Most knitters I know (myself included!) have a huge yarn stash, usually B.L.E (Beyond Life Expectancy), and yet we buy more yarn all the time. Gorgeous hand dyed varieties, special fibers for whatever season, and sweater’s-worth quantities of yarn for knits that we are SO SURE we are going to knit and then somehow never cast on (I’m guilty, I’ve done this so many times). We treat knitting like it’s a luxury hobby by stockpiling yarn that cost a small fortune and then never using it. But I think that if it wasn’t so expensive, we would use it- because we wouldn’t be so precious about it. We would try new techniques or patterns that we aren’t sure are ‘us’ and not worry that the knit might have cost us $200+ in materials.
There are a lot of ways of keeping yarn costs down that don’t compromise on the quality of the materials you are using. It’s worth keeping an eye out for yarn sales at Joann and Michaels and seeing what they might have on offer- even if you only use wool and not any blends, there are lots of great woolly finds that are very affordable, and downright crazy cheap if you get your skeins in a big box store when they are having a sale. I signed up for Michaels newsletter and I’m pretty sure they send out a 40%-50% off coupon every single weekend ….. but I should warn you that they do email every single day.
So I’m experimenting with some new-to-me finds. This is a trio of Patons yarns I’m playing round with, and absolutely loving.
This is Patons Classic Wool Worsted in a light gray marl (100% wool):
I’m currently knitting a pair of simple fingerless mitts, and I’ve barely made a dent in the skein. The one in progress above is the second one, so I could probably get 3 pairs of fingerless mitts out of this single skein- which is pretty impressive. I’d probably only manage two pairs if I was doing cables and full mittens. I’ve never used a marled yarn before but have admired the effect, so I thought it would be fun to try it out and see how it looked. So far I think marled yarns shine in simple stitches like stockinette and garter, something classic like this effortless colour combo.
This is Patons Classic Wool Roving Yarn (also 100% wool) in the Frosted Plum colourway:
I’m working through a couple of new ideas with some super simple twisted stitches for faux cables, and I love this stitch I’m playing with (it’s on page 45 of this book if you are looking for it). This yarn holds up beautifully for cabled work, and just look at that crisp stitch definition!
But I think my favourite from this trip might be the Patons Alpaca Blend in Birch (60% Acrylic 22% Wool 10% Nylon 8% Alpaca):
It has the gorgeous drape of fabric you’d expect from an alpaca yarn, as well as great stitch definition. This is definitely a yarn I want to knit a whole sweater in- it feels so soft to the touch. Normally I’m a little hesitant when it comes to single ply yarns (which notoriously pill), but the fiber content of this makes me think that it won’t pill quite so readily. And I’ve been petting it a bunch (did I mention how soft it is?!) and it is holding up well so far. The stitch that I’m experimenting with is from the same stitch dictionary as before, page 38.
Of course, maybe you don’t want to buy more yarn, even if it is more affordable. Maybe you need some stashbusting suggestions! I’ve got you, friends….
Yarn Stashbusting Tips & Tricks
- If you haven’t already, go through your stash -everything!- and group yarn together by yarn weight. You might be surprised at what you find.
- Once you have a good idea of what you’ve got, you can look for patterns that will help you knit it up. Don’t be afraid to go and get a skein or two of a neutral solid colour that might help tie together several different colours- fair isle and crazy stripes are easily calmed down when there is a lot of soothing grey or white in the mix. At least, I find grey and white soothing colours, you go with whatever floats your boat. If you are dying for more colour, go with something completely different!
- Check out Pinterest or Ravelry and create a board or a queue with pattern ideas that will help you use up your stash. I might as well point out right now that I have a Pinterest Board full of stashbusting knits right here, to get you started.
- Have a yarn swap with some friends. partial skeins, extra skeins – try out yarns you haven’t used before!
And if you finish a project and you don’t love it, don’t despair of the yarn being ‘wasted’. I have a tutorial here for how to recycle yarn and get it into great shape so you can use it again. So knit on fearlessly! If it doesn’t work out, you can always try again.
