To stash or not to stash

I have a problem.

My yarn stash is enormous. Most, if not all knitters will also regale you of stories of their stash.

I have a chest of drawers that is mostly full, a big tub full and a linen box thingy full of yarn and squishy fibre to spin with (as well as the kilo of undyed merino to spin).

Sometimes, you'll be at your local yarn store and will see some yarn that speaks to you. Sometimes it's the colour, sometimes it's the sheen and sometimes it's just the sheer squishability (what??, it's a word!!). Sometimes you'll have a pattern in mind and the yarn will just scream to be made into something.

For most of this year, I have been on a yarn diet, attempting to reduce my stash so that I can buy more yarn loveliness. I did succumb when I came across the sock yarn in Lidl - 200g for £3.99!! I bought 800g in a cream colour, thinking that I could overdye it and turn it into something awesome (as I did for my lacy baktus with lots of beads).

The thing is, by depriving myself of yarn now, what if something comes by that I can't get hold of again (I'm thinking specifically of some of babylonglegs' yarn)? I can only knit at a certain pace and while the patterns tend to be available for a while, I don't tend unpick and reknit stuff after a horrendous experience of trying to unravel some Rowan Kidsilk Haze (the horror, the HORROR!!).

Also, there are patterns that I love, but being on the bigger side, would need large amounts of yarn for. Sometimes the yarn is quite expensive and can be tricky to substitute (gotta love Ravelry for looking at yarn choices when browsing patterns). I tend to knit things like scarves and gloves. Sometimes I have too much yarn of a certain type and colour (yes KnitPicks Palette in not quite Teal, I'm looking at you) to consider knitting these items, but not quite enough to knit something bigger.

When is it good to destash (but I might neeeeed it!!) and when is it good to hold on to yarn because of a pattern that you have in mind, but just haven't got round to doing (I'm thinking of the felted corset I have swatched for but haven't started yet)?

Also, I'm thinking that with our knitting group Secret Santa coming up, it might be an opportunity to knit up some of my un-needed yarn and gift it (I'm looking at you again KnitPicks Palette in not quite Teal), but I don't want to gift something that might be quite hideous to someone else, but nice to me (I'm looking at you massive crocheted granny square in blues and greens).

I also note that going into a yarn store and squishing yarn has a restorative effect when I'm feeling stressed. I hate clothes shopping with a passion (and I'd do it all online if I knew it'd fit) and after flouncing out of a clothes shop when the music was pissing me off (note to self, must take earphones next time), I headed into the haberdashery department of John Lewis and squished some yarn and felt much more relaxed. So maybe there's a psychological reason for surrounding myself with yarn; combating the stress of life with yummy, squishy yarn.

I'm rambling now, but I'm headed off to Fibre Flurry this weekend. I'm doing the lace workshop as it's not something I'm terribly confident at but would like to be. So the question is, do I enhance my stash, or be sensible and work to cut down on yarn mountain?