Yarn Addiction – How to control it by Avyastore.

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Crochet can be a frugal hobby, if not managed well it can be an expensive affair.

For a knitter or crocheter, visiting a yarn store can be a wondrous adventure. All those colours, fibres, and textures! It’s a place of pure potential, where your creativity and skill can meet up with the raw materials to make anything you can think of.

The excitement of All! That! Potential! causes many knitters or crocheter to start stockpiling yarn. There’s an acronym in the crochet world: SABLE. It stands for “Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy.” People who knit or crochet love to joke about the outrageous size of their stash, and there are plenty of stories about hiding stashes under the bed to taking over closets, etc. along with threads in crochet forums where you “flash your stash,” or show off the yarn you’ve acquired.

My first crochet product was done when I was in grade eight and since then crochet is a part of my life. Over these years my yarn and hook choices have been upgraded concerning quality and I don’t comprise on price. In this long journey, I have purchased a wide range of yarns from various brands. Initially, I would get excited about any new yarn launch but for twelve months I decided to put a full stop to my purchases.

It was in January 2020 when YET ANOTHER box of yarn arrived in the post. Unboxing the yarn made me so happy, but the next moment caused the worry STORAGE. I had no place to Store the yarn, my cupboards and other drawers were full.

And that’s when I decided for myself NO MORE YARN.

At first, it was arduous not buying any yarn, but as time moved on, it got easier and easier. I came up with a plan as below

1. I updated my inventory notebooks. 
2. Yarns segregation done as per type and brands.
3. Small/Stash quantities of yarns are stored separately for making small miniature projects.
4. Yarns of large quantities are kept in pouches with the pattern checklist.

Also, I kept a check on crocheting. I crochet using yarn from my stash. And here’s the weird thing, I hardly made a dent in it. In twelve months, I used up 25%, maybe 30% at the most, of my existing yarn.

Anyway!! Here’s what I learned and will be practising in the coming days to overcome Yarn addiction.

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Don’t go into stores. 

If I can’t see (and touch!) the beautiful yarn, I won’t be tempted to buy it.

My time is worth more than my yarn. 

Before my “yarn fast,” I was incapable to oppose the siren call of bargain yarn. I purchased bags full of clearance yarn because it was “affordable.” However, most of that yarn is still lying in my closet, in plastic cases. It takes plenty of time to crochet. And that’s why crochet can be a frugal hobby. If you have the self-discipline to just finish the projects you already have before you, you presumably won’t need to buy yarn frequently.

And then when you are ready to start a new project, you can buy the yarn that is most appropriate in terms of fibre, colour, and gauge, not being afraid to spend a little more money, simply because crocheting does take so much time. The most important thing is to buy the right yarn, rather than piling everything in sight like a demented squirrel.

I don’t need to buy yarn 

It’s funny, but after not buying any yarn at all for twelve months, something shifted. I thought that once my “yarn fasts” is over, I’d have a lot of pent-up requirement and would go nuts purchasing yarn anew. That aimed out not to be the matter! Rather, I’m a little bit dismayed by how much beautiful yarn I have that I haven’t had to use yet.

Crocheting a pair of socks takes me at least two weeks, and right now I have enough sock yarn for twelve pairs. That’s at least six months more worth of crocheting if I don’t crochet anything else. I can be fine without buying any more yarn for at least another year, maybe two.

Conclusion on my Yarn Addiction.

It’s been a year, I have yet to buy any new yarn. I am mentally prepared and satisfied with what I have. If I require to buy something distinct to make a gift for someone, I will, but I’m so exhilarating, I had this challenge for myself. It taught me a different way to do things.

I would encourage anyone to think of a challenge related to your hobby or another shopping compulsion. What can you halt completely for five or six months? Make it into a bet with someone you adore. If you win, you’ll learn a lot regarding yourself.

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