Knitting on the cheap

[tomatoprincess]

Hello all!

I'm a beginner knitter hoping to make some scarves for gifts this Christmas, I was wondering if anybody have any advice on getting good quality yarn for cheap. My specific question is how to know what to buy with so many options available.

Thank you!

[EK]

To buy new, knitpicks.com is a good place to get natural fiber yarn that isn't crazy expensive.

My favorite trick though is to buy a thrift store sweater (it can be ugly as sin so ought to be cheap) that's made out of a nice quality fiber like Marino or cashmere and unravel it.  You soak the yarn to take out the kinks and boom.  You've got a sweaters worth of yarn for like $5.

[geekette]

Thrift store sweaters can be fun (with a few caveats). 

Most I've seen, especially of good fibers like cashmere and merino, are knit from fine yarn - often multiple strands and not plied.  It's okay, but a pain to keep those strands together when washing and knitting.  Or, like the Land's End cashmere sweater I took apart, it's one fine strand.  I have a LOT of nice lace weight cashmere, but it's not something I'd want to use to knit a scarf...

Watch out for cardigans as they may be steeked - often they'll knit the sweater in the round, then slice it up the middle and add button bands.  Take that one apart and you get lots and lots of short bits of yarn.  With enough practice, you can usually tell the difference.

I live in the south, so most sweaters I see are either acrylic or cotton.  Multi strand cotton (8 strands!) is NOT something I ever want to knit again.

There are forums on Ravelry and several blogs dedicated to the art of deconstructing a thrift store sweater.  I've also seen Etsy shops full of yarn harvested from sweaters, if you don't want to search, take apart, skein, and wash yarn for yourself.

If I weren't so ticked off at Knitpicks for their big credit card breach they ignored, I'd recommend them.  As it is, I would only use them with paypal.

Also on Ravelry, people will often sell yarn they've decided not to use.  You can check reviews of yarns there to see what people think.

Malabrigo Rios is my current favorite for worsted weight yarn.  Beautiful colors and it's washable.  It's not big box store cheap, but it's not too bad for a very nice yarn.  Solid colors - Cascade 220 superwash is good.

Life's too short to knit with bad yarn...

[jflo]

Learn to recognize some nice brands and buy on eBay. Malabrigo, Noro, and cascade all make great yarn. Berroco makes good quality blends.  It'll take some time to know what you like. Also hats and cowls are cheaper than scarves so you can splurge more on the yarn.

[geekette]

Knittinghelp.com is good, but I learned a lot going to a local knitting group. Ravelry is a great site for knit/crochet info, and you can probably find local groups in the forums there.

[cats]

Good sites for cheap yarn: knitpicks, elann, WEBS (www.yarn.com).  If you are on Ravelry you can also browse the yarn that users have marked as for sale, and you may find some good deals there.  My number one tip for knitting on the cheap though is: don't buy yarn you won't use! When I first started knitting I snapped up all sorts of stuff because it was a good deal.  But here's the thing: you probably don't know a lot about yarn yet.  You almost definitely haven't figured out what your personal tastes and preferences are.  Your tastes will probably evolve over time.  The kinds of yarn that are available will change over time.  10 years ago (when I started knitting seriously), semi-solids and non-garish variegated yarns were not as widely available as they are now, for example.  I used to looooooove Rowan yarns.  Now I still like them just fine, but I am not crazy about them like I used to be.  I have gone through several rounds of fairly serious de-stashing (stash is now free of crap acrylic, yarn I hate, yarn that I just knew I was never going to use), I was never even a particularly prolific buyer of yarn (by average knitting standards), I have bought almost no new yarn in over five years, and I still have a LOT of yarn, more than I am likely to use in the next, say, 10 years.  I knit for at least an hour and a half most weekdays on my train commute and I knit at a fairly good speed, so it's not like this is a resource I'm not actively using and going through, but the size is still large relative to my progression through the stash.  I do also do some knitting design work, so having a bit of a stash is useful for that, but the reality is: I still have much more yarn than I need!

Seriously, if you only buy what you are going to cast on immediately, you'll probably spend less on yarn than you will by bargain hunting, even if you purchase exclusively at upmarket yarn stores.  If you do decide to snap up some bargains, my advice would be to limit yourself to what you're planning to use for Christmas, and then make sure to use that stuff up before you buy more.

[lizfish]

+1 for ravelry. Loads of nice people on there and free patterns too. You tube is great for specific techniques. Look for second-hand knitting books, especially old ones. A lot of stuff is still so relevant now. Techniques change but they still get you to the same place.

Also, don't be afraid to try lace. For pounds (or dollars) per hour it's going to be the cheapest knitting you will ever do. Practise on thicker yarn but don't be afraid of it, you never know until you try. Socks are next best, and even more wearable.

Knitting isn't even a cheap hobby, let alone a cheap way to get clothes. But it can be done economically if you're picky. And ignore everything that's said about getting a yarn stash. There's only one 'stache you need.

And read yarnharlot.com. Doesn't cost you anything, and the woman is genius.

[Worsted Skeins]

Sometimes I can pick up a nice skein or two at one of the local charity shops.  A single skein may not suffice for a scarf but will work for a cowl. 

Agreeing with those who suggest joining for Ravelry for inspiration!

[EK]

Wanted to add: for a giant old ball of yarn that is real wool but still pretty cheap, I really like Cascade Eco Wool.  If I remember correctly it's about 500 yards for 20 bucks.  Lots of colors, wears like iron!

