Handknitting and the cost of yarn

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

http://www.coldspringmill.co.uk/yarn.htm
try this place for cheap wool its a real aladdin's cave! If you can go and visit it is worth it because there are bags and bags on unlabelled designer yarn which are classed as seconds but there is nothing wrong with it. It usually is sold at 1/2 retail price. You can ring the guy up and he can tell you what he's got in as the stock changes regularly. I've shopped here for years and always got bargains and I go through no end of wool as I knit every day.

odds-n-sods

Looked and tho the website isn't great, would love to go but its too far from where I could get to. :-(

GreenNinja

Littlebean wrote: »

I've recently rediscovered knitting and have already produced a couple of scarves for Christmas presents. I'm dying to try something more adventurous and have a couple of patterns for sweaters that I want to try. However, when I price up the yarn it comes to over £60 :eek:.
The particular pattern I have uses Rowan RYC baby alapaca. Just wanted you ask all you experienced OS knitters if there are any alternatives. Is it essential to use the exact same type of yarn as specified? Are there any ways to keep costs of yarns down? I've checked on ebay but by the time you add in the postage you aren't much better off, and you can't always get an accurate idea of colour/shade.

I know that I'll end up with a lovely homemade item at the end of it (hopefully) but would like to keep costs to a minimum.

Is there a special OS-knitting thread? If so, please feel free to move this to a more appropriate place.

Around 20 years or so ago (God I feel old!) when I used to knit I used to ask in the wool shop about alternatives for patterns.
Although a certain yarn may be suggested for an item there are usually cheaper alternatives which are the same weight etc but for example a non alpaca yarn should be cheaper but if the same kind of weight yarn should knit up more or less the same.
Am guessing these days that the old wool shops don't exist any more? and people buy their yarns from Hobbycraft type places???? so maybe theres not the assistance there any more?

odds-n-sods

*wonders if I could get desperate housewife to go for me?? LOL

ampersand

miserly_mum wrote: »

Its just so difficult to find wool nowadays never mind cheap wool. I've took up knitting again after a few years (new grand daughter) My local £ shop do decentish baby wool,Dk and Aran. Ok for kids stuff that won't be expected to last for years. But like OP, when I planned to do a few adult projects for inlaws for xmas the cost was extortionate. Surely there must be wholesale online wool companies? Even finding buttons for the baby's cardigans wasn't easy, mind you I live in a small town.

I hope you have the above on/open nonetheless. It's much better,more interesting and cheaper to find buttons on a garment cheaply sourced from the above. I always buy/save chuckout clothes for their shell/glass/novelty/Art Deco/leather/wood/pottery/horn buttons. Yes, cost of all haberdashery bought in bonafide ways i.e.retail, is horrendous.
Does your small town have a Free Ads you could put a wanted ad. in? village shop ditto? etc?
Also check-out your local Freecycle group - you can place a WANTED there, too.
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Apologies to other posters who had already posted most of the above, hadn't read that far.

miserly_mum

ampersand wrote: »

I hope you have the above on/open nonetheless. It's much better,more interesting and cheaper to find buttons on a garment cheaply sourced from the above. I always buy/save chuckout clothes for their shell/glass/novelty/Art Deco/leather/wood/pottery/horn buttons. Yes, cost of all haberdashery bought in bonafide ways i.e.retail, is horrendous.
Does your small town have a Free Ads you could put a wanted ad. in? village shop ditto? etc?
Also check-out your local Freecycle group - you can place a WANTED there, too.
##########
Apologies to other posters who had already posted most of the above, hadn't read that far.

Thanks for those suggestions. I'm an avid freecycler I freecycle/recycle/ebay/pass-
on all our clothes so not really possible to scavenge buttons there. But hadn't thought about buying something from a charity shop or carboot just for the buttons. Seems a bit of a waste though if the garment isn't usable afterwards.(i'm a bit fanatical about NOT wasting anything,drives my OH nuts) I'll try asking on Freecycle for buttons and wool , but its not really the same as going in and choosing nice ones to match your garment especially for baby stuff. My original post was more to highlight how difficult it is now to get yarn and knitting stuff as it seems to be in general a dying art. Until a few years ago we had at least 5 places where you could get wool etc even in a smallish market town.

