Knitting on a budget - How to save money and still use nice yarn
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
- How to knit and make it cheap! Knitting is often seen as an expensive hobby/skill but it doesn't have to be! Here's fourteen ways to save money on your knitting (these tips also include how to crochet on a budget). Knitting skills are more important than expensive gadgets and notions
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Time stamps:
00:00 Intro
00:57 Free patterns
03:00 Knitting books
03:56 Free vintage knitting patterns
05:06 Free knitting patterns facebook group
05:30 Re-use knitting patterns
05:57 Cheap yarn
06:33 Use thin yarn
06:51 Substitute your yarn
09:16 Knitting notions you don't need
11:20 Yarn substitutes for expensive skeins
12:00 Knitting tools as presents
12:31 General chat about the cost of knitting
12:55 Repurpose old yarn/charity shops
14:34 Wrap up
16:35 eBay!
Some MORE things I forgot (lol):
+ Follow knitting designers you like on social media and join their mailing lists for updates on sales/voucher codes
+ You don't have to use a project bag: Carrier bag, food bag, handbag will do. Anything that's a bag you already have!
+ Scrap yarn projects will keep you from buying new yarn, the bigger the scrap project (for example a blanket) the longer it'll last until you can afford new yarn
Yarn substitute website: yarnsub.com/
Free knitting & crochet patterns
+ All free knitting: www.allfreeknitting.com/
+ Vintage Knitting Patterns: vintageknittingpatternarchive...
+ Lovecrafts: www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/l/kn...
+ Hobbi: hobbii.co.uk/product-patterns...
+ We Are Knitters (WAK): www.weareknitters.com/patterns
+ Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/
+ Yarnspirations (forgot to mention): www.yarnspirations.com/row-en...
+ Ravelry free patterns facebook group: / ravelryfreeknitting
Books
+ The Works: www.theworks.co.uk/c/art-and-...
Yarn
+ West Yorksire Spinners Signature 4 Ply (sock yarn): www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/yarn/...
+ Cygnet Truly Wool Rich 4ply (sock yarn): lincolnwoolpack.co.uk/product...
+ Yorkshire Trading Co: www.yorkshiretrading.com/prod...
+ Stylecraft Special DK: www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/yarn/...
Stitch markers
+ Lightbulb stitch markers: shorturl.at/fgsCM
Paid pattern: Sophie Scarf by PetiteKnit: www.ravelry.com/patterns/libr...
+ / naomisneedles
+ / naomisneedles
This is a topic that needs to be expanded
Definitely. While I was editing I realised I’d missed loads more information!
Pass the message around at work. Often old relatives would appreciate giving their stash to someone who could use it. It is just too much to pay anything about $50 then have to still put the work into it!!!!!!! Happy needlecraft. Joh
Love love love this. I totally feel the pressure to always upgrade but this reminded me that that’s really not necessary!
Thank you! 🧶
Thank you Thank you Thank you! I’m amazed that I never hear anyone talk about now much a ball of yarn or a finished product has cost on all the videos I have watched. I live in Melbourne Australia and was brought up with a mother that knitted but sadly she has passed away and I have so many questions I wish I could ask her now. We always talked about yarn in Ply’s
Just a tip, if you take an acrylic skein and unravel it, you get a two ply fingering weight and basically doubled your skein. So you can get two skeins of yarn from one. Just put it in a plastic bag, tie a rubber band around it, and let gravity untwist it. Cake it using a ball winder, label it, and enjoy.
