CAN I DO IT? No new Yarn, Using up STASH!

[Krystal16]

I know we've all been through this. We look at our stash and say Oh MY! Where did it all come from?

 

Today I went looking for yarn that I *thought* I had because I wanted to work on my Blue Star (CAL) and needed more cornmeal. I was going to go out and buy more tomorrow at ACMoore's wonderful sale, but alas - BIG SNOW STORM.

 

So I dragged ALL of my stash out. I have it more or less bagged up by color scheme, thinking that each bag will make a good afghan. I have bought more since bagging, so I decided to play with my yarn and take it all out again and sort the new stuff into existing bags or new afghan bags.

 

(I found the cornmeal and some other gorgeous variegated that will go well in my Blue Star, by the way)

 

And then I listed and counted.... I have the makings for 25 afghans! :yarn :yarn :yarn :yarn And that's not including the odd bag of yarn that just won't go with ANYTHING. Oh, and the 6 or so afghans I have as UFOs.

 

Here and now, I VOW that I will not buy ANY MORE yarn unless it is required to finish these afghans or my charity daisy afghans. Who wants to be my yarn police?

 

Will you cheer me on? When these afghans are done, then I can buy, buy, buy!!! Can I do it in a year? Or will it take two?

[mizduck]

I will you on Krystal, but I cannot deny anyone yarn, even if you have more than ten people can use...denying yarn would be cruel and unusual punishment! Good luck to you!!! Hook, girl, hook!

[FlowerPower06]

I'm cheering you on too If you can do this I have to give you mucho kudos! I am so weak when it comes to yarn purchasing!!

[cgd]

I admire your determination, and I need to be right there with you!

[CraftyShannon]

I hear you. I thought I had most of my yarn all in one closet until I decided to clean my craft room after Christmas. That meant that I went around the house and got all my yarn together, then I sorted it all by type. Cotton yarn, novelty yarn, baby yarn, worsted acrylic, etc. Trust me, this is NOT something for the faint of heart! I knew I had a lot, but seeing it all together was a shock. I love a good yarn sale, but I am determined to pass up buying new yarn as much as possible.

 

I've decided already that I will be no new yarn unless 1. I need it to go with something I already have and it has to be for a project I'm currently working on. 2. Or it has to be for a custom order and I don't have the yarn for that.

 

Well, someone recently asked me to make a fun fur scarf set for her. She finally picked the color she wanted. I don't have it. Weather permitting, I will be going to Michael's tomorrow. The clearance aisle is right in front of the yarn section. I buy most of my yarns and books from Michael's from the clearance aisle. It's going to be awfully hard not to be tempted. I think before I go, I need to take a good long look at how much yarn I really do have.

[Kaggs]

Good luck! I'm much too weak to do this. I tried it once, and the second time I was in Walmart I broke down and got 6 skeins of Red Heart. Sure I felt guilty, but I can't deny my yarn urge. I admire your determination, and I'll be cheering you on!

[chrispersmom]

Good Luck! I don't think I could be strong enough to go a year without buying yarn! I started a pineapple afghan after christmas and told myself that I wouldn't start anything else until it was finished. good intentions....I got inspired by the snowflake CAL, and then my cousin gave me some sugar n cream....started some dishcloths. So, I take my hat off to you....but I wouldn't get on to you a bit for getting more yarn. Just ask hubby...he packed in my box from joann's. BUT it was on SALE:hook

[coolhockeymom]

I looked at my stash of yarn ...though no where near your guys but still I have yarn in every room of my house and that is why for my new yr resolution I am making blankets to donate to your local abuse shelter . and all those scraps you find you know is not big enough to make anything out of i have made in a ugly ball well two ugly balls I was told they work up faster that way I am making snuggles for my local shelter and only when the yarn is gone will I buy more.....So I say but that doesn't mean if someone gives me yarn I wont thank them for feeding my need for yarn.

[salos]

I have the makings for 25 afghans! :yarn :yarn :yarn :yarn .... Oh, and the 6 or so afghans I have as UFOs.

 

 

Amazing!!!!! Where do you store it all????????

[Krystal16]

Amazing!!!!! Where do you store it all????????

 

I have closet in my study/office - and it' s all packed in there. I keep thinking maybe I'd take a picture, but it's pretty boring, all jammed in there in bags. You can't even see much of the yarn, the way its stacked!

[KellyA]

Good luck with your goal, I will cheer you on.

I "try" going for a week without purchasing yarn....can do time to time however I find I go through withdrawals and my mind starts to wonder if any yarn company came up with a new color, type, ply...... If the store's revenue has gone down without me purchasing....- man that's a lot of guilt.......

