It always ends up that 90% of my knitting is for other people, so storage isn't really a problem. After all, when there are sweaters and hats and gloves in twenty houses, they seem to take up much less room. Wonder why? :)

So my solution for you: give away or sell.

Yes, I make things for my kids, and they grow out of them, and then I look for just the right littler person to give them to. I am today wearing a sweater I probably made 10 years ago, and it is fine. If I make myself a sweater a year, I'd be drowning in them... Charity seems to be getting a lot of my little things these days. I agree, it's an issue we should think about when buying those lovely skeins!

Of course you're right, Sarah. I have been giving away many of the stuffed animals and baby items. And I make Christmas gifts every year. But making a big sweater for another person hasn't really worked for me in the past.

I do think that I could imagine making more quilts for other people than sweaters though. They're more practical, don't have to fit perfectly, and it's easier, I think, to be able to choose a good style or color when it's not about what someone is going to wear. (Did that make sense?) I hope that the quilting will be a craft that will allow me to do more gifting like you. :)

Lord only knows there are loads of charities that would love receiving hand knits and small quilts.

Donate items that can be auctioned off for a charity.

There are homeless shelters, Veteran's shelters, and battered women and children shelters.

What about schools in communities with a high population of low income families...the list of worthy charities seems truly endless.

If you truly have "too much", there are plenty of people that have nowhere near enough and I'm sure they would be grateful for anything to help keep them warm.

One word: charity.

There are so many out there that needs clothes, hats, socks, mittens, blankets, even stuff for animals. I must admit: the only handknit item in my house is an eyeglasses case, that was my beginner practice project. My kids nor my husband own anything I've ever made, and I don't either! Check out my Ravelry page: I'm blessedknitter. All those projects are either for sale or have been given away.

I maintain a small blog about my charity endeavours at www.givinknitaway.blogspot.com.

You'll never need another excuse to knit, or quilt!! Someone out there will always need it...

Big quilts take longer to make so they don't add up as fast as the little quilts do. I would love to have enough quilts to change them out seasonally and "redecorate" our bedrooms.

With the quilts, I'd say make them and give them away, either to friends and family or to charity. Everyone loves a nice quilt. With the sweaters, I just figure that eventually I'll put the ones I don't wear much anymore into storage or give them away, and meanwhile I'll keep making new ones that I want to enjoy now.

One of my most favourite keepsakes for my 15-month old daughter is the quilt she was given in the NICU when she arrived so early. It was made by the local quilting guild here in Ottawa, and every preemie got to take theirs home. Being both curious and spatially challenged, I just hauled it out and measured it -- and guess what? it's two foot square!

Love your blog!

You can always sew your mini-quilts together to make larger ones! Also, I'm sure the mini-quilts would make great gifts for expecting couples - you know how great a small blanket will work in a car, instead of lugging around a big blanket.

I think something has to be said for having crafty projects that are fun and manageable; not a chore. I think by having small items and trying a new technique is a way to keep a project be a 'hobby' and not a drain on your emotions when you just can't get through 'x' item. Babies and children take time, but if you can 'finish' an item in the 2 hr nap that is a huge ego and emotional boost. That can keep a mommy in a nice happy state. (If mommy ain't happy....nobody happy) *Love the idea for the preemie/Nicu donations!

Everyone is giving suggestions of what you can do - I'm going to tell you what I do. :D I hang on to them. Every quilt I own was handmade for me specifically by my mother or my grandmother. Yeah, I'm one person, I don't need all of them, but they are special to me. I'm not a souvenir type of a gal, I don't hang on to nostalgia (I have a friend who has a brush with her grandmother's hair still in it, and I cannot tell you how much that grosses me out), but those quilts - they're a part of me. And as for my handknits, I keep what I like, and I give away the rest. I'm a total process knitter; I don't usually get that invested in the final product.

Miniquilts! Make 'em as you like, then when you feel like you have too much, whack off the border, reset the back, and you've got a big quilt ready for whatever.

I don't have too many socks because I wear them out and use them up. I don't have too many sweaters for the same reason. It helps that I live in Canada.

I could forsee it happening one day. Very far off... I think I just have to cultivate appreciative non-knitting friends and share the wealth of knitted goodness. Certainly I have willing volunteers now.

