If you’ve been following along on my journey to declutter my yarn the past year and a half, you probably already suspected that June would be crazier than normal. You can read more about our life update in the May #attackmystash2021 update, but basically we found out we had just a couple weeks to move across the country in the middle of two different vacations we had planned. So we had only about a week to pack and prepare our stuff for the move! We spent most of June visiting my family, moving across the country, and settling in to our new apartment. So my crochet time was a bit abnormal this month.
Despite the chaos, I was able to release my latest pattern, the Sweet Pea Cover Up, this past month. I am so proud of this design and how successful its release has been! You can find the pattern on my Etsy, Ravelry, website, and LoveCrafts shops. I’ve also been working on a couple upcoming pattern designs this past month too- one that will be featured on The Hook Nook Blog in July. Keep an eye out for some other designs that are in the works! And I am proud to say that I finished my first pair of socks in June, which you can read more about if you follow along on my #GreatSockKnittingJourney.
I acquired a lot of yarn in June and had to work really hard to use up enough yarn from my stash to make up for it. With everything else going on in my life, I wasn’t sure if I could make it. Keep reading to find out about my progress this past month as well as how the first half of 2021 has been going! If you want to know more about my goal to declutter my yarn stash, you can read about my original goal for 2020 here as well as my updated resolution for 2021 here. The Attacking My Stash tab up above is where you can find every monthly blog post update since I started my goal to use up 75% of my yarn in an effort to save money, space, and the environment and develop more minimal and intentional habits.
My Budget
Since I was visiting my family in New York at the beginning of June, my mother and I made a point to visit a couple local yarn shops (LYS) together. So I definitely spent some money this month on yarn! As keeping with my 2021 budget goal, I willingly purchased yarn from small businesses and indie dyers. While it costs more money, I am privileged to be able to afford hand dyed yarn and love that I can support other small businesses when I do so. In total, I purchased five skeins of yarn. I tried to be really judicious about the yarn I selected, making sure I had specific projects in mind and that I truly loved each skein. I bought quite a bit a sock yarn as well as some sport weight yarn for an upcoming pattern that will be on The Hook Nook Blog coming later in July.
In this first half of 2021, I have purchased a lot of hand dyed yarn that brings me joy! There are a couple months when I didn’t buy very much yarn, but the past few months have been demanding on my wallet. I feel inspired by all the yarn I have received in the mail and do not foresee buying too much more yarn before I use up a bit of my stash. In total, I purchased 27 skeins of yarn so far this year! The vast majority of those skeins have been from indie dyers, though I grabbed a couple of those skeins from big box craft stores for custom orders or to complete a project. Some of my favorite dyers to support include Explorer Knits & Fibers, Sewrella Yarn, and Leroo Cotton. And exploring my LYS is always so fun! I anticipate buying some beautiful yarn from a LYS here in California during this second half of 2021.
My Yarn Stash
While I only spent money on five skeins in June, I acquired *a lot* more skeins. I had a preorder of sock sets come in, and my mom bought me a few skeins during our LYS excursion together. So in total I ended up with 11 new skeins of yarn over the course of the month (it was a good time for new yarn, what can I say?). I had to work really hard to break even this month with my yarn stash, but somehow I managed to use up exactly 11 skeins of yarn! So for the second month in a row, I have the same amount of stash yarn as I started with. I’m a bit bummed that I have been stuck at 296 skeins of yarn for so long, but I am also glad I could keep up with all the new yarn I have been buying. Between finishing my first pair of knit socks, designing a new sport weight pattern, and working up a bunch of DK cotton squares for some play cubes, I found that it took me a lot longer to use up my yarn since the thinner yarns go a lot longer. All in all, especially considering a crazy cross-country move, I am happy that I could continue working through my stash, if only to make room for yarn that I love more.
In total, this year I have used up 92 skeins of yarn- almost 100! It is crazy to see it added up like that. When comparing that number to the number of skeins I have acquired, I have a net usage of 63 skeins of yarn. So far this year, I have decreased my yarn stash to less than 300 (we are sitting at 296 right now). While the past few months have felt a little stagnant, I am inspired by my new yarns to create things that I love. I hope to eventually downsize my stash enough that I only have yarn for the projects I am currently working on.
This past month, we had to pack up our things and move from Texas to California. Since we downsized for this temporary move (we will be here just for the rest of this year), I had to leave behind most of my yarn in storage. So I have a limited amount of yarn that came with me during the move. So while my entire stash is almost 300 skeins big, my current working stash is much smaller (I have yet to count it though). I am excited to see how my California stash looks at the end of the year!
Things I’ve Learned
While collecting beautiful yarn could be seen as a hobby in addition to making things with that yarn, I learned that working up beautiful yarn in a pattern that inspires me is such a joy! For my newest pattern design (the one going on The Hook Nook Blog at the end of July- have I talked about it enough?), I enjoyed every minute of crocheting it because the yarn was so gorgeous. The process of designing or making is sometimes stressful for me, but that scarf pattern was a treat. I need to make time for more patterns that bring me joy to crochet with yarn that I love working with.
I also learned that a lot of the lighter weight yarns, like fingering and sport weight, take forever to work up. They make such small projects, and have a lot of yardage in a single skein. But while the weather is nice outside, all I want to do is make summery projects! My expectations for finishing off skeins of yarn has changed a little since realizing how far one skein of fingering weight yarn goes.
For the first half of 2021, I have definitely seen how life gets in the way of craft. And I am learning to be okay with that! I look forward to seeing what else I will make and how far my efforts to #attackmystash2021 will go for the rest of this year. It has been an amazing learning experience that has changed the way I look at my yarn and my craft as a whole.
Things to Change
As I mentioned last month, I want to dedicate more time to crocheting things to donate. My donation yarn is limited, but I am excited to make some hats and scarves for the Christmas In July event hosted by the Elder Orphan Care and @lizs_indiana_attic. Those donations will go to the elderly in Romania this coming Christmas. I participated last year and loved it! You can contact Liz through her Instagram that I linked above if you are interested in participating. It is a great way to use up some stash yarn that doesn’t have a purpose at the moment.
I know I mentioned this last month, but going forward I *really* want to slow down on my yarn purchases. It is so hard when so many amazing dyers constantly come out with beautiful colorways! But I have plenty of beautiful yarn in my stash that inspires me, so I don’t foresee needing to buy too much more yarn. I won’t completely limit myself, but I am interested to see if I can have a bit more restraint and in turn actually work up my yarn stash without accumulating more! This is especially true for sock yarn; I have PLENTY of sock yarn to use, and considering how long it currently takes me to knit socks, I will be good for a long while.
For the second half of 2021, I am just looking forward to seeing where the yarn takes me. I have a lot of ideas and resources at my disposal and I hope to publish a variety of patterns and maybe even have a YouTube video or two. I’m not sure where or when we may move again but I know that life sometimes gets crazy. It will be totally okay when I need to put crochet on the back-burner so I can put my family’s needs first. Over the next few months, I want to give myself more grace when things don’t go as anticipated.
I would love to see how you join in on working through your own yarn or craft stash! You can tag me on Instagram @crowchetcreations or use the hashtags #crowchetcreations and #attackmystash2021 to connect with me on social media, or leave me a comment down below. I am so grateful to have you along for my journey to declutter and use up 75% of my yarn stash, make sure to check back monthly for a new update on my progress!
XO, Emily
