Ep. 13 Tips for affordable crocheting & knitting – Drop a stitch podcast
In a world where everything is getting more expensive by the day, finding ways to save money is becoming crucial, especially when it comes to hobbies like knitting or crochet. In today’s episode we share our favorite ways to save some money (which also equals to bigger profits if you’re a maker).
How was your week?
Dani
- As always, it felt like it went by super-fast, but maybe it’s because we recorded last episode on Thursday and this episode on Tuesday, so it hasn’t really been a week.
- She’s been surprisingly ahead of schedule workwise, with one pattern scheduled (the Riverbed Blanket coming out April 18th, 2024), one vlog scheduled, etc. She’s about two weeks ahead and loving the feeling of not rushing behind.
- Dani is also super close to hitting 100k followers on Instagram which is a huge milestone! She’s thinking of doing a giveaway to celebrate so stay tuned for that.
Nathalie
- We’ve been hard at work on the basement this week, the walls are primed, the poured self-levelling concrete on the existing concrete floor to even it out as it was quite bumpy and uneven. This is bringing us closer and closer to having an actual office (I cannot wait!). Once we are ready to furnish our office, I’m planning on doing a series of stories or posts showing how I’ll be organizing everything. It will be so nice to have my yarn accessible again after two years of it being stored randomly.
What did you buy this week?
Nathalie
- I got a the new bigger version of the Lululemon Belt Bag. I had the smaller version which I already loved but it wasn’t big enough to fit all my things and my phone, this new version has enough space for it all and even more. It’s great because it allows you to have your hands free without worrying it’ll ever fall off.
Dani
- After being influenced by Courtney from Loved Knots, Dani bought color cubes! Each cubes contains 250 cards that show you an inspiration picture and a color palette on the front and the hex codes for the colors and various shades of them on the back. You can buy volume one or volume two separately, but of course, Dani got the bundle that includes them both. These are great to help you pick colors for a project when you’re uninspired or when you want to step out of your comfort zone.
What are you working on?
Nathalie
- I’m still working on my podcast project, the Flax Light Sweater. I have only about 1/2 of an inch left to go on the body before the ribbing.
Dani
- She was working on the chunky version of her Riverbed blanket prior to recording but it’s too bulky to work on with the microphone so now she’s working on Luca’s Christmas sweater which is turning out a little smaller than planned so she’s also gauge swatching with bigger sized needles to see if that may solve the issue.
Now let’s talk about today’s subject – Tips for affordable crocheting & knitting
Coupons
This may be the most obvious one but coupons, coupons, coupons! Use as many as you can. If you’re from the States or anywhere where you can stack coupons, count yourself lucky, because here in Canada, it is one coupon per day, per person. In this case, just bring your whole family. I’ve gotten Eric to buy things for me so I could use a second coupon and Dani has done the same with her mom and her nephew in the past.
It also helps to pay attention to sales and when they happen. You’ll most likely start to notice the same sales coming around at the same time every year, so it’s great to take advantage of that.
Wholesale yarn
If you use a lot of the same yarn, are a maker that uses a lot of yarn for market prep or are a designer that just uses a lot of yarn to create patterns, consider buying wholesale. It does involve a bigger up-front cost but it’s worth it considering the actual savings on the yarn which can often reach 50%.
You typically will have to spend a certain amount on your first order and another amount for subsequent orders. If you have a lot of maker friends, you can also pool together and place one large wholesale order (we’ve done multiple times this before).
Comparing prices
If the yarn you’re looking for is available at multiple retailers (or even straight from the manufacturer), it’s worth it to take a second to look online. Sometimes there are online only sales or it may be cheaper at a different retailer.
Reaching out to brands
This isn’t something we necessarily would have thought of ourselves, but we were told firsthand by brands at the Our Maker Life event back in 2019 that most if not all brands have some sort of yarn support program where they can provide you yarn for a specific project upon request. This may seem awkward to do but it’s worth a shot if you have the confidence to do so. Typically, you have to describe the project you have in mind to them and the yarn you want to use along with the colorways. They may just send you free yarn (project specific) but the worst they’ll say is no so it’s worth a try for sure!