Yup, charity.

There are also charities that have blankies for animals in shelters.

Warm Up America is always in need of blankets. It's a win-win. You do what you love and someone else benefits.

I say post stuff on the blog to sell, I know I would buy alot of the stuff, you knit. I wish I could knit and quilt like you

I agree with lots of other folks who have commented: knit/sew for others, either relatives, friends, or charity. I live in a warm climate and have very little need for wooly cabled sweaters - but I love to make them. So I've started knitting sweaters for close friends and family members for Christmas and birthdays. I plan out the project with them, do careful measurements, and take my time on the project - and it's worked out really well so far.

this is exactly what i think when i open my yarn-closet...what will i do with all this yarn? how many sweater can i knit out of it? but how many do wear? and last but not least: how many do i actually wear????
i guess, there's no apropriate answer to this question. the passion for knitting and yarn is one thing, the need of a certain garment a different one. sometimes, both share the same side of one medal, that is what i call a perfect knit!
recently, i try to handle my knitting fever economical and all my friends get handknitted presents...
anyway, as long as you enjoy knitting, knit!!!

I didn't get a chance to read every one elses comments, so I am sorry if this is a repeat. Maybe you could make your mini-quilts just a little bigger. Say 3*3 or 4*5 and then donate them to local nursing homes. Residents are always in need of beautiful lap blankets or like to hang them on their walls for decoration as well. I used to work in a couple different homes and they love to receive them for gifts, some of them don't get anything. You could even put some name tags sewn on the back so they can make sure it is really theres. Also when my daughter had heart surgery there were blankets and little stuffed animals that were given to her. Someone had to make these quilts and you have a beautiful talent. You could also make some of the little animals for them. I hope you find a good solution.

I'm seconding everyone else in saying that gift and charity making goes a long way in satisfying the need to make craving!

a friend of mine who quilts makes a potholder-sized quilt to test out the fabrics. Then, if she doesn't need the pot holder, she gives them to friends (I got one with a cute cat print)

this is how I use all the mini quilts I make.

http://weewonderfuls.typepad.com/wee_wonderfuls/2006/07/i_want_this_wal.html

Delurking to make a little comment - I hope you don't mind. 2ft square mini quilts sound perfect for picnic mats - when my two children were small I made them little mats with a waterproof backing that were ideal to stuff in the bottom of their backpacks on days out or on school trips. When other children had to sit on damp grass mine always had a dry place to sit!

That's a really good idea! I want to take up quilting (need a sewing machine first). That would be a great way for me to figure out how to do it!

Hi Alison,
Everyone has had great suggestions for giving things away, or there is always selling them on the blog... but I think if it were me, and I was using the small 2x2 quilts to practice a new technique, that I might want to keep them for reference when I'm ready to make a full-sized quilt. It could be sort of an art portfolio of quilts! Of course, if you feel you've gotten what you need out of them and don't WANT to keep them anymore, I think the NICU donation idea is PERFECT. I generally make things for other people when I'm knitting, but I agree with you - sweaters are difficult to make for others. Most of my success with giving away sweaters has been with baby knits! hehehehe Much easier to fit babies vs. full-grown men and women!! Anyway, I think you should do what YOU want to do with your stuff, but I am impressed with all the suggestions for donations & I will have to make note of them for next time I have a project with no recipient in mind :) Have fun crafting, and please keep up the blog, I love reading about all the beautiful stuff you make (and your kids too - they are so cute!!).

You all are so wonderful to do so much charity knitting! I admire all you generous crafters out there.

Of course, seen from a a truly economical standpoint, ALL of this knitting and crafting is too much. I don't really need any of my handknit sweaters; I don't need at least half the clothes in my closet or half the food in the refrigerator, for that matter. All the money spent on anything beyond my needs could be better put to use providing for others who don't have enough. But that's a much bigger question that involves all sorts of issues and each of us has to decide how best to come to terms with the fact that we do have leisure time, spending money, etc.