So now I am doing the following

Use a skein or two buy one....... yeah like thats working

Now I just tell DH that I need yarn at work because I am tired of dragging back and forth projects.....

I guess all I have to say i

 

Hello, my name is Kelly and I am a yarn addict.......

[photojenic]

I've been holding off also (although this latest $1 Michael's sale is calling my name!). However, I also made a promise to myself that I was NOT going to start any new projects until I completed at least two UFOs. I went through my closet and found an alarming amount, and have actually completed three or four in the last week or two.

 

One thing I am planning to do to use up all my scraps and partial skeins is that I am going to make a scrap afghan using THIS pattern. I've made a couple of baby sized blankets, and I like that it's basically a "brainless" pattern. I found a bunch of skeins of RH black in my stash, so I'm going use it plus the scraps to make a Queen sized afghan.

[laurastar0962]

I smell a cal in the making:) I too have vowed not to buy yarn for a year, so far Jan has been a success!

[pineknott]

good luck to you,I said the same thing,but I only held out for 14 days,then got some eyelash yarn at the dollar store and 4 skeins ss at walmart.

I have been whittling down small balls and half skeins,so I feel I'm makinf some progress.

Linda

[Krystal16]

Laura -if you create a CAL, I will be there! I'll list ALL 25 of my non-started afghans (by color) and the 6 or so that are WIPs, then work on getting them taken care of!

 

K

[karin4christ]

Krystal, I'll be your stash busting buddy!! I've been using my stash up for a couple months now. I figure I have about 30-40 more skeins to go. Maybe we should have a CAL for this. Sometimes I open up my yarn storage bins and just look at them and get so excited when I use up a whole bin of yarn.

[Krystal16]

Karin - you're the second one to say this. Maybe I'll start the stash-busting CAL... So far, there are THREE of us! LOL! Hope others join in...

 

Alright, I went and did it! Let's have fun with it!

http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showpost.php?p=607522&postcount=1

[CraftyShannon]

Well I was a good girl today. I did have to buy those 2 skeins of fun fur only to make that custom order. I'm even using a skein of regular yarn I already have to go with it.

 

Now I do admit I had a 40% coupon with me and I *so* wanted to use it. However, I really couldn't find anything to justify why I needed to buy more. There wasn't even yarn on the clearance aisle at all. So, I only got what I needed.

[Krystal16]

for Shannon! She resisted to urge to use a coupon to buy yarn just because she HAD it in hand! What strength that took!

 

Honestly, I've never managed to do that. If I'm in the store, gotta use the coupon!

[CraftyShannon]

Thanks Krystal. Usually when I have a coupon, I think I have to go shopping to use it. Knowing I need to go in and purposely not use it is a foreign concept to me too because I can usually convince myself I "need" something. It's not like I didn't try to find something to buy. I did see some nice wool that would be great for felting. Then I reminded myself I've never felted and I have 4 skeins of yarn to try that already, and given the numerous WIPs I have already, it will be ages before I get around to the wool.

 

Logic doesn't make for a successful shopping day, but it's nice knowing I didn't buy just for the sake of buying. Trust me, if I buy anything, it will be for the sake of buying it, not because I need it. I think it helped that I went to the store knowing what I was there for and walking around the store without a shopping cart. When I do that, I always spend a lot less because I can't carry too much.

[laureni526]

Woo Hoo! You can do it! I've been trying to work from my stash, but sometimes those mill ends go on sale and I can't resist. I'm working on it. Good Luck!

[Tinamah]

I have also decided not to buy anymore yarn. We have just moved to a smaller house (I lost my craft room. sad isn't it). As I am unpacking I am finding boxes and boxes and bags and boxes of yarn and boxes and boxes of thread, and I keep thinking where did this all come from. My craft room wasn't that big.

I now need all my extra money to go into our home.

 

But maybe if I find a special pattern that need new yarn or I find a good bargain at a flea market or goodwill or...

[redbird51]

that i would use up the yarn that i had before i bought any more. i did this in november of last year. then, i saw the snowflake afghan cal and could not resist getting the yarn for that. i'm still working on this but will be finished soon. i will then go back to using up the stash that i have. i did see the bico sweater pattern and want to do it but i have yarn to take care of this.

 

don't i sound like i mean what i'm saying? i really am going to try to not buy any more yarn. encouragement always needed and always welcome!

[Karen C.]

I'm cheering you on, girl!

[auntel]

I, too, am trying to NOT BUY ANY MORE YARN - Gosh, it's hard!

I haven't - only way I can do this is to NOT walk into my local craft stores, or yarn stores, NOT look too long at various online retailers! Talk about yarn withdrawal!

 

Yes - the exception being ONLY if I need something to complete a project. I'm seeing a very small dent in my stash. very, very, very small...

 

 

Ellen