving away my 3 Astérix and Obélix books…
Oh no! A yarn emergency! I’ll submit my name for the teal tweed J&S, because teal, tweed, and J&S are like my favorite things ever…
Yarn does indeed multiply, doesn’t it? You [and the incipient life form I am gestating] inspired me recently to cull and re-organize my stash and I was amazed by how much yarn I had forgotten about. It made me kind of sad, this lovely yarn just sitting in the closet of what is now the nursery without even a presence in my mind. I wouldn’t have turned to it when imagining new projects.
Anyway, I culled and re-organized and it’s great now. This ought to be an annual thing I do, like cleaning out my sock drawer, but we’ll see if that happens 🙂
Go forth and find more yarn Kathleen! I think you don’t want to discover more surprises in the coming weeks, right?
I am always willing to beg for your cast offs!! Ha! Also, I would love to take some of your knitting books off your hands and would willingly donate the shipping fees, if only to be able to have a book that was yours, once. I do admire your blog and have for a long time. I know this sounds totally creepy and stalkerish, sorry…(sheepish grin) Don’t mean it to.
you really have a lovely collection of yarn! (i would have a hard time parting with it) i always wanted to try jamieson and smith yarn but i have a hard time finding it..ditto trying anything by debbie bliss..i really havent experienced alot of the yarns out there but im working on it 🙂 anyways i digress..ysolda would have to be at my dream retreat..i love her patterns and she seems like such a sweet fun person..second up would be alex tinsley from dull roar..i really dig her accessories and she uses a lot of fun construction in them which would be great to learn about in a retreat setting..and thirdly would have to be stephanie dosen from tiny owl knits..because i just love her..her designs floor me everytime!…i heard about google + but im really tired of doing all this logging in..when i check something online i feel like i have to log into a ton of sites..my list of things to check is insane lately..with email and fb and ravelry and a couple other sites im apart of.. i think a book giveaway would be fun to enter in and i wouldnt mind throwing in a few buck if i won..i love looking at knitting books/patterns and my library is really slim as far as books go! thanks again for a lovely giveaway!
How do you manage to give away so much delicious yarn? Don’t you want to do things with it? Love the photo, and not just cause it has my daughter in it! Hope you can meet her when you get to UK. Lovely writing.
I’d pass the knitting books to someone who’d need them more than me. I won’t have the time to knit anything from them anyway, my Ravelry’s queue is already too long:)
Most unusual place to find yarn? Well, I don’t know if it very unusual, but over here we have a lot of second-hand clothes stores, that sometimes also have other used things, like books etc. for sale. Well, I’ve been frequenting some of them from time to time because of the books (you wouldn’t believe what gems I’ve found among them), but only recently I also noticed that some of these stores also sell yarn! And I never noticed! Usually it’s only an odd skein or ball from somebody’s stash or leftovers, but sometimes they have unused vintage skeins, or for example, only last week, I’ve found a big ball of a gorgeous dark green pure wool heather yarn. Now every time I go looking for yarn there, it’s like a treasure hunt, I never know what I’ll find.
I’m not interested in Google+, as I’ve joined too many things already. Is it a yet another social site? I don’t really know:)
Ooh, and I just love the teal tweed! And the Shepherd’s wool! And the Debbie Bliss… I don’t know how you can part with such beautiful yarns:) I’m always ready to take it in:) My stash currently consists of about half-full of a box that was left from when I’ve bought a TV (not a flat-screen, the older, bigger kind of TV), so there’s still a lot of free space left in it:))
I cannot believe you are still finding yarn; this situation sounds like an epidemic.
My husband just made me a yarn shelf, so the prettiest stuff goes there. Although, storage under the guest bed is a great idea – mine will head there next! Better there than in overflowing baskets in the living room…
I think the tweed is the prettiest, although I also like the colour combinations of the Stonehenge Fiber Mill yarn.
The yarn in my apartment is all in pretty normal storage areas (baskets and a chest), however I have found yarn stashed from when I first learned to knit in high school at my parent’s house, in, of all things, a plastic penguin that I had brought back with me from my year as an exchange student in Japan. (No idea what I was thinking when I put the yarn in there.)