I will admit though that charity knitting does not get me excited like making an item personally for myself or a friend. Charity knitting, generally speaking, does not allow me to use the fibers I want or make the types of garments I want. (What does Afghans for Afghans want with a lacy cardigan made from KidSilk Haze? But oooooh man would I love to make one of those!) I'm not really inspired to make A hat, I want to make this one, because it would look so cute on the baby. I'm not excited to make A blanket, but this one, because I find the fabric beautiful and want to enjoy it in my home. Call me a selfish crafter, but I know that if I had to do all my crafting for charity, it would feel a little too much like a job and I'd probably just do a lot less crafting. (That being said, how about we do a little "make something for charity" knit/quilt-along in the new year??)

As for the sweaters/socks I've already made, I do donate all the clothes that we are done with to charity, but I still enjoy wearing a lot of my sweaters and many of them are too special to me for me to give away. It's like the pictures we have on the walls - I selected them to be in our home. It makes me happy to see them. In a way they are part of me. It seems strange to give them away just because I have a lot of them or because we have less wall space in this home than in the last. It's like the kids' little drawings and art projects from school. They're all so sweet, we've got piles of them everywhere! I'm not going to tell them to stop making them and bringing them home and they are so proud to see them in the house.

So, how do you knit what you love and still live with it all?

Thanks to all of you who have responded so far for your ideas on donating your time and your extra projects and for sharing practical ways to make things you can reasonably keep!

Bake! Baking never clutters up the place. There are endless possibilities for healthy bread for example and many parallels with knitting. Working with yeast is very tactile, there are lots of fabulous raw ingredients; interesting techniques to learn, recipes to collect and adapt as your skill level increases. I even have a flour stash!

Baking isnt just cookies - it can yield truly healthy foods - try making your own whole grain, organic crackers or granola bars for putting in the kids lunch bags

Cakes are very creatively satisfying as are pies with variations on the pastry. (Check out Martha Stewart for inspiration on cakes and pies!)

I bake with organic ingredients for a fraction of the cost of buying organic stuff ready made. Its so much more healthy for my kids and I save money doing it!

The house smells like fresh baking instead of being cluttered with my finished projects and everyone - from kids to adults loves it and I love doing it! Its creative and satisfying and the better it is, the quicker its gone and I can then happily do more!

Is there another issue afloat? Maybe it's the holidays and everyone getting more 'stuff' that makes you feel overwhelmed with what you have? If you still wear the handknits/use the quilts, they are still useful and therefore, not too much. I try to maintain a balance that's right for me of giving to others with what I keep for myself. Call it karma or whatever.

I understand where you're coming from. Besides knitting all the traditional stuff (sweaters, socks, etc) I knit a lot of beaded amulet bags, and I make a lot of beaded jewelry. I love making these things, but there's only so much I can wear. I've tried selling my stuff, but have not been successful (so far). It's not something that would cloth the homeless either. So what do I do with it?

The only solution I've come up with so far is to think about buying a bigger house with more storage. I refuse to stop making the things I love to create.

I do know what you mean by an overflowing sock drawer. At the beginning of 2007 I was doing the 'knit from the stash' thing and someone cleverly came up with 'sock yarns don't count as stash'... well... that backfired for me. I didn't acquire any new non-sock yarn, but now I have enough sock yarn for umpteen pairs of socks I don't need. This coming year will be the 'no sock yarn' year.

My goal this coming year is to learn how to quilt! I love all of the funky fabric combinations. I feel that it'd be another crafty outlet where I can be a bit more creative than I can with my knitting.

Marie, I was just thinking that this "too much" problem would be even worse if I loved to cook. You'd want to make all sorts of different things but you sure can't eat all that food! But what you say makes sense. One cookie and I know the batch came out well and I can give the rest to someone else to eat. Maybe it's a natural advantage that the hobby baker/chef has that food is perishable. You can't keep that cake around forever no matter how good it was! :)

NICU's can ALWAYS use small quilts for their babies. Either to cover isolettes or the babies themselves.

Oh but I should mention I don't mean that you need to make them specifically for that. Just that if you've made one and don't want to keep it.

If you want to knit more exciting things with fabulous fibers, knit them for a charity auction--heck, eBay does charity auctions all the time, and you could get a great response from your blog readers alone. There are probably lots of local organizations that have silent auctions or winter markets or whatever.

