I should probably stop buying yarn if I want to actually use up my stash…
September was another eventful month when it comes to yarnie things (I wouldn’t have it any other way!) Regardless of everything else going on, I still kept my goal to use up my yarn stash at the front of my mind. I acquired quite a bit of yarn this past month, but I was also able to use up quite a bit. Keep reading to hear all about my yarn comings and goings!
Since January 2020, I have focused on using up the yarn I have in an effort to be more minimal and intentional with my crafting. I want to be left with only the yarn that I love and will use because it inspires me. Doing so will (hopefully) save space, money, and even the environment. You can read about my original goal here as well as my updated goal for the year 2021 here. I have an entire list of monthly updates on my #AttackMyStash goal that you can find in the Attacking My Stash tab up above. I am planning on making more changes to my resolution as I look forward to 2022, so make sure to stick around to see how my plans evolve based on my experience the past two years.
As mentioned above, September was a month full of yarn. I started my Crowchet Creations newsletter (you can sign up here) as a way to keep followers up to date on what’s happening and to provide exclusive coupons and announcements. I also had two pattern releases this month, both of which I am really proud of. The Just Peachy Pinafore, in sizes 3 months-16 Juniors, was released first, and you can find it in my Etsy, Ravelry, and website shops. I also have a stitch tutorial for the peaches and leaves textured stitches featured in my pattern on my YouTube channel. Also on my YouTube channel, I uploaded a yarn haul video showing what I purchased at my local yarn store, Fillory, when my mom visited in August. Jessica of @jsthreads14 and I also did a live podcast episode on Instagram that I uploaded to my channel as well for you to watch here. Finally, I participated in @pineappleandpine‘s Pumpkin Palooza Blog Hop and my Life is Gourd Dishcloth Set crochet pattern was released. If you didn’t grab the pattern during the blog hop, you’re in luck because you can still find it in my Etsy, Ravelry, and website shops.
My Budget
Compared to other months, I did not spend that much money on yarn (all things considered). As I said above, I am in a stage of life and my hobby where I am able to support small businesses and indie dyers, and I enjoy it. I made a couple trips to the local yarn stores near me for specific pattern designs I had in mind (my LYSs are Uncommon Threads in Los Altos and Fillory in San José). Those trips accounted for most of the yarn that I bought in September, and all but one of those skeins had a specific purpose. I have already used up the skeins from Uncommon Threads for another Endless Seasons Scarf (coming soon!) and am excited to use the skeins from Fillory for my blanket scarf design (name TBD).
Other than the LYS purchases, I bought two separate skeins from indie dyers I recently discovered. Word to the wise: if you watch knitting podcasts, you’ll find yarn dyers you never knew about before but will love! In September, I found Woolberry Fiber Co and Stress Knits through their YouTube channels. Not only do I really enjoy watching and listening to those humans, but their yarn is so beautiful! Both skeins were part of preorders, so I had not yet received them by the end of the month. But I look forward to working with these yarns for the first time! I have plans to make a Musselburgh hat with the Woolberry yarn and a pair of autumnal socks with the Stress Knits yarn.
My Yarn Stash
While I only bought 12 skeins of yarn last month, as I mentioned above, I acquired a lot more yarn in September than than. I actually obtained 23 new skeins of yarn (oops). Between the LYS purchases and some incoming preorders purchased in previous months, I had a lot of happy yarn mail! My Treehouse Knits Coco Collection mini set came, as well as Sewrella Yarn‘s Taylor Swift Collection. I absolutely adore these yarns and cast on a new project immediately! If you have been following along, you probably aren’t surprised that I am making socks with all of my Treehouse Knits and Sewrella Yarn skeins.
I also had a surprise yarn mail package. My mom sent me a couple skeins of yarn from a fiber festival she went to in September! The yarn is by @zaniecrafts in her Sensible Sock Base (75/25) in the colorway Starry Night. I’m not sure what I’ll use it for yet, but I am so touched at that surprise gift!
