Here it is October. We are four months past my area's quarantine time. In that time we've seen people lose their jobs or have hours cut to below living wage. I understand that means your yarn crafting will be tight as far as budget goes, if not nonexistent. For this reason I have compiled a list of ways to knit or crochet for small money or in some cases no money.
- If you are lucky enough to have a local yarn shop, make friends with the staff and owners. They will sometimes hold yarn in the dye lot needed for faithful friends of the shop.
- Finer yarns have more knit and crochet hours than thick yarns.
- Use pattern rather than color for your wow factor. colorwork can come later to use up leftovers
- use basic yarn, ie, worsted weight wool yarn or worsted weight acrylic yarns. Worsted Weight is the workhorse yarn.
- If doing clothing for yourself, be sure the colors work with your wardrobe.
- Finish your projects. You get a finshed object and can justify new yarn and pattern
- Use your stash. Don't use retail therapy to solve problems or to feel better.
- Use scraps for colorwork techniques
- Make scrappy accessories with one coordinating color.
- Stripes can be odd weights if being used as an accent.
- Over dye natural fibers to change it up if you have done more than enough in that color. ie, wipe out a hideous color on clearance at your local yarn shop. Hand paint or kettle dye the skeins.
- Repurpose yarn -- pull out a finished object that doesn't meet your expectations.
- you need to look for sewn seams rather than serged seams
- thicker yarn
- newer item from thrift store
- Work complicated projects
- they take longer
- you learn new things
- you could be creating an heirloom
- you could be creating a stunning attention getter
- Social knitters need an easy portable project
- Washcloth shawls are very simple
- A sweater can form it's own project bag, eliminating the need to purchase a project bag.
- Lace shawls can be many hours of knitting.
- Money for yarn can come from your entertainment budget or your clothing budget
- By using the same weight fabric, your range of needle purchases shrinks. An interchangeable set can be the most economical purchase you make rather than multiple sets of straights in various lengths.
- Purchase the best materials you can. Your finished object will last longer and look new longer
- Learn how to properly care for your finished thing. This will aid your finished object in looking new longer and last longer.
- Thrift shops can have fresh in the ball yarn in addition to repurposing a sweater.
- Inexpensive tools for knitting:
- stitch markers can be almost anything you have handy.
- cable needles don't have to be bought, use a pencil or pen, chopstick or toothpick.
- Your local church or other religious center might have bins of yarns for various reasons or more likely an aging congregation.These older people, once they learn you knit or crochet, will probably offer you long stored treasures of yarn. Or their heirs will.
- Garage sales, storage unit sales, estate sales can have yarns for sale or auction.
- Tell your friends.
- Online freebie groups, freecycle, craigslist, local facebook marketplace and free groups. Remember to use safe practices.
- Join Ravelry.
- You get thousands of free patterns
- There are freebie groups on there. Random Acts of Kindness is one.
- Big box craft store loyalty cards offer percentages off items and once in a while, the whole order.
- Google mill end yarns. They are sold by the pound for small money.
- Check out the catalog yarn distributors like Mary Maxim, Herrschners, and Webs for sales
- Tell your loved ones you want yarn for gifts.
- If someone is travelling, ask for a souvenir skein.
- Join monthly yarn giveaways
- Big Box craft store coupons? Use them to get the yarn cheaper. Most stores don't want you to save much so the coupons won't work for sale items but check out the regular price + coupon vs. sale price.
- Stores like dollar tree and aldis have yarn for sale sometimes.
Where do you find inexpensive yarns?
