How do you afford crocheting?

[Ladybrinx]

I've just gotten back into Crocheting after a LONG break from it, and I'm wondering, are there deals that I'm missing? is there a better place to buy yarn than the local craft store? How do y'all afford to buy enough yarn for any given project? If you know of great deals on yarn, please let me in on your secret

[Peggy85225]

Our Michael's is clearing out some colors of Red Heart skeins now for $1.39. Aside from clearance and sales I basically wait and use coupons for the Caron Pounders. Michael's has a 50% off coupon online right now and their Pounders aren't on sale so I got one today along with some of the clearance yarn. Good luck. It's not an inexpensive hobby but cheaper then therapy.

[angelsmith52]

I work with Red heart usually and I buy it at wal-mart. I pick it up at yard sales, friends give it to me, but very seldom do I ever use a coupon.

[RoseRed]

Joanns.com when they have 30% of yarn and free shipping.

[Bailey4]

Sales, coupons, free shipping deals are my main method.

 

I also hit up Church sales. I find yarn deals when people are selling off old yarn. I don't by much now because I am working VERY hard to clean out my stash, but that is how I got to having a stash.

[FrLopLady]

you can sign up at Joann's and Michaels for weekly sales fliers and usually there are coupons for the 40% off an item. Sometimes there are coupons for 10 or 15% entire purchase (this weekend 10% at Joann's).

 

I'm a yarnaholic though and it doesn't seem to matter...

[Tampa Doll]

you can sign up at Joann's and Michaels for weekly sales fliers and usually there are coupons for the 40% off an item. Sometimes there are coupons for 10 or 15% entire purchase (this weekend 10% at Joann's).

 

QUOTE]

 

You can do the same thing with Hobby Lobby. I usually look for sales and coupons. Sometimes, I say the heck with it and just buy some yarn. When I do buy for a project, I usually buy extra just in cast, then I have a hank or two around.

[smokeyp81]

I get a lot of mine at yard sales and estate auctions. Check Craigslist and Freecycle. Use coupons.

[prettywoman030981]

I just buy. Terrible, I know. I'll buy a skein here, a skein there. I keep an eye out for sales, especially on cotton. I sell some stuff and take the money I make to buy more yarn.

[mattenylou]

Confession, I used to be a yarn snob.... yup, I thought nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on yarn to make sweaters and afghans. Along the way, I divorced, had bills to pay and a house and child to support, taking the wind out of my sails, for sure.

 

I could no longer support my yarn habit, I missed the quite contemplation time I had when knitting and crocheting. I missed that feeling of accomplishment when a project was finished, too. This was in the 70's, that old acrylic yarn was scratchy and I wasn't happy using it for much, other than slippers. I made slippers and macrame plant holders for everyone, it seemed.

 

I collected old sheets and clothing for a time, tearing them in strips to make crocheted rugs. They are fun to make and are almost free... and they last for years! I make rugs from yarn, too. It's a great way to use up those odds and ends that accumulate with our hobby. Use one strand of a same color throughout, along with with 2 or 3 strands of odds and ends, this makes a nice thick scatter rug, I have some about 20 years old and still being used, I love them. After a run thru the washer and dryer, they come out like brand new.

 

Years ago, I found some doily patterns in a stack of old Workbasket magazines I had and decided to give them a try. For just a couple of dollars I could buy a big ball of crochet thread, nicely fitting into my non-budget back then. Surprisingly, I loved making them! With 1000 yards of thread I was all set for weeks of crocheting evenings. I became a "threadie"!!

 

Fast forward--- Thank goodness the yarns have improved, there are some wonderful inexpensive ones available, and affordable. Use the coupons from the stores' websites. Check on craigslist, I've found folks that are destashing. Pass the word that you are looking for yarn, almost everyone has a bag tucked away in a closet they would love to see being used, especially if you do charity projects.

