the stash, stashed

Howdy, folks! With the long overdue arrival of Spring, things have been awfully hectic around these parts! But it’s been fun, too. Between using the new grill, learning how to mow the lawn, and discovering a hidden passion for weeding (I’m serious), we’ve been enjoying the great surburban outdoors.

Lest you think, however, that all of the spring cleaning has been taking place outside, fear not. One of the biggest organizational tasks, long overdue, took place in my office recently. And it’s all thanks to my husband and Ikea.

You’ve all seen the yarn stash before in various states of storage. This is how things looked right after our move:

Admittedly contained, but not particularly pretty. With the move and my own dedicated office space, it was high time that the yarn stash got some decent attention. This is where Ikea comes in.

(As an aside: this was the first time I’d been to an Ikea. I was so overwhelmed with the size, selection, and variety of options that we left without purchasing anything. And I had made a list in advance, too! But you go in with a list, and then you see 3,000 other options, and your silly little list ends up in the trash. Ohhh, Ikea, you storage siren, you.)

What I needed was something white (the interior of our house is primarily white), clean (I don’t need ultramodern, but I need some semblance of linear design with nice corners), and BIG (it’s Ikea – big is not a problem). After a few visits, my customized yarn cupboard started to come together:

—Lots of drawers and hardware

–One deep drawer already in place

–Deep drawers that slide out of the cupboard, essential for seeing the innards of the stash

–Did I say drawers? Did I say 10 drawers?

–Oh, and shelves. Shelves for samples and equipment and tools. You can’t have just drawers.

–And finally, pretty beadboard-like doors with cute little porcelain-esque handles, too.

Yep, Andrew seriously outdid himself with this construction project. Ye Olde Yarn Cupboard is actually two single wardrobes, each measuring 72″ high and about 23″ deep. And once it was finished, I couldn’t wait to get everything sorted and stored. I even sorted the yarn by weight into separate drawers (a task that in and of itself was deeply satisfying, if not a bit eye-opening. Gulp.)

Behold, the mighty stash and its accoutrements in their full glory:

(See that eye-searingly bright green Skinny Bugga yarn from Cephalopod Yarns? I’m swatching with it and its deep purple sibling next to it right now. Yay new ideas!)

In the awestruck and slightly incredulous words of my sweet husband, when I unveiled the finished cupboard and all of my yarn-categorizing efforts, “But….it’s already full!”

That’s right, folks. That’s exactly right. 🙂