Stash Less Challenge #3 - Create a Making List

One of the most useful things I did as part of Stash Less last year was that I Made a Making List. I am in the process of doing it again so thought that I would set it as this month's challenge.

There is this tricky thing that happens in my head, and probably also in yours, whereby you sit with this overwhelming desire to make the things. Things you have thought of, and things you haven't yet thought of. You get excited as an idea flashes through your mind about some fabric you have in your stash or the shape of a garment you saw the other day that you know you could make. And yet.... there isn't enough time in anyone's world to make all the things. Everyone, even those people that do it for a living, have very limited time to make. And while we can sometimes achieve a lot in that time, we will never be able to make all the things!

So last year I sat down and wrote a list of all the things I had to make (for birthdays and family rituals and to fulfill plans I had) and then I added in a few things that I wanted to make (like the odd dress for me). I based the list by month and I thought carefully about how much time things typically take me (your ravelry posts can help with this) so that I had a relatively realistic assessment of what I could achieve. I then went through and checked to see if I had the materials I needed for that list. What a helpful process.

Now I didn't stick to it like glue - that would be no fun, wouldn't allow for spontaneous making and isn't practical. The queue changed somewhat; things got dropped and things got added. BUT for the most part many of the things on that list were achieved.

What it did tell me was that for the most part I had everything I needed. Therefore any spending I did would be for things that I didn't necessarily have time or space or energy for and would sit on the shelf berating me for my excessiveness (while looking pretty of course).

Stash Less Challenge #3 - Create a Making List

Creating a Making List pulled me out of desire and into reality; I found that creating this list was incredibly helpful with curbing my spending. It also really helped me to get conscious about;

1. How much time really existed in my world with respect to crafting.
2. What it was that I had in my stash - which we have already detailed in a previous challenge!
3. What it was that I needed to make the things on the list.
4. Being conscious about whether what I wanted to purchase was needed or not.

It's pretty simple to create (and update) - just a pen, some paper and a little thought.

Step 1:
Write down everything you need to make this year - for yourself, for your family and for your friends.

Step 2:
Write down things you would like to make this year.

Step 3:
Figure out how realistic your list is with respect to the amount of time you have.

Step 4:
Figure out if you have the materials you need within your stash to fulfill the items on your list - even if that means getting creative.

And just in case you are interested I thought I would give you a breakdown of where I am at with my list for 2016. It has been overtaken by the wedding dress making so I'm trying to keep it pretty low key after getting the current WIP's out of the way.

My Making List for 2016

April/May/June
Finish cardigan for my middle kid - Used stashed old-school superwash.
Cardigan for my niece - Use scraps.
Penguin for my oldest for his BD - Use scraps.
Jumper for my oldest for his BD - Green Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette from stash.
Continue on my Brioche jumper - Unravel my Uniform cardigan.
Continue on my quilt - Used stash
Start on the wedding dress - Using recently purchased lace.

July/August
Slade for my brother - Use the recently purchased Shelter.
Wedding dress cont.

September/October
Four flower person frocks - Unknown
Shorts and a shirt for the small boy for the wedding - Unknown
Birthday dress for the smallest kid - from stash.

November/December
Three small person Xmas Pjs - from stash.
Birthday dress for the middle kid - from stash.

Please leave links to your blog posts in the comments if you are following along. I'd love to check them out.

Felicia x

Redefining Slow Fashion to include privilege and poverty.

A little context: I wrote this post at the start of November, but I haven't posted it and I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe I'm a little unsure about whether my argument holds 100%? I dunno. I do know that it is a discussion I think we should be having. About widening the definition of Slow Fashion and about how our privilege should be used as a force for good. I'd really love to hear your thoughts on this one, especially if you see holes in my logic. I'm only getting around to posting it today because I'm too tired to finish the post I was writing for tomorrow and found this one sitting in the draft folder, almost ready to go. :) Enjoy!

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Slow Fashion October is over but I'm still pondering what came up for me during the exercise and in the discussions that followed. Because it is still on my mind - and I use writing to sort these things out - then I need to talk about Slow Fashion, and complexity and privilege and poverty. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments if you have any, as I think there is more to be said. 

This post was totally sparked by  Bristol Ivy's ace discussion on instagram (as part of Slow Fashion October) about the privilege part of Slow Fashion. Some of the comments, that were part of that discussion, were people were talking about how Slow Fashion kinda felt, well, exclusive. While I totally agree with the summation, I've been thinking about it ever since I read it, because I think we might be slightly off track being worried about it's exclusivity, and instead we might need to have a discussion about doing some redefining. 

