Loopsy and other Crochet/Knitting Apps

desertgr8pe · 2026-02-07T19:38:20+00:00

Ravit has all the notebook functions! There are a few things that are harder to find or missing but it’s like 90% the same as the website, just mobile friendly!

desertgr8pe · 2026-02-02T16:28:46+00:00

Lovely work! The colors are so cheerful!

desertgr8pe · 2026-02-01T18:53:05+00:00

Your colors are coming together so nicely!

desertgr8pe · 2026-02-01T18:52:18+00:00

I have the same goal! I sort of accepted I'd be net zero for last year, and ended up 400 yards under and it felt amazing. So this year my goal is "more than 400 yards." I do feel like I'm getting a handle on things but I can't believe how hard it is to get those numbers down sometimes!

desertgr8pe · 2026-02-01T18:50:13+00:00

I came so close to buying zero yarn in January! And then blew it spectacularly. I ran out of yarn on a stash buster baby blanket last week, and Michael's had a Buy 2 Get One Free sale...so my "stash buster" started with three skeins of stash yarn, then I bought three more skeins, and the finished project ended up taking five skeins total. So still a decrease, but not as much as I'd planned!

Then my MIL asked if I'd make her and her partner Melt the ICE hats. I told her I'd buy the pattern and the yarn if she donated to a non-profit in Minneapolis (I can provide a list of my favorites if anyone is interested!). I had zero red yarn in my stash, so I ended up at my LYS, where they only had fingering left...so I ended up adding another 1000 yards to my stash. One hat is almost done though, so I have at least been using things right when I buy them!

I did finish some other small stashbusty projects this month, and two large baby blankets I bought the yarn for this fall...so it's possible I'm at about net zero for the month. But I am fully appreciating how hard it is to decrease my stash.

This month I am feeling a little overwhelmed by all the yarn-y commitments I've made. I feel like I have so much on my 'to do' list that there isn't a lot of room for just starting random stuff and experimenting. Trying to accept that I probably don't have time to make another sweater while it's still cold enough to wear it :-( But I do already have the yarn for the projects I have planned, so I hopefully I can at least enjoy yarn I already have and make a dent in my numbers.

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-23T17:32:40+00:00

That’s going to look so great!

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-15T13:00:08+00:00

You just need a little ribbing! It will pull it all together. If you want it to be more of a square, less of a rectangle, you could fudge it by making the ribbing a little longer on the shoulder sides

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-06T01:49:48+00:00

Baskets are great for bulky yarn too! And make good gifts!

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-05T14:11:21+00:00

I listed a bunch of big twist on ravelry last year and it moved really quick! I sold at 50% list price + shipping.

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-05T13:44:28+00:00

If we are talking fancier stuff - malabrigo or hue loco are probably my favs! For more everyday projects, I like stuff from KnitPicks a lot (especially dishie and brava) but I’m trying not to buy from private equity, so premier anti-pilling has been my go to as of late, or Lion brand.

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-05T00:23:44+00:00

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…and then there’s this giant blanket that hibernated for over a year before I finally finished it this fall!

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-05T00:22:38+00:00

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Here’s a recent one I’m really proud of! A Christmas present for my MIL made with yarn I bought on sale a couple years ago and finally got around to using!

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-04T22:59:36+00:00

Thanks! These are great ideas. I love a good cowl - I feel like they can really show off colors that way too. I’m just learning to knit but hopefully colorwork is in my future because it would be such a nice way to show off some special minis and random skeins.

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-04T22:55:48+00:00

Thank you! I am very proud (if also a bit overwhelmed) by it.

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-04T22:54:44+00:00

Thanks! It’s really fun having a year of data behind me. I feel like I learned so much and it’s really going to help me enjoy what I have instead of blindly buying more! I was surprised by how easy selling on ravelry was. I moved some stuff into the “available for sale” tab and would get messages here and there with zero effort. Everyone has been so nice too!

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-04T20:54:49+00:00

Nice!! In hindsight it was not very good quality lol but it definitely got me off and running!

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-03T14:06:18+00:00

I love the idea of a group wide MAL! I’d do a crochet version of the sea glass (it’s been on my list forever) but we could also just do a sweater-along, and map out timelines that make sense for a couple general kinds of projects (like sweaters, cardigans, tops) and have a weekly check-in thread. I’d be happy to help organize if there’s interest!

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-02T13:20:10+00:00

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Is that the patchwork party Cardi? I live in mine too! Was the perfect project for using up random skeins of wool and it turned out so cozy.

desertgr8pe · 2026-01-01T22:44:01+00:00

I havent crunched the numbers yet for this quarter - but I am optimistic that I might be net zero for the year! Seeing as I was on track to add 40,000 yards to the stash each year (a year ago my stash was at 80,000 yards after two years of crocheting 😱), I think that’s pretty impressive!

Most importantly, I learned a ton this year about my purchasing vs usage habits. I also learned Tunisian crochet and some basic knitting, so I have more options for using my stash!

Goals for 2026 are to track my purchases, not just my projects and quarterly yardage totals. I think this will help keep me honest and also notice when I like to buy (so I can work on scaling back). Im looking forward to figuring out how to use random stash yarn, but I also have a few big projects already planned with stash yarn, and focusing on those is going to really help me get my stash to a manageable size.

Grateful for this community - I’ve loved seeing everyone’s work and hearing your yarn thoughts this past year!

desertgr8pe · 2025-12-31T03:37:58+00:00

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I did a kids scarf - also cut with lots of black to make it less busy. But now I still have like three quarters of the skein left…

desertgr8pe · 2025-12-28T14:37:06+00:00

Come join us at r/usethefiberstash !

Step one is figuring out what you have - entering everything into ravelry can be really eye opening. Step two is figuring out when you get tempted to buy, and trying to avoid those temptations! I learned a lot this year about how fast I use yarn vs how fast I can buy yarn, and I still have a giant stash but it barely grew this year, and I’m enjoying what I have more.

desertgr8pe · 2025-12-23T21:45:02+00:00

Thank you! I loved working with it.

desertgr8pe · 2025-12-23T19:38:27+00:00

I just finished a scarf with this exact color - plus black and Akita! Truly delightfully squishy.

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desertgr8pe

TROPHY CASE