Yarn Sale: Can You Stay Strong?

Dear users, dear authors,
let’s say you’ve resolved that in 2022 you’ll only use up your stash yarn, use up leftover yarn, and definitely not buy any new yarn. But now there’s this really great special offer, maybe even a yarn sale or a great factory sale, and the lovely yarn is so affordable and it really wants to be with you. Will you stay strong?

Ugh! No, “steel-willed,” “steadfast,” “brave,” or “disciplined” are completely foreign concepts to me. I can’t do it, I won’t manage it, and I’m certainly not going to start now at my age. 😂😂

No, even I couldn’t stay strong. I’m a bargain hunter. It’s really bad. 

No, Josefa. The way you describe it, it sounds so tempting. I couldn’t resist. I’m a bargain hunter, too. A stash for lean yarn times.

“Fortunately,” that’s completely changed for me. Two years ago, I would have bought “by the boxful” too. Suddenly, it’s completely different—last Monday at the flea market, there was a booth with really beautiful yarn—not scraps or anything like that. I actually just looked; one yarn was really interesting—it would have been perfect for dyeing.... In the end, it didn’t make it home with me. 
My “yarn closet” is getting smaller right now. … A lot of yarn is on its way out 🙈—some of it has already been sent off today.... 

Wow, Steffi, that’s quite an achievement!

Well, when it comes to special offers this year, I actually managed to click away quickly, even though it took a lot of willpower. I thought about my wonderful stash and what I could make with it.

However… I’ve now had to buy wool twice. For one project, I didn’t have the right yarn, or rather, I wanted to fulfill my granddaughter’s color requests. I’m right in the middle of the other project and have now realized to my horror (grin) that I don’t have enough yarn. So I had to reorder two skeins.

Buuut… I actually only ordered TWO skeins in each case! Luckily for me, I’ve finally found a yarn shop where I get free shipping on orders of 10 euros or more. That’s obviously very convenient for me.

I especially can’t resist beautiful bobbles. That said, I only buy them when I can picture what I’ll make with them. Otherwise, it gets tricky, because I need to know how much of each type of yarn to buy.
Do you handle it differently?

Nope, I can’t stay strong. Why should I? :)

As we all know, shopping for wool and crocheting/knitting/… are two different hobbies. So why give it up? :)

I don’t buy wool anymore just because it’s on sale.
I used to do that.
This year, I’ve bought wool twice because I needed it for projects.

Otherwise, I still have plenty of wool left, and I’m still thinking of what to do with it.

For me, the risk is practically nonexistent, since there aren’t any wool shops left around here anyway. It’s the kind of thing that tends to happen when you’re just passing by.
Swap packages are a great alternative—they give you ideas you wouldn’t have had without the wool. I like that.
I don’t really “browse” online; I’m always just looking for something specific.

If I walked into a store having a wool sale, I couldn’t guarantee anything. But that “I-must-have” spark only ignites when I can actually touch, see, and feel the wool in person. Online, that shopping frenzy wouldn’t take hold of me. There, wool is just a picture with some specs. And often, you’re disappointed in person because the wool is itchy or the colors look different after all.

Since I don’t have a wool shop nearby, I’m not subject to that temptation. However, if I were to fall in love with some really beautiful wool, then I’d buy it. I’d just have to save that money somewhere else.

Yes, that’s how it is when you fall in love with a particular yarn. That’s exactly what has happened to me now. From two swap packages, I now have two skeins of yarn on my needles that go well together color-wise. The yarn is simply heavenly! And I’m already really looking forward to the soul warmer that will come from it.

That’s exactly why I need more now and have reordered the yarn. The soul warmer is supposed to be nice and long.

I probably would never have ordered this yarn if I hadn’t seen it in person in the swap package.

I’ll show you the photo here:

When we came across a booth selling alpaca wool from Peru at the autumn market in Dornbirn last Friday during our short vacation in the Bregenzerwald, I couldn’t resist the temptation despite all my resolutions and bought a skein (unfortunately, there wasn’t a second one in the color I wanted…)



Unfortunately, the colors aren’t very clear in the photo (violet-red, gray)
A picture of the first finished wrist warmers will follow (I still need to weave in the ends!)

@Wollbaerli
Oh Christina, that’s a great color—or rather, color combination. It’s so beautiful; it’s understandable that there was only one skein left. But you have a label, so you could order more if necessary.

@mowi19
Ruth and I were the sponsors of this thick yarn. Ruth contributed the blue-and-multicolored one, and I contributed the red-and-pink one. And each one arrived in a different swap package. It’s great that it’s the same type of yarn, just in different colors that also go well together.

Last year, I knitted turtlenecks for felt slippers out of it. They were supposed to be extra warm. And since I didn’t know how high the turtleneck should be, I went ahead and ordered two skeins. One of them is now with you. I think they look better together than just one on its own.