Another great tip is having friends who also knit or crochet! Having a yarn swap...someone might have bought a yarn that perhaps the color wasn't what they were expecting when they ordered it, or found that it didn't work for the intended project after all...maybe you have some yarn that you can't see yourself using as well...why not trade? Plus it's a fun way to socialize with other yarny folks :)
Just found and subscribed to you🥰. Thank you for a down to earth video. Everything is getting expensive at the moment so it's so refreshing to hear you talk about not needing expensive yarn and notions.🥰 Happy Kintting
I just brought stylecraft special DK £2.19 ( acrylic) and asked my hubby to compare a swatch of it against Cascade 220 Superwash £8.99 (wool) and he choose Stylecraft .... he genuinely thought it was the more expensive one so happy days, he is getting a lap blanket - for summer !!! 😄
Forgot to mention you tube 🤣
TY for your tips xxx
Some great suggestions Naomi for keeping costs down and they can for many appear 'astronomical'. It is no secret we live in a world infused with marketing designed to 'separate' us from any money we may have. Obviously there are some amazing and beautiful yarns available in the contemporary world and altho I am not exactly 'poor' I could never bring myself to pay the sometimes hundreds of Aussie dollars required - or 'stipulated' for many garments. I am also aghast when I see costs leap up if ultra expensive mohair and other elite fibres are suggested to be held 'double' for many knits which then multiply the costs greatly !! I do many of the things you suggest - charity shops, free patterns, and re-using yarns but sometimes I also buy new and slightly 'pricey' (in my lexicon at least) yarns when I decide to.However I limit this behaviour and counterbalance it all the cost saving ways i can when I can. It need not be 'all or nothing' but common sense should prevail and most knitters have THAT I am sure being such a smart bunch and all . Thanks for this helpful Pod !!
Libraries are (almost) gold mines, and cheap yarn is what I go for.
Very good advice - can I add that charity shops have needles & hooks - usually behind counter & you need to ask because 'sharps' - you can buy them singly often between 50p & a £
Great advice, thank you!
One thing you did not mention ……. No one needs a ball winder. Winding by hand is fine. Likewise a swift for holding skeins. If you don’t have a friendly pal to hold the yarn while you wind it up from a skein, put it over the back of a dining chair and off you go.
Yeah! Realised I realised I forgot about 6 things when I was editing this video 😆 I’ve always wound by hand, takes time but it’s oddly satisfying
So glad I came across this today I will definitely be trying yarnsub thank you x
Love your video! I’ve been knitting for 55 years and agree with you 100%!! 🧶🧶🧶 Happy Knitting from the USA!
Thank you!! ☺️🧶
Love love love my local public library
I'm sure that charity shop knitting could bring that cheap starter kit knitting down even cheaper!
I often get yarn at £1 a ball, or £2.50 for multiple balls in a freezer bag . . . And needles at 50p a pair.
Get started for a fiver!
(I have been knitting for decades and still love surprise yarns from charity shops . . . They inspire me as l look at them and wonder what they would like to be . . . )
thank you for making this video. i've been renentering the hobby.
Hopefully you found it helpful 😊 welcome back to the knitting world!
Thank you so much I am always buying yarn, I am like a child in a sweetshop
Same, hehehe 🙊
You're channel is very refreshing. Lots of great info and things to consider!
Thank you so so much! ☺️!
I love this video! SOOOOO much information. I’m going to go look up each site you mentioned. So well presented. Thank you!
Thank you!! ☺️
Love you and your frugal sharing.
I consider myself a 'yarn rescuer', I pair my hunt with prayer and am amazed at the lovely yarns God has blessed me with.
Subscribed and hit the bell.
Cheers from Connecticut ❤️
Kimmie
Used book stores and antique stores are both great way to get pattern books, including vintage.
Liked your content very much. So practical and useful suggestions. Thank you. Looking forward to more .
Thank you ☺️!
Hello,
My local yarn store often reduces the price of last skeins of wool, so mostly enough to make childs garments or shawls on a budget. On top you get the pattern free, when you buy yarn.
Oh that’s a good shout! Thank you 😁
Discovered your channel and on the perfect video too. I’ve always been a bit overwhelmed with the prices of yarn so this is perfect. Thank you xxx
You are absolutely brilliant talking about the cheaper yarns and free patterns ,what a lot I have taken on since seeing your podcast sooooo blooming interesting xx
Thank you so much! ☺️
Very small elastics used for hair or braces are available in $ stores and work well as stitch markers
Oooo, great idea!
A lot of the resources you mentioned was how I started out. I have learned a few more 😀. I saved up for my interchangeable needles once I knew I would stick to this hobby. I have had my set for over 10 years and I don't ever think I will upgrade unless it is from a gift or giveaway. I used to check out knitting books at my local library to learn and find patterns. Also, it took a bit for me to be comfortable to just ask for gift cards as gifts from family and friends because I try to keep my stash small and I have allergies to some fibers.
