My Yarn Stash Diary #8

Grab a cuppa and pull up a chair. Welcome to my knitting, crochet and yarn stash diary, where I share what I've been up during the week, with a little bit of 'life in general' too. If you love yarn, then you're in the right place. So let's dive straight in with this week's knitting, crochet and yarn stash diary.

The Yarn Stash

Something has shifted this week and it feels really good. My workroom is finally tidy. Properly tidy. Not just shoved-things-in-a-drawer tidy, but actually organised. And it feels so good. I can't believe the lovely feeling I get when I step into my work room each morning. My tidy shelves are a joy, and there's no more tripping over yarn, or works-in-progress. I'm sure you're wondering how long I can keep it tidy, and I'm asking myself the same thing too. I'll let you know how I get on, but let's hope it's long-term!!

My tidy-up came about for a very practical reason — we had the house valued recently, which meant that my yarn could no longer live its best life across multiple rooms. Everything had to be contained, so a big yarn sort was well and truly overdue.

To sort my Yarn Stash, the questions I asked myself were:

• Do I like this yarn?
• Will I ever use this yarn?
• What would I actually make with it?
• Am I allergic to it?
• Do I like the colour?

And with these helpful questions I managed to fill a large tub of yarn that I realise I will never use. I split the yarn between charity, and my lovely Niece who has recently learned to knit and crochet. She was delighted with her newly acquired yarn stash, and I can't wait to see what she makes with it.

I won't pretend it wasn't a bit of an undertaking. It was a mammoth task!! But here's the thing — now I actually know what I have and where it is. I can find what I need without doing an archaeological dig through a pile of bags, boxes and drawers. I feel much more inspired to use the yarn that I have, now that I know where it is.

So, the yarn stash is officially under control. For now. 😄

Ultimately, we've decided to stay put, so instead of moving house, I will be moving into a different room, and I'll share more about that when the process begins. I'm very excited, to say the least, and I'll make sure to take lots of photos.

The Crochet: Book Samples

I'm currently crocheting samples for a new book. It's another title in the lovely Twenty To Make series with Search Press, which some of you will know well. I can't share the projects just yet, but I can promise you a sneak peek very soon. I'm trying hard to use up my yarn stash for the book samples. For each project I need to use a full 100g ball of yarn, so it's proving difficult, as I also need to create a pleasing colour palette. I leave you guessing as to whether I need to take an emergency trip to the yarn shop. Watch this space!

My new book is a collection of different projects, unlike my recently published Twenty To Make Crochet Dishcloths, where all the projects in the book are the same type. You can read all about the Dishcloth book here, which is due out on 14th July 2026: Twenty To Make Crochet Dishcloths. I really enjoyed working on this book as I do love a practical dishcloth as a great way to use up yarn stash.

I'll be honest with you — it's been hard to find my rhythm again recently. We've had a close family bereavement, and getting back into the swing of creating hasn't been easy. But crochet has a wonderful way of being there when you need it, like a good friend you can turn to. Slowly but surely, I'm finding my way back to it, and that makes me very happy.

The Knitting: A Yarn Stash Cake

A new free pattern landed on the blog last week and this one made me smile. It's a simple knitted cake that I first designed over 16 years ago — and it was so lovely to knit it up again.

I have a funny memory attached to this pattern, because when I was in my previous job, some chaps I worked with would have a wry smile at my knitted cakes, and couldn't quite believe that I was planning to leave my job to do that sort of thing for a living. Well, 16 years later I'm still here, still knitting cakes, writing my twelfth book, and still loving every minute of it. Sometimes you just have to back yourself and take the plunge into the unknown, don't you.

If you fancy this fun little knit then you can find the free pattern on the blog here: Free Knitted Cake Pattern.

Life in General

The best thing about last week? The walks.

My daughter lives right on the doorstep of some truly beautiful countryside, and I've been making the most of it with my doggie pals Reggie and Chunkz. We've been exploring the Biddulph Valley Railway and the Macclesfield Canal — all stunning, and exactly the kind of fresh air that does you good.

Before every adventure, the boys get their pre-walk treat — mashed bananas and peanut butter. They absolutely love it, and honestly the excitement they have for a banana is one of life's great joys. I do love my little pals (well to be honest they're not so little any more). 🐾

As I was out walking them, an elderly gentleman asked if the dogs were taking me for a walk, rather than me taking the dogs. He made me laugh, and was absolutely right — the dogs were most definitely taking me for a walk. I always make sure I have my running shoes on, as I have to walk very quickly to keep up!!

And one last little bright spot to end the week on

When I got my flower tubs out, I discovered that the bedding plants from last year hadn't been cleared out (I must have forgotten). And they've flowered again all on their own. A completely unexpected little splash of colour, and just the cheerful surprise I needed.

The Acer is also in full bloom again, and the rich colour or the leaves is just amazing. A joy to see, against the contrast of the green leaves.

I'm sure the hedgehogs are back too, which is really nice and apparently good luck. I wrote about them in my first diary post a few years ago here: Knitting and Crochet Diary #1

That's all for this week. I hope you have had a good week, sprinkled with lots of knitting and crochet. 🧶

Lynne x

What Next?

If you loved reading my diary, then you can read more entries here: My knitting and crochet diaries.

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