Stash-buster Challenge 2013

Hello fellow stashers, I am so pleased to know that I am not alone, it looks like we all have stash overflow, and once again thank you for all your lovely comments and suggestions on the subject.  The question is then what do we do about it, do we really want to rid ourselves of the stash or do we love it too much ?   I think we love it but not too much to let at least some of it go but we have to be gentle with ourselves and do it gradually that’s why Ana from lanas de ana. and myself would like to propose the stash-buster challenge 2013

Why not challenge ourselves to use up a part of our stash every month?  would you like to join us if so there are just a few tiny rules.

Rules

       

•   Leave a comment on here or on Ana’s blog if you want to join in. 

       

• Copy the challenge photo to your side bar and link it back to this or Ana's post.

        

• Show a picture of your stash or part of the stash you want to use up next.

  

• Once it's all used up show us the stash busting project/projects you have managed to make with it,    (tell us about them and add a pattern link if you like)

• Reveal the next bit of stash you want to use next and so on… see so easy.

Don't forget to link up your projects in the monthly stash-buster link party you can find the link in the right side bar or in the index at the top of my blog

We can encourage each other and make suggestions along the way as to how we can use our stash and what to do with the things we make.

Remember this is just for fun and there is absolutely no pressure whatsoever, if however you want to do a bit of serious stash busting why not weigh your projects, I can keep a count of all totals and reveal just how many grams of yarn you have managed to use each month and you will have a grand total by the end of the year.

If you decide to join the challenge I will add your name to the list below and add your blog to the stash-busters blog roll on the right hand side of my blog, I can then see what lovely things you have made for the challenge.
By following our blog and adding us to your side bar you will be able to see all the latest posts about the challenge as they happen.
Visit back often to see what fellow stash-busters are up to.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Let’s get stash-busting!  

Participants 

Linda @ Linda's crafty corner

Ana BC @ lanas de ana

Tammy @ Ts Daily Treasures
Ali @ Random Wooliness
Val @ yarni gras
Delilah @ love,laugh,sew
Kate @ Stitches Scraps and sparkles in the sun
Astri @ Apple Blossom Dreams
Nicole @ dabbling all day 
lifemultithreaded
Julia @ Jaydee's Ramblings
Kara @ Petals to Picots
Julie @ Mack and Mabel
Jaqueline @ Opening the front door
Hafza @ hook n needle creations.
Inga Helen @ arctic strawberries
Mistea @ Mistea Crafts
Babajezas @ babajezas pinata
Chrysais @Teddy Wares and Flutterbies
Amy @ So Incredibly Crazy 
Tracy @ Crochet Happy
Christine C
Lorna @ my makes and musings
Tonna @ NavyWifey Peters 
Maria @ Sweet yarns
Becca @ restoring her legacy
Shelly @ Family, Books and crochet
Elizabeth @ Elizy Art
Ashley @ Sincerely Teal
Eva @ Country Maison
Wendy @ September Violets
Marianna @ mariannas lazy daisy days
Casey @ plus 3 crochet.
Patrice 
Erin @ a crafty cook
Joy @ Joy for the soul
LindaSue
Eileen @ crochet attic
Lisa @ my world of colours.
Natalie @ marigolds loft
Dari @ Dari's-corner
Annika @ Sptitz mice
Barbara @ busy fingers busy life.
Erika @ Erika's Crafts corner
Amanda @ Crafty in the Med
Catherine @ Chopkins
Hilde @ Through the seasons of the year
Kathy @ From my heart of love
Judy @ stitching and blooms
Jacqueline @ Always creative
Stephanie @ handwerkjuffie
Avellar @ Trico e Croche Avellar
Kathleen @ Rose Prairie
Jutta @ Creative in retiree life
Elaine @ my little crochet corner
Anja @ The Purple wire
Jill @ homespunandhandmade
Janet @ Musings of the puppet lady
Liz @ Howling at the moon
Edda @ White Roses
Birgitta @ handmade and off centered
Rosie @ Old Magnolia Tree
Chris @ hooker with yarn, strings attached
Celia @ Emerald Crafts
Gisel @ Wool and Seams
Paula @ The Nutty Knitter
Olga @ Lacy Crochet
Gram & Nin @ keswick Art and Crafts
Fiona @shanghailily

***********************************************************************************************
From Loving Hands

Helen 
Scotsgirl 
Pat
Maureen S 
Jacqui 
Rachel 
Pam 
Maureen 
Irene 
Sue 
Lisa 
Mary (lostmathread)
Shirley b
Pat A
K2tog
Mrs Moneypenny
Anne G
Triccia

