On Stashing or Not
by guest blogger Jana
I’ve always identified myself as a non-collector. I don’t
have display cases full of Scottie dog figurines or a closet stuffed with
vintage aprons. Giraffes won’t spring out at you from corners of my home. The
tops of my kitchen cabinets aren’t lined with quirky teapots. I have an unholy
number of books, but I don’t collect them – once I’ve read them, most of them
go out of my life. I suppose I could be
talked into collecting Mark Rothko paintings or Donald Judd
sculptures, but as I’m not a billionaire I don’t think that will be a concern.
Which brings me to the tricky area of yarn. Does the fact that the walls of one entire bedroom of my
house is lined with yarn, floor to ceiling, including the closet, make me a
yarn collector? I can’t claim that I acquired each of those skeins with some
purpose in mind (which would make them “inventory”). My usual mode of
acquisition is more along the lines of me see yarn, me want yarn, me take yarn
home and put it in yarn room. Does calling it a “stash” make it not a “collection”?
Can I be someone who does not collect things and still have a stash?
My very identity is at stake here.
