How do you store your crafting stash and keep it under control? What gives you the most trouble? And have you ever been guilty of sneaking stash in the house?
Since I do sewing, knitting, embroidery, crochet and other things, and tend towards chaos when I am in the middle of a project (in other words, only the project in hand gets much attention, and everything else stacks up), stash management is always a struggle.
Any good ideas?
I finally got under control a couple of years ago. I bought a big bin and put all my unfinished projects in it (like the one and 1/2 socks, the two wall hangings that needed to be bound off, etc.) I went through everything else and was pretty brutal (this is when I decided to give up quilting, for me it was too time consuming and I really hadn't done anything for 18 months.) I kept all the implements of all the different types of handwork, but put each in their own plastic box. I have a basket of kits (I think I am down to 4.) I went through all the patterns and tried to determine what I was going to do in the future and what I could do without. Then I moved. (I did give the quilting fabric to a neighbor of mine who sews dresses for humanitarian purposes.)
My rule was that I couldn't start any new projects until I finished the bin of unfinished projects. That took me about 13 months. Then it was the election, so I didn't do much. I have actually learned some new techniques over the past year, but I don't buy anything but the class kit until I figure out if I want to continue on. I've learned to bead, but buy only for one project. No buying for the next project until the current one is done.
I'm starting to enjoy Hardanger, but still only have the kit. Realistically, it will be the first of 2006 before I make anything with Hardanger. I have 3 or 4 projects going at once (different handwork) but my rule is that I can't start anything new until I finish the project.
I do have the luxury of having a extra bedroom, which is craft studio/den. My dad built shelves for me that are like cubbyholes (about 12 inches square). The cubbyholes are 3 across and 4 down. I bought some plastic envelopes that will fit an 11" by 14" pattern book. I put each project into the envelope or I have a basket per project. Patterns are in a filing cabinet, along with kits. Anything I print from the Internet immediately goes into a binder for that type of handwork.
I no longer purchase items that I already have because a) I forgot I had them or b) I couldn't find them. It's always a struggle to not buy something, but I've found if I wait a day or two, a lot of the time I don't want to buy it.
I don't have to sneak anything into the house, I'm single. :) Which is good in some ways and bad in others. I do keep to a budget though.
I see I am going to have to take a pic or two or three of my needle collection. Some of my needles are historical, probably from the 1930s and earlier, but a lot of the little needles are because I'm always hiding them from myself.
I have bought a lot of these in clumps on ebay from someone selling off grandma's stash or something.
I did finally get rid of my cheap yarn that I had been packing around one move after the other. But now I have more expensive yarn and am less likely to want to just part from it. But I have gotten pretty good about not buying stash just because it's pretty. If there is a special sale at the Needlepoint Joint, I will buy some of it just because. But I'm also not often buying sweater amounts. A whole lot of it is in white, grey and blue, because of the projects I am most likely to do. But I keep getting tempted by those pretty Regia and Socka threads...It's only two balls, I think...Amazing how much two balls of yarn reproduce to.
This year I've been very good about going to the Needlepoint Joint. I only go if I need something specific.
I've got a big itch to do some embroidery, but haven't set up a project. I used to do it all the time, but then I got married six years ago and started knitting instead.
I have just reorganized part of my stuff. I moved my needles, sewing and crafting up into the living room where there is the best winter light, and cleaned off my work table, and decided which projects I'm actually going to work on - the sweater, the mitts, and some baby socks for my grandniece and grandnephew and maybe a pair for their mom, too. All the other yarn is put up for right now.
My wife and most quilters I have met would consider such a statement BLASPHEMEY!