What is a Yarn Diet?

Does Your Yarn Stash Need To Go On A Yarn Diet?

Have you ever looked at your yarn stash and thought “I should go on a yarn diet?” lol. Said no yarnie ever… well, maybe more often than we’d ever like to admit. 🤫

January seems to be the time of year that we reassess, reorganize and declutter all the unnecessary things we’ve accumulated over the last year, or years. So, maybe it’s a good time to take a look at our yarn stash too. 🤷

lots of skeins, hanks and balls of yarnPin

Dreams & Confessions
One of my New Year resolutions is to go through my personal yarn stash and turn it into a collection! I’d like to have just enough yarn to fill up a small book shelf, because I love yarn and I think it’s beautiful yarn and it should be on display for everyone to enjoy. Complete with my go-to colors, my favorite fibers and my trusted brands.

I love knitting and I love all the different kinds of yarn and textures and the smell of it. There’s something about squishing and smelling a skein / hank / ball of yarn for the first time. I’m not using the word addiction lightly here. I did have a problem and for years I spent too much time knitting… it’s a thing, at least for me. So much so, that I started a business to support my habit… was I a knitaholic, yarnaholic or workaholic? If I’m being honest with myself, probably all of the above. It was a problem… I had a problem (personal accountability).

I feel like I have a pretty good handle on how much time I spend on knitting and how much yarn I purchase, but I have still have so much yarn. To be exact, 3 over flowing 110qt bins that measure 34″ x 18″ x 12″. I feel like that’s a lot of yarn. Over the years, I used the excuse that I run a knitting business, so I need a lot of yarn. That’s just not true. If it doesn’t have a purpose, do I really need it? 

What is a yarn diet anyway?

Going on a “yarn diet” is when you commit to not purchasing any new yarn for a specific amount of time you set for yourself. Whether you’re a knitter, crocheter or yarn crafter of any type.

Yarn diet may also be called “cold sheeping.”

Do you need to go on a yarn diet?

Here are some questions to ask yourself?
Do you have more yarn than you could knit up in your lifetime?
Do you have 2 stashes? One that’s out for everyone to see and a secret stash that no one knows about, not even, or especially not even, your hubby. ;) I see you. lol. You’re not alone.
Do you find yourself going out to purchase yarn that you know that already have, but can’t find it?

It might be helpful to go on a yarn diet when you’ve ran out of space in your craft room.

Whether you need to go on a full blown diet, cut back a little or just join a yarn swap, there’s some ideas below for everyone.

cozy setting of lots of partial balls of yarnPin
Lots of left-over wool yarn 🤔

A Simple Guide To A Yarn Diet:

What To Buy, or Not, And How To Trim the Fat
Because it just takes one decision to feel better and then you’re hooked (pun intended 🙈). I’ll show you how to create your perfect collection, get to a balanced yarn diet and how to find joy in your stash, no matter how big or small.

Step #1 Gather ALL your yarn

First things first, gather all your yarn into one location… this includes the stuff you hide from your hubby, no cheating allowed. You have to be honest with yourself first and once you see all of it then assess how you feel.  Do I feel ashamed, embarrassed, guilty? A big part of the work is dealing with those feelings. Why did I buy the yarn, what need did or does it fill?

Step #2 How to Sort your Yarn Stash:

a.) Sort your yarn into categories:
A common way to separate your yarn is by weight, so put all the super bulky, worsted, sport, aran and fingering weights together.

b.) Sort by fiber content:
Cotton, wool, acrylics, blends, polyester I have all my cotton yarn separate from all my other yarn, despite the weight. It’s a category of it’s own. Mohair yarn might fall into this category also, if you have a lot of it, it deserves it’s own category.

Size of skein: If it’s a full skein vs a partial skein.

c.) Sort by the amount of yarn required per project:
Sweater quantity, sock quantity and a pile of all your one-skein wonders.

d.) Sort by similar colors:
Group all your purples in one pile, reds in one pile, etc.

Once you have your yarn stash organized you’ll spend less time in the future searching for the perfect yarn for particular projects. Your future self will thank you for it!

How I sorted my yarn stash:
I tend to do things a little different, so I separated my yarn into projects, put them into individual project bags and then put a notecard in there saying what I wanted it to become, a sketch of my idea and a note about the inspiration for the project.

I’m a bit of a spontaneous knitter too, so I want to plan for my spontaneity. Does that mean it’s not spontaneous? lol. Hmmm, idk. Well, either way, I want to make space for my spontaneous creativity to flow when the mood strikes, so I’m allowing myself 1 tub of yarn to have at my disposal to satiate my spontaneous whim.

If you just needed some ideas to organize your yarn you can stop reading here, however, if you think you have a “problem” please continue reading…

#3 How much yarn is too much yarn?

All of our gauges are going to be different, so you need to be your own judge. Maybe get a non-yarnie best friends opinion too as a sounding board to make sure you’re on the right track. It’s helpful to have an outside perspective. It’s also helpful not to be too hard on yourself either. I believe you need to love and support yourself through the pain.

What does your perfect collection look like?
Do you mostly knit baby items, so you need super soft yarns that are hypoallergenic?
Do you prefer to knit hats in worsted weight yarns?
Do you pretty much just knit socks? 

