my yarn was soo expensive!

Because I felt really uncomfortable choosing yarn for my first sweater project(actually I feel like this regardless of the project I choose) I went to my LYS and asked them to help me choose yarn. I ended up with Berocco Seduce in a beautiful green. My problem is I'm afraid I won't be able to afford the items I want to knit with yarns from my LYS. This sweater required 7 or 8 hanks of yarn for a whopping total of 70.00 plus dollars!! The lady who taught me to knit told me to never buy anything but 100% wool, NO ACRYLIC--well that's not any easy task when I look at selections here at knitpicks. Places like JoAnne's fabrics and Hobby Lobby don't have any sales on yarn, so i just don't know what to do! Help knitters!!

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dawn Railsback on May 20, 2011 at 10:18am

I know that some people will only knit with animal or plant fibers, but I like to choose my yarn for my project. I prefer to make baby/children's, charity, and pet items with acrylic's because they are 100% washable, kids grow out of things so quickly, most charities prefer acrylics due to washability and unknown allergies and pets can be really hard on things. Buying really expensive yarn doesn't make sense. I will not make my husband anything that has any possibility of shrinking because I absolutely know that he's going to toss it in the washer without a thought. So again it's acrylics or superwash when I can find it. If I am making something for someone that scoffs at the "handwash" label and will throw it in the washer, I use acrylics. If I am making something really nice for someone that will pay attention to the care instructions I will splurge for the animal and plant fibers from Knitpicks or my LYS depending on what I'm looking for. Sock yarns I try to stick with superwash wool that may or may not include nylon because I have found that acrylics don't work as well with socks. I usually get my sock yarn at Joann's or Knitpicks because it is less expensive than my LYS.

Don't get me wrong, if I could afford to and it made logical sense, I would use the natural fibers more than I do, but for me it just makes sense not to limit my choices.

Also, with Joann's they have tons of coupons and sales on yarns all the time. I know that Hobby Lobby has a coupon in the Sunday paper in my area.

I hope this helps when you're trying to match a yarn to your project.

Permalink Reply by CamillaInTheDesert on May 20, 2011 at 10:28am

For the most part..I agree with Dawn..if you KNOW the person is NOT going to carefully laundry the knitted item but you love them and want them to have a beautiful knit item..ie college students ..then I say use acrylic blends...

I will NOT buy from Hobby Lobby as I have taken back so much of their yarn, it pills, splits and basically is difficult to work with...and if you read the label from yarn there it is made in some foreign country..ie Tiawan (sp) do they even have sheep or grow cotton there??? lol j/k

Also ..on a friends recommendation..I purchased some beautiful wool blend from an online store in UK..ahem...with the exchange rate of the Euro..for some $30.00 yarn purchase it cost me $51.00...NO thanks ..never again! Lesson learned!

I have ALWAYS for a few years now purchased from Knit Picks as I find they have luxury yarns, without the luxury prices..you can NEVER go wrong with Knit Picks...

As for LYS..they are always WAY too pricey for same yarn I get at Knit Picks at reasonable prices..thats my HO and I am sticking with it lol

Permalink Reply by MartyAZ on May 20, 2011 at 11:00am

I really hate it when knitting teachers say, "never do..." something, when in my experience she is really saying, "in my experience, I have found that wool works better than,...". I just saw a knitting teacher telling a student that she was doing everything wrong and had to re-learn everything learned in past years. No meeting of the minds.
There are many ways to knit, and many fibers to use, depending on the results you want.
I have had good luck with KP yarns and if there is ever a problem, they make it right.LYS are often expensive. they have in-person support. KP has videos, on line support and good quality stuff. Hard to beat.
ymmv: Your Mileage May Vary.

Permalink Reply by CamillaInTheDesert on May 20, 2011 at 12:45pm

I totally agree Marty...each person has their "own" style, choices and beauty to add in knitting..

I have learned many valuable lessons in the many years of knitting..and when helping others..I try to give them a generic style and encourage them to do what they feel most comfortable with ..

I have always had the best luck with KP yarns, accesories etc...that is what keeps me coming back time and time again.

Camilla

Permalink Reply by Dawn Railsback on May 20, 2011 at 11:54am

So I only found KP about 7 months ago and haven't really thought much about where I'm getting my yarn. After I took a moment to look around I realized that all of the yarn for my "good" projects I have purchased from KP. I also realized that I have been planning projects with KP yarns. I've been doing a lot of baby and kid knitting using up my stash of acrylic, but for everything else I've been using KP. Huh.

Permalink Reply by Julie on May 20, 2011 at 1:42pm

Ladies, thank you so much for your input--i selfishly am knitting for myself (lol) so I will start shopping KP and start a stash to draw from!! I plan on doing wristlets for everyone this Christmas, and a sweater for my husband after that and your thoughts regarding washability is advice well taken!

