Knit For Less MoneyLet me know if you have any cheap knitting tips and I'll list them in a future article.
- Kory L. Stamper
My grandmother used to tell me the best way to get yarn was to shop at thrift stores for nice sweaters and unravel them -- some of my finer yarns were procured this way!
Another hold over from our Scandinavian knitting traditions was the knit swap: Once a year, the women of a town who knit would get together, bring coffee, pastries, and one unfinished article with the yarn to finish it wrapped in a box or bag. After talking and eating, you you go through what New Englanders call a "yankee swap": each person draws a number, and the person with number one gets to pick the first box of goodies from the "gift table". Each subsequent person in line would get to pick a box of yarn and goodies from the gift table and either keep it or swap with the other people who have already picked a prize. It's great fun and, although you can get some hideous stuff (I've got Day-Glo green and orange yarn for socks still sitting in my knitting bag from three years ago!), you can also add to your stash. I picked up some great alpaca mitten yarn this past year at the swap, and I never feel guilty then about leaving an unfinished project around the house!
- Molly Bettridge
For patterns check the book section of used book stores, thrift stores and rummage sales. Also check the withdrawn books at the library. And of course look for the patterns on the knitting.about.com site! Tons of great patterns of all types.
Check eBay for needles. I've bought and sold needles there at very reasonable prices. Some pattern books are also a good deal. Look under "Everything Else: Crafts: Knitting: General" and go to the "Ending Today" auctions. There you can get a pretty good idea of what something will sell for and can bid on otherwise unbid items.
For yarn, I've had good luck at charity resale stores such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army. They often have bagged assortments of yarn for under $5. I use the colors that don't suit me for charity knitting. I've also found knitting pattern books and needles there at great prices. You can occasionally find wool sweaters that were hand knit in the round. These allow you to rip out the yarn in longer continuous pieces than if the sweater has been cut and sewn.
Knit in public. I was given two large trash bags full of yarn and needles by my son's swimming teacher after she saw me knitting during the lessons.
- Sylvia I. Van Etten
I swap needles with friends; if a sweater calls for a special needle size that I do not have, I call on my knitting friends and usually find what I need and vice-versa.
Yard sales and estate sales are great. I have made beautiful sweaters from patterns in knitting books by changing the yarn. I think what makes a sweater expensive is the yarns. You can often substitute a totally different yarn and have a fabulous sweater for 1/4 of the cost. I buy yarn at Wal-mart, K-mart and stores which are going out of business. I also recycle yarn from sweaters if I find I do not wear them anymore.
You can get just about any pattern for free on the web. My problem with patterns found in thrift shops they are most of the time outdated in their style.
- Roz Porter
Spin your own designer yarns. I'm learning how to spin just so I can make my own designer yarns. In fact, I just got the latest Knit N'Style and the kit for a jacket in that issue is $130. I have just ordered the fleece for $60 and the dyes for $10 and KNOW I can make that jacket every bit as gorgeous as the one in the magazine.
- Carole Mulholland
I knit dishcloths from cotton and with the leftovers I knit what my daughter calls face scrubbers. I call them coasters. They are miniature versions of the dishcloths done on 4.5mm needles and are 25 stitches at the widest point of the the diamond. These are always welcomed by friends and relatives (non-knitters). They look forward to birthdays and Christmas when they know they will be receiving a gift bag stuffed with these cloths and leftovers instead of tissue papers. I often throw in small designer soaps found through out the year on sale.
- Brenda Bonstein
I know of a yarn store nearby that bags yarn and then sells it for $5-$15. The trick is not buying too much. I try to find projects that are challenging so that they take longer and stretch out the yarn. I also take whatever anyone wants to give me.
- Jan Bowman
The very first thing I ever learned to make on a knitting machine was slippers. They do not have a seam on the bottom or a left or right to them so they can be made quickly, one after the other. I keep a supply of ready to stitch slippers for traveling and quick gifts. I have also sold and/or given them to people who have new houses or new carpeting. I have also taken them to local real estate offices and sold them for model home tours and convinced several that they make good complimentary gifts to people who purchase homes through them. I make many things on my knitting machine but when I need quick cash these slippers never fail me!
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