Attack My Stash 2021: Quarter 1 Update

This past month, I have definitely felt my crojo (crochet mojo) build momentum, and it has brought new life to my creativity! I had my first craft fair of the season, which was an eye-opening experience. Some hand-dyed yarn I ordered arrived in the mail (yay for happy mail!), I completed a few pattern tests, and I got to work on upcoming child and adult designs. I even started doing weekly IG lives and published a little amigurumi pattern! This month marked a year of experiencing the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic, which has honestly been a life-defining year.

My year in yarn has looked differently each month so far, but I am really pleased with how the end of the first quarter has turned out. January was a time of low creative energy, and while I was starting to feel more productive in February I feel like I finally hit my groove this month. I have big plans for the rest of the year and hope I can continue feeling productive with my little business and hobby.

My original goal to use up 75% of my yarn is still underway, though I started it back in January 2020., which you can read about here. Ultimately, I wanted to develop a more intentional and minimal mindset toward crafting and to save space, money, and the environment through less waste through yarn accumulation. I reflected on my 2020 goal and modified this goal for this current year in this blog post. I write monthly reflections on my progress, which you can find under the Attack My Stash heading in the main menu. There are also other resources there to help inspire you to use up your craft supplies.

My Budget

Once again, I spent $0 on yarn this month! I bought a few skeins right at the beginning of the year with the intent to make a couple garments for spring markets, and by the end of March I finally finished off all those skeins. One thing that is helping me avoid yarn purchases is not going to the craft store to browse and instead browsing my yarn stash if I want to make a new project. Since I spent a lot of money on nice hand-dyed yarn from Explorer Knits & Fibers at the beginning of the year, I am also unofficially trying to use up that yarn first before I spend more money on fancy yarn.

My Yarn Stash

I worked really hard this month to use up yarn, and in total used 20 skeins! I was really excited to reach the 20 skein threshold. Some skeins seem to magically get used up without any effort on my part, but a lot of my yarn takes planning and perseverance on crochet projects to finish off. I mostly used up worsted weight yarn, with a pattern test for @the___hook___up, the Bunny Ball Ami pattern that I published after making many critters for my market, and a donation blanket I am working on. I used up a single skein of jumbo yarn that I had laying around by making a small basket, which will definitely save on space. I consolidated my yarn into one less bin than it was in before, which shows some overall progress in my stash busting.

I also *finally* finished a project I started back in September- my Sweet Pea Wrap Top! I had made a prototype version of the top in order to write the pattern and publish it, but I had used an orange yarn that I didn’t particularly like. Once I had the pattern written down and with testers, I wanted to make another version in a cranberry color that I loved so much more. However, with a new baby in October and everything that comes with that big adjustment, I wasn’t able to finish and I set that project aside. But I was determined to finish that top! So I sat down one day and worked on finishing the edges, weaving in ends, and attaching buttons. And I did it! I wanted to finish up some perpetual WIPs (works-in-progress) moving forward this year, so I am proud of myself for making the time.

My yarn purchase from Explorer Knits & Fibers arrived this past month, which I had not already accounted for in my stash numbers. So with that sweater quantity of yarn, my net yarn usage turned out to be 14 skeins.

For quarter 1 of 2021, I used up a total of… 53 skeins, with 12 skeins added for a net usage of 41 skeins! I am happy to be making consistent progress towards my goal to attack my stash this year. If we compare my yarn stash to this time last year, the results are surprising. In quarter 1 of 2020 I had used up 47 skeins (so almost as many as this year) but I had also purchased 32 skeins of yarn, leaving me with a new usage of only 15 skeins. My purchasing and making habits have come a long way in a year!

Things I Learned

As I reflect on the first three months of this year, as well as compare to this time last year, I recognize that it doesn’t matter how many skeins I use up if I purchase a lot of yarn too. The difference between a net usage of 15 skeins and 41 is seismic. Ideally, my perfect yarn stash only has yarn in an active WIP or a project I am about to start, and I can only reach that ideal if I continue to use up more yarn than I buy, even when #AttackMyStash2021 is over.

It was so fulfilling to finish a long-standing WIP. Doing so not only cleared out my mental clutter and WIP basket, but it also used up leftover yarn I had from starting that project. The same is true for other WIPs I have just waiting to be finished.

Finally, it is sometimes really hard to figure out how to use up a skein of yarn. I may get an idea and then work on a project, but then be left with a partial skein in the end. Some yarns are easy to use up, but it tends to be the last skein of a project that hangs around unused even after my WIP is over.

Things to Change

As I look to the next month, and actually the next quarter of the year, there are some short-term goals I want to work on to help me accomplish my goal of using 75% of my yarn stash. I am so close to getting into the 200s for total yarn skeins, which is a huge improvement from the beginning of 2020! I want to make sure that my net yarn usage in April gets me to less than 300 skeins of yarn.

I’m not sure how many WIPs I have right now, but in April I want to change that! I will hold myself accountable for actually working through those projects by first knowing how many I have and then setting a goal to finish them or frog them by the end of quarter 2.

Finally, I have a handful of designs that are in various stages that I want to work on. In March, I finally did the math and took pictures of the Sweet Pea Child Skirt so that I can publish it in April! I have a new adult garment pattern coming soon, as well as a couple more infant designs floating around my head. As I work to finish these patterns, I will use up my yarn, relieve some mental clutter, and grow my business, so I want to prioritize pattern making over pattern testing in the coming months.

How was Q1 of 2021 for you? Did you reach some of your yarn goals? Share with me @crowchetcreations or through the hashtags #crowchetcreations and #attackmystash2021 how you are working through your craft supplies this year. Good luck as you embark on your Q2 goals!

XO, Emily