Would totally be up for paying for postage for books – you can mail them as ‘media mail’ and the postage cost will go down significantly.
I can’t believe you’re heading out so soon and that it’s almost here! What an exciting next chapter you and Mr. Trask will have! Bon voyage!
I love the conversational tone of your site; feels very welcoming. Being a high school teacher who knits, I’m always teaching someone new this wonderful craft; even high school computer geek boys (who begged me to teach them).
I have joined Google+, and honestly, it is just one more thing. I’m very happy with FB and Ravelry, and between the two can be kept quite busy.
I have just started my first blog so I can track progress and take notes on my journey through the Level 1 Master Knitters certification. Books would be most welcome and I would be more than happy to pay my own shipping.
Thank you for the opportunity to acquire some sensational yarn. Luck to you.
Any knitter who has a stash can sympathize with your predicament! I’ve got yarn hidden all over the place and often come across it unexpectedly. My most recent discoveries have been with the yarn that I’ve stashed in suitcases. It makes packing for a trip a fun yarn re-discovery and easy method of packing procrastination!
I love the Jamieson & Smith teal tweed aran and Stonehenge Fiber Shepherd’s wool!
Grama Ellen,
Your site is interesting I keep everything in clear plastic storage contaniers on shelves in our closet so I can see what I have it is organized by weight nothing on the floor except some cotton cones for dish cloths that I am always working on. I just aquired a circular knitting machine. When I received it I thought my hubby would go nuts but now that we have it working he is as interested in it to. It is over 90 years old. I make socks on it it really likes the nice soft new wool yarn makes cranking go really smooth. It is fun to work with so I’m always interested in sock or dk weight yarn works best on my machine can make a sock in about an hour.
I am on raverly and ama member of some yahoo groups which make it fun to here about what it going on all over.
I am very curious to see what Google+ is all about. It kind of sounds like it may be too much social networking, but then again, I may like it better than the sites I’m currently using. If you have extra invites that you don’t mind wasting on someone who may or may not use the site (tbd after checking it out), I would love to take a look at it. Thanks so much.
Angie
I’m definitely doing the Google+ thing, but that is because I sort of am in love with all things Google. YES, I would definitely pay postage – for free books!!?? Such a score.
The postal rate for Media helps some, but you can’t mix contents in the package. It’s got to be all media or else pay the regular rate.
I suppose if you unravelled a skein of yarn and wrote along the entire length it could be considered Media?
The Jamieson is a lovely shade in the photo – if it’s nicer IRL, as yarn really is, it could just be too beautiful!
I’m on G+ and I like it a lot! It quickly became my social media of choice. I still check FB, because so many friends/family are on there, but I spend more time on G+. And I’m almost never on Twitter anymore.
I’m late, aren’t I? Ah, so it goes. I’m already on G+ and love it! Good to “see” you on the Franklin chat. Sorry I had to leave early.
I’m on Google Plus, and my favorite thing to do with it so far is to use the Hangout feature with other knitters – we have virtual knit nights!
As far as where I’ve found yarn, well, it’s more where my husband found it. I had stashed it in the glove compartment of my car, as it was yarn for socks for him. And then I knew I had put it somewhere safe, but not where. About four months later I was driving and he was in the passenger seat, when he went into the glove compartment for something, and Surprise! Yarn! Specifically yarn he wasn’t supposed to see! *sigh*
As far as my dream knitting retreat teacher, that’d be Jonatha Brooke – one of my favorite artists and a knitter to boot.
And last but not least, I’d be delighted to pay shipping for books. There is no such thing as too many books!
Best of luck on your move to the UK; I did that myself back in 1996 to be married, and it was a wonderful decision even if after a decade we ended up back in the US. Try to see everything you can – don’t let it wait, even if you’ll be there for the rest of your life!
I found yarn on the side of the road while walking my dog. I didn’t put it there, obviously, but it is possible that I brought it home after realizing that it wouldn’t be reclaimed. 🙂 It will be knit into an excellent little toy someday.
