Yarn is the most important tool for every knitter or crocheter, and invariably, what once was a simple matter of seeking out a new skein for a particular project or replenishing the stash when it got low becomes an all-out conquest. New fibers are plucked off the shelf without the slightest idea of a final product in mind, and ridiculous quantities of the stuff too. Don’t think that you’re above this sort of behavior, either! Even if you’ve never hauled bags of yarn out of your local yarn store yet, you may just discover one that that the skeins have piled up over time, and now all of a sudden that meager stash you started with has grown to embarrassing proportions. At least, that’s what happened to me.
Starting with the old scraps leftover from my mom’s knitting days, it was a while before I even had to buy yarn for myself. When I finally discovered all the different colors, fibers, varieties out there… Well, there was no turning back. A small bag turned into a plastic bin, which grew into a very large two-drawer fixture, which then needed another bin stacked on top. While its helpful thing to have so many choices at hand to start up new projects, it can be a bit maddening to search for a particular skein. I try to keep meticulous count of what I have so as not to waste, but sometimes it appears that yarn simply disappears into the cottony depths. Frustrated at losing my precious yarn, even with so much still in my stash, it was high time to investigate this mystery. Digging through the drawers first with both hands, it was quite a shock to discover a small hole in the back of the fixture! Could we have mice here? I wondered, fearing my craft supplies had already been used as nesting materials or even consumed. Luckily, a trail of unraveled yarn meandered away into the next room, so I took the bait and followed it… But what I found at the end was certainly no mouse…
Yellow eyes gleaming even in the midday sun, a cat no larger than my fist stood guarding his stash just as protectively as I might have! Startled out of a day dream or deep thought, he stood perfectly still, unsure of how to get away with the crime he had just been caught red-handed for. No way would I let him off the hook for this stunt, but as something of a pacifist, I was still more than willing to compromise. Seeing as he had more than enough of my yarn to keep him busy as it was, I proposed that he could act as a “keeper” for those errant balls of yarn that might otherwise slip through the cracks (never mind that he was the one who created the cracks.) Only when I needed one for a project, he was to relinquish it from his personal stash.
A reasonable and generous request by all accounts, since this tiny feline had been caught stealing mountains of fiber, he quickly agreed to my proposal. I was just happy to be reunited with my lovely yarn… and now I can let my stash grow even further, because I have this new friend to hold on to it!
I’m an avid crocheter, so that cute feline looks even MORE appealing!! So creative, as always, Hannah.
Oh and I STILL “borrow” yarn from my mom’s stash, haha ;0)
Ok – this guy is just too cute for his own good.
I have seen your blog for a couple of weeks, it’s great… sometimes i don’t have much time to comment something… but with that cat!!!! i must do it!!!
it’s so cute!!!! the most of the cat figures are tini jajaja but the true is diferentte, the are like your blue cat :)
greeting from Chile
:)
Hannah, you’ve done it again… you’ve found my soft spot! I have my own blog now, crazycrochetandcatlady.wordpress.com. You’ll have to check it out and see my two biggest loves – my kitties and my crochet!
Hannah, I have been an avid reader of your blog for a while now and you are so talented!! I just received my copy of My Sweet Vegan in the mail yesterday and I am so looking forward to making just about everything in there! lol.
I also knit and I would love the pattern to your little kitty. I too have the huge rubbermaid bin full of yarn scraps. Perhaps we should start a ‘yarn exchange’ for people looking for yarns and not needing the whole skein?
Keep up the great work!
That’s really cute. You’re very talented!
Ha – sooooo cute! Sadly, though, this actually does happen to me in real life. And I have two little (well, not so little actually) furball felines stealing my stash! ;) I like yours better because you can take the yarn away from him without getting scratched!
Oh my goodness–keep this cuteness up and you might turn this bonafide dog-person into a cat lover! So cute!! I clearly need to put extra exclamations to make my point!!!!
What a cute kitty! So glad you have someone to “guard” your stash :D
Which is more adorable, your imaginative tales or your handiwork?
What a cute cat ^-^
I have to say, I completely understand the yarn pile ups. I don’t even knit or crochet and I’ve got a big box. I’ve recently begun spinning and I can’t quite keep the box lid closed anymore. Oh fiber is so addicting. ^=^
I just love your stories about all those creature that comes into your home, eating your basil and borrowing? your yarn! :D Its so fun to read! :)
I’ve got a rather large stash of yarn myself, and yet on occassion I’ve been seen carrying a HUGE bag of yarn from the craft store when a good sale starts up. Maybe I should get myself a “keeper” for my yarn too, eh would never be as cute as yours though!
So cute!
My family had to clean out of my Grandmother’s yarn stash… which is HUGE… I was told if I got my mom any new yarn that year for Christmas, she’s toss it at me.
Of course I got her a skein (a little one!) and had it tossed at me. Hehehe. She made me a scarf out of it.
A very lovely kitty…My stash is down to manageable proportions only because I gave a big bag of it away.
Sheltie Girl @ Gluten A Go Go
So cute. I wish I could knit…my friend would go crazy for that kitty.
he’s so cute, he looks like a totoro! and boy, do I know the disappearing craft supply thing… if it’s sneaky kitties behind it all, well… that’s okay by me, I think. :)
My, that kitty looks remarkably like my own furry friend : )
Awww how adorable and what a cute little story.
Hahahaha, that’s great! I love your little stories about your “friends” that keep popping up. Seriously though, I get the MIA skein thing; my stash is much bigger than it needs to be. A lady at church gave me 42 skeins of yarn that she didn’t want, and I still have a good bit of it. Yet I always seem to need (or want?) more yarn. Oh well! Guess I can’t blame the missing skeins on kitties, seeing how I don’t have any, but there has to be some kind of explanation!
Very adorable! I really need to learn to crochet! Right now I’m totally into making softies, but they don’t require any knitting/crochet skills… thanks for the cuteness!
I agree with Shuganya – I love your stories and won’t allow myself to scan down so I will be surprised at the ending! It always makes my day when you have a new tale on your blog. Thanks – and the kitty is precious!
That kitty is way too cute- I love it!!
Wow it’s so cute! Where on earth did you find just a cute pattern?? I love it!