The Monster in the Closet, Or, The Yarn Stash

My bedroom closet is getting crowded. There's a bit of shelving my husband uses for his clothes. I have a few shelves. I don't have a lot of clothes, really. But I do have some yarn!!!

Then there's a chest of drawers with 2 large cabinets. Inside are the kids' lunch boxes and book bags. Drawer One has Yarn. Drawer Two has batting, stuffing, embroidery thread, velcro, I don't know what else. Drawer Three has fabric scraps.

Drawer Four has vinyl tablecloths the kids use to craft on.

Wait, I'm not done.

There's a hanging basket type-thingy with 6 sections. In EACH there is YARN.

I have a teeny 4 drawer chest, it's cute, and it's filled to overflow with the wool yarn.

I have some CD crates, but no CDs in them, just YARN. That's the crochet thread/sock yarn section.

What to do with all the yarn? I currently am banished from buying more yarn til I sell some stuff. If you'd like to make it possible for me to buy some new yarns, please see my shop at www.taffyknits.etsy.com and help make some room in the closet!!

But, besides selling it all, the Yarn Stash is the place I turn to when the kids start to even think "I am bored".

Last summer we went crazy for yarn dolls. You wind yarn around a book a bunch of times, cut it in half, and separate strands and tie them off to form head, arms and legs. Then you can give them clothing too (march to the fabric scrap drawer).

This summer we made Bottle Buddies. I saw it on www.familyfun.com. You take an old water bottle, layer double-sided tape up the sides, wind yarn around it and you have a clothed figure. Add a wooden spoon with a face drawn in and more yarn for hair, and voila, a Bottle Buddy.

We also have discovered weaving. I should have had them made their own out of notched cardboard, but we are fortunate to have a nice Fiber Guild in the area that I joined (Polk County Fiber Guild). They have an equipment library! So we borrowed an inkle loom and drop spindles (haven't explored those yet - where's roving in my stash!!!!)

Then, my father has a friend who just flat out gave away a table top loom and a floor loom! So we looked through the stash and wove a little. Cool!

So we are busy with the yarn stash. It gets messy when the kids drag the yarns out. Wisps of skeins travel the floor like vines, ready to latch on to each other and a dog's paw.

Oh, another good use for a yarn stash: a toy for the cat!!

Bottle Buddy with "baby" yarn doll My eldest at the loom