(no subject)

[yukonsally]

Can we talk hobbies?

I recently gave up on the idea that I would ever make jewelry again and gave away nearly all of my beads. I donated the box and found a smaller box for the repair tools. The beads I kept are intended for adding to knitting projects.

Oh, knitting.

That large collection of yarn, patterns, supplies.

I decided to do something. I've long been on a "yarn diet" in which I do not buy new yarn. I do not go into the yarn store. I do not look at yarn online. I have accepted yarn from a friend when she moved--she has good stuff. But mostly, I am using up what I have.

I gave away some yarn I'll just never use. I went through patterns and got rid of the ones I'll never make. I gave away the stitch markers I don't like. I gave away knitting baubles I didn't want in the first place. And I am using up scraps in projects. My knitting things are more under control. I did buy some yarn that I've used immediately in some scrap projects. Now I am creating a stash of knitted things for gifts, or for charity auctions, or local charities, or whatever strikes me. I am making those projects I've had prepped for quite some time and I am taking apart projects I stopped working on to regain control of the needles, beads, and yarn. I will have to start over using some yarn. And that's okay. I keep it in check now.

Comments

[alexseanchai]

Well done!

[yukonsally]

thanks! It's been a process over a few months but I feel good about where I am.

[kalloway]

I'm slowly going through my craft stuff and picking out things that I know I'll never use and putting them in a box to donate. It's just... very slow going. But I'm definitely doing better about not dragging more project stuff home with me. most of the time

[yukonsally]

I meet with some friends regularly and we've traded tools a few times--I gave one the stitch markers, she shared notions bags. Is that an option?

[tyger]

Oh jegus, GOOD JOB. I've been trying to use up my stash for... probably two years now? I mean, I've bought yarn a couple of times - mainly because omg local yarn!!!, both here and when I was visiting friends in the US - but mostly just trying to get through things. So is my Mama! Between us we still have... um... a lot. A lot of yarn.

We are slowly making progress, though, so that's good. It's just a little depressing when you put something like a hundred hours work into something and it doesn't even use up a single ball. Stupid laceweight... *shakes fist*

Charity knitting is so great, though - one of our local ones periodically puts out newsletters letting people know what they need more of, which I find really helpful. If I know while I'm knitting something that someone actually needs it, I get a lot more motivated to do things quickly, haha. Even if that means just doing plain knit on big needles, or whatever.

[yukonsally]

I've got two balls of laceweight taunting me. I should give one away. I WILL use that blue silk. It WILL happen. But the brown? Eh. It was a thoughtful gift from another knitter but I don't make lace.

[peaceful_sands]

Well done on your achievements. Sounds like you're making good progress.

I've managed to stop buying and adding to wool stashes, jewellery supplies, fabric painting equipment, and cross stitch kits but using them up is a different issue entirely.

Similarly I've curbed my hobby of buying more books than I can read, but progress into dealing with the ones I've already acquired is much slower.

I think part of the difficulty with hobbies clutter from my perspective is that very little is accomplished quickly and so it's almost easy to lose all motivation and give up on making headway.

[yukonsally]

I'm trying to keep to the "one in, one out" rule with yarn. I use one skein and maaaaybeee, when I'm in one of two certain yarn shops... maaaaaaybeeee I can buy one more. Luckily, each of those yarn shops are 3 hours away--in different directions.

[semielliptical]

Getting your yarn stash under control is quite an accomplishment, go you!

Just not going to yarn stores is key. In the last few years I've tried really hard to only buy new yarn when I have a specific project that I plan to start right away, but I still sometimes look at yarn for "fun" with a friend, and it's hard not to come home with some.

[yukonsally]

Two of my friends own yarn shops and I try to buy from them only--and they will ship to me since they are hours away. There's a fine balance of supporting small businesses and managing my space!

[fred_mouse]

Oh, yarn, how I love it, how I hoard it, how I hate to say no when other people are rehoming it. I'm seriously contemplating a destash, by which I find a small shopping bags worth, and pass it on via a friend. When they tell me that that person has used it up, I repeat. (I know they've used the last lot up, because I hear it made a lovely rug).

Plus, I went and bought myself a pattern that means I can use up the sock weight yarn that I was gifted, because I am *never* making socks. Honest.

... oh, and I used up a teeny scrap of fabric making a carry bag for one craft project, and I'm thinking that I should make a couple more, so that I can just grab a bag and head out the door with one.

[yukonsally]

Yes! make more bags! I'm making fingerless gloves from scrap sock yarn right now and can usually find homes for those quickly. I made two spare tire cozies with some acrylic--those are giant blankets in the round that used TONS of scraps. I love scrap projects! Waste not, want not!

[fred_mouse]

I went to make more bags today, only to discover that I have tidied up the zippers into some random location that isn't where I thought I had. But all the bits are now in the one place (other than the zippers) and I have a Plan!

The round blankets sounds like a great idea!