I’m actually finding G+ very interesting. My circles are exclusively fiber related, only one of my non-fiber peeps has shown up over there, but my fiber contacts are now getting more and more organized and at the same time they’re extending phenomenally.
Hmmm… NFCSS or cashmerino… yeah, I’ll type a bit for chance at that!
I’d love to ask Franklin Habit how he chose “It Itches” as the cartoon to put on the front cover of his book (assuming the choice was his and not his editor’s).
I’m on G+ and I love it! It has almost completely replaced FB for me. In fact, G+ is how I learned about your giveaway. 😉
I currently have my yarn stashed in cute pink flower totes. But I’m already running out of room!
I’d be happy to contribute to shipping if I won a book giveaway, especially if it’s out of the country. Thank you for your generosity!
Hello! I have joined Google+ and have to report that it replaced twitter, Facebook and all my other social sites in no time at all! I love it! I love the clean look of it, the fresh feel.
Funny thing after reading the previous comment.. I have put yarn by the side of the road! LOL I have put it in my free-pile by the driveway and it was gone in no time at all! I was so glad that someone came and got it. I hope it found a good home and will be turned into something fun! 😀
Those are great questions – the one that immediately popped up a story is the wierdest place one, though.
I went to visit a friend from High School the last time I was back out the Chicago-land area. She’s a knitter, too, so we hit a few of her LYS’. I got some amazing hand-painted fingering wool for a crazy low price and was ecstatic about it. We had a great lunch and both went back to our lives. I went on to visit my Mom and there was mad family drama going on around her which took a little time to sort out. (She’s got a crazy sister, or two…) I finally head home and all is well.
Fast forward five years. I’m back out in Chicago, again visiting my Mom, and I’m in the closet of my old room hanging up clothes. I accidentally knock a bag off the side shelf in the closet and all this yarn comes spilling out on the floor!! It was like surprise treasure!! I had completely forgotten that this yarn even existed!
Nothing like hiding stash 1/2 the country away! I had to pull the receipt to prove to DH that I didn’t go on a buying spree – again. 🙂
As an aside – it’s very nice that you’re doing this – and I hope your move is as smooth as possible! 🙂
I just found your blog through google+! I need more knitting blogs to follow!
I’m not sure about the strangest place I’ve hidden yarn, but I have been known to sneak crafty type items into the house without my husband knowing about it!
I would also be more than happy to pay for shipping for books! 😉
I’m already on G+ and I love that you can easily share with a select audience. I post way more knitting related things then I do on FB where I don’t want to annoy my non-knitter friends.
I would absolutely pay shipping for knitting books.
The Stonehedge colors sound beautiful, but I also love me some Debbie Bliss!
Have a great time in the UK!
How sweet you are to re-home your found fiber! All of those yarns/colors are lovely!
I’m already on G & I love it! I’ve met some wonderful knitters with other similar interests to mine, it been fun!
My dream retreat, well…I don’t even know where to start. But Franklin Habit would have to be there for sure!
And I’m another one who would happily pay for postage for books especially if it helps you out!
:o)
I would have to say the weirdest place I ever discovered some of my yarn would be in a tote bag that I had stuffed with opened mail from when we moved into our house 4 years ago. I guess that leftover ball was on the same level as that mail. Too important to throw away (not that I would throw away yarn, though I probably should have thrown the mail) but not important enough to put somewhere I could readily deal with it after the move.
Yes, I would contribute a few dollars toward postage for a book giveaway. You’re being so generous already, it’s the least I could do!
I am on Google+ but have barely touched any of my social networking sites this month. I think G+ is going to be a great tool for us knitters to get together and share with each other in all together new ways.
I have found yarn in weird places myself. Under the bed, behind the microwave, on the kitchen counter!
I have already joined G+ but it is seeming more and more like another thing. I want all my friends on it and I don’t like Facebook but ultimately it will be too hard to migrate completely if no one else joins.
