Wool.

So I had wool company this past weekend.  Wool company being the kind of guest you show your stash to.

I could go on and on about it - there was wool, frank conversation, a wide variety of laughing and some very good Indian food.  But the details are untranslatable.  I'm just very lucky. 

And I totally never even took my camera out of the bag.  Oops.

But while touring the wool, we found a shocking thing - a couple of "caraway seeds".  And by caraway seeds I mean mouse poop.  Yes, I have vermin.  I generally have no beef with the mice - first I've ever seen of one in the house, but hey, we all have to live, right?  Just not in the wool closet.  That's my bottom line.  So everything came out to check for damage.

The mouse, bless her heart, apparently only likes cellulose fibers because the victims were an ebay mistake cone of rayon-cotton and a cotton sweater I'd kept for its measurements.  Totally painless - and hey, stirring the stash must happen a couple/three times a year anyway.

But you know....a few weeks ago I was all het up about bootees and was yelling "I have a niece, I have to go to the yarn store!"  And a friend said to me - but you have one in your house.   Turns out she was totally right.  I have a leeetle bit o' wool.

What the mouse showed me:

Kind of an oops moment. (Doesn't look too bad, you say?  Each of those bags on the left holds a sweater's worth of wool.  And there are two more stacks behind the front one. All the cones are cashmere.  I need a ball of yarn for scale.)

The big plastic boxes behind and to the left are fiber (under the drum card table), the rest is yarn.  There's a little bit more here and there, but that's...erm...85%?.  Maybe 90%?   I haven't dragged everything out like this in about forever.  I'm - not embarrassed...more stunned.  Over all, it was good to get reacquainted with it all.  To remember why I fell in love with it all in the first place.  But.  That's a lot of wool.

But wait, there's more!

My kitchen.  Because I dunno where to put this yet.  There are 3 fleeces and 1/2 a pound of a third still dirty in there.  Plus 4 fresh from the processor and one from another blogger, clean and fluffy and ready to twist in my hands.   And some miscellaneous bits and fleeces elsewhere.

I've always been a bit inclined to throw myself into things....but this is silly.    Can I get the rest of it all clean before Rhinebeck?  And not buy anything else - no wool, no yarn, no needles, no patterns, nothing until then?  I think that would be a very good idea.  I've got wool in the sink and budget mindedness in my heart.  We'll see.

In the mean time I better get some sleep if I am to have the energy to keep up with my hobby.

First of the new fibers - taupe Rambouillet - which is tightly spun and plied.  Maybe too much so and wildly uneven  (I still have trouble spinning more lightly on the production wheel) but I love it.  It is as soft and springy as the organic merino I bought at Rhinebeck last year.  Promise.

Comments

[Claire]

Damn, girl. All I have to say is that I'm glad you're a quick knitter. And now the buttons. One day someone will find you crushed to death beneath a pile of fleece and we'll know you'll have gone out happy. :) I hope you're well.

[Mariz]

To say that I am jealous, would be an understatement. However, thanks to you, some other bloggers and attendance at a knitting group, I have begun my own little stash. The excuse? I'm switching from sweaters to socks and shawls so that I can buy really nice yarn. And... I'm anticipating some serious recuperation time in the near future, so one must stock up. No?

I'm not going to embarrass myself by posting pics of what is nothing compared to your bounty.

Enjoy! And thanks for sharing. I do so love thinking about yarn.

Mariz

[Marcy, Not Blogless]

Stash? STASH?? You call that a stash?!!???!!? Amateurs! They collect a bit of this and that and call it a stash. Hurmpf. Honey, when the stash requires at least one room of it's own, you can call it a big stash. Until then, get to work. :D

[Chris]

Hmm, your cat needs to live in the stash for a while...

[Gina]

Don't you have a cat? Doesn't she know she has to pay kitty rent?

[Ellen]

You are so lucky that you got the mouse you did.

I had a mouse who ate half a skein of Koigu. She had good taste, I gotta give her that. Needless to say, there was much cursing and gnashing of teeth.

And then I set out the traps. Bwah, ha, ha, ha, ha!

[melanie]

love.love.love. the criss-crossy window bars!!! Didn't even notice the stash!

[Diane]

So does this mean that you're going to be looking for dyes to play with at Rhinebeck? I sure am looking forward to Rhinebeck and hopefully seeing some fellow bloggers!

[claudia]

That is enough, isn't it? I mean, I know that's kind of heresy to say. But what else would I (micro-stasher) think?

[moiraeknits]

I am giggling only because that rather looks like my place. Only nicer. I just coralled the raw fibers onto a new shelf (mostly, some of it is still stacked in their boxes), but the yarn itself is still...well. You may have inspired me to get to washing another fleece tonight though. Must take advantage of these last gasps of warm weather in the PNW.

[julia fc]

But, it's all on the floor. You still have room on the wall. And there's plenty of space for hanging racks.
Turf the spider plant and put yarn in its place. You are *so* far behind.

[sunflowerfairy]

"Cones of cashmere" oh the jealousy.

I'm envious of the bags containing enough yarn to make sweaters. I have a ton of stash, with most of it I'm able to make little things- hats, scarves etc.

[Dorothy B]

Holy wool, Batman!

Holy yarn, Robin!

[Kris]

Wow, I have major stash envy. I thought mine was getting out of control, but it's got nothing on yours.

*slinking into a corner moping about stash inadequecies*

[Cordelia]

That's alotta cones of cashmere.
Lucky ducky...

[Rebecca]

I LOVE your STASH! I do. Having a big stash is so fun ~ you can do ANYthing at ANY time and just by shopping at home. S.A.B.L.E. is good. Wool = joy. whee!

[Imbrium]

Ya know, just last night I was looking at my stash and thinking, "This is too much. I have to stop."

Thanks for knocking some sense into me.

[naomi]

That is a lot of wool. And some beautiful spinning.

[heather]

oooh, organic merino from rhinebeck. remind me to buy at least two sweaters' more of that stuff come october. the sweater from last year's haul is like squishy spoingy lovely wooly sunshine. (not that i like it much or anything). yay for the rambouillet!

[Cara]

Oooh! I love a tight ply!

[Cassie]

Guest bedroom closet needs a reorganizing spree. Just saying. ;-)

[Beth S.]

The best way to reduce the stash is to spin it up. Get crackin' and you may just empty a bin in time for Rhinebeck. ;-)

At least the mice didn't find the Koigu.

[Michelle]

I just want to say that I read the "wool, frank conversation" phrase as "frank conversation about wool." And that made me giggle. Otherwise, I have no business talking to anyone about their yarn collection.

[mamacate]

Lovely rambo.

Tell that cat to earn her keep. And you've seen my stash...

[Bookish Wendy]

Dude, you need the kick The Cat in the ass. Time to earn its keep.