As you may have gathered, I am on a ‘yarn diet’. This means that over the next few months (at least until the end of the year) I am not going to buy any more yarn. This may sound like imposing unnecessary suffering on myself, but the intention is to encourage me to enjoy the beautiful yarn I already have rather than leaving it languishing in various drawers and cupboards, unappreciated. Many crafters have the habit of accumulating lots of materials (whatever their preference). I do this and, whilst it’s fun to have stuff available to use when inspired, it feels very wasteful to have loads of untouched yarn, plus it does take up a lot of space.
In general I buy yarn for particular projects, but sometimes I never get round to starting them, and by the time I am ready, I have had a change of heart (or even shape!) and so I need to find an alternative. I’m also a bit over-enthusiastic about sock yarn and have ended up with rather a lot of the stuff… more than I need for sock making. As I don’t want to build up an enormous collection of shawls, I have been wondering what else I might do with the sock yarn and inspiration arrived on Saturday. One of the organisers of the 60MT get-together was wearing a beautiful short-sleeved, asymmetrical top, clearly knitted in 4-ply. I asked her about the pattern and now I’ve bought a copy and will use some of my yarn to make Sugar Maple.
Despite the diet, some new yarn has come my way, but I did not buy it. At the event on Saturday, we had a ‘secret Santa’… everyone brought a ball of yarn wrapped up and they all went in a big box, before each person selected a different package to take away. So, I gave a ball of mottled sock yarn (which I entirely failed to photograph), but came home with two balls (yes, there were two balls in the parcel I picked) of Rowan Lima, an interesting aran yarn that looks like it has been crocheted into a chain already:
The two balls add up to the same weight as the donated ball (and, in fact, contain similar colours), so I have made no net gain, and, indeed, a loss, if I consider length of yarn rather than weight. I really am beginning to think like someone on a diet! Not sure what I’m going to use this yarn for – it’s very soft, so maybe a cowl.
As well as working on various existing projects, I’m also trying to restock my etsy shop a bit, as I’ve sold quite a few of the bird roosts. The train journeys over the weekend were split between sock-knitting and bird roost crochet, and I’ve now got several roosts ready to felt:
three done, one in progress
So, the stash is slowly being used and I’m not feeling deprived because I can’t shop for yarn… it’s a good result so far.
The Snail of Happiness 
tialys
/ September 18, 2017I hope you have more willpower than me when I went on my ‘fabric fast’. I couldn’t decide whether to do it for six months or a year but went for the year which was a big mistake – I should have known it wouldn’t be achievable. So, I lasted for four months and could possibly have lasted another two but never for another eight. Too ambitious
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 18, 2017I decoded that ‘until the end of the year’ was probably a manageable amount of time – we’ll see.
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katechiconi
/ September 18, 2017You could always do yarny swaps as well, to introduce something different into your collection. (Notice I’m not calling it a stash!). It ought to be possible to work out equivalent values to make swaps fair, and you’d get something new to you and so would the other party.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 18, 2017I may have to do a yarn inventory… I’m sure there are things squirrelled away that I have forgotten about.
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katechiconi
/ September 18, 2017Are you sure you’re ready to reveal the full extent of the problem…? Sometimes ignorance is bliss!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 19, 2017You may be right!
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Catherine
/ September 18, 2017I’m trying harder and harder to use my ‘stash’, but I do seem to always add something! Good luck with your yarn diet.
Having said that, it does feel good when you finally find a use for some of that ‘stash’.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 18, 2017The Sugar Maple top is going to be a great way to use up a few skeins of sock yarn, I hope.
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nanacathy2
/ September 18, 2017Ha I tried one of those this year and then I got gremlins in my computer and that was it! Good luck. The swap yarn is a pretty colour!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 18, 2017I’m hoping to be strong! I have some lovely yarn already that I’m looking forward to working with, so I should cope.
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quietwatercraft
/ September 18, 2017That worked for me, until my mum got me a massive box of yarn for my birthday! Now I’m trying to use up some of what I’ve got, because I know that I’ll be getting more for Christmas and I’m running out of room!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 18, 2017Well, you can’t help presents. Not a problem here as we don’t ‘do’ Christmas presents any more and my birthday is just into next year.
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Annie
/ September 18, 2017Love that purple wool. 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 18, 2017It’s lovely and soft – some I might have chosen myself, in fact.
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Annie
/ September 21, 2017Good plan.
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Annie
/ September 18, 2017And I am on a fabric fast too.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 18, 2017Good luck with that. How long for?
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iamsimplyhooked
/ September 18, 2017I managed my yarn drought fine, but I am afraid I did a bit of binge buying once it was over!
I like the idea of a yarn swap…..
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 18, 2017Yes, it’s fun… I was really hoping that I wouldn’t get any chunky and I was lucky!
