Lots of yarn for LITTLE money

[sarna]

I just wanted to pass along a bit of luck that has fallen upon me!

 

My mother is a "thrift store junky", I mean this in the most loving way, she started grabbing up bags of yarn, any kind she would see for $2.00 or less! She has no idea what a saving she was really getting unitl she was with me on a trip to purchase yarn for a FLAG AFGHAN for a fundraiser for St. Judes. Of course it came to about $20.00, which you and I know to be average. Well from that day one she buys up alot of yarn at Goodwill, Salvation Army, Savers.....you name it. I am talking about kitchen garbage bag size of most often new skiens, sometimes partial skeins, but most often I am on a charity binge and I use these bits and pieces to make CAPS for the Capital, or hats and mittens for the local shelters.

 

So in reality I am giving back to the community twice! Just a thought to send out, check your local Goodwill, and Salvation Army stores!

 

God Bless,

Sarna

[grrlsmom]

Good idea! I love getting bags of assorted yarn from re-sale shops and garage sales.

[Natasha]

I have bought bags of yarn at the thrift store and it is a lot of fun, but you do have to be careful to inspect and/or wash the yarn before you store it. I've heard some horror stories of moths and other insects being transplanted into the stash.

 

And once I picked up a bag of yarn at the thrift that had two or three dead cockroaches in it. Yuck. Fortunately, I saw the problem before I purchased it.

[Llinn]

Lots of thriftstore yarn is mixed fibers. You can easily determine fiber content with a burn test if you are sensible and cautious and don't set your silly self on fire. (Note: if you are uncoordinated and drop huge globs of molten plastic on your arm it takes about 6 weeks to heal completely, The scars won't be too bad, just kind of shiny still)

Use a pair of needlenose or kitchen tongs and work over the sink so you don't drop molten lava on yourself. Trust me on this one.

 

Cut a 2 or 3 inch piece of yarn. Use a lighter and hold the flame right on it. Wool will flare up and just as quickly self extinguish. It produces a gray to brown ash that goes to powder when pinched. It smells like burning hair. The odor is very easy to recognize.

 

Acrylics will first retreat from the flame, curling and forming a molten bead, then flare and burn violently for a few seconds before dying out. Molten plastic will drop from this, burning flesh and sticking to rugs and other fibers. Don't get cocky. It smells like melted tupperware--you know the time somebody put the tupperware container in the oven just to heat it a little, mom. The end will be a hard plastic bead when cool.

 

Cotton and rayon are a little difficult to tell apart for novices. Cotton, rayon and linen are all bast fibers--plant material. They burn fast, self extinguish--but don't go out all the way. They smolder forever. They leave behind only a powdery grey ash--just like paper. Cotton smells like burning leaves. Rayon smells like burning grass. Linen smells like burning weeds. Not real easy to distinguish off hand, but as long as you know its cellulose you can treat it all pretty much the same.

 

Nylon is often mixed in to yarns for strength and durability. It makes a really crunchy ash that first seems like acrylic, then grinds under finger pressure. Usually it smells like celery or something sweetish.

 

Silk smells like burning pig pucky. Once you smell it you will never mistake it.

feh!!!

 

Any bug infestation can be cured by tobacco sachets. Nicotine, in addition to being horrendously addictive to humans, is unbelievably toxic. I got rid of a carpet beetle infestation with just tobacco and other herbs. Not even cockroaches can stand up to tobacco. Someone brought me a sewing machine to evaluate once and that night I saw a cockroach come out. Just about buried it in tobacco. Never saw another and no babies hatched. Gave me a few days of nerves though.

 

Llinn

[lhasaapsolady]

You have such a sweet mom, I can see where you get your generosity.

[neicy crochets]

I have a mom just like yours...isn't that wonderful??? She calls me daily just to see if I finished anything.

Would love to look through your thrift store bags!!!!

[Kiirs]

Llinn, your post had me

 

Eww, sewing-machine cockroaches!

[Stephanie]

Good job! I'm glad your Mom is able to find lots of good yarn. The local thrifts no longer carry yarn because so much of it arrived either moldy or infested with bugs. No shortage of yarn here though: Lots of garage sales in the warm months and the owner of the yarn is usually right there. I had so much garage sale yarn, I finally had to give it all away to make room for projects made with full-price yarn!

 

Stephanie

[CaliAdria]

I just discovered the "Mixed Lots" yarn section on ebay... even right now there are several decently-sized mixed lots of various yarn that are really cheaply priced! Not nearly as cheap as you're talking at thrift stores, but under $20 for several pounds of yarn, at least.

 

I'm currently bidding on a huge lot of fingering-weight wool yarn; 6 lbs and the current bid is $11.02!

[Calesmommy]

Hey Llinn thanks for the post on how to tell yarn. I'm going to print that I have all kinds of yarn that I have no clue what it is.

That will help

[Stephanie]

Caliadria, that's a good way to get yarn. I used Ebay to get all the rug yarn I needed for 2 projects (I wanted the rayon stuff, not the replacement). I'm trying to get those two kitty rugs done so that I can resell what is left right after Thanksgiving. Buying a couple of 'lots' is a great way to get some variety!

 

Stephanie