I may actually reach all of my goals for completing unfinished projects and I am super happy! Hubs is happy about all the projects completed, too!
The “WIPs-to-do” stack is definitely smaller and the yarn is being used in a very visible way.
I’d like to show you the two newest completions, and also a recap of my list of to-do’s which I posted at the beginning of the Challenge last month.
Continue reading Recap of Projects Completed During the Challenge So Far
The last few days have been a struggle. Completing more than I imagined has actually thrown me off track. That, and life. I have to admit, life has really been unusual lately, even for us. So, I took a day off. (Wow! That is amazing for me!) One of my New Year’s resolutions was to put clearer boundaries on family time and work time–mainly work time. The tendency to check email right before bed is not conducive to thoughtful emails and clear answers, nor restful sleep. It also hinders my creativity. I decided I needed a day just to sit and do nothing; a day to work on generating new crochet ideas.
Continue reading 10 Ways to Spark New Crochet Ideas for Using Your Stash
Keep going! Keep striving! Don’t give up!
How are you doing? Making any progress?
Look at all the beautiful things finished by the Use Your Stash 2017 Challengers!
Here we are, almost halfway through the Challenge, and I am thrilled that I have finished project #3, the Floral Pillow! If I never get anything else done during this challenge, I will be happy just knowing I’ve completed these first three projects that have been staring me in the face for so long. It feels good to see things moving out of the “Almost Finished” queue and into the “Completed Project” pile. Continue reading Project #3 from the Use Your Stash Challenge
I have finished project #2, the granny square blanket! It is done and dusted–yay! I hope you are making some progress as well!
Continue reading Project #2 from the Use Your Stash Challenge
It is finished! Project #1 is done!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I really dislike this hexi blanket. However, my family likes it so it will stay around. But I’m still really celebrating finishing this blanket…. so I’ll say it again:
In my last post, I bared my soul and told you the dirty truth about HOW MUCH yarn and partially finished projects that I have in my stash. And seeing it all really has me wanting to use my stash first. As my first project sat there, staring me in the face, I felt myself becoming really overwhelmed. Then I thought, If I am overwhelmed, you probably are, too. Some of these yarns and projects have been around for years! (Which means I have spent years wondering why I bought this yarn, or why I thought starting that project was a good idea.) So I thought you might need a little encouragement to use your stash (like I do).
Remember my Pegboard and how bare it looked? Well, I created these cool hanging organizers that will help in the Use Your Stash Challenge. I thought you might like to see what I’ve done, in case you need a little inspiration for your own organizational needs.
I’m a visual person. Having things stored in hanging organizers (out in the open instead of in cabinets or drawers) keeps things in front of my eyes. Seeing what’s available to use gives me inspiration, and helps me stay on track for using up my stash.
The following is just a quick tutorial keeping with the theme of using your stash.
Continue reading Creating Hanging Organizers for Your Craft Area
Is it time to get out of your comfort zone? Are you setting goals for the New Year? I am. Stepping out of my personal box has been on my mind almost constantly these days.
Last month, Hubs and I spent time (together) out of our comfort zones. It was a business conference (which was out of my comfort zone) for women. Yes, Hubs was definitely out of his comfort zone, but he wasn’t alone. When we pulled into the parking lot, another couple was getting out of their car. The man looked at Hubs and said, “I’m so glad to see you! I’m glad I’m not the only one.” There was instant brotherhood bonding going on. I thought they were going to high-five and fist bump right there in the parking lot.
Despite the obvious gender differences, the teaching was great. Hubs and I came away motivated and encouraged.
I’m sharing this story because many times being out of your comfort zone is the only way to grow your business, grow personally or emotionally, or even grow as a crocheter. It feels much like hang-gliding naked. I know that is a horrible visualization, but it’s exactly how it feels.
So, let’s step out of our boxes, get out of our comfort zones, and write some goals. There are many different ways to do this. Some examples:
Don’t procrastinate, just pick a way to record your goals and do it! But, make sure your goals are big and audacious enough to be dreams.
Last night, while I was at the gym, one of the machines in front of me had a tv, and there was one of those shows on. You know the kind, where the multi-millionaire businessman helps some dinky home business hit the big time. Yeah, that one. The takeaway I got from that show was DREAM BIG. Dave Ramsey said it, too, in his talk at the business conference Hubs and I attended in November: Dream Audaciously. Set your goals high! If you only make it 1/4 of the way to your goal, at least you are 1/4 farther along than you were last year.