[TygerTung]

Craigslist or ebay or something? We have a website in New Zealand the same as eBay, called trademe, plenty of cheap wool on there.

Also you often see wool at opshops (thrift stores)

[acinaps]

I would think long and hard about gifting homemade scarves for Christmas. Most people do not appreciate the time, money, and effort you put into handknits. Personally, I only knit for people I *really* like. Admittedly, I don't spend a lot of time knitting anyway, so I have to be very selective. Also, scarves take a long time (compared to a hat, say) and can be discouraging, especially when you are first learning to knit.

(As a side note, you may consider crochet if you really want to give a bunch of scarves as gifts. It will generally take more yarn to crochet rather than knit a scarf, but it will also generally work up faster. Crochet is easy to learn.)

If you are looking for only medium range yarn, you can find 100% wool yarn (Patons Classic Wool, Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool) at Joann and other crafts stores in the US. Coupons for crafts stores - especially for Joann - are easy to come by too. And they have frequent sales.

I have done the thrift store sweater deconstruction thing. It's fun. It's also a lot of work, and you have to really know what you're looking at when selecting a sweater.

In terms of what to buy specifically, again, I would caution you against buying anything too precious for knitting gifts for others unless you really like the person and/or they are also a knitter/crafter. I have noticed that people who do not knit/crochet are just as drawn to soft acrylic yarn (which I would classify as icky) as they are to natural fibers. I also have a very good friend who generally has good taste and has been crocheting her whole life who has no problem with Red Heart Super Saver. It all depends on the audience!

If you want to learn more about the pros and cons of different fibers, visit a local yarn shop and talk with the workers there. They are usually very happy to talk shop.

Good luck, and happy knitting!

[tomatoprincess]

Thanks so much everyone for your thoughtful responses, I checked out knitpick and will visit a craft store and see what kinda thing I like before ordering from them.

The scarves will be for my siblings so they will have no choice but to simper over the scarves. I will keep in mind that they are people that prefer to simply throw things in the washing machine.

I'm thinking this cowl for them:
http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2012/11/1/lovely-ribbed-cowl.html

If I'm feeling ambitious maybe this throw?
http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2013/1/6/whits-knits-super-easy-lap-blanket.html

[geekette]

Love the cowl (especially in the Suri Merino - Suri Alpaca is so lovely and warm).  To get that lovely drape and halo, you'd want something with alpaca.  I don't think either of the recommended yarns are washable, though.

The blanket would be very, very, very boring to knit. Over 1400 yards of garter stitch...

[tomatoprincess]

It's good you pointed out that the blanket would be very boring! I got distracted with how lovely it looks. I tried the cowl today with some yarn I have when I was in grade school, definitely something doable with my skills.

There is some yarn on knitpick that's merino but still machine washable, I wonder if those would work.

[geekette]

If you're okay with it looking more like the one on the bottom than the one on the top, it would work.  Swish is fine yarn, it just wouldn't have the soft fuzzy drape of the alpaca blend. 

Another thing to consider - Swish is 220 yards per 100 grams, and the Purl Soho's 164 yards per 100 grams, so while they're both called worsted weight, Purl Soho's is a bit chunkier, which would affect your gauge and the final look.

[tomatoprincess]

Do you think than it's better to go with the swish bulky yarn at 137 yards for 100g?

Thanks so much for your advice!

[geekette]

Either would probably work, but you might have to change needle size or number of stitches in the pattern to make it the same size.  When in doubt, swatch! 

[tomatoprincess]

Update of sort:

I began with knitting the cowl I previously posted the link to with my mom's old needles and some nice yarn my sister gave me. It is looking very nice, though I have to say I've never watched so much tv in my life. Good thing I didn't start on that blanket of knit stitches.

I went to the crafts store recently and took a feel of the yarns, I notice a lot of them are 100% acrylic or have acrylic mixed in. At first I was trying to feel to see if the all wool ones feel nicer, but I find some acrylics are softer than wool, some are not. How do you determine which material to use??

[geekette]

Some of the newer acrylics are a far cry from the old scratchy stuff, and probably softer than the wool at craft stores.  Knit Pick's Brava acrylic is quite nice (and cheap, too).  But if you go to a local yarn store and feel some Malabrigo Rios…that's some nice wool.

Pluses to acrylic - low price, machine washable.

Pluses to wool - can be quite soft and is more pleasant to knit with (IMHO), for those who don't want to wash it in the sink, super wash wool is machine washable.  It keeps you warmer, but is more breathable than acrylic, and it can keep you warm even when it's wet.  For some applications (babies and older folks especially), it's nice to know that it's self extinguishing (won't melt and burn like acrylic). 

I try not to be a yarn snob, but I like wool!

[brycedoula]

I'd also recommend asking around friends/family/co-workers, to see if you can rustle up some yarn or notions(tools/supplies).

The bulk of my knitting tools I inherited from my Nana, so as a beginner I hardly had to purchase any hardware to get started. And now, almost everytime I pick up my needles I think of her :)
I also inherited LOTS of crappy old acrylic, which I donated to the Red Cross and other volunteer knitting places.

You'd be surprised (or maybe not) at how many people have something knitting-related taking up space in their homes. And would be willing to give it to you for a song!

[annaraven]

My local yarn store has a quarterly yarn swap - you bring in something you want to get rid of, and pick up stuff off the table that others want to get out of their stash. Also, they have weekly sales on yarns.

If you're careful, you can get good quality stuff for decent prices.