I don't know about you folk, but here prices are getting ridiculous. Our local coffee shop has raised the price of coffee twice recently. A large cup of regular coffee is now $1.75! I used to buy my coffee on the way to work each morning, but not any more at those prices. Much as I love the staff and seeing my neighbors, I've decided to make my coffee at home again. And at work, we recently got a machine that makes coffee from special little pods (which you buy from the coffee company). They cost $12 for a box of 24 pods, which make 12-24 cups of coffee (depending on the cup size and strength you like), so it's still no more than $1.00 for a large cup. (I'll still fork out big bucks for an occasional Starbucks grande mocha, but I am starting to wonder if an espresso machine might be worth it, too.)
Which brings me to yarn... I LOVE yarn... lots of it... pretty... colorful... soft. But with yarn prices as they are, I confess I am a big bargain hunter most of the time. I will often shop the web and my LYS's looking for sales or discounts on clearance items. A few days ago I got a catalog from Patternworks, full of gorgeous yarn, patterns and ideas. After drooling a bit over all the scrumptious contents (the catalog is still drying off...), I found Koigu on sale! The Premium Merino Solids and Multis are $11.99 per skein, this catalog only (you can also get this price ordering on their website). So I bought 4 Multi skeins, using some "yarn money" I have saved (birthday money).
I also try to substitute yarns when I can, though I am not always sure of good substitutes for certain yarns and/or patterns. A good one, though, is the one I just started. I love the sweaters from Berocco's KnitBits Newsletter #206, which features their Yin & Yang Booklet #262(on my must-have list). In the newsletter, they also included two free sweater patterns: Montparnasse and Pasandra. I am now making Montparnasse in Encore Worsted from my stash, which I picked up at a LYS for $3 per 3oz skein. While not quite as soft as Berocco Pure Merino (which retails for $7.50/50g ball), it will still be a lovely sweater at a fraction of the cost of the original model. I am considering modifying the original design just a bit - I am not sure I like the inside-out seaming. I'll have a better idea once I see the finished sweater pieces...
I also hope to eventually make Wakame and Sanpoku from Booklet #262 - I just love the geometry of those sweaters!!
1 comment:
Smart shopping. You are an excellent knitter, so that has to factor in. I think if you know you can knit something spectacular then you've already made a wise choice. YOu are smart too to substitute yarns and do it so well. Inspiring.
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