This month was filled with many feeding sessions and sleepless nights, but we are so in love with our newborn baby girl! I was surprised by how little I was able to crochet- feeding and diapering an infant takes more time than I thought! My husband was very supportive and helpful in allowing me to take some time for myself every day, even after his long shifts at work. Some days, I just NEEDED to crochet to relax and feel productive. Other days I did not feel such an intense desire, but it was always nice to find a little time to myself to work on a project. Raising a child is more than a full-time job! I am grateful for what I could accomplish this past month and look forward to finishing this year strong in my goal to “attack my stash.” You can read more about this resolution here and also find previous updates from every month this year; last month’s update is here. I have seen a lot of personal growth as I have tried to be more minimalist and intentional in my crafting, and I hope you will join me through this journey!
Another big accomplishment this past month was the release of my Sweet Pea Wrap Top pattern, a size inclusive design intended to fit maternity and postpartum bodies, with wearability during other phases of life too! There is a gap in the crochet design market for garments intended for pregnant or nursing women, so I am really excited about this pattern. You can purchase it on my Etsy or Ravelry stores, as well as on this website. Be on the lookout for more patterns designed for different body types!
My Budget
This month I spent exactly $0 on yarn. Not only do I still have plenty of yarn to work with, but I was a bit preoccupied adjusting to life with a newborn. I had plenty of other things on which to spend my money, and I didn’t even work through very much of my stash. I really do want to invest my money in small businesses that hand-dye yarns, so I will save my money now so I can purchase high quality yarn in the future. At this point, it is a creative exercise to use the yarn I have rather than purchase more yarn to make the projects I want to crochet. It is not a struggle anymore to avoid browsing the craft store and buying unnecessary yarn. I do expect to spend money in December on yarn I will need to finish a couple projects, but I shouldn’t need too much.
My Yarn Stash
This month, I used a lot less of my yarn stash than I anticipated. I only worked through eight skeins of yarn- I didn’t even reach the double digits! With a new baby, however, I have to give myself a lot of grace. I do not have as much time to crochet right now as I used to, and that is okay. I am proud of myself for continuing to work on my goal to use 75% of my yarn stash, even though I am far from reaching it by the end of 2020. Currently, I have decreased my yarn by 30%. That is still a massive accomplishment and I have one more month of the year! I did not purchase any yarn this month, and I am still working towards having fewer skeins, so I still consider this month a success. In general, I used up some worsted weight yarn this month. Some of those skeins were cotton, but the majority were acrylic yarns I was using on larger projects (an afghan, for example).
Things I’ve Learned
This month, I became very aware just how much I rely on crochet for part of my wellbeing and mental health. There were some moments this month when I just NEEDED to take some time to crochet. I haven’t felt that way in a while, and since I was feeling a little crochet-starved, it was really nice when I did get some time to crochet. I appreciated my time spent crocheting a lot more this month. I will continue to have my time spent mostly taking care of my family, but I will love the chances I get to crochet in between my other responsibilities.
Also, I realized how poorly I planned for the holidays this year. Am I crocheting anyone anything for Christmas? Nope. So I dropped the ball on that one. I was reminded that I need to plan ahead if I want to make anything homemade for a gift because it always takes longer than you think it will and life always gets busier than you expect.
Finally, I need to be better at finishing the projects I have started. How many WIPs do I have? I don’t know. And I always seem to be starting more projects. I made a mitten this month for a pattern test, and I still have not made the other mitten. Who needs just one mitten? Not very many people, so it won’t do me much good personally or if I try to sell it without a partner. Part of the way that I can use up my yarn stash is to follow through on this projects I have started and finish them all the way. This will clear some mental clutter I have too.
Things to Change
While I have been trying not to make more stock for my shop since that also takes up space, I need to spend December using up more of my bulkier yarn for winter projects I sell, such as the Astoria Earwarmer by @sekhandmade that I tested last year. I have no use for single skeins of super bulky yarn, so I need to make some projects to sell and get them out of my house. I have a lot of my stock in an artist co-op in Fort Worth called Creative Collections, and I plan on doing one craft fair this month. Between these two avenues, I hope to get a lot of my stock out of the way so I can clear some more yarn space.
In thinking about the yarn I have designated for market makes, I am gaining more of a realization that I need to determine a more concise color palette in order to sell my products better. When someone has 20 different earwarmers to choose from, they sometimes won’t choose because they don’t have the mental energy to decide. If I only offer four colors, I will have an easier time moving through my stock. This exercise to Attack My Stash is helping me realize what I want from my little business in terms of branding and products, so I have some plans now for the future of Crowchet Creations.
Another short-term goal of mine this upcoming month is to hunker down and finish some of the projects I have. I have a handful of half-finished crochet designs to work on, as well as a couple patterns from other designers I am hoping to finish or make. I have a huge running list of things to crochet and I need to cross some things off that list in order to decrease my clutter (physically and mentally). Works-in-progress take up space and mental energy, even though they are not in my yarn bins.
As I think about how close the end of the year is, I am looking forward to finishing off this year with some decluttering and minimalist energy! Check back next month to see how December went in my efforts to use up my yarn stash and develop more intentional and minimal crafting habits, as well as to see my reflection from an entire year spent using up the yarn I already have. Share with me down below or on Instagram @crowchetcreations or using the hashtags #crowchetcreations and #attackmystash2020 how you are doing in your efforts to destash your yarn.
XO, Emily
