Chances are if you are reading this, you have fiber crushed on yarn at some point.

Grrrrrrl… you know what I mean.

You saunter into your LYS and as you scan the room your eyes lock on a curvy soft skein in the corner with that come hither vibe.

Resisting the urge to plow over the 5 other shop customers with grabby hands and glazed eyes.

You gently lift that skein to your cheek murmuring “my precious…”

…too much?

Seriously, we all have fallen hard for an inspiring skein knowing that the inspirations will come… no has to come…

because damn it, the gorgeous goods are coming home with this knitter. I know some brave knitters resist the urge until they have pattern in hand, risking losing out on a unique skein for fear of a growing precious stash of what threatens to be yarn only worthy of petting. (hey I admit..I have a petting stash myself)

So what is a knitter in love to do?

As a maker of what I’d like to think of as limited edition seductive skeins, In all honesty, I do not want you to grow your stash for the sake of stashing. I want you to use those gorgeous skeins and feel a sense of pride for how it enhances your art. For me it is like watching my babies grow up.

So here is what I call my 5 part survey for determining what a skein is meant to be:

Part 1: How much do I love it?

Okay, I know it is not fair for momma to pick a favorite baby, but is this skein the pinnacle of the stash and you have been waiting for the right pattern to come along that will do this yarn justice? Or is it a nice souvenir skein in a great color that you are hoarding in the event that the apocalypse will wipe out access to your LYS.

Part 2: How much do I have?

Straight up, how much you have will be a big factor in what you make. Even with common commercial yarn, there are no guarantees that you will be able to get more of a certain dyelot. That holds even more true with hand made yarn. You may just have one skein. That is okay. Don’t think that will limit you to making a small project (I will get into that in a minute), just knowing what you have in terms of yardage weight and gauge is a big deal.

Part 3: What are the features?

Is it a smooth creamy monochromatic yarn? Is it a quirky textural art yarn? And of the features what is your favorite (you’ll want to play that favorite up big time)? Do you just want to drink in that color, or make sure you can see the tiny details of the texture? This is what you want to be sure to highlight.

Part 4: Solo act or part of a symphony?

So maybe you have enough of that awesome art yarn to make hat. But a solid knit fabric of an art yarn may not show off the yarn’s features like you want. Texture gets lost in a sea of jumbled texture. It might make a bigger impact in a smaller more subtle way. Consider combining your yarn, contrasting color and textures so they play off of each other. And you are better able to stretch your yardage to make bigger products.

Part 5: What do I want to make?

Straight up, knitting is really about making a final piece. Yes we all love to be immersed in the knitting process and all. But if the process yields a garment that you or no one else wants to wear, then you really are going to regret buying that awesome skein. Don’t make sweaters if you don’t like to wear sweaters.

Brainstorm till your heart says yes.

Sketch ideas. Surf Pinterest. Ask your Stitch and Bitch. Test knit a swatch. Rip it out and try a different version. But most of all, be fearless and listen to your heart. You will know when the right project evolves…..emphasis on evolves.

So what kind of yarn is languishing in your stash? Need help brainstorming ideas? Share in the comments below.