The Great Stash Reduction Challenge Finale

The Great Stash Reduction Challenge came about as an alternative to counselling for those yarn hoarders amongst us who need help to get their stash under control. All of those who participated deserve recognition for making their small part of the planet a better place to live whether they cleaned out a closet full of fiber or a bag full of yarn.

The objective of the challenge was to create a finished piece of fiber art that was made primarily from your existing stash of yarns and fibers. The piece had to contain at least one item that had been in your possession for 5 years. Also, the piece had to be finished in 2011.

Now most people used the opportunity to make or finish an item that had been in an extended and I do mean extended planning phase. Audrie topped us all by (a) creating this lovely top from hand spun yarn and (b) donating her horde of yarn to make a chenille rug that the guild will use as a door prize in our annual show and sale.

There were 3 categories, the volume discount category for the greatest amount of material (by weight) used up, the longest time sitting on the shelf category (longest time in your stash) and the most imaginative means of using up stash category. Items that were produced as a result of the challenge included tops and jackets, a wall hanging, a rug, afghans, runners, a ruana, blanket, scarves and a sculpture.

There was a tie for the volume discount category

Anita's endless afghan was by far the largest item. It will cover a queen size bed. This colourful piece contains purchased yarns and various examples of Anita's hand spun yarn. It was a great way to use up small amounts of yarn. Anita claims that it didn't even take up half of her existing stash so there is the potential to create another one.


Linda's wool rug tied with the endless afghan for the volume discount prize. Linda purchased the fleece for this rug eons ago but just never got around to doing the weaving. The tips have been laid in using a twill treadling so that they form an all over pattern on the face of the rug. It must be 4 inches thick and just begs you to take off your shoes and walk across it bare foot. You may have to click on the picture to see the detail.

For the "longest time sitting on the shelf" category we had many contenders. The starting point was yarn or fiber that had been acquired at least 5 years ago but it quickly became obvious that most people had been holding on to items for at least 15 years. Some folks have been hording yarn for way way too long. You know who you are!

Pat's memory blanket, complete with photos, was made from yarn that had been hand spun through the ages or at least from the 1980's. Each section was a record of an item that Pat had created then either sold or given away. What a wonderful way to record your creations.

Mary finally got around to using up her stash of fine threads in this lovely light weight ruana.

Jo created a spaced warp wall hanging with attached antique bobbins. It was made from yarn that her mother had given her.

Pat c made a Dollie from crochet cotton she purchased in a thrift shop in the 1980's

But it was Julia who won the prize for her top made from bits and bobs, some of which, she had been storing for 30 years. Way to go Julia!

The prize for the most imaginative means of using up stash went to Sylvia who needle felted a trophy bear head.

Even if we didn't win a prize we gained more storage space, made something for the fall sale and have an excuse to shop again for yet more yarn. However, we swear this time that we really do have a project in mind and that we really intend to get started on it right away and for sure it will be finished in time for that birthday or failing that maybe Christmas.

Learning About Blocks and More

Study groups are very popular among weavers. They allow us to learn from the experiences of others. They provide the encouragement and incentive to produce plus there is always someone in the group ready to help when you get stuck.

One of the study groups within the Qualicum Weavers and Spinners started out to explore profile drafts and block designs.
A profile draft is a short hand tool for designing a woven item. It is based on the concept of a block design like the window in this gate.

Block designs are common when the basic material is a rectangle (bricks or stained glass) or created from a grid made of wood or yarn.

As with all new studies, we started out with definitions so that we could speak the language. That meant looking at the design elements of previous projects to determine what a block design is. We started to see block designs everywhere.

Our first design attempts involved familiar techniques. It was simple enough at the start but once we understood the concept of a block design and how to create a profile draft a new world opened up.

Soon we were looking at weave structures and learning new definitions such as unit weaves and tied weaves. We all discovered at least one weave structure we had never used before. Now when we see a design we have a closet full of techniques that we can apply to that design.

We also started to use a holistic approach to design considering the overall design rather than thinking in terms of a motif. Some found scribbling on paper a good start while others found that a scale drawing was important for determining proportions.

We learned that more planning is required to match the size of the piece with the size of the blocks and thread counts. Both the width and length need to be considered.

I learned that simple designs could be made to look complex. On the other hand, it takes more effort to create areas with no pattern so that simplicity can be more difficult to achieve. Remember that the next time you see a simple but elegant item.

I think the most difficult aspect of the study so far is to create a design starting with a blank piece of paper. Something about having no limits can be paralyzing. In this situation, we tend to fall back to the tried and true designs that we are familiar with. That is where the study group provides the support that encourages us to break out of the box and try new things.

Our group isn't finished exploring block weaves by a long shot. We have just opened the door and while individuals may explore different aspects we continue to come together to share our experience and learn from each other.