 

And try making something from thread! For less than $5, you can get a steel hook and ball of thread that will give you hours or weeks of crocheting. There's free patterns on Ravelry and Crochetpatterncentral.

 

Good luck!

[Ladybrinx]

I guess I just need to keep moving, I didn't realize that so many people use the Red Heart acrylic, all the online articles and all the magazines make it sound so awful. Yes I remember the 70's when the acrylic was not nice at all, but now it's so much softer. It seems like all the patterns I love though use natural fibers, or natural mixes, recycled cotton..etc..($$$$) so I don't always know what to substitute and make it work. It just takes time. I do get JoAnn's and Michael's emails and sales ads, I just didn't know if there was someplace better/cheaper. Thanks!

[PBLKNP]

Once you're on the mailing lists for different stores, you'll get lots of notifications about sales!

 

There are several ways around a yarn budget--I don't have tons of money for yarn, either! Lately, I've been knitting and crocheting mainly from my stash (except for the CAL, of course, but I managed to get that on sale). Most of my stash is single balls, so I like to do "scrap" type projects. I've managed to make some cool, original sweaters this way.

 

Another ploy is to buy yarn, but craft for presents. That way, you get to play with yarn, but it's going to a person (as opposed to the lame present you were going to give them). The CAL I'm doing is going to be a present for someone.

 

Your LYS often will have sales, too.

[Nira]

I've gotten quite a bit of Craigslist and there is always freecycle too. I've seen whole stashes for 20$. Wish I had snagged that deal

[magiccrochetfan]

It seems like all the patterns I love though use natural fibers, or natural mixes, recycled cotton..etc..($$$$) so I don't always know what to substitute and make it work.

 

for substitution ideas, you can go on Ravelry and look up the pattern and then look at people's projects to see what yarns they have used. A lot of people will add notes on how well they felt the yarn worked etc. and you can see the photos so get an idea of how it looks. Same thing with projects people post here, you can search the name of the pattern and see if there are any in show and tell, or questions about the pattern which might include the yarn. You could also post and ask for specific sub ideas.

 

I personally have found that for garments, I do not get the desired look and feel with acrylics. Natural fibers respond so well to blocking and this makes the piece look so much more finished, and look like the pattern photo--which of course is what attracted me to the pattern in the first place. Acrylic will respond a little bit to blocking but not nearly as much as natural fibers.

 

If you get on the emailing lists for your Local Yarn Shops (LYS) you can see when they have sales. An LYS is the best place to see and feel natural fiber yarns.

 

If you want to look online, Webs (yarn.com) has a line of Valley Yarns that are lower-priced, and they also have good sales on other yarns. Knitpicks.com is a popular choice for lower priced natural fiber yarns.

[Martha Z]

When I first started to crochet I bought a lot of yarn on eBay. I also look for clearance sales.

[Bailey4]

It depends on what you crochet as well. I don't make much in the way of human clothes, but the dolls don't seem to mind the acrylic and it looks fine. I've seen some ami patterns that use the more expensive worsted, but have never really had a problem using Caron One Pounders, Bernat Super, or Red Heart SS as substitutes and it saves a significant amount of $$. The designers may prefer a more expensive brand when they are working on the toys, but it doesn't always add a significant difference. In fact on a few occasions I have had scraps or picked up some of the more expensive yarns at Church sales and have not always had better outcomes with my toys.

 

Recently I bought more expensive yarn for an afghan project and was not as pleased with the outcome as I had hoped. Cost does not always = quality.

[LI Roe]

Our Michael's is clearing out some colors of Red Heart skeins now for $1.39. Aside from clearance and sales I basically wait and use coupons for the Caron Pounders. Michael's has a 50% off coupon online right now and their Pounders aren't on sale so I got one today along with some of the clearance yarn. Good luck. It's not an inexpensive hobby but cheaper then therapy.