And charity knitting is also a great way to work on pattern design/experimentation--I worked on, and modified over and over, a baby kimono design by knitting several versions of it in wool for afghans for Afghans before knitting it in Cashmerino for a friend's baby. I made a wool blanket for the same organization by trying out different dense stitch patterns in each of the many squares I knit.

So it was a win-win--I get to practice techniques and patterns and do "test knits" without feeling like I'm wasting time.

Plus, I know that the things I make for charity probably mean a lot more to those recipients than the knitted items I make for friends/family....not that my friends/family don't like my gifts, or that they don't appreciate them, but they're usually not given to those people in a time of crisis (thank God).

As far as leaving a legacy for your own family, my dh has two things from his beloved grandmother: quilts she made for him, and the memory of making cookies together every week. He's afraid to use the quilts, but he makes cookies every week and thinks about his grandmother each time. So I don't think the "stuff" is what will ultimately matter to our families.

Alison, just sew all those 2' blankets together and you have one big cozy quilt. You could make it 6' by 4' for a single bed or 6X6 plus border for a king size. You'd be able to see all your techniques and quilting happiness at once.

Jenn, that's a great idea! Maybe for the new year's charity knit/quilt along thing we can put the items up on ebay and then donate the $$. I love it!! Thanks.

Of the several quilts that I've made, only 1 of them is mine. I have one that I made and one that was made for me, and that's it. All of my quilts have gone to others. Even if I intend it for me, when it's done there's always someone in my family or circle of friends who I think will enjoy the finished object. The same has happened with my knitting. It does reduce the stash without an increase in the room taken by the object.

I enjoy knitting for the children because they grow and need bigger garments (but once my little one outgrows them I will have to decide what to do with them). I love to knit socks because they can be worn out and I don't mind that at all anymore. I also stopped getting upset when the children loose hats or mittens - it just means I get to knit more!

I posted about this very thing recently.

Older, non-worn sweaters cycle out of here in the Goodwill bag. Socks....well, I wear them everyday so I haven't reached "enough" yet. When I do, the old ones get thrown out.

Charity knitting doesn't do much for me...my choices of what to make are highly personal to me.

Maybe it's time to take a drawing class. Excess inventory can be stored under the bed, and moths aren't interested.

I like the idea of the small quilts. They will be loved doll quilts too, just the right size for that. As far as practical, I never follow those rules! I have lots of knitwear and I find that I can store it easily. If I were bursting at the seams I may rethink how much I want to knit. Right now it's an obsession, but it may fall out of favor with me and I will turn to something else hard to store!! By then I hope the kids will have moved out and I can send some stuff off with them ;-)

I don't seem to finish things quite as prodigiously, so I still have a fair amount of room for finished items. Of course, I am thinking of rewashing some of these items and either reclaiming the yarn for other projects or, more likely, donating a few projects to Good Will. I have a lot of knits I've made that aren't the right size anymore (in ways that you can't just simply block away).

I don't know about where you live, but out here we have a couple of Hospice Houses that are always eager and willing to take handmade items. Small quilts and afghans are perfect for those in wheelchairs because they don't get caught in the wheels, or for sitting in the common room watching TV. I found that making either small afghans (crochet or knit) or small quilts are greatly appreciated there.

I have more socks than my sock drawer can hold (yes, I have an entire drawer dedicated to socks), and need to rearrange things so I can have a second sock drawer. These days I mostly make socks for other people. Since I'm also on a tight budget and have a non-knitting/crocheting friend who isn't, my friend gives me sock yarn (which I help pick out), and I return it as socks. It works very well for me. I also do this with other people, but mostly the one friend. (Possibly because I see her the most, and am able to influence her to buy yarn. Others probably feel they're "imposing on me", or don't remember to buy yarn.)

I guess that is the plus side of not having a lot of time to knit and also having other hobbies (cooking, baking and trying out handdyeing and spinning). I have tons of things on my to knit list and all the wool for them. In the meantime, I display the wool around my house for decoration because even unknit it is beautiful. I knit a bit for charity. I made some baby hats that went to Afghanistan and some bears for the Mother Bear Project that go to Africa. So, maybe my advise is to diversify your hobbies.

