Unfortunately, if you have done a lot of crafting and the behaviour matches, this is indeed likely the problem.
With a new game, just being more selective with looting and crafting should help. There are local items (specific to that level) that are not assigned a handle until a character picks them up (which makes them a global item), and just focusing on the more effective crafting will limit handle usage. Being more familiar with the game mechanics would let you be more effective and play more efficiently, as well, until you caught back up to where you are now.