I might manage to bring you a few balls of something lovely next year, you never know.
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thecontentedcrafter
/ September 18, 2017I’ve been doing that all year too, most successfully I must add 🙂 (crow) But it’s mainly because I haven’t actually made anything, including finishing the three items in the ufo pile. Instead I went on a stamp and embossing folder buying binge – see, I just swapped out one fetish for another! Now I have just gotten that one under control and am not purchasing anything else for my supplies unless it is a consumable that runs out! I’m curious to see where that decision leads …….
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 18, 2017I have so much craft stuff around the house, I’m certain I could amuse myself for the next 25 years without buying anything much! Well… maybe a few consumables… and writing paper!
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insearchofitall
/ September 18, 2017I LOVE the yarn you got in the exchange. I’m doing the same thing with fabric. I have enough to keep me busy until I’m 108 and have donated a great deal already. I’m buying nothing unless it’s for a custom order. I’ve purchase almost no fabric in the last 6 months, maybe longer. I do get a lot that’s free that I will turn into something soon. I am so looking forward to winter so I can sit and just sew and craft. Hand knit socks could be quite expensive but worth every cent someone would pay. You are fortunate to know how to make them.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 18, 2017It is all too easy to accumulate – but then we miss out on working with the lovely materials that we have. I’m trying to work out if there is yarn I would like to give away or sell, but mostly I’d rather use it myself and sell the products.
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insearchofitall
/ September 19, 2017I feel much the same way. I looked at it all and it was a love it or lose it moment. If it had possibility, it stayed a bit longer. Making my way through but fortunately for you, yarn takes slightly less room. 🙂
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Wild Daffodil
/ September 18, 2017Have you had birds roosting/nesting in your creations? I had blackbirds nest in my loganberry this year, the nest tilted so badly I wondered if the chicks would survive but I think they did.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 18, 2017I never get to put them out in my garden because they always get sold! The RSPB sell a version that’s woven from grasses and they are supposed to be very useful as winter shelters.
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yarnandpencil
/ September 18, 2017I find that when I’m limited to using only what I already have I become more creative and experimental and end up with a greater sense of achievement. I do hope you find that too 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 19, 2017I think that’s probably true. As well as the yarn I have lots of other craft supplies and I’m thinking of making a pile of greetings cards based on what I already have – it might be quite inspirational.
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Sue laverack
/ September 19, 2017I do not have a problem with my COLLECTIONS of fabric and yarn. They are not fat or overweight, just cuddly, plump, well covered, big boned… Well that’s my excuse and I am sticking to it! But maybe when my ‘moving house’ reaches my studio space I will have to reconsider!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 19, 2017I’m no good at decluttering, but it turns out that I’m very good at being inspired by my yarn “collection”!
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katythenightowl
/ September 19, 2017Despite having had a crochet drought for much of this year, now I have my crojo back I, too, am on a yarn diet, especially after sorting out what I do have in my collection!
As another commentator said, it’s making me more creative in what I actually do achieve with what I’ve got – and, in the new year sometime, I can look forward to shopping for some replacement yarns, maybe trying out different kinds of yarns to my usual, too 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 19, 2017Yes, it is certainly making me think about how to use some of these yarns.
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crawcraftsbeasties
/ September 20, 2017That yarn swap is a great idea! Good luck with your diet… I think I finally managed to get my yarn-buying under control, but it’s a different matter entirely when it comes to art materials and fabric!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 20, 2017I lapsed earlier in the summer because there was a sale for charity, and a blanket I really want to make, and… ok, I’m recovering now 😉
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crawcraftsbeasties
/ September 21, 2017Take it one day at a time! 😆 Holidays are probably still my weakness… If I go into an overseas yarn shop, I’ll definitely walk out of there with something!
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StampKnowHow
/ October 20, 2017I know that feeling of having way too many paper crafts and stamp sets. 😊
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The Snail of Happiness
/ October 20, 2017I am determined not to buy any more crafting supplies until I’ve used a lot of them up… I have stuff for making cards, for embossing, for paper making, for felting (wet and dry), not to mention all the sewing supplies…
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journeytohandmade
/ December 6, 2017I loved reading the post and realizing that I’m not alone in building a fantastic collection! Instead of putting a time limit on myself, I’m going to try to use up the bulk of my yarn and fabric stash before buying more. Perhaps until it can all fit in one closet? At least, that is the plan…I may have to stay off the internet to make that happen. 😄
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The Snail of Happiness
/ December 6, 2017I’m getting on quite well. I bought some yarn to complete a project and I’m waiting for some to arrive from a friend’s sheep that I ordered about 9 months ago, but other than that I have been very good. The stash is slowly decreasing and I’m starting to give away some to folks I know will love and use it.
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