The secret shame of yarn addicts

Woolly words #3:

Ahhh, we’re in the thick of the Great British Summertime. It’s August and the rain is coming down in biblical amounts. Not that I mind, it’s perfect weather for snuggling up with a wonderful woolly project. The only problem is deciding which woolly wonder to crack on with… At the end of the last blog post I said I would tackle one of the secret shames that all of us Woolly Wonder Women (and men!) keep hidden away from the rest of the world; perhaps even our nearest and dearest are blissfully unaware. Certainly my family know I have a guilty secret but they don’t know the extent of it even by half. That’s right….I’m talking about our beloved stash.  

Yarn junkie…

As a relative newbie to the world of wool I honestly worried about my mental health for a few months as I realised I was buying yarn at a rate that far outstripped my time to do anything with it. At first I justified it by starting lots and lots of new projects, but then I progressed to the next level stash….buying yarn just because it was pretty, or soft, of just generally lovely, even though I had no idea what on earth I’d use it for. And like all addictions, you know you’ve really got a problem when you start hiding the evidence…

Secret hiding places

Currently most of my secret stash is hidden around my bedroom….in bags, boxes, drawers, cupboards, under the bed….I even bought an ottoman and told my hubby it was for keeping clean bedding in. It’s not. It’s chock full of furry balls of goodness with a couple of pillowcases placed strategically on top just in case anyone opens it. I had to start hiding it when my husband, rather sarcastically, asked if I were intending to re-assign all of our savings in to the form of balls of wool. Of course I am, I want to own all of the wool in the world like a super villain in a knitted lair out for domination of the woolly world….mwahahahahaaaaa!

I think I’m addited to yarn…

Clearly I have a problem. But….and here’s the bit that allows me to keep adding to my beloved stash…I now know that I’m not alone! As you’re reading this I dare bet that you’ve had a few ‘Me too!’ moments haven’t you? It turns out that the default setting for almost all knitters and crocheters is ‘secret crazy hoarder’ and we all have a stockpile to see us through the longest winter, a wool drought, a sheep apocalypse….should the fancy take us we’re ready to tackle any spur of the moment project, in fact I like to think of it as forward thinking, perfect planning, highly organised and other such desirable traits that I’m not normally associated with. Should the next ice age hit anytime soon I’m fully stocked to make blankets for all of my friends and family, and very glad of it they’ll be!   If ever my children would leave me alone for long enough I’d get my whole stash out, let it run wild and free, wade through it, sleep on it, marvel at it….it’s good to have an ambition. But here’s the very best thing about a secret stash…. It’s NEVER complete!

Confessions…

Oh the joy, the bliss, the rapture of coming across a skein of unsurpassed beauty to add to the stash, finding something with a soft lustre, taking a ball of wondrous wool home to meet its new woolly family. There’s nothing quite like it. Even thinking about it makes me want to rush down to Woolaballoo and lovingly caress the stock, gaze upon the displays until I find the perfect new addition to my stash, sign up for a perfect stash busting workshop, pop in to have a chat with fellow keepers of a stash and share ideas about perfecting the art of stash keeping….or even to confess my stashy sins knowing that my shame will be met with compassion and understanding. I’d say be loud and proud of your stash but I think part of its allure is that it’s a little bit secret, it’s naughty but nice. If you don’t have one yet, don’t despair. Now is a splendid time to start one! Even if Woolaballoo isn’t open you can hop onto the website and take your first steps towards becoming a Master of the Stash….because you’re worth it!

One thought on “The secret shame of yarn addicts

  1. Helen says:

    So many ‘god I know’ moments reading that lol I spat my tea out on more than one occasion.
    Thankfully living the single life, I don’t have to justify my stash to anyone lol.

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