I'm All About The Numbers!

 2021 is time for a reset. It seems as though lots of people changed their habits in 2020 - and why wouldn’t we?! It was the craziest year I’ve ever experienced! And now is the time for some changes.

With us all at home so much, I think we may have reacquainted ourselves with our home spaces and what is in our home. And for many, this had led to some reevaluating. 

I certainly already knew I had a lot of craft stash but still I kept adding to it. Why was that? Some of it was the ‘I deserve a treat’ mentality; some of it was me not being able to resist a sale/bargain; some of it was watching YouTube and seeing all the things other people buy - yes, a bit of the ugly green monster of envy was definitely there! 

So I had already been thinking about this a lot when I came across Hand Me My Knitting’s YouTube video about her no-buy year and new Patreon group. I know it seems counterintuitive to pay to join a no-buy group 😬, but it has been a fabulous support and well worth it.

Anyway enough of that! Let’s get down to business! 

I do love a spreadsheet and some number crunching, so have borrowed a few ideas to help me quantify my no-buy, knit and stitch from stash year.

Let's clarify this from the start - a complete no-buy was not going to work! Total denial was just going to make me want to rebel!  

So I have set up a tracking system (told you I love number crunching!) which will keep track of how much yarn I knit and fabric I use, etc.

I also love having notebooks rather than it all being on the computer. I think it is a lovely visual reminder of the year as well as a valuable resource to look back at. I will not abandon Ravelry, of course, even though it is quite daunting to see just how much yarn is in my stash (and it isn’t all on there yet!)

So basically my idea is that I will ‘earn’ spending money depending on what I use up. 

For knitting, I have just set the rate of 35c per 10g knitted. I know this sounds like next to nothing but I wanted to make it about a quarter or less of the equivalent cost of yarn. Otherwise the stash would not decrease! 

For cross stitch, I have borrowed a costing idea from a Facebook group called Stitch From Stash. I won’t outline it here as it is not my idea to share but you earn different amounts based on the stitch count of the finished design. 

I have yet to work out a calculation for quilting. 

So I will do a monthly wrap up at the end of each month, detailing my ‘earnings’ and spending. 

Is anyone else doing a no or less buy year? Maybe you are drowning in stash, like I am, and it is time to fall back in love with what you already have? I’d love to hear your plans, goals and experiences! 

January Wrap Up

 About halfway through January, I discovered Hand Me My Knitting's Youtube channel and her no-buy year for 2021. 

Her decision to knit only from stash particularly resonated with me, as believe me, I have enough stash to last many lifetimes! 

It has already really helped me to be more mindful with my purchasing - just because something is on sale doesn't mean I need to rush to grab it! Sales come around fairly often! 

So I have completed five projects from stash yarn in January.

The Bee Hive Cowl used 328m / 82g of yarn, from stash purchased in June 2020.

 I made two tinsel garlands, per Arne and Carlos. These are so much fun and I cannot wait to add them to my tree in 2021. They are just knitted i-cords, using King Cole Tinsel yarn. These used 72m / 50g of yarn each, from stash purchased in December 2020.

I also finished my first Icelandic jumper. I made a child's size so I could practice the technique and I loved it! 

Kambur used 462.8m / 230g of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted, purchased in April/May 2019. 

And lastly, I made the Mercury Socks. These used 360.8m / 88g of Garnstudio Drops Fabel, purchased in February 2017.

They have been added to my very first box of socks, which true to the no-buy year, is a shoebox from my son's new school shoes! 

Thus, in January, I knitted 1295.6m / 500g of stash yarn. 

Yay!

But, I did slip off the wagon and purchase some yarn. I have been thinking about shopping triggers and what makes me feel that I need to purchase something. And this purchase was made because the shop sent me an email to say my rewards points were due to expire. So I had to use them, right?! I could have let them expire but sales and discounts are definitely my shopping triggers and I couldn't let those points go to waste. So I actually purchased 2080m / 500g yarn - more meterage as it is all sock yarn. This is less than I wanted to buy - definitely less than I would probably have purchased previously. 

 I did not purchase any patterns. All of the patterns I used were either free on Ravelry or already in my pattern stash. 

Do you have any particular goals or plans for 2021? 

I'm looking forward to seeing what I can achieve in February!