With all that new yarn I got in September, was I able to attack my stash? The answer is… yes! Well, sort of. Lately, I have been barely using up as much yarn as I bring in to my stash, and the same is true for September. But I was able to use up 23 skeins of yarn last month for a grand total of zero skeins added to my stash!
It took a lot of work, and I have a variety of projects going on that contributed to this usage. I used a couple skeins of lace and fingering weight yarn and a couple DK and worsted weight skeins each. The bulk of my yarn usage was in DK weight cotton skeins that I am really excited about using up.
As I neared the end of September, I realized that I needed to use up a lot more yarn, stat. I was struck with an idea to crochet myself a project bag with some stash yarn. I really wanted to buy more nice project bags to hold my many WIPs, but figured I could save some money by using what I already had. I had a large collection of mini skeins of Scheepjes Catona that I wasn’t sure what to do with over the last couple of years. While I had used up some of them for various home decor, amigurumi, and accessories, I still had a good chunk of them left. I decided to design a scrappy project bag to use them up! I was able to use 13 of those little skeins to help bring my yarn usage to a total of 23 skeins in September. Maybe it’s cheating since they’re mini skeins, but I don’t think so because I counted them in my total number of yarn skeins when I began this resolution. Since I considered them a full skein owned then I will consider them a full skein used now!
I hope to use up the last of these skeins on this project bag over the next few months. Be on the lookout for the pattern on my blog when I finish!
Things I Learned
I cycled through a few projects in September, which you can see if you watch my Crowchet & Knit Podcast Episode 1. I found that I felt like I had too few projects going on for a little while, but then that feeling passed. Now I feel like I have too many projects on my hooks and needles! It is really hard to strike a balance, especially when I enjoy having a few options for projects happening at once. But I can’t crochet or knit as fast as my heart wants to, so I will continue to work towards figuring out the right number of WIPs.
I also realized that I had a mental load from having the Scheepjes Catona in my stash for so long without a purpose. As I began to work through the last bit of yarn, I could feel that mental burden start to lift. I am really looking forward to continuing to find creative ways to use up my stash yarn so I can clear it out. A lot of my stash yarn I just don’t know what to do with, so I have a hard time using it up when I have newer, prettier, and more inspiring yarn to work with instead. Hopefully I can continue finding stashbusting projects to fit my yarn stash like the project bag I am designing!
Things to Change
When it comes to finding balance in the WIPs I have, I want to be better about having a variety of projects in different stages available. This last month, after I finished a few projects I ended up with a few projects far from completion. It is a bit hard to work on only long-term projects without some instant gratification. I deviated from my plans and ended up stashbusting a skein of yarn by making my daughter a couple hats and a pair of mittens (even though it was September in California lol) just to have a quick project or two to work on. I think I can achieve more creative balance by having both bigger and small, quick projects.
Also, I want to be better about setting aside time to stash bust earlier on in the month so I can avoid the last minute stress of trying to break even with my yarn usage. Now that I have a stash-busting project bag in the works, I think it will be easier to make some time to use up some yarn before the last week of October.
Finally, I think a big thing I need to do is stop buying so much yarn (I know, right?). My budget goal for the year was very open-ended, focusing on where and how I purchase yarn rather than how much to spend. As I have learned over the past few months, I need to impose a greater budget restraint to help me use up some more of my stash. At least for the rest of the year, I want to use the yarn I have already purchased to make the projects I have in my queue. I have plenty of plans to keep me busy for the rest of the year, I think! I will probably still buy some yarn, but I will really try to stick with what I have to make the things I want to make before I change my mind.
Looking into October (my favorite month, yay!), I am not sure how Attack My Stash will go! We are moving (yes, again), though this time just to the other side of town. We are also having family visit and I have a few pattern test deadlines to meet. So it will be full of lots to talk about on next months update! I would love to have you stick around and continue to follow along on my journey to use up 75% of my yarn stash. You can subscribe through the sidebar to receive updates every time I post on my blog. You can also follow me on Instagram @crowchetcreations or through the hashtags #CrowchetCreations and #AttackMyStash2021 to see in real time what I am working on. Use the hashtags yourself to share how you are using up your stash and tag me so I can see too! Happy making!
XO, Emily
