October 2021 Did NOT Go As Planned
When I forecasted October in my mind, I knew that it would be a busy month. I wasn’t wrong! Between family visiting, an anniversary, my baby girl’s first birthday, and a move to our new apartment, things got crazy. I was able to fit in some time with yarn though, but I didn’t complete as many projects as I anticipated.
If you’re new here (or just need a refresher), I set a goal in January 2020 to use up 75% of my yarn stash as a way to develop a more minimal and intentional mindset in my craft. You can read about that original goal here as well as my January 2021 update for this resolution here. I have been writing monthly updates on the yarn I have used, purchases I have made, and lessons I have learned along the way which you can read at the Attacking My Stash tab above. Make sure to come back next month to hear about my progress on this goal!
In general, I have been feeling a bit burnt out from trying to build my small business. I set too many deadlines and expectations for myself in October and that took some of the joy out of creating. And while I still have lots of creativity flowing and ideas that I want to make, I can’t make it all fast enough! Designing also is a lot of work, and when I haven’t make any pattern sales for the past couple of designs published, it can be discouraging as a creator.
I didn’t reach my goal to #AttackMyStash2021 this month, and that’s ok! Many of my maker goals fell through and it’s all part of being human and trying to find balance and peace. I still met the deadlines I had for pattern testing and was able to complete my Halloween sweater in time. I also released the Endless Seasons Scarf pattern in October, which is the perfect fall accessory! You can find it on Ravelry or Etsy. I am proud of what I could do and feel better about not reaching certain goals I set.
My Yarn Stash
I was actually able to destash quite a bit of yarn despite having a busy month. First, I have one skein I purchased that I am going to return and I gave two skeins away in a giveaway for my newest pattern release. I have been trying really hard to not just donate or throw away my yarn and work through it as my goal, so this was the first month where I destashed yarn without using it myself.
I purchased a handful of hand dyed skeins in October, and I received a handful in the mail (not quite the same yarns, since some were for preorders). I got a few sock skeins from Stress Knits, Woolberry Fiber Co, and Fiber by Mezzo Makes as well as a skein of DK tweed yarn from Northwoods Fibers intended for socks. All these dyers were new to me, so it was exciting to try out their products! I have plans for most of that yarn, and most of those plans include socks because that is what I love to knit right now.
My biggest expenditure this month was my Knitpicks order. I had never ordered from Knitpicks before, but since I wanted to participate in Pacific Knit Co‘s Autumn Doodle KAL I figured it was a good reason to place an order. I also have had a sweater in my queue for Christmastime that needs mohair, so I added some of Knitpick’s Aloft to my cart for free shipping. I only bought yarn that had a purpose, but it still added up to a lot of new yarn in my stash. And since my plan to participate in the KAL fell short, I have not yet used up those skeins.
In October, I managed to finish a lace weight sweater (the Suriously Soft Sweater by Stephanie Erin), a DK weight cardigan (the Royal Bomber Jacket by Journey Chanel Designs), and a few socks (the Arête Socks by @s.knits, one Folklore Sock by @foxandfolk, and one Color Palette Sock by @laurelknits). That came to a total of 14 skeins used up, plus the 3 skeins that I destashed (17 total). I acquired 22 skeins of yarn in October, so just a bit more than I used up. Like I said above, I was a bit bummed to not meet my goal, but I chose to prioritize other things when the end of the month was closing in and I am okay with the progress I did make.
My Budget
I had a pretty good balance of yarn from indie dyers and yarn from more commercial sources. While I have been spending more money on hand dyed yarns, I don’t have the budget to get multiple skeins for large projects. I am really grateful for websites like Knitpicks that have high quality yarn with characteristics similar to small business yarn dyers. For my two biggest projects, the Autumn Doodle Cowl and the upcoming Magnolia Bloom sweater, I purchased from Knitpicks. For smaller accessories like hats and socks, I bought hand dyed yarn- though some of those skeins I bought just because they were beautiful without a specific project in mind!
I have loved purchasing hand dyed yarns and supporting small businesses, but it took a lot of willpower to not buy all my yarn this month from those venues. I really don’t have the budget to buy $100+ worth of yarn for a cowl, especially because I do not personally have an income that contributes to my household right now. I am still working on the financial balance of buying the occasional hank of yarn that brings me joy while also budgeting for planned projects I want to make.
Things I Learned
I realized this month that my mental health was taking a hit because of all the things I had going on in addition to my self-imposed deadlines. I am grateful that I had reasons to slow down and step away from my expectations to take care of myself and my family first. I love to crochet and knit, and I love to design and pattern test. However, I want to be present for my family and able to do other things that fill my cup rather than trying to squeeze in a few stitches here, a few stitches there. Going forward, I want the flexibility with my deadlines to crochet or knit like mad if I want to, or to slow down for a relaxing evening with my family. I am more mentally prepared now to take things slow and create what brings me joy over the next few months after this month.
Also, it has been a really long time since I had a month where I acquired more yarn than I used. It had been so long, in fact, that I had to look it up! January 2020 (that’s right, the very first month of my goal) was the last month where my yarn stash grew. With that perspective, I am so proud of myself and all I have done to use up my yarn! October was not a failure because I gained more yarn than I used.
Finally, I had to remind myself what my skein count goal was in the first place. My original goal was to use up 75% of my stash, leaving my at approximately 127 skeins of yarn. Half of my original total skein count is 255. I am hovering just below 300 right now, so I will work hard over the next few months to near that halfway point of my journey. I don’t think I will make it, especially since I will continue to buy lots of fun holidays yarns, but I want to make some serious progress. I have been around 280-300 skeins for most of this year! I want to get below that threshold soon.
Things to Change
As a way to try and get below 280 skeins in my stash, I am going to plan more specific stash buster projects for the next couple of months. At this point, I am stuck not knowing what to do with most of my older yarn. I found that you can search on Ravelry to see what other makers have created with specific yarns- even specific colorways! I already have an idea for a blanket I want to make and I hope to make more projects for my long-term stash yarn. If it goes well, I might incorporate something similar into my 2022 yarn goals.
Going forward, I also want to plan out my projects for the next few months so I can reasonably make what I want to this season. I have a couple WIPs from October I need to finish, and I have a couple other seasonal projects to make before the end of the year. I want to leave myself some room to make whatever interests me in the moment, and even start an unplanned project or two as well.
Since I am not working right now, I also want to track my yarn expenditures more closely. This year I didn’t want to limit my yarn spending to a specific amount, but I think I want to be more conscientious of those purchases. It is so easy to justify buying all the pretty skeins, especially when I have so many projects I want to make with it all! But I need to pace myself and my wallet.
This month had lots of unexpected outcomes and personal growth, and I think that is partly due to changes in my personal life and partly due to the end of the year fast approaching. I am really excited for what is to come and I am looking forward to the balance I will reach with my craft. If you are also participating in #AttackMyStash2021, I would love to hear about your efforts to use up your yarn stash! You can continue to follow along on my journey at Instagram @CrowchetCreations or through the hashtag #CrowchetCreations, as well as return here next month for another installment of this blog series.
Happy making!
XO, Emily
