Using Up Some Stash

I tend to buy a lot of yarn and make one thing out of it and then I'm bored and move onto something else. I decided this spring that I needed to be better about using stuff up or getting rid of it.

Well, my mom and I have been cleaning out my grandma's house since she passed away this last February and it has been a large task. Have you seen those shows on tv TLC's Buried Alive and A&E's Hoarders? That was my grandma - no joke. We always knew it was going to be a huge job, but when we actually got in there and see the ridiculous things she kept it became a little overwhelming. Luckily for us, she only hoarded stuff, not food, animals or anything else gross. Its a lot of paper, a lot of books, a lot of fabric and linen.

This picture is the living room, you can see the fireplace off to the left - completely inaccessible, the picture window, which has been covered by those drapes for years and the tiny pathway on the bottom right where she walked through the house.

It is really hard - we've come to realize just how much this STUFF kept her at a distance from us. She did let us in the house - and unlike some of the family on those shows - we didn't really say too much about it and just let her do her thing. She was getting rid of it at the end, but not quickly enough. But even though we didn't fight about it, she couldn't have us over - because there was no where for us to sit! And she didn't go out much because she was always "working on my house", meaning she was washing and ironing the fabric, fixing things, etc so she could sell it or give it to the Goodwill.

Anyway... it's put a new perspective on things... and even though my little yarn/knitting stash is a far cry from a hoarding disorder, I've adopted a new Use or Lose It philosophy. So, I've been knitting up a bunch of little hats and stuff. I really want to buy some new yarn that's more of a cotton blend rather than acrylic, but I'm using up what I have first. My Etsy shop with benefit with a few extra items. =)