Yep, April Fool's Day is also Flash Your Stash day. A few brave readers and team members have made a start, but we're looking for lots more photos so have a rummage in your cupboards and either post a link to your photo or blog post in the comments or send us an email – let's enjoy each other's yarn and admire each other's collections!
Simply Knitting Team Stash – Debora Bradley, Editor
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"It might sound strange, but I think it’s because I see so many gorgeous yarns at work that I don’t buy much for my own use," says Debora. "By the time I get to the shops, I’ve seen something else equally stunning, which makes it hard to choose."
"My stash is liberally scattered and squashed into corners all over the house, so I thought I’d better get some of it together for the photo – the cat’s not usually included!"
Debora's top tip
"Keep a list of yarn you want to buy or projects you want to make – that way when you go shopping, you won't come home with odd balls!"
Reader Stash: Liz from the UK
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"I am glad that it is not just me who collects yarn! I am like a child going into a sweet shop when I enter a yarn shop. It gets me quite excited," Liz says.
"I have lots of yarn, patterns and people to knit for, but I also have four children and work!"
Liz's top tip
"It isn’t a bargain if you never get to knit it."
Simply Knitting Team Stash – Elizabeth Bagwell, Production Assistant
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"My stash has grown enormously since joining Simply Knitting," Elizabeth says. "I keep wanting to try all the new yarns I see at work and have a long list of projects to knit."
"I bought an Expedit bookshelf from Ikea to hold it all – it's great, like having my own yarn shop. The only down side is that now everyone knows how much I spend on yarn!"
Elizabeth's top tip
"Fibre festivals and crafts shows are a great place to pick up bargains and beautiful, unique yarns."
Reader's Stash – Juliet from Dorset
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"My partner and I recently adopted a 15 year old cat called Tiger from the RSPCA who loves to sleep. After a few days for settling in, I couldn't find him anywhere. We love knitting and have draws of wool under our bed. I pulled one out to discover our missing Tiger. I just hope my stash isnt to covered in cat hair!"
Simply Knitting Team Stash – Kirstie McLeod, Technical Editor & Designer
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“Because I do a lot of knitting and designing for the magazine, I’ve got two kinds of stash: work stash and private stash,” says Kirstie. “There’s yarn all over my house and tucked in drawers and boxes around the office.”
“You get used to bringing new finds into work first,” she laughs. “I’ve found some lovely yarns at shows that I haven’t been able to use straight away because they were being photographed for the magazine.”
Kirstie's top tip
"If you're running out of space, store your yarn in vac bags."
Reader Stash – Deanna from Nevada, USA
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"I love knowing my yarn is in this cabinet and everyone else thinks it is a TV," she says of the old TV cabinet she turned into a groovy yarn cupboard. "There is nothing better than to sit across the room with the doors open and plan my next project!"
Deanna's top tip
"The blue zippered bag is actually a worm binder. Fishermen use it to organize their worm lures. Inside there are zip lock plastic pouches in a ring binder …. It is the perfect bag for storing my circular needles."
Reader Stash – Sue from Swavesey
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"My daughter is a lifestyle editor for a popular magazine for the over 50s," Sue says. "As no one else in her office knits I get all the new samples!"
"I make a lot of striped baby clothes as there is only ever one ball of each colour."
Sue's top tip
"I also get wool from my local charity shop which does have some really good bargains."
Reader's Stash – Cheryl from Victoria, Australia
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"My stash sits boldly in the lounge room so I now can see what yarn I have. Two cabinets contain my yarn stash. You will see by the photo that I love reading, spending time with my grandchildren and knitting," says Cheryl. "When my stash was kept in cupboards I had no idea what yarn I had."
"I have always loved Alan Dart patterns and have knitted many toys over the years. I have knitted 8 Sackpeople and wrapped 7 for Easter presents for my grandchildren. The last Sackperson is to display at the local show in October. I have decided to keep a few things this year to display in the show to show
my support as these old activities are slowly fading out and it is by our effort that they will remain."
Cheryl's top tip
"It is always good to have a knitted object in the cupboard – you never know when a gift will be needed."
