
In pre-holiday housecleaning this weekend, I finally faced a hard reality: I have more yarn that I could reasonably use in any knitting or crocheting projects, even if I knitted and/or crocheted for hours every day for the next 30 years. In addition to this, I had to ALSO admit to myself that I will continue to be tempted to BUY MORE YARN in that 30 years. In 30 years I'll be entering my 90's, ...so yeah.
I spent a fair amount of time organizing, sorting and making decisions on what stays and what needs to go. It was actually easier than I thought, and I have multiple bags of yarn in excellent condition - some whole, unused skeins - to donate to our local Center for Creative Reuse. As I felt the positive emotions of clearing out a corner of my home, the truth of how I grew that nest of yarn niggled at the edge of my conscious mind until I finally faced it: I will be right back in this situation if I continue to mindlessly buy yarn (and fabric, if I'm being honest).
I do NOT want to leave my children this mess to comb through, and I certainly don't want to have to claw through it when I am transitioning from my current home to wherever I end up after I retire and make those related decisions. I knew it was time to make some changes, some hard decisions and to stick to my plan with commitment and discipline.
To that end, my sister and I (she has a similarly-beastly fabric stash) have made a pact that we will not shop for fabric or craft supplies unless we have a specific project with a materials list that we cannot fulfill from our respective stashes. For me this has been inspired by my desire to organize my house, but ALSO by the sober realities I was reminded of in the Netflix documentary, Buy Now! (I have once again linked that video below).
We have a serious problem in this world: the problem of uncontrolled acquisition of things that don't last and end up in a landfill. While I recognize that the efforts of 2 middle-age-plus women aren't going to change the world, I feel strongly that I need to at least do my part.
In my research to turn the corner on my own contributions to the problem of growing landfills and trash that does not decompose, I learned that "...humans produce 2.6 trillion pounds of trash per year".
Yikes!
In addition, nylon, polyester, acrylic and other synthetic fibers (like MOST of the "bargain" yarn that we all collect way too much of) are made from petroleum. One site, Yarn for the Soul, reports that it takes acrylic yarns up to 200 years to fully decompose.
At various times, I have practiced mindfulness prior to shopping. I have doubled down on that and as I move into the new year, I will take care not to shop when I am bored, and to stop treating craft and yarn and fabric stores as entertainment when I am bored OR therapy when I am sad. I have had to face the truth: I have difficulty going into a craft/yarn/fabric store - big box or small business - and not buying something, and usually a LOT of somethings.
I plan to keep a journal on my thoughts and actions around this, and will be blogging about my struggles, challenges as well as my successes and triumphs. Like any compulsion (addiction?), I recognize that there will be times that I relapse, but like any good support group for other similar issues would remind me, it's not the relapse that is deadly - it's the failure to recognize it and immediately pivot.
This will NOT be easy, and I must remain mindful not to replace THAT habit with another one, like eating to soothe those urges. I plan to reinstate my meditation practice, and to write more, which for me is almost as rewarding as crocheting, knitting or sewing - and certainly less risky than shopping!
I want my love of fiber crafting to remain a positive in my life. This weekend I took a big step in the direction of keeping it that way. Individually, we can't make much of a difference; but together, we absolutely can have an impact!
If you have out of control stashes, I invite you to join me in making 2025 the year we break the craft supply COLLECTING habit; for ourselves, our children, grandchildren and for Mother Earth.
(C) 2024 Stitch 'n Dish
Comments