I am in the thick of getting rid of half of my stuff getting ready for our move across state, and trying to move out of the studio by the end of the month. We have literally gotten rid of half of our stuff. Who knew I could accumulate so much stuff in the 13 years that I’ve lived in Asheville. I am appalled and fascinated. This also includes destashing yarn. I know I should be appalled as to how much yarn I have accumulated in the last 13 years, but for whatever reason I am not. And I know many of you out there understand exactly what I’m talking about.
Sometimes I wonder if my “yarn business” is really just a front for my extremely large yarn stash.
It just so happens, as I began sifting through all of our stuff, Marie Kondo has a bestseller out that talks about purging your stuff to create a tidy, manageable home. Just going through all of my clothing and coming out on the other side with a very organized, neat closet has me inspired to tackle every inch of the studio, house and condo. I am eager to lighten our load for eventual move. Needless to say, this but book could not have come at a more perfect time.
If you have not heard of this book, here’s the basic premise. Carve time to tackle groupings as a whole. For instance, all your books at one time, all your clothes in another sitting. Save the mementos and photos for last because those are the hardest to let go of. The only question you ask yourself, as you touch each item as you’re going through stuff, is “Does the spark joy?” It’s that simple. You’re only keeping stuff that you absolutely love or absolutely need.
What this book doesn’t have is a section on how to go through your yarn. But I believe that yarn tends be closer to a memento type thing than an actual need (believe me, I know this memento vs. need thing is pretty debatable…)
Here is what I have done to destash my yarn using what I learned from the magic art of tidying up.
Gather every scrap, skein and ball of yarn into one place. Trust me, I understand how difficult this part might be. I, for one, have an insane amount of yarn and not all of it is considered business inventory. But it’s pretty important that you do this in one sitting whether or not it’s over a few days. So gather IT ALL. This also includes you WIPs.
Gather up several, plastic bins and paper bags as well as something to label your bins with, and a pen. Hey I know destashing can be emotional (I’m not even kidding) so you don’t want a silly roadblock like “I’m missing pen” to stop progress. Gather your supplies in advance.
Make sure you’re in an area where if you can leave this massive project out if it’s going to take more than a couple of days to finish. In other words, the dining room table might be a great place to organize your stash, unless you’re planning on a large dinner party in the middle of your progress. Again setting yourself up to complete this task is really important.
Now for the fun/hard part. Go through every scrap/skein/ball/WIP in your stash, holding each piece or grouping. Ask yourself “Does this spark joy?”
Some yarn/projects will be no-brainers. You either love them or not. But, many are going to be rife with mixed emotions. That ball of yarn from the awesome girls trip to Stitches. Your first handspun skein. The baby blanket you started for your son…who might be getting it for his college dorm room next Christmas. What the hell do you do with those?
Here is how I see it (as a fan of Ms. Kondo)… When asking if this skein/ball/scrap/WIP sparks joy, get real about if it is actually sparking joy for you in the present moment, or is the memory this skein/ball/scrap/WIP holds sparking joy. If it is the memory that is sparking joy, know that the memories will always be with you whether you keep that skein/ball/scrap/WIP or not.
Does the idea of working on that WIP in the present fill you with dread? GET RID OF IT. I give you permission to release that guilt. Let it go, donate it to charity, give it to a friend, I even give you permission to throw it away (or at least cut it up for the birds to use for nest material).
Once you have finished going through it all, keeping only the joyful stuff, organize it all in bins that makes sense for YOU. For me that was a bin(or 2…3) each of WIPs, crochet cotton (for market bags and dishcloths), sock yarn, worsted and handspun, and bits for weaving.
Take your time, give yourself breaks especially if you are feeling anxiety of overwhelmed (hey…I am not even kidding). See the project through to completion, even if it takes a month. I know that we often hold onto knitting stuff, because knitting in general brings us so much joy. By using Ms. Kondo’s genius method of destash, you will be left with only stuff that brings you real happiness. You will also be free of the project guilt, and “meh” yarn taking up time and space in your life. And take it from me…. It. Feels. Awesome.
So, now my question for you… Do you have any destashing tips to share? Please share in the comments below.
Fiber artist Stacey Budge-Kamison AKA UrbanGypZ lives and works in Cary NC. She can also be found knitting in public, hammering out her latest e-course at local cafés and spinning yarns in her booth at her favorite arts festivals. A designer at heart, Stacey has decided that her mission is to help fellow knitters, crocheters, weavers and felters embrace their own style and creativity by exploring fiber art as it is a part of their everyday life and helping them embrace the title of artist no matter where they are in their journey. 