Interchangeable circular knitting needles / full crochet hook sets
If you’re starting out and plan on making more than one project, we highly recommend you invest in an interchangeable circular knitting needle set instead of buying individual needles. This will save you from buying every single needle size in every single cable length. The Knit Picks Nickel Options Interchangeable Needle Set is the one I have and it’s pretty inexpensive comparing to others in the market. Dani prefers bamboo and has the Clover Takumi set.
As far as crochet hooks, the full set will be cheaper than buying each hook individually therefore saving you money albeit at a bigger up-front cost. Since only one factor is at play with crochet hooks (the size) it may be worth buying each one individually if you’re looking to lower your initial investment (even though in the long run, it’ll end up more expensive).
Go to the library or bookstore to find stitches using crochet/knitting books
Knitting and crochet stitch books can be quite expensive, and most have repeat stitches (basics are basics for a reason). If you have a project in mind and are looking for the perfect stitch to bring your vision to life, visit your local library’s craft section to look for ideas. You’ll have the option to check out the book of your choice or to simply enjoy looking through them on the premises.
If you’re not located near a library or yours doesn’t have stitch books, visit a bookstore, and peruse the various options.
Of course, here we are not talking about photocopying every page here, it’s important to support the authors but finding inspiration for one stitch occasionally is totally fine. It’s also a good way to have the opportunity to flip through the various books and pick the one you think will serve you most.
Unravel WIPS or old projects and re-use the yarn
I think it’s safe to say most of us have a WIP pile somewhere in our house that is unlikely to be touched anytime soon. Allow yourself to unravel projects that aren’t interesting to you and re-use the yarn instead of buying more. This is especially important if you were using fancy/expensive yarn.
Yarn swaps
This is something we did a few times back when we were having weekly knit nights. We’d pick a date, and everyone would go through their yarn stashes and pick out yarns they were unlikely to use (whatever the reason). We’d toss what everyone brought onto a table and pick out new skeins that interested us, whatever was left would get donated. This is a great way to try out new yarns or try colors outside of your typical.
Joining community group is a great way to find likeminded people if you don’t have a friend group that share your interest.
Choose projects that make sense / Focus on timeless pieces
This may be obvious to some, but it bears mentioning that following trends that are not “you” will lead you to make projects you don’t end up wearing/using and that is costing you not only money but also valuable time (this of course is only if you’re making things for yourself, if you’re selling items, as long as you enjoy making the trendy things, do it).
Choose appropriate yarn for the project you are making as an example: don’t make a summer top with wool.
Look for free patterns and join the newsletters of your favorite designers
Even though most patterns only cost between 5-10$, these costs add up quickly when multiplied by many patterns so finding free patterns can be a way to save money. Some designers like Dani offer free patterns on their blogs or a paid ad-free pdf version. The ads can be annoying, but they can be worth it to save some money.
If you like some designers that don’t offer free patterns, joining their newsletter is the best way to be aware when they have a pattern sale going on. They may even surprise you with a free pattern occasionally. It’s worth noting these designers are small businesses and they only email you when they release a pattern (which isn’t typically that often).
Find ways to use your leftover yarn
Make smaller items with leftovers from bigger projects; think a baby hat from leftovers of an adult hat or small plushies with leftovers from a bigger one.
You can also make something from all the scrap yarn, I made the I am scrappy blanket from all my bulky and super bulky yarn leftover (don’t worry there’s no ends to weave in!).
Replacing stuffing with leftover yarn. Whether you’re making plushies, decorative items or even pompoms, leftover yarn is a great eco-friendly alternative that has the advantage of also being free.
Double up thin yarn instead of using bulky yarn
We all know that bulky and super bulky yarn is more expensive than worsted weight yarn on top of having much less yardage in a skein. Doubling or tripling up worsted weight yarn to equate a bulky or super bulky yarn is a great alternative and it may even allow you the needed flexibility to pull from your yarn stash.
This technique is especially fun when you want to play with colors as you can change just one of the 2 or 3 strands to create a cool marbling effect.
As always if you have any questions, comments, thoughts or even podcast topics ideas, please email us at: dropastitchpodcast@gmail.com.
Have a great week everyone!