My Grandmother is an avid quilter. Over the years she has stored up special quilts that she's given to her grandchildren when they've gotten married, for those yet to be married, and to great-grandchildren. She sent my quilt off to get handquilted years ago before I even met my husband. So there's something to consider; start quilts now that your children will get when they grow up, start college, move out, etc. I know you may not want to think of those things now, but large quilts can take a long time to finish. I have one I started over 5 years ago that is in a box waiting to be finished.

My Grandmother is an avid quilter. Over the years she has stored up special quilts that she's given to her grandchildren when they've gotten married, for those yet to be married, and to great-grandchildren. She sent my quilt off to get handquilted years ago before I even met my husband. So there's something to consider; start quilts now that your children will get when they grow up, start college, move out, etc. I know you may not want to think of those things now, but large quilts can take a long time to finish. I have one I started over 5 years ago that is in a box waiting to be finished. Same with the knitting. You've got lots of heirloom sweaters to be passed on to charity or loved ones to come.

My Grandmother is an avid quilter. Over the years she has stored up special quilts that she's given to her grandchildren when they've gotten married, for those yet to be married, and to great-grandchildren. She sent my quilt off to get handquilted years ago before I even met my husband. So there's something to consider; start quilts now that your children will get when they grow up, start college, move out, etc. She also sends many baby quilts off to charities. I know you may not want to think of those things (children growing up) now, but large quilts can take a long time to finish. I have one I started over 5 years ago that is in a box waiting to be finished. Same with the knitting. You've also got lots of heirloom sweaters to be passed on to charity or loved ones to come.

Whoops... Sorry for the repeat post, I kept editing them. Just pay attention to the last one...

I an imagine how you feel, but I am still a beginner and much too slow to have too much. In that sense, I think your blog is perfect. Even if you did have to give away or sell your things, you havea beautiful pictures and journaling of each project. I love reading your blog so much. Although we don't know each other, I feel like we are friends.

When my son was born, he had a medical complication and had to be in the NICU for a week. The hospital gave him a mini-quilt that was used in his little hospital bed, and then we took it home. Maybe you could give some of your mini-quilts to a hospital?

It seems to me that this is where knitting (or quilting) lies at the intersection of art and function. One wouldn't say to a painter, "You've made too many paintings." (Well, someone probably would, but we would think that it was a ridiculous statement). But because knitting/quilting often has a functional value, is it of less artistic value if there is not a functional value as well?

(And Alison, thanks for the ironing encouragement. Time will tell if I can overcome the ironing, the threading of the needle, and the learning of the sewing machine to try my hand at the fabric thing).

I can understand your problem but I don't have your problem. As far as things I knit, I have given away everything with the exception of two pair of socks, a shrug and two hats. The main reason I kept the socks were because they fit me and would not have fit the originally intended recipient and one of the hats was just too horrible to give to someone else. I'm with just about everyone else who has responded to this: start giving stuff away, either to friends and family or charity or both. I give my knitted stuff away because it's a weird compulsion that I have but it's also kind of fun to send something you have made out into the world and let it have its own adventure. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. I hope you are having a beautiful day.

Alison, anytime, you can make me a sweater ;)

Scarves are my problem. I knit them when I have nothing else to knit. When I get too many of them, I donate the older ones. I obviously don't know when to stop because I just started another one today (and added another one to my queue).

Doll Quilts. Both for decoration (have you seen this at Wee Wonderful? http://weewonderfuls.typepad.com/wee_wonderfuls/2007/06/the_babys_room.html) and for use - you have a baby girl now, who will soon start playing with dolls! You could also knit her some blankets for her babies. :^)

I was going to comment yesterday, but stopped myself. So, now I will comment.

I think doing mini quilts is smart. I have made several quilts and smaller is easier, especially when you are learning.

As quilts get larger you have to figure out how to maneuver them under the machine, which can be quite challenging or you will have to quilt them by hand, which is time consuming. Some, send them out to be quilted, which really takes away the idea of quilting, and instead you would just be sewing.

Back to my original thought...

Quilting a large quilt can take a lot of time and I think that with your family size (having a baby and the boys) in addition to your other hobbies, that starting smaller and maybe staying small is a fantastic way to continue to enjoy quilting.

