Do you have enough yarn?

Dear users, dear authors,
How’s your yarn supply? Do you have enough yarn?

Dear Josefa,

theoretically I have enough yarn, but there’s always one that’s missing. And then no other one will do—it has to be the exact one I’ve picked out. And now I’m waiting for the mail carrier to bring me that one coveted skein. Hopefully it looks the same in real life as it does on the screen. I’m excited to see.

Best regards, Ina

I can only agree with Ina on this. My closet is full of yarn, but I’m missing the right color. I’m supposed to support the Christmas elves and crochet a Pokémon Ball. Three colors—white, purple, and black. So I’ll just go tomorrow and buy the colors I’m missing.

But that’s it—not a single more skein. Keep your fingers crossed that I stay strong. 

Oh yeah, I have enough yarn to keep going for a second year on this “diet.” It’s somehow melting away much slower than I’d like. I have plenty of color options—I’ve already made sure of that. And different types of yarn, too. Up until now, I’ve given yarn a wide berth, and whenever I did find myself standing in front of it, I’d imagine the selection waiting for me at home. And that was that.

Unfortunately, I’m not very disciplined when it comes to buying yarn—I did it again this week ;-) Five skeins of merino for my next project and the one after that (a loop scarf and a hat for my godchild), and then another eight skeins of a virgin wool/alpaca blend for my “someday” project, which I’ve had in mind for a long time. And this despite the fact that my many yarn storage spots are overflowing. But just like Ina and Petra, the colors and materials just weren’t right for me.

So this week, I’m going to put together a big package of unwanted yarn that I’ll never use anyway—and send it to a woman who knits and crochets for the homeless. Make room for something new :-)

Dear Josefa,

I still have plenty of yarn in my stash, so I can continue my diet without any problems.

Sonja, that’s great—donating yarn to homeless shelters. I hadn’t even thought of that. Of course, it’s best if you know someone there and can be sure the yarn actually gets to where it’s needed.

A virgin wool/alpaca blend… wow! That would be right up my alley. I’m already looking forward to it once I’ve made room for new yarn—by next winter at the latest. Right now, I still have a few yarn blends waiting to be knitted up.

Marion, that’s great that you’re sticking with your “yarn diet”! That makes at least two of us. :)

Yes, Monika, I’m sticking with it. My yarn supply isn’t running out that quickly either. Lately, I couldn’t just do nothing, and before that, I mostly knitted and crocheted small pieces.

Hopefully things will go better next year—I’m looking forward to getting started again.

Everyone who has managed 1 year of a yarn diet, please write it in this thread so we can all celebrate together
Yarn diet starting 1/1/2020 - Part 2: conquering your inner couch potato (No advertising)

I received a big bag of yarn as a gift. I think that’ll last me a while.

Best regards

Oh dear, a yarn diet—for me, it’s more like a real diet; the yo-yo effect keeps coming back. I also have the color problem from time to time, and if that yarn is only available by mail order, I naturally make the most of the shipping charge, haha. But I also have yarn and lots of big and small leftovers—maybe I should see if I can find someone to take them off my hands for free.

This month I made an exception and bought two skeins because I didn’t have those specific colors in my stash.
It’s for a Secret Santa gift.

I started my yarn diet last December.

Ines, I might have an idea for your scraps.
This year, I’ve crocheted a lot of scraps into animal nests. There are wildlife rescue centers that are very happy to receive them. I found a group like that on Facebook. They’re very grateful for them, and I’ve really enjoyed making them.

Monika, that sounds good—I’ll have to check it out, or maybe you could send me the link; I might be able to help out.
Best regards, Ines 

I have more than enough yarn, but somehow never the right one. 

Far too often I buy yarn because it’s sooo beautiful. 
When I start a new project, though, I end up buying new yarn for it anyway... 
So eventually it just piles up at home.

I’ve also thought about donating the leftover yarn. It’s all top quality, moth-free, etc., and all in great condition.

Does anyone know whether nursing homes and the like are generally happy to receive this kind of thing? Or can I save myself the trouble? 
Or would an elementary school or something be better? 

Well, there’s a senior living community near us where the residents meet once a week for crafts, and the food bank also gladly accepts yarn and passes it on to people who then knit and crochet socks, scarves, hats, etc., for the food bank... maybe you could ask there....
I actually have enough yarn myself, and I’ve bought very little this year. If I do buy any, it’s only for a specific project—half from my stash and then the other half ordered to match.... I just wound some yarn myself for a shawl—actually a good idea. But I should have taken the trouble to pay more attention to the yardage; then I would have had enough... Now I’m trying to get my hands on a very specific type of yarn—it’s just a single strand...
Maybe I should have just ordered everything after all 🙈
I’ll take inventory in January...