Larger communities have textile recycling bins…WIPS could go there, as could totally ugly yarn. (American Textile Recycling)
YES!! great suggestion. OMG we totally need to keep them out of the land fills. I watched an appalling doc on how clogged the landfills get these days with the popularity of very cheap clothing. thanks!~
This is a good post. I have a hard time seeing big projects through to completion, but as you pointed out, set-up is key. Gotta set yourself up for success and not failure in advance. That is very true. I have a hard time because while I’ve been able to identify at least 2-3 skeins that I felt “meh” about or “I will never want to knit with this” I have a whole lot more that I REALLY want to knit with, but haven’t found the magical pattern for it yet. OR I wanna weave with it on my semi-auto loom but I am still seeing that project through to completion (been a wild ride, but enjoying each step, for the most part) – so I do not want to part with a specific yarn that I have on ‘reserve’ for weaving with once that loom is up and running. And in the meantime, I keep accumulating more because I have subscribed to 3 different (strictly yarn) clubs, plus 1 fiber club, and 1 additional fiber club that I only get periodically. I guess I just have fiber ADD, lol. The other day I got some lovely tencel yarn from one of my clubs. I know I would not think to seek this type of yarn out normally. It may be months before I use it… I may never end up using it (and not b/c I dislike it, I guess I just gotta prioritize my yarn.) lol. Ahhh it’s so rambly of me, but that’s how my brain works right now when I think about my yarn stash, haha. “Ooh maybe I should de-stash this!” but then a second later “nuuuu I can’t, b/c I wanna see how it weaves up…” oy. I guess I like having a lot of yarns on ‘reserve’ just in case. It’s such a strange thought. But while I have a metric f-ton of yarn, I know that my stash pales in comparison to some folks on Ravelry, LOL. It would be fun if there was a way to download public statistics on Rav about average size of a person’s stash. But I guess not everyone uses Rav for stashing and stuff. So that might not work. But would still be hilarious to see. Then I might not feel so bad or I might feel worse, hahaha. 😀 Perhaps once my stash reaches “critical mass” as in – I can no longer fit all my yarns into their cubby-holes, and start migrating to other storage devices, that may be time to do the above exercise and see it through all the way.
Wow, sorry for my rambles. But I feel this post on a visceral level. I know what it’s like to have too much of stuff and even though I don’t “need” to de-stash whatever it may be (yarn, books, clothing….OK esp clothing) I know I would feel better/relief if I did. I think I will have to de-stash clothes long before my yarn. (whew)!
Oh Kate, I totally get it. And I think only those in the knitting/crochet/spinning community can understand how visceral (love your description, dead on) it is parting with yarn even if you are not fully smitten with it. Even as I was taking a picture for this post, I found myself questioning why I was keeping some of the WIPs in that bin. Second guessing like crazy.
It helps me if I have a place set up to donate my yarn. It’s like a goal to get the yarn there.
OMG yes…because otherwise it sits by the door waiting for me to decide. I do best with a deadline ad a plan.
Hi Stacey, Here’s the BIGGEST tip I can give you…DO NOT EVER accept bags or bins full of someone else’s purge. We each have our own quirks when it comes to accumulating yarn and I never found anything I felt the spark in anyone else’s orphans. Just an enormous sense of relief when I finally their stuff when I moved to Asheville. I did however go thru every speck of my yarns before the move and parted with a bit…not much but more than none.
So, are you moving to Gastonia or somewhere else?
Betsy Meyer
OMG, I totally know what you mean. I get offers for free yarn very often. Usually from non knitters. They have no idea how much yarn I have myself, and rarely have time to knit things beyond samples using my stuff.
…when I finally dumped their stuff…
I’ve been doing similar, only my phrase is, “Does it make your heart sing when you look at it?” if not, out it goes. I donated a pile of “who cares?” yarns to the fiber arts day camp that my daughter has gone to for the last two summers – they loved it! When I found out that the more donated fibers they get means that they can keep their enrollment costs down so that more kids who otherwise couldn’t afford it can attend – I went through my stuff again and donated two more garbage bag loads of “who cares?”. I’ve also found that the local day care centers, nursery schools, and after school clubs in my area are happy to accept bags of such for the kids to make crafts with. It’s easier to part with stuff when you know it’s going to a good home!
I love this so much. I know what you mean. I have a feeling I could go back through mine as well especially now that you have given me some awesome ideas for places to donate. Thanks!!
Perfect timing!! I got a table at Random Arts craft supplies yard sale this weekend. I was fretting about how to start the purge.