Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Yarn and the Economy

Knitters come in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life. There are famous knitters like Julia Roberts, Martha Stewart and Catherine Zeta Jones to name just a few, who most likely have unlimted yarn budgets. Speaking for myself, my budget for yarn is defineatley not unlimited, and most likely yours has a spending cap as well. One of my favorite things is when my LYS has a sale, because that means I can get way more yarn for my money.

These days yarn can be found in a lot of different places, from Goodwill to Walmart and AC Moore and Michaels. Of course, it can also be found at yarn shops and fiber festivals and of course due to the miracle of modern technology, it can also be found online.

Keeping in mind all of the places that yarn can be found and purchased at, and also keeping in mind the state of the current economy, with gas being more than $3.00 per gallon, there are a lot of people putting their yarn budgets on hold. This has a trickle down effect in that if we stop purchasing yarn and other supplies at our LYS they may go out of business. Knowing this, I will keep shopping at my LYS. And I will keep shopping at a few other out of town (more than one hour from my home) shops that have great service as well.

What I won't do is shop where I do not get good friendly service. My time, gas, and yarn budget are too valuable to waste on feeling like I am a lowly for also purchasing yarn at AC Moore and/or Michaels. I have some really nice yarns in my stash, some I spun, some came from my LYS and the LYS near my mom's, and some also came from craft stores. I can bet most knitters stashes are like this too.

So if you are like me, and have some AC Moore yarn in your stash, hold your head high. Shop at the LYS that treats you great no matter where you purchased your yarn for you are a knitter, and the source of their pay check!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You Mean I'm not REAL 'Trailer Trash' because I have some Red Heart..the Red Heart that I was using to make this awesome charity project..the Special Olympic One..that specifically requested Red Heart!! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders but it may have merely been where I had been carrying that 'yarn snob chip' I carry at times~~

Marianne said...

Exactly!
I just found some Paton's SWS at Michael's for 2.99/ball, well... mostly because Patons has discontinued it but still.....
I tend to purchase 'sale' stuff, but do on occasion pay full price, I just can't do that for a 'sweater's worth' though.
Here's to living within your budget!

Dana said...

I'm on a budget too and there's nothing more pleasurable than diving into a pile of sale yarn. I really revel in it!

I've got the mix of brands that you described at home too.

Daisymum said...

I have a joanns 2 miles from my house. It is o.k. but it would be nice if there was a better selection. I also purchase yarn on ETSY. I like to buy handmade yarn as well. I am glad however since you posted this gas has gone down to $1.89 a gallon. yea, more money to buy yarn.