# Am I a hoarder?



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I've been packing up fiber stuff into boxes. I have a huge box I got from the construction guys at work. It used to hold insulated tubes that fit over pipes. I was able to get most of my fleeces into that box and I can still carry the box. I also have two box heavy boxes that two of our office chairs came in. I filled those with fleeces too :grin: Then yesterday I began boxing up my commercial yarns. I haven't touched these for so many years I wasn't sure what I had. They have been up on shelves packed into giant ziplock baggies. Wellllllllllllllll, I have 3 - 18 gallon rubbermaid containers full, packed with yarn. Man do I have some nice stuff. I also found a few projects that had been abandoned or forgot about. I was good, really good, I even impressed myself. I also found some needles that had gone missing long ago. Oh yea, and tucked up with all the yarns were a few bags of pretty fibers :ashamed: :hysterical:  :hand: It's all in good shape with no bugs other than a few dead flies.

I doubt in my life time or in the lifetime of my children will I ever be able to use all this yarn and spin all these fleeces  But I doubt I could part with any of it unless I made something and then gifted it.

I LOVE my fibers


----------



## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

We may be related! :bouncy:


----------



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

LOL! Marchwind, I have been waiting for this post. 

Glad you found your needles and had a chance to take inventory. 

How many years have you been collecting fiber? 
At least you are not (totally) an animal hoarder. 
I hope to one day have that impressive a fiber stash. 
Someday!


----------



## HTG_zoo (Apr 18, 2011)

definitely a hoarder, the only cure is to send some to me 

I started knitting on a loom 5 years ago and I have at least that much yarn running around her.... not to mention all the other crafts


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Oh GAM, gosh, I've been in this house 13 years. I've been knitting seriously for 26 yrs, spinning about 15 yrs. I found angora yarn I bought when my kids were little, beautiful soft, pastel colors I used to knit toys with. Mohair yarn, kid mohair yarn also used to knit toys. I found a sweater I started and just about finished, in a buffalo plaid, red and black, for a toy. kids hats in intricate color patterns, I never finished. It was all out of sight out of mind


----------



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

I guess I have a ways to go yet. 

After about 3 years, I only have 1 cedar chest full of yarn and roving and about half a tote of raw fiber. 

Your post liberates me to stock up more.


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

And a hoarder is a good thing to be around here, right?


----------



## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

:heh::kiss:


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Yes Callie I think it is. You have to have a stash. I have two fleeces I'm giving to a local artist, she is beginning to add felt to some of her work. One is a very course Shetland fleece (black and the other is a fleece of unknown origin that was given to me, big, white and also fairly course. I found two skeins of synthetic yarn that I threw away, ewwww! I have no idea how those go into my stash. Yes I am a fiber snob and proud of it. The only synthetic I'll allow is the glitz stuff you add to fibers to make them sparkle or the thread you knit with socks.


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I worked too hard yesterday and have been instructed to do nothing but rest today. BUT...while Dh is gone...surely a little spinning/fleece washing could be considered as 'resting'...right?


----------



## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

That glitz stuff is OK ?! :sing:

Oh, praise be. 

I always cringe when a skein or two of that comes in with a large order of otherwise heavenly wool or mohair.

:grouphug:


----------



## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

Well, if I go through my stash (I do once a year or so cause I have limited space) and give away some of it, then next thing I know I'm working on a project that it would have been perfect for. Never fails. But since I gave it to a friend, I get over it, but why is it that I don't need it until it's gone??? Let that be a lesson about NOT holding onto your stuff.


----------



## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Callieslamb said:


> ...surely a little spinning/fleece washing could be considered as 'resting'...right?


Oh, yes...... very much so. Don't forget knitting......
That said, I've been resting a lot, lately.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Callie anything to do with fibers is therapy. Just make sure you take your time and savour every moment of it. Then sit down with a big cup of tea and sigh!


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I just got "The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook" by Deborah robson and Carol Ekarius in the mail today. I am sure I will not over do it now! LOL!!! i have a room to clean to get ready for my mom. While I do that, I'm going to put some fleece in to start washing. Then I can start hoarding too.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

That-a-girl, go for it!!!!!


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Um, you put your fiber in boxes? You don't have it on shelves, where you can look, and touch it when you feel a bit of Withdraw coming on? The is Absolutely nothing wrong with hording, I mean that is hardly the word to even use in this Forum. Geezee next thing you are going to say there is something wrong with having a collection of Spinning wheels.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

LOL 7thswan! I'm in the process of moving, to Michigan, so yes all my fibers are in boxes at the moment. You won't hear me saying that there is anything wrong with a collection of wheels


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Marchwind said:


> LOL 7thswan! I'm in the process of moving, to Michigan, so yes all my fibers are in boxes at the moment. You won't hear me saying that there is anything wrong with a collection of wheels


Oh! You are Going to Love Michigan! Welcome!