Hi Naomi ❣ You're much needed in this yarn- field of expensive yarns, a truly fresh wind in the air. Thank you.🦋💐🦋🙏🙋🏼♀️
Oh wow, thank you 💙
thank you for making things easier and not feeling guilty because Im on a fixed income and have 14 grand children to knit and crochet for
You’re welcome 🙂 oh wow! Lots of cheap yarn needed then 😁
Links in description. Time stamps:
00:00 Intro
00:57 Free patterns
03:00 Knitting books
03:56 Free vintage knitting patterns
05:06 Free knitting patterns facebook group
05:30 Re-use knitting patterns
05:57 Cheap yarn
06:33 Use thin yarn
06:51 Substitute your yarn
09:16 Knitting notions you don't need
11:20 Yarn substitutes for expensive skeins
12:00 Knitting tools as presents
12:31 General chat about the cost of knitting
12:55 Repurpose old yarn/charity shops
14:34 Wrap up
16:35 eBay!
I found a tutorial on how to frog old sweaters (like ones that were bought at a store or a second-hand store) on youtube and it's actually so fun to recycle yarn from old sweaters! Go for sweaters that are smaller sized or more worn tho, so more people can find good sweaters
Hi Naomi, thank you for sharing. I'm a seasoned knitter , many moons, and taught myself to crochet during lock down using TH-cam , I've made blankets and Amigurumi toys 😊 . I enjoyed your channel and given a thumbs-up and subscribed, 👍
Awesome!
Thank you! ☺️👍🏻
Very wise....thank you for this video. Knitting is a great hobby, it uses your brain in so many ways....it rewards are endless....
I usually make my own patterns. It helps me to save a lot of money.
When I want to buy a specific yarn, I regularly check the site or instagram, so I can buy it when there is a discount. Also, buying yarn in cones sometimes can be cheaper than balls or skeins.
Oh that’s a great idea! 😁
Such outstanding, practical and frugal suggestions! Thank you.
A very important subject, thank you 🧶
Thank you! 🧶
Don't forget The Range too for yarn, I just checked online and some 4 ply balls are £1.09 at the moment! You just popped up on my feed. I learned to knit and crochet when I was a child in the 1960's, I didn't take to knitting but I enjoyed crochet more. I haven't done much over my very long lifetime but I picked up my hook again recently and I'm thrilled to find all the free patterns online. Thank you for all your suggested sites, some I knew about but some I didn't. Good informative video!
I love every word you say, for me it's just a hobby and I want to keep it like this 😅
On patterns I’d also say check your local yarn/wool shop they may have samples patterns on site or if they have a website they might have links to patterns that might have been created locally
Great advice, thank you!
Loving that cardigan! It's Awesome!!
Fabulous thank you so much
Thank you! 😁
What a great thing to tell people , some of the wool is out of reach because it’s to expensive.charity shop books and wool and even needles car boot sales you just have to go out and look.xxxx🐝🐝🐝
Thanks for the ebay suggestion to buy yarn.😊😊
Such a great podcast. Just found you and this was so informative. Thank you so much ❤️
Thank you!! 😁
I appreciate your channel. I stopped watching channels that push expensive yarn’s .
Thank you! Yeah, expensive yarns are being pushed everywhere 🙃
Thanks for the explanation 👍 I love
Thank you 😊👍🏻
A great resource for beautiful free patterns I expression fiber arts when you sign up for the newsletter on Friday there is usually a free patter or 2 that are new and offered free that Friday before going onto sale price
Thank you, glad you like! Thanks for that, I'll be signing up :D
I don't understand the trend that some knitters buy yarn then they buy mohair. silk. Or what ever and they have 3 or 4 yarns going at one time, why don't they just thicker yarn that is still fluffy.
Why?
I have been knitting for 51 years the first couple years at 10 was dodgy at best but thru time got better I have always have made my own jumpers cardigans etc and toys but all with one ball at a time
Unless there is no label on them then I knit using 2 balls but one row at a time in case colour variations so you don't end up with unwanted colour change
I’ve found some gems in charity shops. Half finished projects, even Toft yarn for 50p a ball(not used it yet)
Ooooo!!
