Space, stash and sales!

Space, stash and sales! Words to cheer any yarn lover, but to get the space to add to your stash with yarn from the sales you need a plan! I’m all for a plan, and here’s mine…

I’m making more space in my very crowded chest of drawers full of stash by making a stash-busting blanket with a pattern from Inside Crochet this month. Its called Sampler Blanket and I’m using my yarn lovelies to make it, ad-lib, as I go along. I have tried to blend the colours (and I have plenty of stash to choose from!) into a soft palette of blue, aqua, coffee and cream, with hints of soft pink, what do you think of it so far? I might post update pics on Instagram and FB too.

I’m making it twice the size of the pattern, and using 4ply and thin DK rather than the aran-type yarn the pattern suggests. Its a great way for me to learn new stitches, and use up lots of yarns that I love, but which are not enough to make a whole thing, or I have forgotten what they were originally bought to make! (That’s quite a common theme to my stash items, other times I just fell in love with the yarn, colour, texture etc and had no plan of what to make but didn’t buy enough for anything!) hoping this blanket will grace the arm of a sofa in our lounge eventually. The bonus is that I get more space in my chest of drawers for more yarn, but don’t tell Mr Gorgeous Yarns!

In the Gorgeous Yarns shop, we have John Arbon and Excelana both at sale prices. John Arbon  is making way for 4 ply Purely Gorgeous with silk (oooooh!) sale stocks are running low so get it while you can if you have a larger project in mind. Excellana is at a promotional price for you to enjoy just as Susan Crawford’s new book The Vintage Shetland Project is being published. I hope to have more about this book in our next Newsletter. (In case you don’t know, Susan Crawford designed the vintage inspired colours of Excelana and uses them in most of her designs, celebrating all things vintage, brought up to date!)

I have been trialing a “thick and thin” yarn which may be added to our Purely Gorgeous range. Its great fun to knit with, quick and easy on size 12mm, and gives a lovely soft, textured effect when knitted in stocking stitch. I’m thinking of making it into a 1 skein, 3 pattern kit, what do you think?

What are you making at the moment? Any space, stash and sales things going on like me? Any great stash busting ideas to share with us?

Keep warm and cosy in this awful wet, cold weather (though it is sunny in Cornwall right now…)

bye for now, Caroline