Where to start - well first up you need to go and read Bristol's initial instagram post that sparked the discussion. And if you have time then you should try to hoon through some of the insightful and thoughtful comments. The text of the post is in the quotes below....

“I’m a knitting designer and teacher from Portland, Maine. I grew up in a making household; my mom quilted, sewed, wove baskets, did macrame, knitted, cooked, and myriad more things. The concept of handmade things as a part of my life has never been foreign, and I consider myself so lucky to be able to make it my living today.

But I also know with that comes a huge amount of privilege. One of the things that I sometimes see and want to work most hard against is the economic disparities of slow fashion, both in the large scale that is so prevalent, but also in our own, smaller-scale community. I so wildly rejoice in the idea of beautiful yarn, where the source is clearly traced back to a single farmer or breed. I also think, for the work and thought that goes into them, they are priced fairly. But I also know for the vast majority of knitters, the price point involved isn’t a reality, and I get so angry when those knitters are treated poorly for “lesser” yarn choices. Bluntly, if I didn’t get yarn support for my work (for which I thank every dyer and company I’ve worked with, a million times over), I couldn’t afford the yarn I work with. All this to say that I come to the idea of slow fashion with the idea of making it approachable and attainable for all people, not just those who can afford the ethical or transparent choices—and gain the social capital that goes along with it.

What do I think the idea of attainable slow fashion involves? At its simplest, education. Education for the consumer to create more demand, education for farmers to create more source material, education for producers to create more supply. It’s a huge, sprawling, delicate process, but I’m so excited to see the discussion start. (Pretty sure I’m going to get the Instagram version of some disagrees for this one. But I’m also so tired of how tied socio-economic ability is to social capital and status in the knitting industry. All art and craft should be inclusive, and I think we do a piss-poor job of that sometimes. Slow fashion should be for all.”

— Bristol Ivy - @bristolivy on Instagram

Bristol makes such important points; about the connection between social capital and privilege, about the definition of Slow Fashion being inclusive and also about education.

There were a few things that came up for me around the complexity of the problem but the thing that got me really thinking was some folks in the comments saying that there were parts of the Slow Fashion movement that made them really uncomfortable. One or two people mentioned feeling sick..... and they were sick because they felt that the movement was a privileged one and as such was not inclusive. That Slow Fashion was about choosing to use so called "ethical" materials in your craft and that many people just couldn't afford that luxury.

This was a bit of a shock to me as it wasn't how I personally defined Slow Fashion so was I confused about what Slow Fashion was? Or was the definition that existed of this fairly new term just not broad enough.

I was too late to the party to respond directly to Bristol's instagram so I thought that I might respond in this space about complexity, about the definition of Slow Fashion, about privilege and about social change.
 

IT'S A COMPLEX ISSUE.

I'll start by being Sally-state-the-obvious..... Like nearly every big issue we humans have ever tackled, the ideas around Slow Fashion are complex. However, from what I can see in the commentary - wider than just Bristol's post - the definition we seem to be using about Slow Fashion is that it is basically about using "ethical" materials and then making within an ethical system of manufacturing. By ethical we mean using techniques that are the best for the animals, plants and the earth, and the people who make them. 

If that is the case, then I think the definition we have of Slow Fashion is way too narrow and doesn't take into account the complexities of purchasing ethically.

To me choosing Slow Fashion could take many forms. While it could mean purchasing only single source, blah blah , organic, yarn from a well fed sheep but it could also mean purchasing wool from the local woolen mill that may be super wash but is local from a well fed sheep.

For example it might actually be the case that a super wash yarn, produced by people receiving good wages, from sheep who are treated well, that was spun locally but not organically, might actually be more ethical due to transport miles, than a specialist yarn made in England from a single source, purchased from an American company which then ships it to me in Australia. Or maybe not.

Maybe the fact that much of Australia is in drought and so using precious water scouring wool is never ethical so the English wool that has come via an American retailer is more ethical..... Or maybe a Chinese wool would be better. One that was dyed using acid dyes.....etc etc but has less transport miles as it hasn't arrived from England, but then again the Chinese merino often comes from Australia anyway. And is there any transparency around labour practices? Complexities and more complexities.

The thing is that I don't know what is exactly the most ethical choice and so I'm called upon to make a decision based on what I know, what I can find out, what I need and my purchasing power at the time.

