I am two months into my 2020 effort to use up the yarn I have and limit the amount of new yarn I bring into my life. My ultimate goal this year is to use 75% of my yarn (or 382 skeins) and follow a budget for spending money on yarn. Read more about my goal to be content with what I have, more minimal and more eco-friendly here. I have a blog post reviewing my efforts on this front during the month of January here. If you are feeling inspired to start your own journey of destashing your yarn (or other craft supply!), find some tips here on how to get started.
My Budget
I did better than last month! But I still went over budget. This month, I was only over budget by about $14, which is slightly better than January. What pushed me over the edge was that extra leap day this year! But in all seriousness, I bought two skeins of yarn on February 29, and even though I had two coupons those skeins cost me $17 dollars. Ouch. So if I had waited a couple days, I would have met my budget for February (albeit taken a big dent out of my March budget). Having a set budget is helping me only go to the store for yarn if I am going to use it immediately, and avoid picking up extra yarn just because I want it. I haven’t been able to shop completely within my budget yet this year, but I am hoping that if I keep working on it, I will be able to stay within my budget for March!
My Yarn Stash
I also had a net decrease in my yarn stash this month (woot woot!). I am moving in the right direction, though perhaps not at the velocity I need. I used up a total of 21 skeins of yarn, and I only purchased 15 skeins. Most of the yarn I consumed was made of cotton, since I had a big dress pattern test I was working on as well as a few designs up my sleeves that call for cotton yarn. I also finished a cardigan test I was working on that used up four more skeins of pink 100% wool yarn I was gifted from my grandmother. I started out with more than 10 of those balls, so I am really happy that I used up so much for that cardigan The past few months. And although that yarn would not have been my ideal choice for that project, it worked. And I have worn that cardigan multiple times! That is what #AttackMyStash2020 is all about: putting my yarn to good purpose instead of holding onto it indefinitely, especially when I am not quite sure what to do with it. My biggest success was using up two different skeins of DK weight yarn for my newest pattern, the Sweet Pea Shawlette. You can read more about this pattern release here or purchase the PDF on Ravelry or Etsy. This was such a monumental feat because I did not need to make this stash-busting shawl, and yet I did. I even weaved in all the ends and took pictures! I hope to list it in my shop if I don’t sell it at my next craft fair, so keep an eye out.
Things I Have Learned
First, it is going to be really hard every month to keep to my budget. I haven’t made it the past two months, which tells me something. I really need to stop buying more yarn for new designs and focus my efforts on projects I am already working on. I set my budget relatively low for someone who has a small business involving yarn, so I need to make a more concerted effort to work within that budget.
Also, it is going to be harder to use up a lot of yarn skeins that I use for amigurumi or smaller test projects, even though I would say the majority of my stash is made up of single skeins. I won’t use up entire skeins working on a smaller project, so I need to find a productivity where I use up what I have and make enough products to do so. I think I will start with yarn of which I have a stockpile, like for my Cartoon-icorn pattern. I can crank out a half dozen or so of those before I run out of yarn because I have a handful of skeins in the appropriate colors.
Finally, I have a lot of unfinished pattern designs that I need to finalize so I can be done with yarn I purchased for those patterns. I have garments, toys, and home decor items in my queue to make, and unless I complete them I will be in limbo with the yarn I have allotted for those projects. I don’t want to use up any of the “stonewash blue” cotton yarn I purchased for a garment pattern unless I am sure that I don’t need it anymore for that pattern-or else I’ll be short on supplies and unable to finish the garment.
Things to Change
I need to avoid signing up for pattern tests because I have a lot of patterns to work on already. If I restrict myself to only working on my own designs with yarn from my stash, I will prevent additional yarn purchases. I can start to get more creative with my pattern designs to create more stash busting projects. Not only will I learn a lot more in the design process, but I will use up my yarn (the ultimate goal this year).
Additionally, I plan to send out at least three patterns to testers this month, if not more. I need to push through the final details so that I can have patterns drafted and close to completion. During the month of February, I published my first pattern: the Sweet Pea Shawlette. I want to keep the momentum going, and I know that I will accomplish a lot more stash busting once I have those ideas finalized.
Lastly, I realized that I need to kick my butt into gear to bust some stash. I did the math and to reach my goal, I need to use up approximately 32 skeins of yarn a month for all of 2020 in order to use up 75% of my stash. Since we are already two months in, I will need to use up even more than that to compensate for my subpar efforts. On top of that, I keep buying more yarn, so I need to use any new yarn up too this year! So I need to really crack down and work towards the short-term goal of using at least 32 skeins during the month of March. With a specific number in sight, I think I will do better at closing in on my year-long resolution.
Overall, I did better in February than I did in January. I am proud that I am continuing to improve on this journey to declutter my yarn stash, become more content with what I have, and learn to live more minimally. Here’s hoping that March goes even better as I get the hang of this goal! I think I am understanding my yarn habits better than before, which will help me this next month. Share with me in the comments below how you are using your yarn stash so far this year or tag me on Instagram @crowchetcreations or use the hashtag #attackmystash2020.
XO, Emily
