Stash Building?

[holyhelianthus]

How does one do this? Does it come about through left overs? Do you seek out sales and buy lots of yarn then? As a fairly new knitter I am trying to figure this out. How does a stash form?

[DeerMother]

I have a teeny tiny one started by a) going to a local fiber fair b) buying a few things on sale. The problem for me is that a lot of this is just one or two skeins hanks which limits the size of sweaters I can make.

[A Mom's Love]

I have been thinking of going to the craft store weekly with my 40% off coupon to build up a stash that way. I don't have a stash and haven't before, but I figure that I need to start building up the yarn I want for projects by planning ahead & using coupons so I don't have to buy the yarn all at once since I can't afford it that way.

[Think of Winter]

I don't think I ever intentionally built a stash. It just happened. When I find a yarn I love, I buy what I can afford, or what I need for a specific project. Believe me, your stash will grow without a lot of effort! I've found that my tastes have changed over the years, too. Some yarns I bought 5+ years ago just don't thrill me anymore.

[sabrinat]

Originally Posted by magstphil

How does one do this? Does it come about through left overs? Do you seek out sales and buy lots of yarn then? As a fairly new knitter I am trying to figure this out. How does a stash form?

When I was first really getting into wanting to knit I shopped the big box craft store clearance bins. That was a good way to build a stash, but I also wasn't as aware of how much yardage it takes to do certain items that I might want to do, i.e. a sweater for me. Hence I have lots of colors where I might only have 1 or 2 skeins. That was a mistake I made, but live and learn. I still got some great yarn and I've made some one skein items and most of it is still good for sock knitting or scarves so that's been ok. But, I think it's probably best to have some idea of what you might want to do with the yarn.
Also I've made several decent size purchases from KP at they have decent stuff for great prices and if you spend $50 then shipping is free. One of my patient's GM is a knitter and she's turned me on to some great sources like Elann and Webs so you can get some good stuff too for not too much.
I sew also and I approached knit stashing the same way. If I'm awake at 2am. I want to be able to make whatever I want to without needling to run to the store to get started. I have a tons of craft supplies, but that's my "thing" so it's what my discretionary income goes for.

[deditus]

Before dd (you know, back when I had disposable income), I amassed a nice stash mostly from stuff from elann.com (the good stuff sells out quick!) and haindpainted yarns from ebay. I bought a lot of potluck (luck of the dye pot/mill ends) from Cherry Tree Hill on ebay. Really just a few things from stores IRL when I found a good deal or a colorway I couldn't live without. I did go to some local sheep and wool shows, too. Now I have a generous stash that I'm trying to knit my way through, I only shop for yarn when I have a specific project planned. Like today I went to Michael's to get a skein of yarn to make a hat for my newborn niece. I am mostly too attached to my stash yarn to make anything from it to give away, except the few colorways I bought with someone in mind.

[mamasthree]

My stash formed from being a much faster shopper than I am a knitter :

[jimblejamble]

Stashes come about like this:

1. Find a pretty picture of someone else's knitting
2. "Ooooooh, preeeetty!"
3. Stalk their blog/Ravelry page to find out what kind it is
4. Google it and find a website that sells it
5. "What?! This website sells it for $3 cheaper per ball than any other website! AND free shipping?!"
6. Add a sweater's worth to your cart and checkout
7. Knit a project or two with recently-acquired yarn.
8. Add to your Ravelry project page, then out of curiosity, go look at other peoples' versions of it.
9. Start over at step 1 and repeat until...well, repeat infinitely!

By following these east (TOO easy) instructions you too will have a bountiful stash.

[flapjack]

Plus make friends with indie dyers and buy a skein or two to support them... that's effective. Get hooked on people who sell mainly through HC or other stockings, because that way the thrill of the shop is more exciting than actually getting the yarn (Posh Yarn is very effective for this, I find.) Support local businesses who sell only in kg increments. It's tough, but you'll figure it out and then you too can have an unmanageable stash.

Oh, MBOY swaps are a good way to help this along too. Buy one for the swap, one for yourself, you'll be overflowing in no time.

[gingerstar]

My existing stash came primarily from co-ops - y'know, such a discount, I better stock up!! So in a way it is better for me that MDC no longer does co-ops. They can still be found on Rav, though....
I have been on a yarn diet, just knitting from stash, but I confess Michaels had a yarn clearance rack and I got lucky! 8 sk of yarn each $0.99!! Most of what they had was not appealing to me, but I got a couple balls of Lion wool and 5 balls of CottonEase - which normally goes for $5.50 each! :