Question About Buying Yarn

Dear users, dear authors,
I have a question about buying yarn.
If I understand correctly, you always have a basic supply of yarn, but you might buy additional yarn for a specific project if necessary?
However, do you also significantly increase your yarn supply regardless of any specific projects?
How do you handle this?
Let me know.

Dear Josefa,
It’s usually the case that everyone has a basic supply of yarn. That’s how it is for me, too.
For a new project, I’ll buy what I need—sometimes even double the amount if I know I’ll be crocheting that piece again.
When you’re out and about, you often hear a quiet voice calling, “Take me with you, take me with you”… (laughs). A certain type or color catches my eye. For me, that’s when I can hardly resist.
Every now and then, I’ll buy just one skein to experiment with. If I can’t come up with anything useful to do with it, I’ll simply crochet around a tin can. I already have quite a few of those—in various sizes—sitting on my shelf. You can always “hide” or store something in them.

Best regards, Marlies

A “basic supply” is kind of funny :-) I’m in a very similar situation to Marlies. The problem is that you can find yarn not just in specialty yarn shops, but almost everywhere. Supermarkets, drugstores, craft stores, stationery shops, bookstores—I’ve stumbled across yarn in all sorts of places! I’m just glad I live a little out of town and don’t go into town that often—otherwise, it would be disastrous.
Having a stash is a good thing in itself; that way, you always have something on hand when you get the urge to make something.

I usually order my yarn online for very specific projects. But since I tend to order a little extra just to be safe, I always end up with some leftovers. I then use those for a new project—one for which my existing yarn isn’t quite enough, of course—so I order a little more to add to it, and so on. That’s how my yarn stash keeps growing.

Oh dear… there’s always that yarn that just jumps into the shopping cart and wants to come home with me ☺. Since I mostly make figures, I finally decided on one type of yarn. That was the easy part. Then came the question of which colors. There are almost 90 of them. Luckily, an acquaintance was just having a clearance sale, and I was able to buy a wide variety of shades. By now, I have over half the colors at home, and of course, the most important one is always missing. On top of that, there are a few special effect yarns, etc.
Even though I use a lot, according to my family I still have too much at home.
I’ve decided to crochet up some of it and free up some space on the shelf… the next delivery is coming soon, after all.

So I hereby officially confess: As soon as a gap appears on the yarn shelf, I get restless. 

I usually order Bobbel yarn because I like a particular color combination.
Sometimes, as I’m doing that, I can picture in my mind’s eye what I want to make with it.
If there isn’t a suitable color gradient available, I have it custom-blended to my specifications.

Then again, the yarn sits on the shelf for months without me having even the tiniest idea what to do with it.
Or I get so caught up in other projects that I don’t get around to making the item I’d planned some time ago from a particular skein.

What has completely fallen by the wayside, however, are *nimmmichmitwolle* purchases.

Hey there!

I have a very large stash of different kinds of yarn at home.
You need different yarns for different projects—thick, cozy yarn for winter accessories, bamboo and similar lightweight yarns for summer, Catania cotton for little figurines in my case, and something else again for doll clothes... yeah, it really adds up—I always keep a good supply on hand.
And then there’s that pesky “jumping yarn” I mentioned earlier—the kind that just jumps into your cart at the store, clings on tight, and won’t let go until you’re standing at the checkout line (don’t even try to put it back instead of placing it on the conveyor belt… the yarn will scream its head off ;) ).
And there are major yarn dangers lurking online, too…
So I have a lot more yarn than I actually “need”… but yarn comes from “wanting” and not from “needing” *laughs*

And sometimes—really, just sometimes—I have an idea and buy the right yarn specifically for it. But most of the time, I already have the right yarn for my ideas, or I see some yarn and that’s when the idea hits me.

Best wishes

Hi ladies,
It all sounds very funny, the way the yarn seduces you into buying it.
That never happens to men..... I could say that now, but that would be a huge mistake. Since yarn is "feminine" and has so many qualities of a beautiful woman that a man could wish for (delicate, soft, cuddly, snuggly), I have completely fallen for it and can only rarely resist its seductive powers. And "a man" never knows what ideas might come to him, and it would be disastrous if the right yarn were not waiting in the cupboard. Of course, it also happens that I buy wool or yarn specifically for a certain project, but that is already the exception. For me it’s more like... see it - like it - buy it, even if I don’t have a concrete plan yet, or I see it, have an idea, buy it, and since I always have something on the needles, the idea ends up in the cupboard, where it sometimes has to wait a long time.... because one thing is supposed to be finished first, then something else comes up that is more important at the moment, then there’s no time, or the idea is forgotten - the yarn stays and the cupboard fills up. But that’s a good thing.... because nothing would be worse than finishing a project and not being able to start the next idea already lurking in your head right away because the yarn isn’t there.
And I have a very large cupboard :-)

Best, Andy

Yarn festivals are the absolute worst, with all those wonderful hand-dyed skeins. Luckily, you can usually only pay in cash there, so I can only spend what I have on me ;-) And those terrible deals on loveknitting. Ugh... Will I ever knit up everything that’s lurking in various closets and boxes here? I dare to doubt it, hehe...

HI, there are certain yarns and colors you always need—for example, a skin-tone shade for dolls, or your favorite colors in general for amigurumi.

