Drowning in Yarn
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I don't know about you, but I love everything yarn related! I had a lot of fun with this photoshoot of me "drowning" in a bathtub full of yarn! This tub full of yarn barely scratches the surface of my yarn hoard! Lets take a look at my stash and talk all things yarn!
What do I have in my stash?
As you can see, I have a LOT of yarn. I tend to go a bit overboard when I find something I like. I have a lot of staple yarn brands/lines that I always have a good stock of for my hats and headbands that I make for markets. My go to yarn brands for my best selling Evergreen Toques are We Are Knitters and Wool and the Gang. These brands are great because I can make two hats with each ball so even though they are more on the pricey end, the cost per item isn't actually all that high.
(Do you want to try some We Are Knitters yarn? Use my coupon code for $12 USD off your first order! Code: MGM9VNKQT)
My yarn stash has changed over time based on two factors. First, is cost/accessibility. When I first started Perfectly Knotted, I only used cheap yarn I could find at Michaels. This suited me perfectly for a while, but slowly over time I discovered more brands I like to use, and started ordering yarn online so I was able to use yarn I couldn't buy locally. I also started out only really buying what I needed for specific projects, whereas now I prefer to stock up and have lots on hand so I can work on things whenever I want and not worry about running to Michaels every few days. As I started actually making money from my knits, I was able to invest more into some more expensive types of yarn, such as hand dyed yarn (my latest obsession). I still use many of the affordable yarn brands, but now I have more of a mix on my shelves.
The second factor is what items I make. Back in 2015, I was basically only making hats and scarves using super bulky yarn, or crochet tops using worsted weight yarn. Over time I started making a much wider range of items, which resulted in stocking many different types and weights of yarn on my shelves. I only started using fingering yarn last year, if you can believe it!
Is there such thing as having too much yarn?
Yes and no. While I think that there can never be too much yarn to satisfy the love for beautiful yarn and wool, there is definitely a point where there is too much yarn either for your space or your business goals. (Though you could always store it in your bathtub!)
Do I personally have too much yarn? Yes, 100%. Something you may have noticed about me through Instagram stories and posts, is that I maaay have a bit of a yarn hoarding problem. I am literally drowning in yarn! (That would be a good way to go, don't you think?) My yarn stash is bursting out of the shelves. Luckily I have a bedroom in our house that I use solely as a craft room, so I have lots of space for yarn!
The main reason I would say I have too much yarn is that I have a lot of yarn I no longer use due to my business changing direction. This last year, I have switched focus a bit from stocking up knit/crochet items for markets, to designing patterns and knitting garments. While I will always have a bit of stock for making hats and scarves and headbands, I no longer use the same quantities that I used to, so there is a ton of yarn just sitting on the shelves collecting dust. There are also some items I just don't enjoy making any more. I am trying to keep this business enjoyable and not commit to projects I know I won't enjoy. Since I tend to stock up on yarn, I now have excess yarn that I used to use for those things. I am currently working on clearing out my stash and making an effort to only keep yarn I know I will use in the near future. I have a yarn addiction, and I need to go to rehab!
How do I afford to have so much yarn, and how can I make some money back on yarn I no longer use?
Yarn is expensive, even if you only buy cheaper yarn. I do have a LOT of yarn, but this stash has been built up over years. I have a few rules for myself to try to keep it as affordable as possible. I generally only buy yarn on sale unless I need something urgently for a specific project. When there is a good sale, I stock up so that I am less likely to need to buy things at regular price due to an urgent project. When I order online, I buy larger quantities of yarn so that I can get free shipping. I always keep an eye out for coupons I can use for extra discounts.
I also try to shop around. While many of the things I normally buy can be found at Michaels, I usually check a few online yarn shops as well to see if any of them have any sales going on that could save me a few bucks! Some of my go-to online yarn shops are LoveCrafts, Yarnspirations, and Yarn Canada.
Another thing you can do, is try to get yarn support from companies. Many companies are willing to give you free yarn in exchange for promoting them as you use it, or to design patterns using their products. I was really scared to reach out to companies for this for the longest time, but I had some good knitting pals that encouraged me to try, since the worst that can happen is they say no!
Now, if you have yarn you don't use anymore, rather than letting it sit on your shelves taking up space, why not try to sell/trade it! Sort through your stash and find everything you don't want/use anymore. Take some photos, figure out how much you'd like to sell it for, and post on your website, Instagram stories, Facebook, you name it! You could even just ask your friends if they'd like to buy any of it or trade for something you might use! I always try to sell at a reasonable discount from the retail price, so that way I can make back some money, and it benefits the buyers too since they can get the yarn at a good price!
You can also return yarn to many stores, depending on when you bought it and if its still in good condition! At Michaels, for example, you can return items up to 6 months after purchase date with a receipt! You can even return things without a receipt, though they have some restrictions on that and you may not get quite as much money back.
Final Thoughts
I am yarn obsessed, I'll admit it! (No thanks to all my enabler knitting friends out there, you know who you are!) There is so much more I could talk about, but I am going to leave it at this for now! I plan to do another blog post sometime soon solely focused on all my favourite yarns that I use for all my market items and pattern designs, so stay tuned!