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

odds-n-sods wrote: »

Looked and tho the website isn't great, would love to go but its too far from where I could get to. :-(

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I know it is a bit out of the way but if you were looking for a nice knitting related holiday (don't laugh, I look up knitting shops on yell.com before I visit anywhere!) in fact thats when I go too as we visit for hols.

Yes, the website is not great, it certainly does not do it justice, the guy who runs it says people organise coach trips to visit, he also sells books and camping gear, the place is in an old soap mill so its huge without being impersonal. I love rummaging around in the big wicker crates, he once ordered a ton, yes, 1 ton! of sock wool, you know the variegated kind like opal but in hanks? If you know what you are looking for its great as some of the real bargains don't have labels on. I got some debbie bliss soho for 1/2 retail price and also the twilleys freedom spirit which was bagged up no labels for 1/2 retail price. He also sells the bog standard acrylic mixes aran, DK etc and the turnover is quick as knitters can't resist a wool bargain!
He sometimes sells on ebay as adamski0_11 but I think you're better off ringing up the mill.

Littlebean_2

Thanks to all who have posted so far - some really useful tips and comments. Mocolo - I tried this site, but like you found nothing in my area. I live in a small village so I might ask around and see if anyone else is a secret knitter. Or I might just take my knitting to the local pub and see if that sparks any enthusiasm.

From all the responses, the OS crowd must include quite a few knitters. Looking back through the threads though I haven't come across many references to knitting. Maybe we should have a knitters forum or is there a craft/hobby forum on MSE that I'm missing?

Miserly-mum - I have the same problem as you. I live near a medium sized market town but there is nowhere to buy wool. The nearest place is Cambridge's John Lewis which is a bit of a trek with babies in tow! I grew up in the north and remember our local market alone had 3 wool stalls - but maybe things have changed - sad though.

plumduff55

Hi, a knitters/sewers forum is a great idea. It is so motivating to hear from other knitters.

I now can't wait to finish my current project (purple and black cardigan - I've had the wool for more than 10 years but only started knitting with it last month) and go shopping for more wool.

I totally agree that the time and cost of knitting make it an expensive hobby but the feel good factor is amazing when you have a completed a beautiful unique garment to wear or give as a present !

mocolo

I think the idea of a sub forum is fabuluos, I like to see what people make etc. and what wool etc.

This is what I am currently knitting- it is a present for my sister.

http://www.iliveonafarm.com/lavenderhat.html

However, I have done it in some spare cotton/linen that I had in my stash and on different needles becasue they were all I had- I actually used double pointed needles and it worked. Its looser and not as much a definite shape but IMO is lovely! I have about 2 inches to go to finish the removeable band that goes with it. In addition, becasue I found some pin backs in my stash I have made a fab flower corsage thing which could be on the hat or go as a brooch and it was so easy. Me thinks I will be making loads of flowers....

and my next project is this:

http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/PATTteacosy.html

because I love teapots and cosies and I really want to try felting. I have some swatches ready for testing but not quite brave enough.

I have also just bought bend the rules sewing (which I would hyperlink but don't know how) by Amy Karol. this is however her blog and she has a flikr group with pictures of stuff people have made from the book.

http://www.angrychicken.typepad.com/

It has some great projects in for Christmas pressies and I have organised all my materials into a cubboard which I open and smile at every time I can . OH just doesn't understand. (he just doesn't get it) I did try getting the book from teh library but it is a real small village one and they didn't have it on their system at all. I see it as an investment as there are loads of pressies I can make.

I am also going to do trip to that mill Desparate I think mentioned - and to the one in Dewsbury fabricworks, i think it is called. I feel excited planning it. Is this normal?

gosh, this is my longest post ever. Must be on my hobby horse!