So I just started knitting last year and I really, really love it. (My handle on
Ravelry is "xtalmpls" in case there are any other knitters here.)
Anyway, knitting
can be a frugal hobby, sort of, but it can also get really, really expensive in a hurry.
For a knitter or crocheter, visiting a yarn store can be a thrilling experience. All those colors, fibers, and textures! It's a place of pure potential, where your creativity and skill can meet up with the raw materials to make anything you can think of.
The excitement of All! That! Potential! causes many knitters to start stockpiling yarn. There's an acronym in the knitting world: SABLE. It stands for "Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy." People who knit love to joke about the outrageous size of their stash, and there are plenty of anecdotes about hiding stashes from SOs, stashes taking over closets, etc. along with threads in knitting forums where you "flash your stash," or show off the yarn you've acquired.
ANYWAY, I started knitting in May of last year and started acquiring a modest stash of my own. Luxurious sock yarns, basic cheerfully-colored cotton for making dishcloths, warm worsted wool for hats and scarves, etc. etc.
It was in January of this year when YET ANOTHER box of yarn arrived in the post. My born-frugal husband looked at me and said, "you've gone crazy!"
And that's when we made our bet.
We had a trip coming up in June to the UK. I bet my husband that I would quit cold turkey and buy no yarn whatsoever until our trip, which was five months away. If I won, he had to visit two yarn shops with me --
cheerfully -- while we were in the UK. (I'm not sure what he would have gotten had I lost, but I was determined not to lose.)
At first it was hard not buying any yarn, but as time went on, it got easier and easier.
Also, I kept right on knitting. I knitted using yarn from my stash. And... here's the weird thing... I hardly made a dent in it. In five months, I used up 5%, maybe 10% at the most, of my existing yarn.
Finally, our trip drew near. We spent nine days in England on what was, overall, a pretty frugal trip. In London, we went to many different museums (most museums in London are free!). Then we drove north and stayed in an inexpensive rental cottage where we had a fully-equipped kitchen. We went hiking all over the place, cooked half of our meals at home, and brought picnic lunches along for our hikes.
Finally we went to Newcastle and, as promised, DH accompanied me to a yarn store. And the funny thing was... I didn't even feel like buying very much. I bought some pretty sock yarn for my mom and mother-in-law, some inexpensive sock yarn for me, and some beautiful laceweight that I still haven't had time to do anything with.
Anyway!! Here's what I learned:
- Don't go into stores.If I can't see (and touch!) the beautiful yarn, I won't be tempted to buy it.
- My time is worth more than my yarn. Before my "yarn fast," I was unable to resist the siren call of bargain yarn. I bought bags full of clearance yarn because it was "cheap." However, most of that yarn is still sitting in my closet, in plastic bins. It takes a lot of time to knit. And that's why knitting can be a frugal hobby. If you have the discipline to just complete the projects you already have before you, you probably won't need to buy yarn very often. And then when you are ready to start a new project, you can buy the yarn that is most appropriate in terms of fiber, color, and gauge, not being afraid to spend a little more money, simply because knitting does take so much time. I've learned that it's more important to buy the right yarn, rather than stashing everything in sight like a demented squirrel.
- I don't need to buy yarn It's funny, but after not buying any yarn at all for five months, something shifted. I thought that once my "yarn fast" was up, I'd have a lot of pent-up demand and would go nuts buying yarn again. That turned out not to be the case! Instead, I'm a little bit dismayed by how much beautiful yarn I have that I haven't had a chance to use yet. Knitting a pair of socks takes me at least two weeks, and right now I have enough sock yarn for... twelve pairs. That's at least six months' more worth of knitting, if I don't knit anything else. I can probably get by without buying any more yarn for at least another year, maybe two.
It's been a month since we got home from our trip, and, since coming home, I have yet to buy any new yarn. I am much better mentally-prepared to be satisfied with what I have. If I need to buy something specific to make a gift for someone, I will, but I'm so glad I had this challenge for myself. It really taught me a different way to do things.
I would encourage anyone to think of a challenge related to your own hobby or other shopping compulsion... what can you quit altogether for five or six months? Make it into a bet with someone you love. If you win, you'll probably learn a lot about yourself (not to mention saving a crapton of money.)