Take your audacious goals and divide them out into monthly steps and then start walking — one step at a time — in the direction of your goals. Even if you don’t meet any of your goals, you will at least be further along the path. The key to this, when you don’t reach your goals the first month, is don’t be discouraged. Keep going.
Develop a plan and make it happen! Something amazing happens in our lives when we take the time to write down our specific goals, not just keeping them intangible thoughts in our brains.
~Dave Ramsey
You may be wondering why I am even talking about this. I hear you saying, “But, this isn’t crochet. Why is she talking about goal setting and business conferences? What is the deal?” Actually, this does apply to crochet and your yarn stash. I have been setting goals as I figure out what I have on hand for the Use Your Stash Challenge.
If everything you do is pushing you toward your goals, then everything you decide to do will go through those gatekeeper goals. This sounds a little wacky until you really think about it.
If using up a good portion of your stash is your goal, then set some audacious goals about what you will make. Challenge yourself to work as hard as you can to finish up those projects! Get ’em done, move ’em out! Commit to doing it, even if you don’t love the project anymore.
I’ve been hard at work on my goals. I set all the partially finished stuff on my ironing board (because my 6′ x 3′ table was already full), and took snapshots of each of them. The good. The bad. The downright ugly. The stuff I’ve fallen out of love with. All of it.
It’s all stretched out there, teasing me to get started. Quite frankly, I am intimidated — and a little embarrassed that I let my WIPs get so far ahead of me. They’re almost out of control.
There’s these …
And then there are these granny square centers…
Then I found these granny squares that I tested and neglected to do anything with…
And let’s not forget the scarves, hexagons, and potholders that are unfinished…
While this may all seem like a lot, I haven’t even shown you all the yarn I have squirreled away. I am pretty sure I could go a year without buying yarn. (Ha! Like that would ever happen.) But, I do need to get the stash smaller.
So, one of my audacious goals is to not buy any yarn in January and the first half of February.
My second audacious goal is to finish as many of these WIPs as I can in that same time frame. Why don’t you join me? The official start date is January 15, 2017. It will be fun to hold each other accountable, and also to encourage each other.
Talk to you later,
Karen
December and January seem to mark the time when I feel an enormous urge to clean up, organize and get rid of junk. This is also a low budget time of year. I hate to donate half used craft supplies (I suspect that the charities I donate to just throw it out) or throw yarn out!  So, this year, I am hosting a Use Your Stash Board on Pinterest once again for  the Use Your Stash Challenge 2017.
The Use Your Stash Challenge has been an incredible motivator for me to finish my works in progress that I have sitting around–the half-finished this-and-that items. It also encourages me to work with what I have on hand which is incredibly helpful to our budget after all the Christmas shopping we’ve been doing. Every year I change up the rules to keep myself interested and engaged.
One year, I challenged myself to make 100 items in 100 days. It was incredible and so much was completed.
Another year, the challenge was to create 200 items in 200 days–it turned out to be too much and too long of a challenge.
This year the challenge starts January 15 and runs until February 15, 2017. I usually take some time off in late December/early January to spend time with family and to just relax and clean up the studio/house after the holidays and before the stash challenge. This is the time when I pull out all the half-done projects and organize what I plan to do. You should do that too!
I always make rules (you could call them guidelines) that fit what is going on in my stash. If you need different rules, feel free to alter these or make your own. As I have said before, there are no Use Your Stash police, but I do force myself to keep the rules for the time of the Challenge.
I will create a Pinterest Board for all those interested in seeing what others are doing. You can create with any stash you have on-hand at home: arts and crafts, fabric, recycling, paper — anything goes! Signing up for my email list will help me add you to the Use Your Stash Pinterest board. That’s where we’ll be showing off all the beautiful items we make from our stashes. I can’t wait to see what you create!
These are my rules, for me. You’re welcome to adopt them as your rules, too. I hope you will join me in the final push to finish all those unfinished projects and move them out of the house!
If you want to join the Use Your Stash Challenge – sign up for my email list and send me a Pinterest message on the Use Your Stash Challenge 2017 board. I will be glad to sign you up!
There is no stress in this challenge–it is just for fun. This is a great way to jumpstart my creativity in the New Year and it also forces me to use up my stash. There is also the incredible rush of creativity and accomplishment that comes with finally finishing so many projects.
Talk to you later,
Karen
PS- I’ll let you in on a little secret: I plan projects out ahead. It is just a running list in my mind, but still, it gives me a boost! I don’t start any projects until my designated start time, though. Otherwise, that would be cheating, besides I’m still finishing up Christmas gifts!Â