Let go of (emotionally) and get rid of (physically) anything that doesn’t fit into your “style.” The trick is not feeling guilty for getting rid of it. :) Trust me, I know how you feel. I’ve bought lots of yarn that I really wanted to turn into a specific project, but I just couldn’t do it because the yarn was too thin, aka it would take too much time, or the yarn was too thick or scratchy or the pattern was too complicated, so I just put the yarn to the side and thought I’d get to it later. It’s okay to let it go. Someone, somewhere is looking for that specific yarn, so why not let it go to a happy home?

#4 How many WIPs do you have?

Now might be a good time to assess what you have on your needles.

How long has it been since you last picked up this project?

Are you stuck? Can you ask someone at your LYS, Facebook group or Reddit for help?

Are you not interested in finishing it? Or, are you going to finish this WIP in the next year?
If not, frog it and then move on to the next project. That’s okay. Awareness is the first step in the healing process. Because being stuck in limbo on a project is a frustrating place to be. A UFO (UnFinished Object) might be causing you undue anxiety or stress. Once you let it go your mind and body will thank you for it. 

#5 It’s okay to say “No.”

It’s okay to say “no” to yourself, maybe even a good thing. The more you say “no” the better you’ll get at it. Your “no” muscle gets strong the more you use it. It’s like exercising your muscles, they don’t get strong after one visit to the gym. You have to go over and over again for an extended period of time to get any results. So, just keep trying.

#6 Save Some Money

Just for a little while, don’t purchase any yarn, say for 30 days. Pick a number that’s doable for you. It doesn’t mean you can’t buy yarn ever again, you’re just taking a little break.

Focus on your current yarn and projects (easier said than done, I know!). 

Be mindful of the yarn collection that you currently have,
the joy that it brings you and the project that you’re currently working on,
and the one’s that you have planned for the future, using the yarn that you already have.

#7 Unplug

I hate to even say this, but staying off social media is super helpful. Facebook, Instagram & Ravelry get me in trouble all the time. I’ve had to unfollow some of my favorite yarn dyers and shops for a little while. I want to be supportive, but I can only knit so much in my lifetime… it’s so unfair! 👶

However, if you have the extra money, you can purchase some yarn to give as gifts or to donate. You get to support your favorite dyers and share your love of yarn, without increasing your collection! Win-win-win!

shelf stuffed with pretty stacks of yarnPin
Perfect yarn stash 😍

Now that you’ve sorted your yarn, assessed your WIPs, learned how to say “No,” what’s next?

What are you going to do with all this “extra” yarn?
Donate it to a school, kids summer art classes or nursing home.

Put some kits together to donate to a homeless shelter, maybe they’ll find some peace and purpose through knitting.

If you have some yarn that no longer “sparks joy” anymore, as Marie Kondo would say, you could join, or host, a yarn swap online or at your LYS (local yarn shop).

A Balanced Yarn Diet

Changing your mindset around your stash will help you change your habits. Mindfulness is the first step.

What do you want your yarn collection to look like?
Find a healthy balance of too little and too much yarn to create the perfect yarn collection that makes YOU feel warm and fuzzy.

Take a few minutes to imagine your ideal yarn collection. Write it down. Stick to it. Confidently let go of anything that doesn’t fit into your perfect collection.

Fall in love with your stash all over again. Using your stash to create hand knitted items is nostalgic. It marks a space in time, it captures emotions and memories into the fabric you’re knitting.

Bonus tip to staying on the diet:

Purchase new knitting patterns, one at a time and only as you need them, may help curb your yarn buying temptation.

Do I have to go on a yarn diet?

In my opinion, a yarn diet doesn’t have to be about not purchasing yarn, it can be about being intentional about what you purchase in the future. Like a food diet, it’s not about not eating anything for 30 days, it’s about being intentional with what you put into your body. 

If you’re not very good at decluttering, try focusing on being inspired by your yarn collection. Knit to your hearts content. Donate your FO’s or start an Etsy shop to support your habit. ;) I did and it’s been a wonderful journey. :)

Is Yarn Hoarding a Thing?

Let’s get serious for a moment. I believe that too much of anything is not a good thing. If you’re having feelings of stress or anxiety when thinking about getting rid of your yarn or are finding it difficult, or impossible, to get rid of some of your yarn, please talk to a professional. You might need some help with this, and that’s okay. I want you to know that you’re not alone, you’re stronger than you think you are and I believe in you. In some of my darkest and weakest moments I just needed someone to believe in me. I’ve found strength from complete strangers on the internet. I hope you can find some strength within yourself too. You got this!

Conclusion:

I’m not sure I agree 100% with a “yarn diet.” But, I can definitely get on board with being:

aware of the yarn that I have,
intentional about the yarn that I purchase in the future,
honest with myself about whether or not it sparks joy and 
responsible enough to find my yarn a happy home where it will spark joy.

Some ideas on how to use up your “extra” yarn:

Want to use up your partial skeins? Learn a new knit stitch! You can browse over 250 knitting stitch patterns here.

Need some one-skein project ideas? Browse over 100 one-skein knitting patterns here.