You might not know this about me, but I love to make stuff.
I’m a very tactile person and since most of my job is done on a computer (and for the last year and a little bit, completely online), I enjoy spending as much of my free time as I can making and creating.
I’ve written and recorded about some of my creations before, mostly in the realm of fermentation (the most delicious of the things you can make at home).
But something I do on a much more regular basis is knit, and more recently, crochet.
I’m not entirely sure why but I taught myself how to knit while in grad school. My program was very hippie so knitting was the in thing to be doing, so that might be why.
Even though I wasn’t very good at it when I started, I instantly fell in love. The constant movement of the needles soothed my anxious grad school brain and I got something useful and beautiful at the end of it.
To give myself a new challenge, I recently taught myself to crochet. I know people say that you can normally only do one or the other, but I think understanding the basics of knitting helped me pick up crochet more quickly. (I could go on a full tangent of the pros ands cons of both, that I digress).
Now, what is the point of telling you about my favourite hobbies?
Well, if you’re a minimalist like me, but also a knitter, you know there’s only so many things you can knit for yourself. Seriously, how many winter headbands do I need?
I’m also the kind of person who will knit something and then months later undo it and try something else. Seriously, I’ve knit scarves that turned into cardigans, that turned into blankets that turned back into balls of yarn.
What I’m trying to say is that I have a lot of yarn on my hands that I can’t possibly use to make more stuff for myself. So I’ve decided to share it.
Introducing Scrap Heap Goods
One day, a couple of months ago, I had a random thought - what if I started an Etsy store and sold my handmade knit and crocheted items on it?
After some planning and deciding to just go for it, Scrap Heap Goods was born.
My goal is a simple one, to use secondhand or upcycled yarn to create fun wearables and other items.
It is important to me that I’m not using ‘new’ yarn, especially not when I already have so much on hand (and can procure more through secondhand sources).
All of the yarn I use in my products is secondhand (purchased from a secondhand store), or upcycled (taken from an existing item and used to make something else).
Basically, I want to take anything that might ended up in the scrap heap and try to give it a new life (hence the name).
Scrunchie Time
I started my store with scrunchies because they are what I am obsessed with lately. But I plan to expand to other wearable items.
If scrunchies aren’t your thing or you live outside Canada (I’m only shipping inside Canada at the moment to keep costs and emissions down), you can still get in on the fun by following Scrap Heap Goods on Instagram. (And, who knows, maybe I’ll even do a giveaway or two for Tiny Ambitions readers).
Minimalist… Store Owner?
It might seem contradictory for a minimalist to start selling ‘stuff’. And I would agree with you if I was trying to sell you a miracle new travel bag that will solve all of your packing problems (hopefully some of you will understand this reference).
But, I’m not trying to sell something new. And I’m also really not trying to make money from this. I obviously don’t want to lose money, so my main goal price-wise is to just cover my costs.
I am also focused on limited drops. Everything is handmade by me, so mass-production isn’t really an option (nor would I want it to be).
It’s important for me to use as many environmentally-friendly materials as possible. For Scrap Heap Goods, that means using exclusively secondhand or upcycled yarns and fabrics. It also means recycled packaging for shipping as much as I can (no fancy, colour coordinated packaging here).
But, I’m sure there is more that I could be doing to reduce the environmental impact of my store and I am open to adding those as I come across them.
The Beginning of Something Good
After, 800+ words about scrunchies, I think that’s probably enough (although I could go on for days).
I’m excited to share Scrap Heap Goods with you - even if you never buy anything. In fact, I’d rather you didn’t unless you really love or want something. (That probably doesn’t make me the best store owner but, oh well).
It has been fun to bring this store to fruition and I can’t wait for what comes next.
Until next time, keep living that tiny life.
-Britt
Image Credit: Tiny Ambitions
This is so cool! I love the creativity and how you’re reusing and recycling in your creations. Fabulous!