Thursday, February 2, 2012

Surmount the Stash February Update


With one month down in my year long commitment to Surmount the Stash in 2012 it's time for a report card. I set a number of goals for myself, so let's see how I did.

Monthly budget of $50 for all knitting related expenses: In January I spent $11.68 on dyes for a project planned for next month + $9.81 mailing costs for socks, hats and squares + $4.49 for one ball of yarn for my Wool-Eater blanket + $25 Loopy Ewe gift certificate donated to an online contest = $50.98. Although I'm slightly over my target I feel good about how I did, particularly as I did not buy any yarn except for a specific project and I stuck to the hooks and needles I already have and patterns that I already have.

Manage my WIPs: This month I've been disciplined about starting and finishing things. Four pairs of socks, two hats and one square were completed and shipped to charities. And I've already started knitting a July birthday gift from stashed yarn and have plans for another for a September birthday. I'm determined to stay on top of this to avoid last minute shopping or inflated shipping costs for rush delivery.

Plan projects to work through my inventory of yarns in my Stash: Here's where I think I've been really successful. I completed three pairs of socks from scraps and two more from full skeins. That's about 350 grams of sock yarns used - about 10-15% of my stash. I completed three dishcloths, using about 10% of my dishcloth cotton stash. The big win is with the wool-eater blanket - by the time I finish it (next week hopefully) I will have used about 60% of the acrylic worsted weight yarns in my stash, leaving just enough to make a few hats and a dozen or so squares.

Definitely a passing grade on this report card! Let's see if I can keep up the hard work for eleven more months!


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're off to a great start!

pinkundine said...

Wow, looks like you are doing amazingly well!

Unknown said...

Congrats on staying on track! :)

Unknown said...

Good for you! I am keeping track of yardage/skeins knit. Not setting a dollar amount on spending, but keeping track of it just the same. January saw more yarn come in than out, but I plan to over come that in Feb!

One pair of Hands said...

Congratulations; you're forging ahead. I'm interested to see what your dying project is all about.

Caffeine Girl said...

I've got to tell you: You have taken on some tough goals and you're off to a great start. Thank! I need the inspiration.

MagicalJane said...

A++

Marie/Underground Crafter said...

I'm so impressed with your progress and maybe I should be making an acrylic wool eater... It would definitely chew up that stash quickly. Thanks for the suggestions!

Delusional Knitter said...

Very good, and nice work sticking to your budget!!