I taught myself to crochet just after Daniel was born, almost 6 years ago now. I have been crocheting ever since. As long as I have hook, yarn and hands to work them with, I will crochet until I die.
My yarn stash has grown over the years and is kept in much the same state of orderliness as my linen cupboard which is a complete shambles. This is what one of my yarn boxes looks like after years of rummaging through it:
I will spare you the horror of my linen cupboard.
This week I thought I would try to turn the above mess into something useful. This is what I’ve got so far:
I’m not sure what it will eventually become but the possibilities are endless: a mat, a rug, a throw, a blanket, picnic rug, an amazing technicolour dream-coat, a sail, a zombie skirt….
rachel.blog 
Rachel, that looks absolutely beautiful and miles better than the yarn stash. Cushion covers would be good as well as the other possibilities you’ve mentioned. I’m wondering whether you could crochet with different (tougher) material (string?) to make some gorgeous rugs. I would love a rug in that sort of design (i.e. random multi-coloured).
Cushion covers – great idea! You can crochet with pretty much anything. I’ve used string (jute) before to make a sole for some boots I made – http://quakerattled.wordpress.com/crochet/. I wanted something stronger than just yarn to make the boot longer lasting and the string has been perfect. The pair in the photo I made for my sister for last Christmas, but I’ve also made a pair for myself and they are really comfortable and warm. It is harder to work with though and quite exhausting for your hands and fingers.