Along the same lines as the choices we make about food, the choices we make about clothing and materials are complex, and the discussion is full of grey. There is no one right answer and there is no one choice that is "Ethical" with a capital E. You can't get a gold star for any of this. All we can do is do our best to be informed and make choices that make the most sense on any given day. And accept that we will all make mistakes. We can only do our best and our best is often based in part, on our privledge.

DEFINING SLOW FASHION

I've read many descriptions now of Slow Fashion and so far I haven't found one that is satisfying to me. And I think the problem is that many of them seem to be written from the vantage point of what it takes to be a Slow Fashion producer. Which makes sense, but it isn't my focus. I come at this whole discussion from the perspective of what it takes to be a Slow Fashion consumer. It also seems to me that making choices to be a Slow Fashion producer are far simpler than those you need to make when you are trying to be a Slow Fashion consumer.

A simple example would be something like girl's leggings. My girls love them but they also need them for things like sport and gymnastics. In Australia, it appears that many of the companies providing Slow Fashion leggings either make them for babies and toddlers, or make them out of fabrics such as merino. This makes them expensive but also not durable. One slightly grazed knee kills a pair of merino. I need a thicker stretch cotton. I can make them but then my fabric is coming from ...??? Maybe the US? And then I don't even think it was made there? And then I have transport miles. And then my price point goes right up and so for someone trying to make good choices who has less cash.... well as you can see the issue. And then what about something like football boots or sneakers for kids in general?

Can you call yourself a Slow Fashion consumer if only some of your choices fit the bill? Does the local superwash knitted cardigan count? It might be the best choice for the world, that is within your price point, when you weigh the whole thing up. Can you still call yourself a Slow Fashion consumer?

I really think we need to broaden the definition to include space for that superwash cardigan.

So I decided to write my own definition - as you do! A little arrogant I guess, but I really feel that moving forward if we are to have the inclusive participation we want to have in Slow Fashion then we need a better definition, one that acknowledges the complexity of the issue, as well as individual situations and capacities.

“Choosing Slow Fashion means simply: to take responsibility for the choices you make around your consumption of clothing, while participating in ongoing education about the complexities, and while taking into account your personal life circumstances by making the most ethical choice you can at the time.

This includes
- How much clothing you choose to own
- Where the materials are sourced from
- What the materials are and how they are processed
- Who makes them and the conditions they work under
- The industry that surrounds the making of those clothes
- The transport miles involved in getting it from where it was grown and made to you
- The longevity and durability of the piece
- What happens to the piece of clothing after it is no longer useful to you or wearable.

This definition explicitly acknowledges the complexities of Slow Fashion and that every person has different life circumstances, purchasing power and access to knowledge. Slow Fashion may look different for different people.”

— Felicia Semple of The Craft Sessions.

Of course there are many other definitions of Slow Fashion - you can see a couple here and here. And feel free to link to others you think I might like in the comments. You might have another you like better - I'd love to hear it. 

Celebrating our privilege and our responsibilities

I feel like part of this discussion has got caught up in privilege to purchase. That by having the discussion about Slow Fashion it shows we are privileged and so therefore it is a discussion that is almost considered elitist? See the thing is - I don't worry about privilege in this context. I don't worry that "we have the luxury of talking about it" or the line about how "is a privilege that we have the time to consider these things". Because OF COURSE! Of course it is a luxury and of course it is a privilege. In a way that is what is so important about it. That privilege means that we have the luxury of time to talk about it, get conscious about it and do our best to affect change.

Nearly every great movement towards social change that I can think of has occurred due to people applying pressure from two camps - from the ground level by people that are directly affected by the issue, and from people of privilege who have the time, resources (and often political or commercial power) to enter into the discussion.  If you live in poverty, or even if things are financially tight then you are often operating in survival mode. You don't generally have the luxury of thinking about the extras. 

Nearly every one of us participating in this discussion are privileged by the location of our birth, our genetics, our parents, the society we have grown up in offering us health care or schooling, the relative peacefulness of our worlds and many other things. All things that we have been gifted by the universe with complete randomness. I'm not denying that a very small part of our privilege come from our labour - of course it does. But most of it comes from random things outside of our control. 