And for certain ideas, you might need a different color or type of yarn, so you go shopping again :)

Or you might happen to see a yarn on sale that catches your eye, and you just have to grab it. That’s how your stash at home grows almost automatically.

I have a huge stash of yarn in the attic. It just builds up over time. It’s also handy—if you want to try something out quickly, you’re not held back.
But when I want to make a specific project for someone, I don’t even need to look there, because that one particular yarn definitely won’t be in there.
And then the shopping begins.
So when I go to the store, I always find something in the clearance bin that screams, “Take me home!” Or I see a color on the shelf and think to myself, “That’s exactly the color my mom\/son\/sister loves so much.” Those always end up coming home with me.
It’s even worse online. There, I don’t actually see the amount of yarn right in front of me at first glance. And clicking is so fast. And then there’s always the fact that if you spend a certain amount, you don’t pay shipping—that’s really the best excuse to buy a few more skeins.
And my yarn stash in the attic keeps growing instead of shrinking.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to use it all up. But I don’t worry about that. Because everyone in my circle of friends and family knows that I always have yarn “lying around” and that I always have some to give away when someone’s in need of yarn.

Dear Josefa, ladies and gents. ;-)

Somehow I can relate to all your posts. Since I usually have 3 projects on the go and generally order the yarn online, I already know it’s going to be a huge package. Of course that saves on shipping costs - that goes without saying.

I’ve already bought two small cabinets to store it all. And you know what? It’s such a gooood feeling knowing I have enough in stock. Of course, in different qualities - both cotton and wool.

As soon as one compartment starts to empty, I’m delighted, because then there’s room for something new.

When shopping online, the temptation to order other colours as well is just too great. And when the package arrives, it’s like Christmas, my birthday and Easter all in one day for me. Wonderful! :-)

I’m simply in love with yarn ... and luckily, this addiction isn’t harmful. :-)

Hot greetings
Monika

@Flima - Andy,

finally, a man's answer ;-)

I’m going to have my husband read this tomorrow—maybe then he’ll stop teasing me about my “yarn addiction” and all that ;-)

Best, Sabine

Well, I have a very large stash at home. First, for my amigurumi, a whole cabinet full of Catania in every color; then I wind my gradient cakes myself, so I have all the colors on cones as well. For the winter patterns, I stock up from different sellers in the summer, because that’s when you can find really great bargains. There’s nothing I hate more than having an idea and not having the right material on hand. So I do it like the hamsters, so that doesn’t happen to me anymore.
My motto: In the worst case, I might starve, but I’ll never freeze to death^^

Best regards

Hi there,
I have a yarn shop, partly because the closet at home got too small for my yarn stash and I just couldn’t walk past a yarn shop anymore!
Every time new yarns come in, it gets very "dangerous" for me, because just touching them sparks new project ideas, even though I’m usually knitting/crocheting several things at once anyway. Then I set some aside for the next gift for..., a display piece for the shop window, and for the next pattern... Well, etc. Good thing I have a small storage area in the shop ;-)
Best regards
Traudelina

Hi everyone, I have a pretty large basic stash because, in addition to my own yarn, I’ve received a lot of yarn as gifts or inherited it over the past few years. — I only buy new yarn very rarely (even though I often get the urge to), because I want—or rather, need—to work through my stash a bit first.
My boys love to use the leftover yarn or individual balls for crafts, and the occasional ball has even made its way to school.
Best wishes, Sylvia

Actually, I wanted to buy “gray” today...
But: besides the usual Carina (125/50), I also picked up some Cotton 8 (170/50) today.
It’s new in the store. I bought both types today for €1.69. That’s not too bad, right?

And this is what “buying gray” looks like:

I generally try to rein myself in.
I always tell myself, “Starting now, I’ll use up the yarn I already have before buying any new yarn…” Just like Sylvia described.

Yeah, yeah, yeah… and how well that works out…

The other day, I wanted to try out some new yarn—and it was really cheap online, too. Well, in the end, I ended up with a whole box because I couldn’t decide on the color. Of course, you need several skeins of it right away.
And that’s how it goes all the time. I have boxes and boxes of yarn in stock.
I’m sure I’ll never use it all up…

Today I was very brave and walked past the yarn store without even flinching.

@iglinz,

You were really brave there ;-)

I haven’t been to the yarn shop in a long time!
That has a specific reason: my daughter is in vocational school ;-) and since I don’t pick her up at lunchtime when the weather’s bad, I don’t get there at all.
She has her apprenticeship at the shop next door, and I sometimes pass the time while waiting by buying yarn ;-))

At first, my family told me I should please use up the yarn in the laundry room first. What yarn? I don’t even have any of that anymore.... It found its way to the kindergarten for crafts, since it was acrylic yarn. They’ll have enough yarn for the next 10 years^^, and I can go shopping again ;-)

Am I understanding this correctly—do your yarn purchases have anything to do with the weather? For me, it doesn’t matter at all—sunshine or rain, I don’t care—as long as it’s yarn :-)

Only when it’s about the local shop nearby..... otherwise, a lot gets shopped online ;-) But you should support the small local businesses too, and that usually happens shortly before noon ;-) Then the cash register gets another nice little boost right before lunch break — after all, it should get something in its belly at lunchtime too ;-)