I do have one question--what is the yarn type that gets "fuzzy"-i can't stand that!! I always thought it had too much acrylic in the blend. When you say acrylic blends what is the highest acrylic percentage to get a product that comes out beautiful(again, it's for moi!!).

thanks again!

Permalink Reply by cherylbwaters on May 21, 2011 at 10:38am

Julie, you have already received great advice. Although I don't really like to knit with acrylics, acrylics have come a long way in the last few years. Just because a yarn is expensive, doesn't mean it will work better than something less expensive. I agree that you have to take into consideration who you are knitting for. I don't think I would ever tell someone you can't knit with acrylic. I would rather encourage someone to knit rather than turn someone off from knitting because they can't afford the "expensive" stuff. I often use acrylics in charity knitting, though sometimes I will use superwash. Even though I may be a yarn snob when it comes to purchasing my own yarn, I don't like being a yarn snob to others. I don't cringe when someone buys something I wouldn't care to knit with. We all have a budget to follow. So knit with what you feel you can afford and don't let anyone chide you about what you choose. It is the love that goes into your knitting that counts.

There isn't one yarn I've used from KP that I was disappointed with. Yes, there has been a time or two where the color wasn't exactly what I expected, but over all the quality of yarn is good. And the needles are excellent.

Permalink Reply by CamillaInTheDesert on August 26, 2012 at 8:43am

I agree with Cheryl here...As I also said..consider who you will be knitting/ crocheting for..ie..my college aged grands would only put a pristine all natural fiber piece in a dorm washer and dryer..leave it forget it...leave it on the floor etc...it would be ONLY acrylics for them...and a busy mother with NO time to fuss with laundry...an acrylic blend or super wash...

For me personally I normally ONLY use natural fibers for hubby, home, kitchen etc...and close friends and family that I KNOW will take care of it.

I once made a HUGE oval coffeetable size doily in a very intricate pineapple pattern for my SIL...I told her..hand wash ONLY please as it would damage it in the machine and NO dryer...air dry only..so the doofus gets the bright idea to place it on top of a HOT working dryer to dry it...it shrunk in half...she and I both were heart sick.

So even sometimes when you instruct others how to launder that beautiful piece ..they may still ruin it..

Just follow your heart, your budget and know the receipient.

Permalink Reply by MushroomMom on May 21, 2011 at 11:07am

I have to agree with what everyone said so far. Look at who you are knitting for. I have adult men in my life who do not have the time time and inclination to hand wash and lay flat dry anything I make for them. Yet, they are thrilled to receive hand made gifts. For them, I use either superwash wool or a wool/acrylic blend.

I have a sister who is truly allergic to wool. So I found a beautiful acrylic yarn at my LYS which was more than some of their superwashes. She was thrilled with the gift and I learned a valuable lesson, that acrylic did not have to be junk.

That said, there is little that Joann's or Michael's sells that I would use for knitting for my family and friends. As someone said, the yarn tends to pill easily, split and or be rough on my hands while knitting. (I have too much of this kind of yarn in my stash, which I collected prior to learning what I like and don't like.)

There are a few yarns I've gotten from Hobby Lobby that I do not mind using for my charity knitting which must be washable.

I have been knitting for about 2 years now so I consider myself a newbie. My mother gave me some advice when I began "Life is too short to knit with bad yarn." It often is not the price but the yarn itself that determines whether I consider it bad yarn.

I have never been disappointed with any of the yarns I have gotten from Knitpicks. I tend to wait to place an order until I have enough for free shipping. I have heard of others who go together with friends to get to that point. There are ways to cut your costs. I think there even may have been a podcast about that a while ago.

That said, I do support my LYS because it fills a niche that the big box stores do not. The store I consider my LYS is not the closest yarn store to me which unfortunately only sells very high end yarns. My LYS carries yarns of various price points, is willing to show me a technique that I may need help with seeing someone do and is welcoming even if all I want to do today is get a fiber fix. They know I will be back another time. There are classes there for all skill levels, new friends to make and a place to just relax for a while. So search your town and see if there a place like this because the internet does not do this for me. If we do not support those shops that do meet our needs now, they may not be there in the future.

Juliann

Permalink Reply by Janice Aitkens on August 25, 2012 at 10:18am

I am knitting on 75% Acrylic 25% Wool, i won't knit on all wool as i don't think it wears as well here a picture of a sweater i did earlier this year using the same make up it an Aran sweater, my mum who knitted in WW2 & earlier & knitted in to her 90s never used all wool

Hugs Janice