Big Yarn Stash, Little Closet Space

Yes, you read this right and didn't stumble upon my other blog. My hobbies can be stressful. To be more specific it's the supplies I acquire for my hobbies that really stress me out. I started crocheting about a year and a half ago in 2008. Two things I needed were crochet hooks and yarn. Lots of yarn.

Every week A.C. Moore, Joann's Fabric, and Michael's Arts & Crafts would send out e-mails about their latest coupons and sales. I'm a sucker for them. Yes! I can save 40% on one item! 25% on my entire regular purchase! I would go into the stores and buy $30-40 worth of yarn with the good intentions of making this or that project. The end result? I have over 200 balls of yarn and about $600-$800 in yarn debt. Not only did I spend a lot of money buying yarn but my closet is overtaken by them, too.

As I sit here and write this I would look into my closet every now and then. The yarn was on sale, but was it really worth it to buy it and not use it for a year or more? The answer is no. I haven't bought yarn since October 2009 and I started working on knitting and crocheting projects again. If I can't use all this yarn by winter 2012, I'm donating the lot to Project Linus or maybe help start a program to teach people how to knit and crochet in my community. That way my yarn won't go to waste.

The photo on the left is the yarn stash under my bed and that's just the top layer you're looking at. This only represents about 10% of my stash. I kid you not.

Any suggestions on how to make use of all this yarn? Do you have a hobby that makes a dent in your wallet?