Oh dear....you know you're a true crocheter when...

[morrigan1974]

I cannot believe I just did this. I looked at a Lion Brand afghan pattern, glanced at the cost of the yarn (around $35, it was Homespun) and thought to myself, "Gosh, that's not too bad of a price." WHAT?!?! Miss Cheap thought that?!?! I think I've finally lost it. Really. Seriously. But, I'm ordering Bernat Super Value today for my friend's flannel-ghan and that will run around $30 by the time I factor in the shipping, sooooo....I guess my mind has become accustomed to the higher prices, dadgumit! I suppose seeing the milk for $3.89 for the generic brand has reconciled me to being "poor white trash" for the rest of my life!!

[shuttlebuggy]

I know Heather it does make ya mad doesn't it I have tried now to take advantage of all the coupon specials, clearances and shopping at the dollar stores to try and beat it but still there is always that one or two patterns that cry out for the yarn that's full priced:yarn

[adagio]

To me, it is a matter of perspective.

I spent $18 on yarn for a prayer shawl [4 skeins LB Homespun at Walmart]. I started to think that was a lot, but when I compared it to what I would have paid for flowers, it seemed downright reasonable. And infinitely more sensible.

My son saw an afghan pattern he liked. It requires about 20 skeins of LB Cotton-ease. Nearly $100 of yarn for the afghan. I almost bought the yarn at Michael's not too long ago when they had a sale, but it still would have run me $80.

Comparatively, the $30 I've been spending on my church groups charity projects seem downright thrifty.

 

Now, about 10-12 years ago, I quit crocheting. dropped the magazines, didn't buy any books. Now I'm on a binge at ebay trying to buy everything I've missed over the last dozen years! LOL! God grant me the serenity....

 

Ruth

[01buckler15]

I got four skins of the Moda Dea Dream, for a shawl for my MIL. The bin said it was on sale for 4.95 each. I thought that was a bit much to pay for yarn. But like adagio said, That a lot less than I would spend on buying something else! When I went to pay, it rang up as 1.95 each! I couldn't have been more happy.

 

Now I look at the price of the yarn as compared to the cost of buying a similar item. That way it doesn't seem so expensive!

[laughlovehook]

I agree, for the longest time I just put up with the over priced yarns. But then I got my wholesale account to sell yarns and I see just how much PROFIT the stores make. It's crazy. What's even worse is that a gallon of milk is as pricey as a 'good' skein of yarn. $3.49 for skim, $3.79 for 2% and more I'm sure for whole milk.

[morrigan1974]

Oh don't get me started on milk!! LOL And I want to know why skim and 1% is cheaper when they require more work to get the milkfats out of them!! LOL

 

The only problem is, I started making gifts because I couldn't afford to buy them. Now, it's getting to the point where I can't afford to make them either!! *sigh* Ah well.

 

You know...that wholesale thing might be worth looking into. We don't have an LYS within 50 miles anymore, other than Wal-Mart and that doesn't count. There is an empty business about 4 blocks from here...hmmmmm.......LOL

[Cotton Candee]

I think they have lower prices for 2% and 1% because they can make money on the fat they take out? :mcow

 

I am ranting here so you might just want to skip this! LOL

I went into a little local yarn store today because she stocks Profi Addi hooks. I broke 2 of mine and wanted to replace them. Her and her store promotes knitting in a VERY big way. She conducts seminars, CALs, classes, specials on knitting kits... you get my drift. When I was trying to explain that some of us were getting to gether to do a "painted doily" CAL and I was there to pick up some new hooks for the project, she dismissed what I said how a painted doily was done and said that knitters change colors all the time by dropping one color and picking up another then looked at me as if I were crazy. Stated that if say an Apple were in the middle of the pattern, then they would just change to a red, then after the apple stitches, change back to the original color! I once again tried to explain how a crocheted painted doily would work and she just shook her head and walked away... I didn't know if I wanted to shake her and explain a 3rd time... or pop her little bubble that her superior attitude of knitting over crocheting was absurb and that doesn't help bring in customers. Heck, I told her I was looking for a size 7 crochet hook for thread and she hands me a size G hook. I told her I needed the 7 in a thread size as in the steel hooks. She tells me it says on the hook package size 7. I explain to her that hooks have 2 size 7s and I need the one for thread that is around 1.5 mm -1.6 mm and she doesn't have any in the Profi Addi hooks but thank you anyway. She then starts to tell me that she has 7s in steel hooks. I tell her due to the small shank size I wanted the Addi hooks like the ones I bought from her earlier in the year. She shakes her head at me again and says she doesn't have any but I know she still didn't know what I was talking about! I am sooooo tempted to take my inferior crocheted doily to her store to show her just what I was talking about too!

 

 

Anyway, her store had all the exotic yarns one could ever hope to find. For your 1st born you can make a scarf out of a lovely yarn that is neither washable or dryable! I couldn't believe it was $38.00 a skein! It was pretty, I will admit that but it should reproduce then jump up and down and entertain me while it crochets itself for that price! Then one of the regulars was showing me the different yarns and explains it to me this way... you buy a skein a payday and put it up till you retire. :grandma Then you have nice yarn to use since you won't be able to afford it then! Honest that is what is said and is what she is doing because she did just pick up one skein and buy just it!

 

So, I buy my sock yarn that was actually baby yarn that was washable and dryable at the much lower price of $5.50 each and leave without a hook since she didn't reorder them from 6 months ago when I bought the last one. I get in the car and realize that I was duped! I just bought 4 skeins of yarn for socks and spent $25. It seemed such a deal compared to the other yarns! That was my day at a local yarn store that I frankly don't care if it does go out of business after that!

[shelly_bean]

oh yup.. dd wants strawberry shortcake dolls, to make all the dolls the yarn will cost 40.00 and i thought wow not too bad. i must be going nuts.