Shop News and Musings - September 2026
"I think I’m beginning to understand now,” said Moomintroll slowly. “You aren’t a collector any longer, are you? Now you are just an owner. That’s nowhere near as much fun.” “No,” said the Hemulen thoroughly dejected. “It is most decidedly nowhere near as much fun." from Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson
"Good as it is to inherit a library, it is better to collect one." - Augustine Birrell
We are two-thirds of the way through this year's Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour, and one of the things I hear all the time from visitors is how many books they've purchased- followed by a concern about ever getting through all of them. I usually reply and say something about the current state of my TBR (to be read) stack(s)- the one by my bed, the one in my bag, the one in the shop, the living room, etc. Books are everywhere.
And that isn't a bad thing! Having books around says something important about your willingness to learn and explore and challenge yourself, and the more willing you are to learn and explore and challenge yourself, the better person you are. In my opinion, anyway (read this article).
That said, if you aren't getting through ANY of the books you've collected, well, that's a different problem and one that is probably more easily remedied than the first - and as the article linked suggests- why would you need to remedy the first issue anyway? 
Now, take everything I've just said about collecting books and pretend I said it about crafting supplies of any sort. If you aren't using them then... maybe think about that. BUT- if you are using them, if they're inspiring you, if you find yourself going down rabbit holes on ravelry to find the perfect project for that hank of lace-weight yarn you've had in your stash for 8 years- well, there are far worse ways to spend your time.
Take me for the last month. I wanted to make a few short sleeved shirts for the summer, because apparently I have never done that. I have made 800 long-sleeved sweaters for myself, and not one short sleeve anything. I downloaded the Plain Yoke Tee 28 by Le Knit to use with our Beecroft single-ply/fingering and had a great time with that. And then I watched the Cornish Knitter's video on short-sleeved tee patterns and was reminded that I had sneered at the Ranunculus a few years ago because it was popular and I generally hate popular things. So I got over myself and downloaded the pattern, and made one in DK. Then one in fingering. Then two in worsted. In one month. There went some of my stash! Though not as much as I'd like, because the Ranunculus doesn't use a ton of yarn. I have one sleeve left on the one long-sleeved version (number 5, if you're keeping track) and should have it done shortly. For a few of these sweaters, I used yarn that had been sitting around for ages in a way I hadn't even thought about when I first purchased it- and in a way that will get a lot of wear as the summer weather continues on. 
"A big stash allows me to have a fluid sense of creativity - a looseness that is very much like playing. It opens me up, unlocks things. The creative bit takes all the other pieces - the possibility, the abundance, the connections, and the actual work of making yarn - bundles them, and explodes like a glitter bomb. It gets everywhere, it makes me smile, and I can't escape it... my stash is the spark." - Clara Parkes
Shop News:
Silent Book Society meets Thursday, September 3 from 6-7:30pm
Tons of New Yarn has and is coming in, and we are expecting a delivery from Marilee soon!
Books are arriving almost every day. I feel like, anyway. If you have a book in mind, let us know- we can special order nearly anything.
The Wellnest has bloomed and is responsible for the lovely fragrance of the shop at the moment. New soaps from Indigo River and Scalise Family Sheep Farm are in, along with candles from Hearth & Craft and fragrances from Calypso's Cottage.
Happy Creating, Happy Reading <3
-W