A Quilter Turned Knitter: Why I Only Purchase and Stash Sock Yarn
Disclaimer: I understand that yarn purchasing and yarn stashing can be controversial topics. My thoughts and feelings are just that, MY thoughts and feelings. This is meant to inspire, thought provoke and share.
This is the story of a quilter turned knitter (it’s me!) and the way that a background in fabric curation (ahem… adding to the my personal collection) impacted the way she approached yarn.
Okay, enough word play. I used to be an avid quilter and now I am an even more avid knitter (read more here) and my relationship with my fabric collection really impacted the way that I related to and felt about my yarn stash.
I’ll start off with the conclusion and then explain more.
I only purchase and stash superwash merino/nylon sock yarn. It can be 75/25 or 80/20 and cashmere is a welcome addition, but that’s it.
There are a few quick and easy reasons for this:
I love knitting socks.
My skin absolutely can’t handle wooly wool or acrylic.
I love throwing knits in the washing machine (with appropriate precautions).
But, most of the reason that I only purchase and stash sock yarn is rooted in my history as a quilter.
In the quilting world, cotton fabric is a close equivalent to yarn in the knitting world. Some similarities include the breadth of colors and patterns, the wide range of price and quality, and the equal range of super exclusive to mass produced.
The major difference is that *all* quilting fabric is 100% cotton and fits within a nearly imperceptible range of weights. I was not acutely aware of the fact that yarn did not work like this when I began curating my yarn stash, mostly just because I hadn’t given it any thought in this way.
The result of quilting fabric all being the same fiber content and weight is that my entire collection of quilting cotton can be mixed and matched and used together in endless ways. I can look at my collection as a whole and design quilts and accessories, pulling from as many pieces of fabric as I wish.
When I started knitting again as an adult I began purchasing yarn without much rhyme or reason. I had a skein of bulky weight single ply, two skeins of sport weight alpaca, a bunch of DK cotton, plus random amounts of leftovers. It was all beautiful, but, a few months in I was finding myself feeling very frustrated about my yarn stash.
I also found myself overwhelmed and confused when I visited a yarn shop or fiber festival, especially if I didn’t have a project in mind, and I often left empty-handed and disappointed.
I took some time to reflect on my frustration and realized that I was seeking compatibility. I wanted all of my yarn to be compatible in the way that all of my quilting fabric was compatible. I didn’t like the randomness of multiple yarn weights and fiber contents in my stash.
This is when I knew that it was time to narrow things down and I decided on fingering weight sock yarn for a few reasons:
I love knitting socks, so I knew I couldn’t *restrict* myself to a larger weight than that.
Most independent dyers work with sock yarn.
Mini skeins (which I love!) are primarily sock yarn.
Sock yarn can be held double or triple to create heavier weights!
Let’s talk more about #4. I love holding sock weight yarn double for a DK weight and triple for like a heavy worsted- bulky weight. I recently made a Something Cozy Sweater by Shaina Billow holding sock yarn double. My first blanket was a Habitation Throw by Helen Stuart holding it double. I have a bunch of slipper socks holding it double. Currently I’m working on a squishy garter blanket holding it triple and a scrappy granny stripe blanket holding it single.
Now I can walk into a yarn shopping situation, pick out a beautiful skein of sock yarn and walk away feeling confident that I can use it in a nearly infinite number of ways because it is compatible with my entire stash. I can also look at my stash and know that every skein can be paired up with any number of other skeins.
“By only purchasing and stashing sock yarn, I have found the compatibility that the quilter in me was seeking and the possibilities feel endless enough for me! ”
Do you have any connections to my yarn stashing journey? Is your stash a reflection of your history? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy Knitting!
