How do I stop buying yarn?
Just don’t buy yarn. Simple, right? HA!
Ask any knitter and they will tell you it’s not simple at all! There's a term for yarnophiles like me; SABLE, which means Stash Above and Beyond Life Expectancy.
I did some in-depth research this week (read Reddit) and discovered that what I had done in packing to come to PEI is actually a step in the process. I may have skipped a few steps, but one of them I did properly.
Start a Project Queue
I put skeins of yarn intended for specific projects into bags with a sticky note of the intended project on it. This helps to show how much yarn I actually have, and can estimate how long it will take to knit. For example, I can knit a hat in a day, and my shoulders wouldn’t want me to do much more than that. So here’s what I have for the next 5 months, keep in mind I am designing new patterns with the yarn so it takes longer than just knitting:
The Yarn Pile
- 10 skeins of Chiengora + Ultra Alpaca by Berocco for a sweater
- 2 skeins Lichen and Lace merino blend to make a beach-themed hat
- 3 skeins Red Sock Blue Sock Yarn linen/silk blend to make a beach-themed wrap
- 2 skeins chiengora + 2 skeins RSBS merino to make a mountain-themed hat and mittens (already done the pattern!)
- 7 skeins chiengora to make a shadow shawl
- 3 skeins chiengora to make an infinity scarf
- 6 skeins merino for Christmas designs
- 5 skeins chiengora to design snow inspired patterns
- 1 skein chiengora + 2 skeins lace weight (1 Life in the Long Grass, 1 Handmaiden merino for a shawl
- 7 skeins chiengora for a shawl design
- 1 cone chiengora + 1 cone cashmere/silk to design Prudence pattern (already done the pattern)
One project Bag
Writing this out makes me see that even if I designed and knit one bag every 2 weeks, I wouldn’t be able to finish this all in 5 months even if I stepped it up. So will I step it up? Probably not. WOW THAT’S A LOT OF KNITTING.
I think (fingers crossed) that using only the project queue over the next five months will help me to not only reduce my stash, but show that I am able to knit from what I have any only adding yarn if the pattern calls for something I don’t have - which I actually doubt is going to happen.
Next week I am going to follow I Thought I Knew How Podcaster Anne’s plan to meticulously photograph and log my stash and pattern library on Ravelry. For the yarn I have in PEI, anyway. It’s a work in progress. In the summer, I can do this all over again when I get back to Ottawa and my main stash.