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Thanks. I'm from Michigan originally (grew up there), I've lived in Minnesota for about 26 yrs. Time to go home.


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I was surprised (and a bit Shocked), when a girl came over with her parents this weekend to buy a drop spindle and some fiber. I took them up to my fiber room and the father says, "Oh, we have a hoarder here." 

*!!!!*

I proudly told him that I had given or sold over half my fiber stash last year and hardly bought any this past year.

Hoarder, my foot!


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

It's only hoarding to those that haven't prepared themselves. What if we have a very snowy winter and can't get out of the house for days and days? We need yarn. What if half the people we know are having babies? We need yarn.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

WIHH Horrors  There would have to be some pretty fast evolution for that to take place I think. Either way, I'm prepared and I bet I could share and still have plenty. Does that make me some one you should want to know :buds::thumb:


----------



## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

I never refer to my materials as "stash" - it's stock! As in "Why would you ever imagine one could have too much stock?!?!" It's an asset, unless you have piles of moth-ridden stuff. (Seen that going on in yarn shops.) And what if there was a disruption in the alpaca trade, or mohair or silk? We'd all be spitting bunny fuzz.


----------



## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

this thread really got me thinking. i'm just spinning since last year and already have a room (yes a full room) full with whole fleeces. i should count them but just out of my head there are three jacob fleeces, 10 or so ? corriedale in different colors, one bond, two cormo, two black welsh mountains, one lincoln (lamb) three border leicester, one bfl, several pounds of tunis, two romney, some black wensleydale. i'm sure i might forgot some. 
not counting all the dyed rovings. or the commercial yarns:teehee:
i think i'm a bad horder. what can i do:shrug:
just got my third wheel. is that hording too?


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

3 wheels is NOT hoarding! You need at *least* 2 wheels, one for spinning and one for plying ... and another for large, bulky yarns ... and another to teach folks on ... and one antique one

At Least!


----------



## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

cyndi that makes me feel a little bit better


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Well then according to Cyndi's math I need at least 2 more wheels, one for bulky yarns and one for teaching with or maybe one for plying. I have 3 right now. I used to know a woman, she was part of a guild I helped form. She has 150 wheels, no joke.

Susanne you sound like you may have me beat in the fleece department. I think last time I counted them I had 30 fleeces but I may have acquired a few more since last I counted but I can't be sure. I'm getting rid of two so that has to count for something.


----------



## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

This thread belongs in the "Emergency and Survival Preparedness" so the rest of the world knows that we are justified in our "preparations" 

Heck - who needs justification????


----------



## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

couple of years ago my husband asked what all that yarn and fabric (yeah boxes full of fabric from around the world) was for and if really necessary and i would always answered that it is for bad times and retirement


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

AND a Great Wheel

AND a Charka

I'm so behind anymore!! I sold my student wheel (Ashford Traddie) so I'm down to 4. Main wheel (Sonata), plying wheel (Ashford Traveller w/ jumbo flyer/bobbin), antique wheel (Irish Saxony) & Great Wheel.


----------



## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

I just bought a second wheel, but I've been thinking I would like to buy an old neglected antique and bring it back into glory! LOL

Hey, I did reduce my stash somewhat earlier this year. Went through it and pulled out all the cheap acrylic...(blech) from way back when I was learning to knit. (I'm talking Red Heart here girls) I packed it all up, along with a bunch of metal knitting needles that I wasn't ever going to use again, and took it down to one of the local churches. They were tickled pink to get it for their after school projects.


----------



## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

lathermaker said:


> Hey, I did reduce my stash somewhat earlier this year. Went through it and pulled out all the cheap acrylic...(blech) from way back when I was learning to knit. (I'm talking Red Heart here girls) I packed it all up, along with a bunch of metal knitting needles that I wasn't ever going to use again, and took it down to one of the local churches. They were tickled pink to get it for their after school projects.



this is a great idea and i need to go through all my commercial yarn and fabrics and donate some


----------



## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

susanne said:


> this is a great idea and i need to go through all my commercial yarn and fabrics and donate some


I'm on Ravelry and posted about wanting to donate stuff. I lucked out. A woman in my same city belonged to this church that did work with 
underprivileged kids to give them something to do besides get into trouble. They were knitting and crocheting hats for orphanages etc. Couldn't think of a better place for this over-flow to go.

I'll bet I could dig up another batch if need be.....


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

We cleared out the attic, my son his GF and me. We found 7 more fleeces up there. One may be a Cormo or some other fine really crimpy fleece. One colored fleece, no idea what it is , it's in a black plastic bag. I know it's processed. Also a few smaller bags of misc. fleece, maybe a couple of pounds. I got it BAD :hand:


----------