Which is why to my mind, that privilege comes with responsibility. Not just to make sure we are doing our best in our own lives but that we are trying to make the world a better place. Privilege in this context should be discussed, and is obviously part of the discussion but not with judgement, guilt or shame. It's a reality that comes with a great responsibility to use what we have for good. This could be by using our craft for good, by educating our peers about Slow Fashion and choices they could make, or by putting pressure on companies to make better choices. It could be by simply taking responsibility for the choices we make.

I know I still make mistakes about this all the time - but then I'm also still confused about whether they really are mistakes. For example I just purchased Brooklyn Tweed yarn for my brother's sweater. In doing so I overlooked choices I could have made to use local wool. I therefore didn't support local and I created unnecessary transport miles. BUT I also know that that wool wears really well and makes a garment that will be worn for years. Unlike a more traditional wool which I could get here it won't be too heavy and so he will wear it more often in the mild Australian winters. What is ethical?

A Pledge is the outcome of this post for me.

What has come out of Slow Fashion October for me is the need to get clearer on where I'm going with Slow Fashion. What do I want to do and how do I want to do it. So I've drafted a personal pledge*. I'd love to hear what you think it needs. 

A (Draft) Slow Fashion Pledge

1. I pledge to consume clothing based mainly on my needs rather than desires. I will be conscious of what constitutes enough.
2. I pledge to consider where my clothing comes from, how it was made, what it was made of and whom it was made by and try wherever possible to ensure I am purchasing clothing or materials ethically.
3. I pledge to be conscious of the complexity of the issues around Slow Fashion and to spend time over the coming years understanding to the best of my ability the choices available to me. 
4. I pledge to plan my purchases - both in terms of what I buy and when I buy it. To avoid impulse purchasing and the inevitable compromises that are made when purchasing something at the last minute. 

Please feel free to leave me links you think I might like or to question any part of this post. There are many areas of grey in this one. For example one thing I keep pondering is if by expanding the definition of Slow Fashion am I making it less meaningful? And therefore less useful?

I'm loving the ongoing nature of the conversation and what it is bring up for all of us.

Felicia x

*There is quite a good pledge posted on the second definition link I posted above.

Craft as "a little space to collect oneself"

I sat down for lunch today with a spot of reading, as you do. It's one of my favourite parts of the day. Fifteen minutes when there is nowhere to go, and nothing to do, except eat and read.

Often in the reading something jumps out at me and today it was the quote part of the title "a little space to collect oneself". It comes from an interview with Pico Iyer in the latest issue of the wonderful Dumbo Feather Issue 46. As with every Dumbo Feather article, the interview covers a wide range of subjects, but at the very heart of this article was the need all of us have within us for quiet and breaks. It was a very timely reminder for me....and hopefully for you too.

A common part of many a life change, is an adjustment period. My recent move from a quiet, small single-doored sewing space to a large, shared, multi-doored study/sewing space has been a true testament to that process; I've been a little stressed and a tad crotchety in my adjusting. My adjustment hasn't been what one would call pretty.

The needle that caused the camel to shout chaotically, occurred when I had sat down, at last, at my sewing machine after a long day of chores; ready to embark on the fifteen minutes of sewing I had promised myself. Because I was in his field of vision, my partner's simple request was for me to spend five minutes cleaning a pile out of another part of the room. I flew out of my chair, stormed to the pile and "silently" tidied while fuming about losing my fifteen minutes of time. When he asked what was going on, I shouted something like "I just don't have ANY FREEDOM anymore!!!!!"  and stormed from the room to get the kids from school. Understandably he looked a little taken aback and confused.

“I may be voicing a universal longing for enough space to breathe and put things in perspective...... More and more we’re challenged and unsettled by it in part because I think we’re more and more addicted to our busyness. ”

— Pico Iyer - Dumbo Feature Issue 46

Tuning into my inner discomfort, and outer chaos, has been instrumental in helping me to understand what is going on. When we were talking about me moving rooms, and I was all like "yeah...shared study...togetherness....that sounds GREAT!" What I hadn't realised was how important my space was to me; how much my small quiet space provided me with "a little space to collect" myself. I wasn't conscious of how many five minute spaces I took throughout the day, after a load of washing or while they were in the bath. Possibly only three or four but they were essential AND I always knew the option was available to me. The option of a little space.

Not just the physical space, but the mental. In order to be a happy mentally-healthy adult who parents three young kids, AND is a nice person to be shacked up with for my partner-in-crime, turns out I need it. The crazy shouty woman who starts yelling about freedom has shown that clearly, if somewhat confusingly.

