Confessions of a Craft Hoarder

[DancingRoundTheKitchen]

Ok, I hoard craft supplies, mainly fabric and wool. I have been -spending too much money- collecting for about five years since I really got into sewing & knitting.
I have just have a sort of of said hoarded fabric and wool and I am embarrassed (but also strangely satisfied) that I currently have in my collection; about 15 meters of various fabrics and 13 balls of wool. (plus a load of remnants and half used balls of wool)
I MUST not buy any more. I MUST get organised and get knitting/sewing.

Can anyone point me in the direction of some lovely online patterns/good blogs with tutorials on?

My recently retired friend has a craft room now. I am going to see it soon. I fear I may salivate when in it

I have a wall of yarn... yes a wall... it's like having my own yarn shop

I knew I didn't have enough

I'm feeling slightly relieved that I'm not the worst here, but I did find myself laughing manically at the OP... I'm envious of those of you who seem to have some semblance of organisation to go along with it, though. I just have piles of fabric stacked around the house.

I officially want a wall of yarn.

Sneaks into the thread.

I have a huge scrapbooking stash and I haven't scrap-booked for more than 3 years - it sits in my craftroom staring at me.

I shall have to use my yarn, ribbon and material stash to hide it.

I have a yarn-drobe - a massive double wardrobe full of yarn & yarn-related things.

I'm pretty sure I'm close to S.A.B.L.E status now.

DH got a bit of a shock when we moved house in December - he hadn't realised just how much yarn there was until it was all consolidated!

I love these threads about stashes. They are my spiritual home.

I think within the loveliness of our stashes is the making of our downfall - everything is so beautiful and it all has some much potential to be something wonderful that we don't actually want to spoil it by using it. I am doing a City and Guilds patchwork and quilting course and the tutors are trying to drill in us that our stash is there to be used but it is very hard to make that first cut in some fabric you have had for a long time. It was even very hard when we hand dyed a rainbow of coloured cotton FQs. They were new and we knew dye some more if we wanted and still we had to be forced to cut them up. Daft.

Mind you, I think the tutors are secretly as bad as us and I would love to see their work rooms.

My DH found the extents of my stash recently, he is very supportive of me buying more but now we do get looks, still he has a book habit so he can't complain too much...

I have been virtuously downsizing my book collection ... but mainly because I now buy them electronically. No-one has yet invented electronic yarn!

Electronic yarn! Heaven forbid!!

I told DH about this thread and all you crazy people fellow crafters. I of course started with the ones who have a whole craft annex and reminded him he was lucky have me who only has a few boxes.

He did actually admit that what I spend on this could never compete with his hobby - his very old, money pit of a 2 seater sports car. Sad deluded fool That sounds like a challenge to me to go shopping.

So right now. I have a tool box and a couple of squashed down carrier bags. That is it. I haven't been sewing for long though.

I do LOVE collecting craft magazines!

I have to say, I'm not sure this was quite the reaction the OP was expecting - more aghast faces and cries of "you have THIRTEEN balls of wool?". Not "13? Call that a stash? I own a field of sheep solely to ensure I never run out" etc.

Now, do I get DH to build the furniture I've just heaved back from Ikea for ds' room first, or should he get on with the chest of drawers so my stash pile can expand from one to the other ... decisions decisions.

I thought that. 13 balls of yarn won't even make a jumper in some cases.

Ah but now the OP knows what she can aspire to....

Okay-finished a cardigan for dd1 today which proves why a stash is necessary. The said cardigan was much nicer when it was three balls of yarn to stroke, doesn't fit properly and isn't how I expected it to turn out at all. My stash is a world of possibilities. Hopefully the jumper for ds that is now on the needles will turn out better. Better get some more yarn just in case....

Ladies. This is a real stash! I love this blog.

Oh my god, that is amazing!
I also love the flickr group, with people showing their stash...just brilliant!
I really like the ones where all the fabrics are neatly colour coded and in lovely,tidy piles on shelves.I dream of having more space and money to indulge my hobbies.

Wow that's a heckova stash fabulous!

Luckily DH doesn't seem to comprehend how expensive yarn is, so doesn't see my Wall O' Yarn as a problem..... :o

I took up spinning too so although i don't have the actual flock of sheep but there used to be a coat cupboard un my hallway now there is a fleece cupboard. I am as strict as i can bring myself to be with bought wool i keep it in an oversized laundry basket. Vacuum storage bags are my friend

I have a small flock of sheep so we don't run out of wool.

GentleOtter - that's brilliant.
My DH is endlessly patient at waiting outside woolshops - if he does ever start moaning I shall mention getting a flock so I don't need to go sheeping shopping!

11 Wensleydale fleeces in the process of being washed. There are lumps of fleece everywhere and it smells sheepy.

Ooh wensleydale is gorgeous i've only got one but my guilty pleasure is that sheepy smell

LOL :) :) 15 balls of wool OP, oh how my husband wishes I had 15 balls of wool... I've got about 100 cones of wool in the spare room and and then the 5 50litre totes in the attic dh doesn't know about and about 4 totes of loose balls.
My fabric is down currently to about 25 different patterns but probably only adds up to about 20 yds or so...
I have a lovely a4 file box full of ribbon and botton box of loose buttons the size of a walking shoe box and a small cd box of 'carded' buttons.
I have another cd box filled with beads and wire.
I own more paper then anyone really ought to unless they're a library....

And I've not been able to get to any of it for ages because my 8m and 3yo won't let me during the day and by the evening I'm too knackered.