To stash or to let it go, how can I know?

I, like many knitters in the U.S., have a considerable stash. Between good intentions, “omg that is beautiful yarn!”, picking up sample yarn for designing, winning yarn (whee!), failed projects, and leftovers, the stash has become daunting. Oh, and then I used to work at my amazing LYS Yarn Harbor. It is so hard to resist yarn when you are surrounded by all that goodness all of the time, and I am a wee bit (ahem) compulsive. More than just daunting, it has become paralyzing.

I could knit for the next four years just to get caught up on all my good intentions. After that long most projects feel like drudgery and obligation, not joy and excitement. I also want to expand a bit and try some new things.

What to do? My answer has been to de-stash, severely. I did not start out too radically. I sold off a bunch of linen. I was really happy to do so and realized that I was free to move forward if I did not feel the obligation to look back. I have just completed the second round of de-staching.

I have also filled a bin with leftover bits and yarns I had rolled into balls but no longer want to use. Those will get pulled out at my next fiber guild meeting and given away, and make lots of people really happy. Over all I will have reduced my yarn volume by over half, and there may be one more round. I am keeping what I am still passionate about, and that is about it.

This feels so freeing, even joyful. My own fiber-based spring cleanse (!), and one more step on the path of knitting just for the love of it.