“When we’re running around it’s really hard to see things clearly, especially the things that really matter to us. And it’s only by separating ourselves from this torrent that it comes into focus. ”

— Pico Iyer - Dumbo Feather Issue 46

Different people need different things, and sometimes those things are hard to see. I wasn't consciously aware of how much space I needed to function as a human and as a parent. While frustrating (and mildly explosive), this period of adjustment has helped me clarify how much space I need, and where I get it from. It definitely isn't from long hikes through the mountains; there is a kitchen to be cleaned up and kids to be cuddled to sleep. I get my space through craft. Through a moment knitting or sewing in solitude.

Moments that until recently had a door. The door meant that I almost didn't notice them myself, as I could do engage in a "spot of craft" without feeling like I might face external judgment. It's almost as if the moments didn't exist because they weren't visible to my family. No one could watch me and think "you should be filling in the form I need" or "you should be doing the washing". But thinking about it I'm not even sure the judgement I'm trying to avoid is external. I have the feeling some of it, might be coming from me. My feelings around what I should be doing.

“It’s only when I take the time to collect myself that I can come back into the world with a new sense of purpose and joy and can be more generous than I would be otherwise. So actually taking time out is not just doing ourselves a favour, but doing a favour to everybody around us too.”

— Pico Iyer - Dumbo Feather Issue 46

I also wasn't aware of the "unseen" aspect of my room with a door. In the room with the door, I could just be. No requirements, needs or expectations from another person. I can feel myself breathing out even as I type these words. Time to regroup and gather my thoughts. Time without expectation. Freedom.

Here is the tricky thing. Because of the change of space, and because of the judgement, be it internal or external, real or imagined, I'm not getting the space I need to do my little pockets of making. And without those fifteen minute spaces of creative joy, then I'm a little at sea. Without time to regroup. I feel out-of-sorts and trapped; like my quiet and my space is gone. 

I love it when this stuff jumps out of a magazine/book and reminds me of exactly what I need to know. I am the only one responsible for my life. I am the only one who can create what I need so I can be the person I want to be.

And so what to do. The space I am in is the space I am going to be in. I can't shift the circumstances but I can create space within the space. I have asked the fella to sit at a desk around a corner so we can chat to one another, have togetherness, but can't see one another all the time. We will see how that goes.... And then I can specify what I am doing in a more truthful and upfront way - "Mama needs some space so can you give me fifteen minutes" or "an hour". I can be conscious about making sure I am intentional about taking time out. And I can practice not feeling guilt about it.

"Space to collect myself" is absolutely necessary for me to be the person I want to be. I'm hoping with practice I can do this more easily with no guilt and no recriminations. I am not a machine, I am a human that needs space to just be; without demands, schedules, to-do lists and chores. I need to show myself (and my family) enough respect and kindness to make sure it happens. Actively, consciously, taking the time to ensure I can be generous and joyful.

Do you need this space? And how do you get it, especially if you don't have your own door?

Felicia x

PS. I have talked about similar things in the Motherhood post and the Stillness post.

You can totally make that!

So I was sitting at my desk with my lovely friend Jenn last week - working on some work work as opposed to craft work - and we got a little side tracked with some yarn, as you do. We were talking about how I had just finished the fella's Hugo, and how her fella thought it was a good-looking sweater. She told me that she then had to start saying things to him like "whoa now fella, don't get ahead of yourself. I'm not at that level yet".

My responseto her - "Piffle! You could totally make that!" because she totally could. After she got through a few statements of disbelief she said, "I do love it when you say that. It makes me think I could". She says that it fills her with confidence to know I have such confidence in her. And I do. I think she is totally capable.

And because I'd just got through telling her, it reminded me that I should remind you lot that "you can totally make X".....  You are capable if you simply remember that it's mainly about what you believe.

I believe that knitting is little more than knits and purls with the odd fancy skill thrown in. I believe that as she has been knitting for a couple of years, and Brooklyn Tweed patterns are really well written, that this is something she could tackle. I believe that she has the guts, and the experience now, to get it done. It might take her a while, but there is nothing stopping her, but self-belief, and emotional confidence.

There are various times in your craft career, when you have good confidence and some general oomph, that you should take a step up. Not when you are still a fragile newbie finding your feet, but when you have enough successes under your belt, you can take on the idea of something more emotionally challenging. Because the tricky bit about it isn't the knitting/sewing. It is the emotional rigmarole that you have to go through to make something more complicated.

