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Newsflash |
This page coincides with the current knitting revival, which sees the
craft booming in popularity and even experiencing celebrity status with
many of Hollywood's superstars, both male and female, turning to
knitting needles in their spare time. Hailed as the new yoga, knitting
is perfect to combat stressful urban lifestyles and helps us to return
to simplicity.
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Written by Erin
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Wednesday, 27 April 2005 |
 15 easy ways to afford a yarn addiction without breaking the bank
Is
yarn stashed under every bed in your house? Are your closets packed
with eyelash, mohair and alpaca? Do you secretly wish your preteen were
old enough to leave for college so you could fill her room with fiber?
If your answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, you may have a yearn
addiction. And most likely you also have a budget.
If
you enjoy knitting with natural fibers or adore adding whimsical
novelty yearns to projects, you know all too well how expensive your
hobby can be. A typical sweater can run anywhere from $50 for wool to
$250 plus for cashmere. Even a pair of hand-knit socks can cost $30 or
more.
WHAT’S A COST-CONSCIOUS KNITTER TO DO? HAPPILY THERE ARE WAYS TO INDULGE YOUR OBSESSION AND STILL KEEP A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD:
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Stalk
the sales. If you’ve been eyeing a designer yarn, you can save 20 to 50
percent by shopping sales. Most yarn stores hold biannual sales in the
summer and winter to make way for new inventory. Get on their mailing
lists to receive regular mark-down alerts. And haunt bargain bins:
Denver’s Strawberry Tree, for example, sells odd balls and discontinued
yarns for $3 a skein.
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- Unravel your duds. Most of us have
hand-knit sweaters we never wear for one reason or another. Frog it and
start fresh; just wind the wool into skeins and wash it to remove the
kinks. A wool sweater in good shape is as good as money.
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- Hit
the thrift stores. Many knitters score great finds at thrift stores and
estate sales, while others take the radical approach and buy entire
sweaters to undo for the yarn.
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- Buy mill ends. Some yarn
shops, especially those catering to weavers, carry mill-end cones.
(mill ends are manufacturing remnants typically sold by the ounce or
pound.) Imagine $9 to $16 for a pound of wool. Caveat: Be sure to
acquire enough yarn for your project; chances are you won’t find the
same one again.
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- Teach. Yarn stores are always looking for
competent knitting teachers with the patience to tutor others. Or take
out a classified ad in your local paper, advertising yourself as a
private knitting instructor. Not only does teaching help build cash for
stash it builds your own skills as well.
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- Trade up. What were
you thinking when you bought that bag of camouflage-green acrylic?
Michelle Kopilovich, a New York are knitter, says trading yarn can be a
great way to meet new friends and acquire stash. Hold a “de-stash”
party for your fiber friends (and friends of friends): One knitter’s
trash I another’s treasure.
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- Start a finishing business.
Knitters are often loath to piece together their own goods, or lack a
specialty skill like installing zippers. If you have tailoring
know-how, you can help people reach completion on their knitwear and
earn money for yarn too.
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- Know your online discounters. Several
Internet sites offer hefty discounts on yarn. Elann.com posts new
bargains several times a week, with discounts of as much as 66 percent.
You’ll also find deals at Smiley’s Yarns (www.smileysyarns.com), Got Yarn *www.gotyarn.com), YarnXpress.com and www.onefineyarn.com
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- Bid
wisely. eBay is a veritable yarn supermarket displaying the wares of
spinners, dyers and de-stashers everywhere. If you’re lucky, you can
win deals on hand-painted and designer yarns, mill ends or vintage
fibers. But know your prices. The brand names tend to go for almost
retail, especially when you factor in shipping.
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- Go pro. Many
knitters fund their habits by selling the fruits of their labor at work
or crafts fairs. Grab a pair of US size 50s and whip up a few scarves.
Or camp out in a maternity ward with needles and some bright – colored
cotton and create custom hats for newborns – Grandmas won’t be able to
resists.
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- Work part- time at your LYS. Granted, retail jobs
don’t pay well, but typically they offer this all- important benefit:
20-plus percent off on yarn , books and supplies.
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- Develop your own knitting patterns. Knitting bloggers like Chicago’s Bonne Marie Burns of www.chicknits.com
sell patterns online. Or submit your original designs to knitting
magazines. (Before taking your patterns on the road, however, have
friends beta-test them. You want then to be as trouble-free as
possible.)
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- Roll your own. Spinning is a fabulous way to relax
and create designer yarn at the same time. Spin from prepared roving
for a slight edge over commercial process or start with a fleece and
save even more.
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- Knit a sample. Lusting after a new hot design
but can’t afford the yarn? Ask your local shop owner if she’ll discount
supplies if you let her display your garment for a season. You’ll get a
drastic discount on yarn: she gets to show customers how the yarn knits
you into a whole sweater.
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- Ask for the gift of yarn. Alert all
friends and family members that the one gift that will make you truly
happy is a gift certificate to your favorite yarn store.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 11 May 2005 )
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