yarn stash guard dog: it ain't easy

I am trying to get myself a little more organized. De-clutter. I do not handle clutter well. When I was much younger I would often not be able to climb into bed and relax unless my bedroom was straightened up. Of course, I required less sleep back then. My Give Away 40/40 that I am doing in observance of Lent should be helpful in this grand plan to organize and downsize my belongings. After living with one roommate (my cousin, Eric) and then by myself for 10 years it’s a little more difficult to find a place for my stuff when I moved home to my parent’s house last summer.Now a good portion of my belongings are in the attic and garage. Most of my favorite books, pictures, DVD’s, knick-knacks, and my cd collection are in my bedroom. Of course, there is my yarn stash. My stash is kept in chest that sits in the corner of my bedroom. Last night, while looking for something particular, I started to pull out balls of yarn and was amazed at just how much I have. It’s time to knit with what’s in my stash! I have some good yarn in there. But you knitters know what it’s like. You see that yarn that catches your fancy and you want it. You notice a new pattern in a magazine or catalog or on a knitting blog and you want it. You notice lavish candy colored yarns out of the corner of your eye when you agree to accompany a friend to the LYS. You make eye contact. And you can’t look away. You want it. Then there are friends who know you are a knitter and they give you yarn as gifts. And you are grateful. Before you know it you have bundles of yarn just sitting there. Being yarn. Not realizing their full potential. Not becoming a knitted something. You feel kinda sad for the yarn. Like you’ve neglected it.I admit that I have some yarn that I know is the *good* stuff. And it’s so pretty that I let it sit in that chest full of yarn just being pretty, while I feel pressure to do something truly knit worthy of that yarn. So I do nothing but pull it out every now and again. Stroke it. Admire it with mine eye. Press it to my cheek.It’s time to make some lists. List to keep in mind what I have to complete, what I have to be knit, and what I actually need to purchase yarn for. Some obtainable projects for the next few months. And then I need to take an honest look at my stash and figure out what needs to be given away to another knitter. So it can sit, unknitted, in their stash instead of mine.

UFO
Lamb’s Pride bulky cable knit purse for Mom
Lion Brand cashmere blend cable knit scarf
Blue Sky Alpaca hat and fingerless gloves
Thaki cotton clapotis (yes, that's correct. it's still not done.)

Still in skeins/balls/hanks
Teal Ball Band face cloth for bathroom
Ballband dishcloth for Grandma Margie
Mason Dixon bib
Sock yarn for at least 5 socks

Yarn to be purchased
Dog bed for Derby
Skirt from cover of Vogue Knitting (which is still scary to me because it's a real garment)