You need to be able to work through the emotions that come up during a challenging project. I've written about this a few times :) but just in case you are a new reader then here are a few examples we have covered in the past;
Mistakes are how you learn.
Planning can only take you so far.
Getting stuck in the middle.
Perfection in imperfection.
Ripping with joy.

Because making really is an emotional game. It isn't a skills game. Making is about dealing with your head stuff as it comes up. As the wonderful Elizabeth Zimmermann reminded us many times with her wit and ongoing encouragement,

“Really all you need to become a good knitter are wool, needles, hands and slightly below-average intelligence. Of course superior intelligence, such as yours and mine, is an advantage.” ”

— Elizabeth Zimmermann, Knitting without Tears 1971.

You can make it! Just get stuck in, accept the detours it takes, and keep at it.

Do you think this is true? That it is mainly an emotions game rather than a skills game?

Felicia x

Stash Less Challenge #2 - Make a Plan

In 2016 we invite you to join us in your own personal Stash Less project. Stash Less is a project whereby we work towards having a mindful stash. Each month we will be posting a challenge for you to use in your own journey of discovery and change. Please feel free to join in at any time. We can't wait to hear what you find out! Previous Stash Less posts can be found here.

Previous Stash Less Challenge - Challenge #1 Taking Stock

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So it's really important to make sure we don't get ahead of ourselves. Let's take our time and think it through. Stash Less (and changing our behaviour) is a process, not a single event. It takes time to create a mindful stash we can rejoice in, be inspired by and proud of. And time is something we have in abundance. We have the whole year!

A quick word of caution before we look at this month's challenge which is all about setting our baseline. We need to make sure that Stash Less doesn't feel like dieting, because we all know that diets aren't good for the soul, and nor do they achieve their aims. I've said it before - this challenge isn't about deprivation. It is about getting more conscious and thoughtful! 

To achieve what we are trying to achieve - a mindful stash - we need to make sure that whatever personal guidelines we come up with are sustainable. We are trying to achieve good, healthy, achievable, joyful, change. 

Without further ado this month's challenge is to write down the following;

1. Your aims. We need a goal. What do you want to get out of the challenge? What size stash do you want? What do you want it to contain? What do you want it not to contain? Set a level for your stash, and a feeling you want it to give you.

2. Your purchasing ground rules. Write down the ground rules for purchasing you want to give yourself for the next year. What purchases will you need to make? And what purchases will you allow just for joy? 

3. Set a budget. This step allows you to better track your habits. This step makes it real.

I'm really hoping you have read some of the earlier posts in this series. However just in case you haven't, I want to make a few points about why these steps are important and what they might look like. 

Notes about Step 1: Your Aims
Some goals might include getting rid of (to friends, charity or strangers) parts of your stash that you will never get around to using. I did a lot of this and it is a total joy. Other goals might be to use things that you had in stash that you don't love but don't hate. Or to use some of your "special" fabrics. You might like to set a stash size? 

Notes about Step 2: Purchasing Ground Rules
You must factor in some purchasing! Most people will do better if they know that some purchasing is allowed and sanctioned. I had two categories - needs-based purchasing and joy-based purchasing. For me my needs-based purchasing was things like wadding, zips, cotton thread, needles. And my joy-based purchasing was the yarn for a whole sweater for myself. You need to make sure that you set these and remember that this project is not about deprivation. It is about getting conscious. The feeling of deprivation often leads to rebellion - which we don't want. So make room for some joyful purchasing in there, and then be conscious about it.

Note about Step 3: Setting a Budget
I talk about why I found setting a budget critical in this post* but very briefly I want to say that you must do this. It really will make a difference to how you think about purchasing because you then have a hard limit on spending. It means that you can't just justify, rationalise and justify some more. 

I set my budget to $50 per month, which in retrospect wasn't enough as my needs-based purchasing was more than $600 for the year. I make a lot of things! However, in the end getting it wrong didn't matter, as it was a total guess. It was still very helpful as a limit to rationalise my purchasing against. I thought within my $600 per year I would have about $150 for my joy based purchasing which meant that I really had to weigh up my options. Did I want to save $60 from that $150 to spend on some Nani Iro or did I want to spend it all on yarn. I got better at evaluating what was a real "need" and then between those which were most important to me in the longer term. It also meant that I spent more time considering a purchase, weighing it up, so impulse purchasing was less of an issue.

Good luck and feel free to ask any questions! I'm around today. 

Felicia x

*I also talk in that post about why I felt incredibly resistant to setting a budget.