** This post was graciously sponsored by Spinrite yarns. All opinions are my own, and I chose all the yarn myself.**
So true about tending to ‘nurse’ expensive yarn instead of actually using it! And I love gray too (my top favorite) as a soothing tie-in color, but may I also suggest a “dull” version of many other colors such as olive drab, rust-red, slate blue, soft heathered brown? My favorite craft store yarn is Lion Brand Wool-Ease. It’s like a favorite pair of jeans to me. It behaves well and carries no pressure to have to live up to. I hope they keep on making it!
I recently knit Jane Richmond’s new pattern the Winston Sweater with yarn I bought from Michaels. It cost me under $50 and I am super pleased with the sweater. As Chloe just mentioned the yarn was Lion Brand Wool-Ease…great yarn! My daughter, who never wants me to knit for her, actually asked me to knit her one. I definitely learned a lesson…
I really agree that knitting does not have to be a pricey activity, but that it can easily become one. Checking the destash pages on ravelry is also a good way to find yarn at a lower-than-average price, esp if you’re not too set on any one color. Thanks for the other tips!
I do, however, have one more comment on the yarns you mention–I have an issue with the way the Paton’s alpaca blend is named. I feel like a yarn should be conposed of at least 50% of whatever is in its name in order to call itself by that name, whether wool, alpaca, mohair, or whatever. And even with the word “blend” in its name, at only 8% alpaca, it seems like a bit of a stretch to have that be the only fiber included in the name. This is something that bothers me most in retail, actually–often garments will be advertised as made of wool with only 10-20% wool content, hardly representative of the full range of fibers contained therein. Seems like the industry would have better regulations for this.
I love your budget-friendly posts. While we love our silk, alpaca and cashmere yarns, the truth is, we cannot necessarily afford them all. I have yet to find alternative and cheaper yarns here in France, the stores that would be equivalent to Michaels or Costco only offer really poor quality, acrylic only fibers, not the nice blends you have showed. But I did find a couple of online stores with a great range of different yarns at great prices too. Well, the good thing with a big stash is that you can live off it for a while, which is what I’ve been doing for the past four years it seems. But sometimes I’d love to try something new. This Paton’s alpaca blend looks divine.
It’s true, I find when I travel that more budget-friendly yarns are really low quality, very much in the ‘craft yarn’ camp. I’m not sure why that is- Although I find that brands like Rowan tend to have a wide variety of fiber content and are frequently available in European countries, although I can’t say how affordable they are…..
I agree to a point. A knitter certainly can knit for less. However, in doing so that knitter is supporting plastics, big box stores, transportation over thousands of miles, chemicals to process those cheap yarns, chemicals to dye those cheap yarns. May I suggest everyone read Raw Material and you may have a better understanding of what I am talking about.
I am now following that pinterest board. Thank YOU!!!
So glad that find it helpful! I use it o book mar all sorts of stashbusting ideas. 🙂
Love. This. Post. Seriously, even though these posts are sponsored, I love that you continue to talk about both stash-busting and affordable yarns. I’m thinking that 2019 is going to be a no-buy year for me, since I live in a little apartment and my stash has gotten a bit wacko.
Oh man, my stash has really gone off the rails- I’m completely out of storage options, and I need to aggressively destash and focus on what I already have in 2019, for sure! I also wanted to spend some time talking about a variety of yarns, I was feeling like a lot of blogs were getting super niche about the yarn- hand dyed, small batch, local sheep from around the corner, which is fantastic and I’m SO glad that is becoming more normalized, but it also alienates knitters who don’t have those options, or can’t afford those options, and I want to make sure that we are being inclusive. I also feel really strongly that by purchasing products that we genuinely like, we encourage larger companies like Spinrite to produce quality yarns that are more in keeping with what we want as knitters. So when they called and we talked, I realized that I already had knit a bunch of stuff with their yarns. I just want to make sure that while we are celebrating independent yarn mills and supporting good farming practices, we are also remembering not everyone can afford $30 skein and that should be the deciding factor in whether or not to take up knitting.
