Where to go for thrifty knitting supplies
People give away all kinds of stuff, including craft supplies. I get a lot of my knitting and crochet supplies at second-hand stores. Just last week in one shop I found a whole pile of knitting needles for 69 cents (Canadian) a pair, including a set that had one of those nifty row counters attached to it, and several skeins of yarn and crochet thread for just a couple of dollars.
The items found in thrift stores vary greatly in quality: I've run across everything from half-knitted stretched out nylon sock yarn jammed onto mismatched needles, to beautiful brand new wool and cotton yarns. Some shops are good about sorting supplies, matching up sets of needles and allowing people to buy individual skeins of yarn, while others (obviously not knitters!) group random items in bags and sell them as odd lots. Follow the jump for some top tips for buying second-hand supplies:
- Examine yarn before you buy it. Smell it. Yes, really! It's nasty to get a nice looking yarn home and discover that it reeks of smoke or fragrance, particular if you have allergies. The only case in which I'll consider buying stinky yarn is if it's a really nice quality yarn which I'm willing to try washing.
- When considering unwrapped skeins and rolled balls of yarn, poke at them to make sure they are what they appear to be. Some yarn is randomly wrapped over another ball of yarn. I once got a nice looking ball of bright blue acrylic home only to discover that there was very little of the yarn because most of the centre consisted of crumpled paper.
- When you see yarn sold packaged in mixed lots, take a good look at it. There may be one nice thing in the lot which can make it worth buying. Small quantities of miscellaneous yarn can often be used for trim or as practice yarn for learning new techniques.
- Look carefully at knitting needles. In some shops they're placed in pairs and fastened together, but are mismatched. Sometimes needles are taped together, so decide if you're willing to take the time and effort to clean off the sticky adhesive before you use them.
- Bring a size gauge with you. Packaging is often missing or mismatched, and DPNs and circulars are rarely marked with size anyway.
- If you're looking to round out your collection of needles, bring a list of what you already have. I keep an updated list on my computer and a printout in my bag. It includes details of all my needles: gauge, length and material of straight, DPNs and circulars, plus all my crochet hook sizes. If I'm tempted to buy (whether new or used) I can refer to my list and see if it's a size I really do need to get.
Making crafts needn't cost a fortune. Have fun browsing at your local thrift shops!
In the UK lots of charity shops have knitting needles but keep them behind the counter or in a back room - its always worth asking.
Posted by: Jenni | June 4, 2007 8:57 PM