I swear I just wrote the update for March; how did the month of April go by so fast? I feel really productive with what I was able to accomplish creatively this month. As the weather warmed up here in Texas, I have been able to spend a lot of time outdoors with my family, which has been invigorating! I completed one pattern test, started two pattern tests of my own designs, had a few big finished objects, and even wrote a blog post for Earth Day that I am really proud of!
With making so much progress on my crafting in April, I was pretty successful with using up my yarn stash this past month. I started my goal to use up 75% of my yarn in 2020; you can read more about this original goal here and learn about how I adapted this goal for 2021 here. I started this goal in an effort to save space, money, and the environment, and I have learned a lot through the process of decluttering my yarn through using it up. There are monthly updates on my progress and lessons learned, which you can find under the Attacking My Stash tab above, though you can also read March 2021’s update here.
My Budget
I have been really intentional with my yarn purchases as a result of this long-term goal, and this past month I made a lot of intentional and expensive yarn purchases. I bought two skeins of yarn from big box craft stores to finish some pattern design works-in-progress, but I also purchased… (wait for it)… six skeins of hand-dyed yarn. Also known as three sock sets. Since I used up 7 skeins of hand-dyed yarn this month, I felt justified in buying more yarn for specific projects. Most of that yarn is on pre-order, so I won’t see it in my stash for a while, but my yarn budget took a big hit in April. I am so excited though for my yarn from Explorer Knits and Sewrella Yarn to come in! And part of my reason for doing #AttackMyStash2021 was to support small businesses and buy yarn that really brings me joy, rather than the new and trendy yarn from the craft store I will never get around to using. I made a similar large purchase in January that I similarly don’t regret. But I definitely won’t plan on buying more nice yarn anytime soon (spoiler: on May 1 I already bought more nice yarn… stay tuned for next month’s update!)
My Yarn Stash
While I bought a lot of yarn in April, I only acquired 2 skeins of yarn; I won’t count my new hand-dyed yarn until it shows up at my door. Throughout this month, I was able to use up a total of 20 skeins of yarn! When my newly acquired skeins are accounted for, my net yarn usage is 18 skeins. This means that I finally have less than 300 skeins of yarn in my stash! This is a huge step that shows just how far I have come on this journey to use up 75% of my yarn stash, especially since I had more than 500 skeins of yarn at the beginning of 2020. I haven’t donated any of that difference in yarn; I have used up all of it through making!
I mostly used worsted weight yarn this month, with a few skeins of DK weight yarn and even a hank of fingering weight yarn. I completed a sweater pattern test for @knitsnknotswpg in preparation for her book Modern Crochet Sweaters, which is available for pre-order now on Amazon! I also finished a selfish make, the Party Punch Shawl by @tlyarncrafts, which was my first project made with hand-dyed yarn.
As I forecast how I expect the rest of the year to look, I need to average a net usage of about 21 skeins of yarn a month in order to reach my original goal of using up 75% of my yarn stash (and be left with 127 skeins of yarn). This is doable, but difficult considering my other personal and business goals. However, if I use up a net of 12 skeins a month for the rest of 2021 I will reach less than 200 skeins total, which is also a huge feat. It makes me really excited to think about how likely it will be that I reach my goals for Attack My Stash.
Things I Learned
It really hit me this month that I getting relatively close to completing my goal of using up 75% of my yarn stash. My total yarn stash is now less than 300 skeins, and if I continue using yarn at the rate I have been, I will easily decrease my yarn stash to less than 200 skeins. With my original goal number being 127 skeins, I don’t think I will even be completing another full year of #AttackMyStash! I have some significant steps still to take in this journey, but I have come a really long way, mentally and physically. Most resolutions dissipate by around January 17 (so I hear) but this goal of mine to be more intentional and minimal in my crafting is still going strong!
This past month, I really enjoyed finishing a couple projects using hand-dyed yarn. I have worn both my shawl and my cardigan multiple times already, even with the Texas heat! I want to make more things that really bring me joy like these pieces. I will search for patterns to make that will make me feel that way about the yarn I already have so that I don’t only feel that way about my fancy yarn.
I also realized just how versatile worsted weight yarn is. It is the perfect bridge between fall/winter crochet and spring/summer crochet. While the type of projects I make throughout the year differ, I can use worsted weight yarn all year long. No wonder I have so much of it in my stash!
Things to Change
Last month, I made a goal for Quarter 2 of 2021 to make a list of my WIPs and make a plan to finish them off. I am proud that I actually sat down and found all my works-in-progress, even the ones where I only set aside yarn for them and had not yet started. It was an embarrassing number, especially since most of them were not active WIPs. I finished a couple of those projects, but for the month of May I need to work consistently to finish those projects and move on. On my list of WIPS, I also wrote down how far each project is (just an idea, started, close to being finished, finishing touches left) and which month I plan on completing it. It is unlikely that I will finish every single WIP I have, but now I have a plan in place to make some good progress on that goal!
Moving forward, I am planning on spending less money on new yarn. It is really exciting to support small businesses and get fancy yarn in the mail! But my bank account can’t handle it and there are just too many pretty skeins out there. In April, out of the 20 skeins I used up, 7 of them were hand-dyed hanks. And if I continue to buy more hand-dyed yarn and only use up that yarn, I won’t actually make a dent in my yarn stash! So I am going to make an effort over the next few months to really make due with what yarn I already have (though I am not totally closed off to the idea of buying more yarn that calls to me).
Finally, I want to spend more time making things that bring me joy. I feel like I have a lot of “to-dos” with my old WIPs and some other projects I have been meaning to make. But I want to look forward to the process of making something! So while I have plans for upcoming pattern designs and to complete some WIPs in May, I also plan to make whatever calls to me in the moment. Right now, that feels like amigurumi! But tomorrow that may change, and that’s ok. You can do so much with the fiber arts and I am excited to see what kind of projects excite me in the next month.
As always, if you participate in #AttackMyStash2021, please use the hashtag to share with me on Instagram @crowchetcreations so that we can hype each other up! We’ll see where May takes us.
XO, Emily