Merci merci Julie for this article,,, we listened to a program in French on the wool sweater and after a study, the results were that acrylic sweater were more warm than cashmere, alpaca…!!! I was very much surprised..!!
Really!! I had no idea that acrylic was warmer than cashmere and alpaca, that’s amazing! Do you have the link to the program? that would be very cool.
Me again… I got in a group on Facebook Tricote ton stock and from August 25th till December 21, we made a point of not buying any wool and knit things to empty the wool stash,,, I made 17 projects (slippers, socks, afghan, etc..) I want to empty more wool till end of January and after I can knit things for me…..and knit some nice shawls with TanisFiberArts, Studio Cactus Wool, Riverside, Biscotte….. I have 4 or 5 models to do … and I made a promise of not buying any wool until that stash is EMPTY
Oh wow, that is amazing!! 17 projects is fantastic- I definitely need to be more aggressive about getting my stash down in 2019, it’s become a priority for me. I’ve completely run out of room, and it’s getting overwhelming to the point where I dread going to look for anything. Totally defeats the purpose!
So I know Spinrite sponsored this post, but a way to knit inexpensively with Canadian yarn from Canadian sheep is to use Briggs & Little. Priced less per skein than these Patons yarns, with much less processing. Heck, I’ve seen photos of it in Superstore in the Maritimes for less than retail, but even at full price, it’s a deal. Big Box yarns have their place, especially for those who don’t have access to an LYS, but you can get real, sheepy wool at less than Big Box acrylic prices if you know where to look!
I completely agree! I love Briggs & Little, I’ve knitted with their yarns for years and I’ve even been to the mill- the people there are wonderful and the yarn is fantastic. Not everyone is into the ‘real wool’ of their yarns, so I try to bring other brands and ideas to the forefront when I can. Especially since Briggs & Little isn’t as available as widely as I wish it was. I too have seen those photos of B&L sold in hardware stores on the east coast, and I’m jealous!
I have lived in locations where the closest LYS was well over an hour away, so I’ve certainly found myself in the big box stores to soothe my knitting cravings. Patons is a brand I have much appreciation for. This year, I do need to focus on destashing – I would like to take out ALL my yarn (!) and pile it on a table- I suspect I am going to be surprised by the amount and variety. Maybe 2019 will be my year of hats, fingerless gloves and toys!
Thank you for this encouraging post! I purposely keep a good stash of inexpensive craft store yarn for gift and baby/child knitting. Most moms I know don’t have the time to hand wash something, so I try to make it easy for them! Over the past 7 years or so, my stash has become ridiculously disorganized. 2019 is going to be a year of organizing and purging for me. I love your stashbusting ideas and this will be a great place to start reclaiming control of my stash!
I so agree, inexpensive yarn is perfect for baby knitting, since you don’t really know how they will care for the garment after you give it to them, and baby things needs to be washed frequently- at least if the baby is anything like mine were! I’m really hoping to tame my stash in 2019, it’s getting totally nuts so it’s been weighing on my mind.
I’m glad you’ve highlighted that there are affordable yarns available in larger stores. I always try to support my LYS, but also am mindful of my budget and other factors. I like that 2 of the three yarns are 100% wool, as we often assume that craft store yarns are ‘plastic’. I’ve used the Classic Wool often, I find it knits up comparable to Cascade 220. I’ve yet to try the Alpaca blend but I may get a skein or two now that you’ve posted about it. Can’t wait to see what you knit up!
I do agree with Lindy’s comment about mindful sourcing of products (the book “Overdressed” is a good read on the topic) but I also am aware of the privilege of being able to afford to shop ethically for items from food to yarn. It’s complicated!
Hi Sarah,
I so agree- it is complicated! I try to be a real yarn omnivore, so that I’m trying to spread around my support : support for quality affordable yarns from craft stores as well as supporting rare breed yarns from independent mills, as well as independent dyers (and where their bases are manufactured and what goes into that is a whole other post for another day!)
