A peek at my stash

Wow.  I was planning this post for tomorrow, but I just had to post today.  I subscribe to the Folksy blog - for those that don't know, Folksy is the UK version of Etsy, just smaller and, until now, more interested in it's sellers.  They posted this morning saying they're putting listing fees down from 20p to 15p BUT instead of listing 5 items for that 15p, you now have to pay for each and every item.  That stacks up to a 75p listing instead of a 20p listing.  They've also increased the commission and shortened listings to 4 months!  I wrote a comment on the blog saying how unfair I thought it was and they DELETED IT.  That's it, I'm done with Folksy.  I'm closing my shop and moving.  Any suggestions as to where?

I'm going to carry on seething as I write the rest of this post, I think I might seeth all week about this!  But let's not dwell on it, let's get on with this post.  It all began when I was looking for a beading needle on Saturday.  It wasn't where I thought it should be and so I had to go from place to place looking for it.  I was a little shocked how much my crafting stash has grown and thought I'd take some pictures.

What you have to bear in mind throughout this post is that I have A LARGE DOUBLE BEDROOM UPSTAIRS FULL OF CRAFTING GOODIES.  This little gallery of shame is just downstairs...

Frst up is this little bookcase in my dining room.  It's home to my growing bead and jewellery making collections.  The covered folders (using leftovers from the wallpaper so they match) contain cross stitch, embroidery, knitting, crochet and jewellery making magazines.  See the vase on top full of little balls of yarn oddments?  Love that!  Next to the vase is my wet felted universe.

My other main stash is in the living room, next to the sofa where I always sit.  If you squint you can see some craft magazines on the sofa with the TV remote - I really should have tidied up!

So let's take a closer look at this stash.  One drawer contains Aida, Hardanger fabric and evenweave, the other two contain yarn.

The top left drawer has my stash of felt, both wool felt and acrylic.  None of it is neon orange despite looking that way.  The top right drawer has more yarn and the middle drawer contains various items that have no other home - pompom makers, tapestry wool, that kind of thing.

Then there's a basket on top.  You can see my knitting needle roll, 2 of my three embroidery thread boxes, assorted hoops (used for framing, not stitching in), an embroidery frame, my lightbox (which has stopped working), and a couple of kits.

Then we have the small basket containing my Ort jar, my notebook, tape measures, scissors, needles, crochet hooks, pens and tooth picks - all the handwork essentials.  Behind the basket is my daylight lamp and my tissue box along with the label from a ball of yarn (why??), some mini post-its for marking book or magazine patterns and my lovely needlebook from Katherine.

Next to my chest of drawers is my large crochet bag, currently containing my stalled giant granny blanket.  It sits on top of my sewing box.  This sewing box used to contain all the sewing equipment and supplies I owned.  All of it, including the fabric.  And that was less than 2 years ago.

Now it contains a wide variety of things.  It really needs sorting out!  Now, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is all.  I mean, this is the entire contents of some people's craft stashes.  But no, let us take a look down the side of the sofa.

Well, well, well.  What do we have here?

Exibit number one - a tower of crafting goodies.  The missing embroidery thread box with my yarn bowl sitting on top.  On top of that is my wooden tray with a variety of stuff that I'm currently using.  Or should be using if I hadn't stopped what I was doing to make loom flowers.  And what was behind that little tower?

This basket is stuffed full of WIPs, or rather UFOs, my on-the-go project bag made by the lovely Sandra, another project bag also made by the lovely Sandra behind it and about a gazillion sheets of paper with patterns I printed off as I had to make them NOW.  I haven't made them yet.   Is that it?  Oh no, no.

Cunningly squeezed onto my craft book shelf (commandeered from the general book shelves) is another vase of yarn - handknit cotton this time, and a vase of perle cotton.  You can also see my smashed suncatcher and empty Yankee candle jars that I'm going to refill.  On the shelf above you can see my fab red octopus made by the Dotty One.

I need to just stop a second here and point out two things.  Yes, that next shelf up is barren.  I'm currently trying to alphabetise all our books.  They are in the top bedroom which is two flights of stairs up from the dining room.  It's taking me forever to carry them down, sort them out and put them on the right shelves.  I can also only reach the bottom half of the shelves, despite standing on a very large ladder.  The second thing - yes that is an oven.  No, it's not plumbed in there.  Don't go there, it's a source of massive arguments between me and Mr CA.  Seriously, don't go there.

So, surely that's it?  Nope, look at this hanging on my computer dining chair.  It's my Zakka Style SAL tote bag, stuffed with yarn!  Do you want to see more yarn?

Look on the shelf of the computer desk!  A quick turn to the right shows us the dining table.  Complete with WIPs and bear hats that I was going to list in my shop until Folksy decided to shaft the very people who make it work.  On top of my ongoing doily rug and needlework is some free paper from a magazine and some buttons.  In the background you can see my secret project (which wont be secret much longer as I can't get in touch with the lady that sent it to me) and a bedsheet.  Used for painting on.  Yep, we're really slovenly in our house, things find a place to sit and stay there for ever.

Oh, look, I've found one more pile of craft goodies...  a box of candle making stuff.  Quite a big box, and overflowing.  I suspect there's more in there than just candle making stuff.  I'm not going to look though.

So, that's it.  Apart from the entire large double bedroom upstairs that is my craft room of course.  How do you compare?  Has anyone else got an out-of-control stash like this??