Great video.😊
Thank you! 😃
I got great vintage books with patterns in charity shops too.
Personally I'd say you can go wrong with cheap circular needles though. The part where the cable joins the needle often is more flunky, and in my experience that thends to catch the yarn, making knitting very, very tedious. You can better buy one circular needle of intermediate quality in the size you need for your first project and see if you like it, and add more (or go for the set of interchangable needles) once you really like knitting, than start with the cheap amazon ones and never give knitting a decent chance. Circular needles is the one thing you should really never skimp on and get the cheapest ones.
Very helpful video
Thank you! ☺️
Thank you for your video. I so agree. I use cheaper wool, no matter what the pattern. Money does not grow on trees
Exactly, your finished project is still going to look lovely 😁
Hi, I've just found you😊 really like your topics and opinion. I crochet for nicu babies and my go to yarn is a "cheap acrylic" but it is the softest (stenli classic acrylic 100g/350m)❤ I usually buy yarn at Pleta, their own brand Stenli is really good and very cheap, they have traditional natural wool as well for a friction of others.
Hope you will make this as a series or at least continue, I think, it is worth it😊
Any suggestions for wool wash? I do like Eucalan, no rinse delicate wash, but its expensive. Thank you so much for all the great information.
Also I have found the best project bags I own are those cheap heavy weight canvas zip pouches and older makeup dopp kits.
Also I love WYS but it’s more expensive because we have to import it here in Australia !
A really cheap way to acquire needles, patterns and sometimes yarn, is to check out charity shops. Ours sells needles and crochet hooks for 50p!
Wow! So cheap, expensive charity shops where I live 😑 haha
I would not call it cheap I would say inexpenstive but great video thanks for sharing.
The video has great resources. The word cheap triggers my insecurities of growing up poor. Cheap to me reminds me of items that break, inferior quality, or wear out. I like the word affordable or like you said inexpensive.
I am a new knitter and love love the sofie scarf you look very pretty with it on
Welcome to the knitting community! ☺️
Thank you 🧶
I’ve subscribed your a gem.you have taken the snobbery that is around some channels.xxx🐝🐝🐝
Thank you! :)
I use safety pins for stitch markers
Great idea!
Bobby pins or hair pins work too.
Agree with everything except the cheap wool. Use cheap wool for baby stuff, they aren’t in the garments long but if you’re knitting an adult sweater and want it to last and remain luxurious then sometimes acrylic isn’t the best
Purl Soho has a lot of free patterns
One good tip I have seen others do as well is to thrift sweaters (made of decent quality) and unravel them to use the yarn. Of course, make sure to wash and soak with 3 parts water and one part vinegar and let the yarn dry before winding. This is a great way to get a bunch of yarn for little, if u put the work into it! I believe there are TH-cam videos out there!
Oh that’s genius! 🧶
You absolutely right.i am thrift shop cashmere sweaters maniac...i unravel them and add together with my sock yarn ...there are good looking and so warm.😊
I bought the the Sophie pattern, but it suggested cashmere. What did you use?
You could use the yarn sub website (link in description) or knit it with any kind of yarn. I’ve done it in sock yarn, DK and chunky so far and it still works. Just depends how big you want it to be
I refuse to buy a ball roller, I started with paper towel rolls then I went to the hardware store bought a 5.00 piece of pvc pipe and they cut the slits for me and I cake by hand and I love it. The only time I would invest in a ball winder is if I develop pain or injury in the necessary joints to do it by hand
They’re great ideas!!
Another thing I've noticed: some knitters have a big ring ... Don't know what's that for but I've been knitting without knowing about it so I guess it's not crucial 😊
I’ve never even heard of that, I’m the same as you, never needed something I don’t even know about 😆
I know you can get rings that help you hold multiple yarns when working in colourwork, but I think they would just confuse me more than just letting go of one and picking up the other.
There are also ones that hold just your main yarn instead of having it over your finger, I don't see the point in those ones.
I can imagine that snood knitter watching this video and thinking 'hey, I made that for X' 😂 Although if I had made it I would be glad it found it's way into the hands of someone who appreciates the time and effort it took.