Gasp! I never thought of knitting this way…it’s the least expensive hobby I’ve ever experienced. I pretty much knit exclusively in worsted weight the first year because new needles cost the same as 3 skeins of yarn so I kept at it with the yarn. (Love Loops n Threads and Lion Brand…they make up beautifully…even for beginners)
But you’re right. There’s the precious stash…the Goldilocks stash..waiting for the pattern that is just right-that will be written just right-that will work up just right-and finally look just right when worn.
I even get that way about holiday knitting. What if I get my knitting done in January through March (has to be snow on the ground for holiday knitting) and a better pattern comes out around Thanksgiving?
And sweater knitting. There’s an investment. So thankful to the yarn companies that keep their products not only attractive and high quality but realistically affordable. They really are the foundation of knitting.
Note of interest: Michael’s will honor a JoAnne’s coupon for % off an item. (It’s basically a courtesy discount for choosing to spend your money at Michael’s) Also, I find Michael’s to be $1 to $3 lower per skein in store than JoAnne’s on same exact product.
Whoa, I had no idea about the Michaels honouring the JoAnns coupons and pricing! I don’t have a Joann near me, so it’s Michael’s for the craft store options.
It is so true that it is easy to accumulate a stash in which the yarns get lost in… But you have good tips for climbing on top of that yarn pile… 🙂
Thanks so much! Yes, I find that I often think I can knit waaaay faster than I can in real life, so I think I can knit 4 sweaters a season, get the yarn… and nope. it’s one. i can knit one sweater a season. Unless it’s super bulky.
I’m in awe of all your comments on the size of stash you have. I’m just starting to knit again after taking a 20 year long hiatus to quilt and am slowly building my stash. But I’m doing it. LOL. I made a nice oversized sweater out of the patrons touch of alpaca and I will warn you I have to wear a shirt under it because it’s itchy. I didn’t expect it to be because of the soft hand feel and lovely drape, but there ya go, it drove me nuts at work all day having itchy sweater on my neck. It’s up in the air if I will wear it again. Sigh.
Oh no! I find that the thin skin around the neck and collarbone are very sensitive, especially if you are already prone to sensitive skin! At least it’s good for layering? Cardigan next time. 😉
Wow! This is soooooooo true for me. I have a walk-in closet, thought.. great!… got space to store it. Well…bought Rubbermaid bins,more bins, then Rubbermaid drawers, got extra space? I bought more yarn to fill empty spaces. I can’t walk out of a LYS without buying yarn. The bins/drawers are now bulging, overflowing, closet looks like a EF5 tornado ran through it. Always wanted a California Closet. A rep came to my home with designs to help me “showcase” my yarn, it really helped….looked fantastic, one side clothing, other side yarn…but it didn’t stop me from buying . Another EF5 tornado coming through….I have it organized by weights/colors/projects, single ply, brand names(Cascade, Madelinetosh, Malabrigo, Freia, Indie Dyers). Got so much yarn, I could open a yarn shop, only thing missing is an ATM. I have said jokingly, this is well my BLE….would have it any other way? Never…
B.L.E definitely describes my yarn stash! A lot of great information in this post! Patons makes some of my favorite affordable yarns & the sweaters I have knitted with their Classic Wool Worsted have held up so well over the years. I have yet to try their Alpaca Blend but that swatch is gorgeous. Would make a great cabled hat. I love that you are shining a spotlight on more affordable yarn options. Having more yarn options at lower price points opens up knitting to more people. I totally relate to being more adventurous with my budget yarns as far as patterns & experimenting goes.
I’d never considered knitting a luxury hobby, but I’d never thought much about how I’ve made a habit of looking for good deals on yarn actually worth buying at craft stores and digging in sale and clearance bins at yarn stores, and combing eBay and Amazon for supplies. I don’t say this with the intention of being smug, but to note that I’ve ALWAYS had to shop wisely to make it affordable as a student and then on disability and rarely felt comfortable paying full-price. I guess other people just are used to living comfortably off far money than I am, and I know I was raised to believe it was selfish to put lots of money into my hobbies (even though my father put thousands into photography), and I’m still unlearning that.
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