I say knit (crochet, quilt, bead) what you want. It's a hobby, not a job, so what you make is up to you and as long as you enjoy it (or thought you would enjoy it, or are making it for a very dear friend/family member) I'll be glad to read about it.

Who says you can't hang knitting up?! I made my first sock and tacked it up on the wall with two thumb tacks hidden inside, then took the glass and backing out of a frame and 'framed' it on the wall. That would be a fabulous way to display Wee Ones cutesey baby hats in her nursery! I made a purse that is really eyecatching with a very expensive eyelash yarn and NEVER use it... but I hung it up on the wall and it's "ART". Pics at my blog... somewhereknitting.blogspot.com

I've only been knitting for 4 years, but I've made many items in that time. All were given away. Either to my toddler son (a lot) or other family members. It is only this year that I knit something for myself. A hat. So, I don't have a problem. I doubt I ever will. I have also taken up sewing, but for clothing only. (Ever see Ottobre? If not, go and look! Beautiful clothing to make yourself.) So, again no problems.

Though I wish I did have a chest full of handknit sweaters all for me...

I guess my comment on yesterday's post would've fit better here! I was just responding to the question of what to do with a picture-sized quilt.

The charity-auction was a great idea. Maybe sell some at a local craft fair? (There are a lot of these in upstate sc. especially on july 4.) etsy?

My house-church is adopting some kids from a local shelter for Christmas (kids that've been removed from their homes)... it could be a neat idea to take something they like (off the Christmas list) and make a themed quilt that way.

I've been knitting for years, and quilting for only a few. I think part of my love of quilting is the learning something new, but also completion time is soooo much faster. I can't sew and watch tv with my family or take my machine to an event, but I can take my knitting. It's good to have both. The yarn harlot has a spinning day...why can't you just schedule a quilting day or two. It makes me smile to read the comments and see all the quilting love come out on a knitting blog. You can do both. I LOVE that you are doing both. Please continue to share quilting stuff with us. You have so many totes and softie dolls to make for little one yet. I like to make knitting totes for my friends. It's like a disease that we can't cure, we just need to learn to live with it and hold back the symptoms sometimes... Ü

Most of my knitting ends up going to other people, so I guess that's how I deal with it.

As I find my sock drawer spilling over onto the floor I find myself knitting more and more socks for charity. While there is a finite number of socks that I need there are always children with cold feet (or heads, or necks, or bodies). Knitting for charity gives me the chance to continue to knit all of the things that I want without making my house a fire hazard :-)

Your post is so timely in my life. I don't make many sweaters, but I love to knit lace-- shawls and scarfs especially. Most of these items contain beautiful expensive! yarn. I am torn about giving them away since very few of the recipients would have any idea of either the amount of work involved or the costs associated with the work. I just can't give a gift like this to someone who might buy me soap for my birthday. Same with quilts, but at least they are cheaper and a little quicker. My piles of beautiful work stacks up and I hope that I will get daughter-in-laws in the future that will appreciate the things I make. BUT..... I cannot stop and hats and small givaway projects do not satisfy the urge.

When I hit that point I make baby things and give them away to charity. I make things for the satisfaction I get out of making them, not so much for the end product. I try to keep a stash of baby things to choose from and give them away as gifts when a shower arises, but if the stash gets too big I donate them to the local domestic violence center or NICU. They always need stuff. Makes me feel better about making so many thing I can't possibly use! :)

I agree with you, alison.. and then again, it aint easy to give away what you made with soomuch love.. but perhaps am just too possesive for my DIY stuff..:P

I'm starting to think about this myself. I find it hard to give away a bed sized quilt, and giving away stuff is my solution to the need-to-knit--I give it away, happily. Baby quilts are my answer to the need to sit down and play with fabric, get it over before the project becomes a burden, and send it off to a happy future with a baby. I don't think I'll physically be able to achieve enough big quilts to ever feel I have too many in the house.

But never say never!

(Isn't it fun, the quilting?)
xo Kay

Hi,

check Hilary's web page:

http://www.weewonderfuls.com/

Earlier this year she had a wall of little quilts planned for her little girl's room.

Karin