*****************************************************************************
And at Ana's

Beatriz (Guatemala) 
Flavia @ Punto Perdido
Silvia (Guatemala)
Nilde @ Escalando la Vida
Criss  
Alena Hr. @ Máma s háčkem
Lenka @ Korfela
Janusa @ Janusa 
Susana @ The blue window
Marie @ Underground Crafter 
Ana @ Creaciones ArtesAna
Jarmila @ Domov U Fortny 
Hanni @ Hannicraft
Dora @ Blue Dreams
Rosa Maria @ Arquitejiendo 
Petka @  Dědečkova zahrada 
Katka @ Katčin blog
Alejandra (Buenos Aires)
Karina (Argentina)
Karie @ Girl going country
Vexa @ HalaBala Style
Roxana @ Fabrics wool and Passion
Patty @ Weaver Quitty
Rosa @ The pink House
Terra's Creative corner
Montsem
Anny @ Am &Ma
Ana M @ Reutilizar es Divertido
Korfela @ korfela
Martha @ Tejiendo-a gusto
Uta @ Paper wool and Yarn
Agnes @  Crochet mama
Estella @ crocheterie
Tina @ torredavorio.
Sreisaat @ crafting with Sreisaat
Heather Kelly
Hannah @ hannahackroyd
Marta @ Las naranjas de la China 
Cecilia @ Cecilia Devos
Judith
Eulalia @ atelier de yayi.
Aurora
Tabitha @ klucking bear
Griselda @ grisel creations
chickypoo
Celia @ Esmeralda Manualidades
Sandra @ Costurera, costurerita novata
Janina @ El Baúl de Crochet y Telar
Rhondda @ oombawka Design

The Monday Smile

Good morning everyone and thank you for the great response from my last post about the stash dilemma  it looks as if we all are in the same boat!  So many suggestions and thoughts on the subject and because our friend Ana BC from lanas de ana has challenged me ( you know I can't resist a challenge) The stash-buster challenge is about to be born but more about that in a later post, very soon I promise.

Another week has begun and don't you just hate having to get out of bed to go to work on a Monday morning after having a lovely lazy Sunday. So to help your week get off to a good start I am going to publish a joke or funny anecdote on Monday. 

After 20 years of marriage a husband and wife go to counselling  When asked what the problem is, the wife breaks into a passionate tirade of every problem they've ever had.

Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time, the therapist gets up, walks over to the wife, makes her stand up and kisses her very hard. The woman shuts up and quietly sits down.

The therapist says to the husband, "This is what your wife needs at least three times a week. Can you do this?"

After a moment the husband replies, "Well, I can drop her off here on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays I fish."

More smiles here

All the material I'm using for this feature has been found on-line, none of it is mine.  My intention is to bring a little laughter into our lives and not to offend :)

Stash Dilemma

I'm sure all of you fellow crafters out there will understand where I'm coming from, well I'm assuming you are all stashaholics like me.  I have yarn all over the place and I mean all over the place, it's taking over my home.  If I pass a wool shop I can't pass by without actually buying more, do I need it ? of course not, the problem with this is I never have anything specific in mind when I buy this wool, I just grab a couple of balls of anything that takes my fancy without giving a thought as to what I'm actually going to use it for.  You can see where I'm going with this can't you, all of these random balls of wool are all well and good if you want to make a multicoloured blanket

 which I do and have done several times and indeed am doing right now three times over in fact... but what happens if you want to make something that needs several balls?

yes I know you can make a stripy something but sometimes you just want to make it plain just one single colour and you just can't do it.  So there you are surrounded with all of this wool  but what do you do if you want to make that sweater that takes 4 balls but you just have 3 or you have 4 balls of a colour but it's not really the colour you wanted for that particular project..... what if you have made a resolution to use up your stash.. what then? do you ignore it and go buy more anyway.
I am trying to learn by my mistakes so here's my new years resolutions.

1. Just make small items until I have used up all random balls of wool. (unless it's a blanket then it will be a large item)
2. Do not buy ANY wool at all UNLESS I have a specific pattern in mind and know the correct quantity to buy.
3. De-clutter my home ( which will happen anyway if I use up all random balls of wool )

Does all that make sense to you... it kind of does to me, doesn't mean I will follow it through though but I must...I must!!

but then what will I do if I want to make a blanket and I don't have any random balls of wool ?....you do understand my dilemma don't you?  :)