Declutter and Get Set for the Season with the Get Organized Toolkit

One of my missions as a crafter is to encourage people to use what they have to make something great. Accumulating stash is fun, but at some point you realize that you have more than you can ever use, and that can be really overwhelming.

A couple of years ago I wrote a book called How to Declutter Your Craft Supplies, which is all about why it’s so hard to let go of stash and how to deal with it. This is something I still struggle with and I’m in the midst of cleaning out my office/studio yet again (seriously, how can I still have so much stuff when I’m not buying anything new?).

If you’re gearing up for spring cleaning (or fall cleaning!) you need to check out the Get Organized Toolkit, of which my book is a part. This collection of more than 60 ebooks, courses, guides and printables will help you organize your home, business, mind and life.

There are so many great products here, from decluttering guides to advice on how to organize your book collection, cleaning up your iPhone and dealing with mental clutter. You’ll learn all about minimalism, get a planner to help you stay on top of home maintenance and learn how to build a capsule wardrobe, among other things. It’s a great way to get a lot of helpful advice all at once to help you lead a more organized and peaceful life.

The bundle is on sale through March 29. You can read more about it on my blog or go here to buy. And if you have specific questions about decluttering craft supplies or using your stash I would love to hear them!

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

Have you read?