 

 

Two of the Michaels near me have had it for 89 cents as well as $1.34. I picked up whatever they had. There were even a couple of non super saver for 29 cents a skein so they jumped into my basket too.

 

I buy when I have coupons, when it is on sale and on clearance also. I also check garage sales, discount stores, dollar stores. You never know where you will find yarn. As a retiree, I am on that "fixed income" so I make sure I get the most I can for the least amount of money.

 

Part of the fun is the hunt for great prices.

 

LI Roe

[bigfunfam]

I usually use only the inexpensive yarns (Redheart supersaver, Caron one pound). I have 7 children and spending a fortune on fancy yarn is just not gonna happen, lol. I usually buy only a few skeins at a time for whatever project I am doing. And I usually end up with a bit left over. So my stash has built up slowly over time and I don't have skeins of matching yarn. For savings I watch for sales, Michael's just had the best sale a few weeks ago and I spent $20-$30 but came a away with a cart full. That is more than I normally spend at once but it was a sale. I try to buy just a skein at a time at Michael's or Joann's with a 40% off coupon. This only works if you don't have to worry about a dye lot though.

[~Kel~]

I use a lot of Red Heart and Caron Simply soft, I also shop at Goodwill for yarn and for sweaters to unravel, and my MIL feeds my habit too, she picks up yarn at Goodwill and gives it to me lol

[Bailey4]

It helps if family members are willing to give gifts to feed your habit as well. My MIL is always giving me a gift card to Michaels for Christmas/Birthdays.:lol

[spiritwalker]

I crochet mostly for charities, and much of the yarn I use is donated. Some

comes from people who do not want to use small amounts and are given to

me. If I purchase yarn for a gift I watch the online sales and for free shipping. If you sign up for their e-mail notification of sales you will know

in advance. I am registered at about 10 different sites.

[tnkycrochetnut]

In the past I have bought yarn at flea markets, yard sales, thrift stores, and church rummage sales. Also I have found yarn at Big Lots and several years back (probably quite a few years ago - don't remember for sure) at a store called LA Joe's. LA Joe's carried bags of mill end yarn at a reasonable price. And if I remember correctly the bags were 16 ounces each. When I first moved to Tennessee we had a store called Hill's that had yarn at good prices. Also I live near a Michael's, Joann's, Hobby Lobby and a Wal Mart (not a super center one). I have also ordered from Herrschner's and Mary Maxim. But in recent years because I have mobility problems I have been ordering more online especially from Joann's.com. About once a month Joann's will have either all of their yarn on sale (they carry a wide variety of brands) or particular brands. Most of the time for a minimum purchase you can get free shipping. That is my downfall when they say free shipping. At the end of January Joann's had their yarn 30% percent and "no minimum" purchase. Since I only needed a few skeins (I bought 12 skeins total) I ordered. I look at the shipping costs as the cost of putting gas in the car to go buy yarn, the cost of car insurance for that particular shopping trip, and the cost of my time to go find the yarn I want. So when they offer "free shipping" its just too hard to resist.

[Ladybrinx]

LOL I'm often sucked in by free shipping as well...it's one of my biggest downfalls for anything online I forget that Walmart has yarn, I'm surrounded by all the big stores, I have 2 JoAnn's and 2 Michaels within 10 miles of my house in different directions, there are 3 Walmarts(one super), 3 Meijer's(Midwest Grocer/Dept store), and I don't even know if there are specific yarn stores, but there must be, I just don't know where to find them. Thanks for all the ideas, I never thought of Craigslist or freecycle. Gotta check into that.

[imanurse55]

AC Moore has bags of "mill ends" 16 oz- and you can use their coupon so a lb of yarn costs about 3.50 with the 50% off coupon. I've bought them and have never had a problem with any of them

[magiccrochetfan]

I don't even know if there are specific yarn stores, but there must be, I just don't know where to find them.

 

Knitmap.com is a site where you can search for yarn stores in any area of the US, also some international locations i think.