I actually didn’t think the colors in my one skein really went together—they were a bit too intense, somehow. But the blue tones down the pink and the red. Your soul warmer is sure to be an eye-catcher and keep you warm.

Warm regards, Ina

Oh, great, Ina—now I know who donated this beautiful wool. Your felted slippers look really lovely and cozy with it, too. You know I love these shades. And I really like how the blue goes with it.

The new shipment arrived today. One skein in colorful shades of orange—and no, not blue, but a dark red—will be knitted into the rest of the project. So that’s going to look interesting. In any case, the soul warmer can now be nice and long and warm. I’ll probably knit sleeves onto it, too. If there’s a lot of leftover yarn, I’ll knit a jacket for Juna out of it.

That sounds great! It’s a great way to keep discovering new yarns and wools. You probably would never have bought them just by looking at them on a screen. The swap package really does lead to lots of new discoveries.

Best regards, Ina

Yes, exactly, Ina, and for that I’m sooo grateful for your brilliant idea here and all the organization behind it! I’m loving these swap packages more and more.

Best regards
Monika

Just as you often can’t walk past yarn, that’s how I feel when I see beautiful fabrics—and when there are great ones in the bargain bin, too, I find it really hard to say no. :-)
I just ordered another gorgeous jersey fabric yesterday because I want to sew myself a sweater; I already have the sewing pattern. :-)

Best regards, Inge

Oh Inge, I totally understand. Beautiful floral patterns on lovely fabrics that feel great to the touch. And then in just the right colors that suit us perfectly. I’d be tempted too. As you can see, I’m doubly at risk.

Best regards, Ina

Have you ordered any wool or fabric?

My last wool purchase was at the end of September.

The only fabric I bought was for my grandson’s Halloween costume—felt for a pirate hat. 

....I reordered 200g 🙈 but that’s already on the needle—well, just 100g of it.
But let’s start from the beginning... I had planned a MKal; I’d need 2 x 200g and 1 x 100g. I had the 2 x 200g in my stash—only one accent color was missing—and since I couldn’t decide on a “perfect” color online, I just ordered two different skeins... 
So, 400g from my stash, plus 100g that snuck in and immediately hopped onto the needles, and 100g that made its way back into the stash....
There’s actually less in my closet now 👍

I haven’t bought anything in a long time, and my stash has never been that huge to begin with. I’m noticing it now—it’s visibly shrinking.
I’m eyeing a soul warmer, but for that I’d have to buy something really cozy and soft....

I’m thinking about buying either washable leather or faux leather, because I found a great bag pattern.

Best regards, Inge

Yes, that’s how we all get carried away with our planned creative projects—and, of course, we research beforehand what materials are suitable. It takes time before you decide to make a purchase.

I need to buy two 100-gram skeins of an expensive cognac-colored yarn that I need to finish a cardigan. I’d traded for this yarn (700 grams) years ago at a swap meet and was really happy about it. It’s made of 78% virgin merino wool, 12% cashmere, and 10% polyamide, and it’s very soft and lovely. Luckily, they still carry this yarn—otherwise, I’d be in a real bind. My friend is getting the cardigan for Christmas.

Best regards, Ina

I just did a little inventory of my fabrics and cleared out one of the fabric boxes, and lo and behold, I don't need to buy any fabric for my bag, because there was exactly the kind of thing I wanted in there :-). I knew I must still have some matching fabric lying around somewhere, but where??? I have 6 boxes of fabric in my sewing room, so it's easy to lose track ;-) :-)
Then I checked what I actually have in machine embroidery thread, so I won't have to buy any for the next 10 years, that's for sure. Maybe I'll need to restock one color or another that I use a lot, but otherwise I have more than I can probably use up in my *remaining time* ;-) 

Best, Inge

Oh, Inge, “remaining time”—what a word for the exciting life that still lies ahead of you. But it shows your Franconian sense of humor, with which you view everything.

I’m glad you found what you were looking for and, thanks to the new project—which is already finished—were able to rummage through your fabrics. You always discover treasures there. I’m still in the “collecting phase” for my treasures. Never the right yarn, never the right color to match the fabrics I have.

You won’t believe what happened to me. I’m knitting a cardigan for my friend, and since the skeins are so big, I thought they were 100-gram skeins. But no such luck. Only 50 grams. That also explains why the 7 skeins I got from the swap weren’t enough. They actually should have been enough if they’d been 100-gram skeins.

So now I had to buy 4 more skeins, which is pretty expensive when you consider that one 50-gram skein costs 7 euros. If I’d known that beforehand, I wouldn’t have wanted to knit a cardigan out of it. But now it is what it is. At least my friend won’t be cold in it.

Love, Ina