I am one month into my goal to declutter my yarn stash for the year 2020, and it is time to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and what I learned. Hopefully, this reflection can help me readjust what I am doing to attack my stash so that I can accomplish my goal of using 75% of my yarn this year (this translates to only having 127 skeins left).
I had a lot of reasons to declutter my yarn in this drastic way. Read more about my goal, why I set this goal, and how I planned to use my yarn stash here.
If you also want to tackle some of your yarn stash this year, get some tips at my blog post here about how to start organizing and classifying your yarn to set you up for success.
My Budget
As part of my resolution to use up my yarn, I set some personal boundaries to help make my goal more attainable. I knew it was unrealistic to avoid buying any more yarn, so I instead set a low budget for myself each month to provide a way to still buy a minimal amount of yarn for my craft and business. I also set some standards for why I would buy yarn rather than use what was in my stash. For the month of January, I unfortunately went over my budget. I’m a little bummed out that I couldn’t make my yarn buying work within my budget, especially since I felt like I was being really thrifty and conscious the whole month about my expenses. However, I wasn’t too far off from my budget goal, so I think I will continue to work towards the same budget goal for February.
My Yarn Stash
I started out with 509 skeins of yarn at the beginning of the year (It sounds like a lot, but if you are a fiber artist I am sure you have more skeins than you think if you count them). I used up 12 skeins, but…. I also bought 16 skeins. So I currently have 513 skeins of yarn. The yarn I purchased was primarily used for pattern testing and pattern design. In fact, nine of the skeins I bought were for a single dress pattern test- so that was just a big project. Four of the skeins I purchased were for pattern designs that I am currently working on. My most embarrassing purchase was the first three skein I bought this year; I hadn’t noticed that I bought different lot numbers for a big project I was working on! It was a little embarrassing that I bought enough yarn at once for this pattern and yet I forgot to check my lot numbers… I had to go to the store at the beginning of January to get enough yarn of the same lot number to finish my sweater without any more trouble. So now I have plenty of yarn of a certain type with about half of it going towards the sweater- but all the lot numbers match!
All in all, I feel justified in my yarn spending habits this month, though I really would like to spend less and use more in February. I spent some time frogging projects and finishing works-in-progress (WIPs) in January but I have plans to actually use more of my stash this month.
Things I Have Learned
I am just starting down the route of pattern testing, so I have a lot to learn. I have a vision in my mind of a specific summer design (to be announced), and it’s been difficult to make it happen. I have used multiple types of yarn and made multiple swatches with different stitches and hook sizes, not to mention all the variations of shaping that I have tried to get a garment that would fit the body in a flattering way. I *think* I am finally on the right track to knock out this pattern, but we’ll see. The process has been humbling, especially since a lot of my yarn purchases this month haven’t been intentionally planned but rather necessities I had to buy in order to actually work on this specific pattern design.
I also realized that yarn purchases add up quick, especially when buying a lot of yarn for a bigger project. Buying nine skeins of a single color of cotton yarn took a lot out of my budget. However, I don’t usually buy that much of any one yarn unless I plan to use most of it for a project. My stash just doesn’t have a lot of any single color or type of yarn. I think I need to either volunteer for some smaller testing projects or work harder at busting my stash with smaller items I can sell.
Finally, I learned just how much money I probably was spending on yarn last year. I haven’t calculated it out since that number is potentially scary- like I said, the cost of yarn adds up! Granted, every person has a right to have hobbies and spend their money on their hobbies. When I was working full-time, I would frequently go to the craft store once or twice a week. Not to mention just swinging by the Walmart craft section or making an emergency run to the craft store when I needed something to finish a project. Just like how some people go shopping at the mall to kill time and have fun, I would peruse the craft store in my free time. The cumulative of those trips is probably embarrassing. Although it was a lot harder to limit my purchases to yarn I felt I really needed in January, I know it made a huge difference to my wallet.
Things to Change
As I look towards February, I want to improve some things I am doing to hopefully have a net negative for my yarn supply.
I wrote out a list of items I want to make for my upcoming Spring craft fairs so that I can hopefully bust through a lot of my stash as I build up that inventory. This means lots of cotton yarn will get used up for scrubbies/washcloths/market bags/etc. I hope to make more amigurumi toys as well. January felt a little aimless as far as using up my yarn went, but I think February will be more intentional with this inventory needs list that is based off of the yarn I own currently.
In conjunction with this, I think I will avoid signing up to do another pattern test for a while unless I already have the yarn I need. I have two tests I am currently working on (both big projects), so I definitely do not need more on my plate. One of those big pattern tests is using yarn in my stash, which I am pumped about. I just need to do more of that!
As far as pattern designing goes, I *think* I have nailed down the type of yarn and designs I want to make so I shouldn’t need to buy more yarn for a while as I draft up those patterns. My biggest challenge related to my yarn stash has been delving into garment design since the feel and drape of the yarn matters a lot more in a garment than in a household or toy item. I hope that I will be able to publish some patterns for the less finicky items (decor and amigurumi) so that I can use my yarn stash rather than experiment with many types of yarn to get the result I want.
With a renewed focus on using what I already have to finish designs and projects I have already started, I am excited to look towards February and work towards having less yarn in my home. Share with me down below how you are using your yarn so far this year or tag me on Instagram @crowchetcreations or using the hashtag #attackmystash2020.
XO, Emily
