What is your ball count?
Mine is at 144 (I promise I'm going to try to refrain from lewd "ball" humor, but it's so hard...).
I spent the better part of last night organizing and cataloging my stash. Now, visually, my stash is rather small compared to stashes I've seen elsewhere -- whose caretakers shall remain nameless -- so I figured it would only take an hour or so.
Why do I always underestimate how long it'll take to organize something? I should know by now that my obsessive tendencies will get in the way and make a simple task into an all-out production with a capital "P."
I started out with a simple desire to just organize the pile of yarn bags that make their home atop my Papasan chair (I still haven't found the perfect storage bin for my lovelies, so for now, I tip the Papasan top into "bowl mode" and pile everything on there), and before I knew it, I was pulling out the Excel stash template I'd downloaded from another blogger's site (I can't find the link at the moment, but will post it as soon as I do). Not only did I pull out the template, but I started making all sorts of modifications -- adding columns for gauge, ounces, grams, care, etc. -- and REALLY complicating everything. Before I knew it, it was 4am and I was just finishing the last line of the novelty yarns that still linger after the Christmas requests of 2004.
It got so ugly, that I started thinking about making templates for current projects, needles and remnants (it turns out I have a bunch of very cool remnants to swatch with and I'd like to have a record of them somewhere for reference). Luckily, you bloggers beat me to the punch and I was able to find links to templates for needle and project lists. I couldn't find anything for remnants, though, so I'll probably just take one of the templates I've downloaded and modify it accordingly, since I am NO Excel expert and have never actually created one of these things.
I have to say though, this little excercise has awakened my love of lists and nifty organizational tools and, as a result, I'm now delving into the joys of Excel. Somehow, work stuff just wasn't enough of a motivator to uncover the magic that is Excel for an obsessive-compulsive like me. But yarn, well, that's a whole other matter altogether!
Here is a link to a screen capture of My List So Far. It isn't finished yet. I still have some wayward balls to capture (hehe). And this list doesn't include any of the yarn I have for projects that are currently on the needles (my Jo Sharp, Tahki Cotton Classic, etc.). Should I include those?
Of course, I know this info is boring to most of you peeps out there. I'm really only including it for my own record and for the amusement of my fellow obsessives. Enjoy.
(And, please don't judge me for the crappy novelty yarn you'll see toward the bottom. Is it my fault everyone requested a fucking furry scarf for Xmas? I'm a sap and can't say no, so there they are -- remnants of my foray into The Fur. Hehe.)
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11 comments:
You've been really, really, really busy! That is an impressive and extremely obsessive list...nicely done. :-)
LOL... sounds like we're cut from the same mold.
I gave up the project for this very reason... I wanted to add too much information and it made the project dauntingly difficult to do.
You've shown us the labeled row counters. I'm not surprised by anything any more.
I have a very similar list, except I have a column for # of skeins instead of listing each one...Excel is one of my favorite computer things ever. Enjoy the OCD!
Oh yeah, baby! Your list looks great!
I also have one of these, with each little bit of info in a different column and so on and so forth. Want to REALLY have some fun with this? Add filters - in the tools menu I think - it's like sorting, but even better. I have one big knit file with a diff. tab for yarns, needles, projects to do, projects in the planning stage, and projects in process. Obsessiveness is fun. You just keep telling yourself that.
Oh! You must be my long lost sister or something. This is the exact reason I have resisted cataloguing any more than on my blog. It would end up being a week long project with me becoming more and more obsesses. Meals would be skipped, I'd call in sick to work, lose sleep and get no knitting done. That said, if anyone wants to come do it for me I would love to have it all listed that way.
Your stash may be realtively small, but it's choice!
Wow! I never though of organizing my yarn like that! I think the environmental scientist in me deals with enough data on a day to day basis, but its a great idea. I need to actually organize my yarn into one location, before I start a spreadsheet! You seem to have quite an array of yarn!
Thank-god ... there are other people like me out there!!! I was just telliing Vicki (Knitten Knots)that I have to organize my apartment just enough so I can have more room to organize all my knitting and craft projects properly. She laughed and said I had to read your post. Great job on the organizing!
I understand this. Don't do it, but totally understand it. Started something just like it for my rubber stamps back when I taught classes in that. Feels very satisfying.
Anyway, I have a great Word file for tracking needles by size, material, brand etc. that can be printed and carried. Let me know if you still need one.
And yes, the socks are adorable!
Geez! I just started my stash record in a notebook. I'll have to put it in the computer.-It ONLY makes sense. COOL!
I have 20 years or more of yarn to enter.(sigh)No, not all of it is mine - well, yes it is, now. Some of it was my mother's carted home by me after her death and my dad's. And all of her needlework books- be they sewing, needlepoint, whatever else, and of course, knitting.
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