I have enjoyed this book so very much. Already a fan of the author and of yarn stashing as a knitter this is my kind of read. All knitters will have explanations for why they have a yarn stash, many feel burdened by it but can't resist buying more. The moment another is added, it becomes "stash" and for many another part of the problem.

To read such well known yarn lovers tales of whether they stash or not was a totally interesting read. Designers, knitters I have admired for a long time chatting away about what yarn means to them, so personal, so fascinating.

I spin yarn and rarely buy it, preferring hand spun to commercially produced but the issue is the same. Why do we crave it, or do we, can we ignore temptation and walk away. I read how few actually buy then knit yarn, quickly, for most owning it is a mixed blessing but or all we just love yarn. That isn't likely to change.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

It's a must read for yarn fans.

If one thing is pretty much universal about knitting nerds it's 'The Stash'. We joke about it, sometimes feel guilty about it, sometimes revel in it... in short, most of us can't pass up a sale, charity resale shop, going out of business sale (*sigh*), or any other place which has the potential for stash enrichment without at least having a look. There are, apparently, knitters who have one project going at a time and who buy supplies for that project and only that project, knit on it until it's finished and then move on... those people are outliers... they are not in the statistical norm.

We knitters even have acronyms built up from our shared experience... LYS (Local Yarn Shop), SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy), WIP (Work In Progress), UFO (UnFinished Object) and a million others.

This book is a collection of essays and musings by some of the best known knitters and designers, authors and fibre-philosophers. A casual look at Ravelry or Craftsy will contain page after page of patterns or mentions of the contributors to this book. The book contains an introduction (worth reading!), 23 essays (ditto) and closes with an 'about the authors' section that is well worth taking notes from to inspire follow up reading.

The voices in this volume are varied, as in all such compilations. You'll find whimsy and serious reflection. I tried to read this collection as a box of chocolates, one at a time, savoring the individual nuances.. but honestly read it like I generally eat a box of chocolates, having 'just one more' until the box is empty.

Lovely book, and not just for us knitting fanatics. I think it's a good window into our stashing mindset and justifications... so if you're close to a knitter, this could explain a lot.

Four stars

Having been in love with fiber, thread, and yarn since childhood, I took up knitting largely to feed that addiction. I stopped knitting because that stash quickly got out of control. But I continued to stitch and, like knitters (but less celebrated) stitchers have stashes.

I loved this book because although it spoke often to the joys of knitting and spinning, it also speaks to anyone who loves needlework of any kind, especially those who struggle with the issues of stash.

I'm buying it for myself and for my knitter friends.