And I would contribute to postage as long as it was still a really good deal for a book ($15, probably not… $1-5, I would probably!). Kind of like the time someone donated some yarn to me and I bought her a coffee from Starbucks. So I got like $40+ worth of yarn for like $5.
Good luck with your move to England. Make sure you take some of your gorgeous wool though as some winters can be pretty chilly and having some knitted/crochet garments and accessories could be essential. 🙂
Being a new knitter and not a wealthy person by any means, I’m always trying to find ways to build my stash. It’s so pathetic right now I won’t even post it on Ravelry but I so want to!!! My daughter goes to yard sales all the time and on occasion finds me some yarn to add to my collection. I’m not too picky about what kind of yarn or who made it I just LOVE yarn and wish I could surround myself in it. So if your lovely yarn is in need of a good loving home I’m your girl!!! It does make me sad that you are getting rid of it, not sure I could do that. You are a bigger person than I!!
I have joined Google+ but have not been back to see how it works since. With Ravelry, Twitter and Facebook, I have all the access to my friends that I need for now.
I hate feeling like I’m missing something like all of my friends updates on plurk and google+ but until I can cut one of the other’s out or find a more effective way to connect them all, I’m not going to “go live” on another site.
I, too, am a fan of G+. I still check Facebook since so many of my friends/family are on it, but I check Google+ much more often. I would happily pay postage on any knitting books. And I have to say that the Jamieson and Smith is GORGEOUS as is that Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock. 😀 Good luck with your move. I think the oddest place I’ve found yarn was in my 9 yr old’s trundle under his bed. Still no idea how it got there!
I joined Google+ to see some of a friend’s wedding pictures, but I don’t find myself using it very often. The only social networking site that I visit on a regular basis is Ravelry, and that’s because it’s more than just a social network.
I really dont have a lot of stash but what little I have is put away nicely in plastic ziploc bags and then into big cardboard boxes. I also have fleeces which I s[in so they are in the greenhouse waiting to be rescued and bought inside before the winter. I just love G+, the best thing Google have ever bought out in my opinion
As long as you don’t put anything other than books in the box, no note etc., you can ship it media mail, which is super cheap. It’s also slow, but not terrible.
I am a little on the OCD freaky side, so I’m actually quite organized when it comes to my stash. I have it in clear bins that are labeled so I know what is where. I have recently reluctantly admitted that I *am* a sock knitter after years of swearing I would NEVER be a sock knitter, and I’m starting to try to collect long fixed metal circulars so that I have give in completely to the dark side, and I don’t have a proper storage system worked out for that part. Right now, surprise surprise, they are stored in a small clear plastic bin back in their original packaging.
I am learning about Google + and I think it has real potential for things like virtual knit night hangouts, but I’ve never really done anything cool with it. I’d like to though!
Enjoy your move and be safe. IF you want to share any stash, I’d give it a fabulous adoptive home, but I mostly couldn’t resist commenting.
I just stumbled on your blog through a fellow knitters post I’ve been following on Google+. You have such beautiful yarns and it’s funny that you’d find yarn in weird places. The only way my yarn relocates is if my 6.5 year old or 15 month old move it on me! My sad little collection (mostly acrylics – with 2 kids the yarn budget it tight) is stored in a rolling storage bin and a wooded cedar chest that my husband’s grandfather made.
I hope that you have a safe move to the UK (I’m jealous! I’ve always wanted to go overseas.)
I thought I wanted to join Google+ but I do think I might feel like it’s one more thing. I have also hear so much mixed information about it that I dont know what to think. I also haven’t received an invitation so I haven’t fairly checked it out to say how I feel about it.
I would respond to a knitting book giveaway and would not mind contributing a few dollars for shipping.
Being a newer knitting I do not have answers for your other questions yet … check back with me in like I dunno another year?
Google+ seems like just something else to sink time… time that could be spent knitting! Intrigued, but not enough at the mo. I’d certainly put money towards postage for books, although being overseas it might be a little spendy for me. For a knitting retreat w my peeps, I think Jared Flood would up there! Love the look of the Stonehenge and Neighbourhood Fibre Co yarns… can’t believe you still have more to give away!