| Author |
 Topic  |
|
One Stitch at a Time
Chatty Knitter
270 Posts |
 Posted - 09/13/2009 : 06:28:53 AM
|
Here is the scenario- I read Clara's review of a yarn. Or I walk into a yarn store and there It is. Or I see someone knitting and I have to have It. You all know where I'm going - a yarn that I HAVE to have, impulse control switch turned off.  The dilemna is simply this- how much do I buy when I have no project in mind. I look at the yardage, the weight and sure, I can buy enough for yet another scarf, but if I buy another skein or two, maybe I can knit a shawl (yes, another "one day" project). Or a few more and then maybe a sweater (still haven't knit that first sweater) or a blanket (the color is perfect and it would be sooo cozy after all). You get my point.
So, when faced with that situation, what do YOU do? How much yarn do you buy and on what do you base your decision?
Nanci |
|
|
Atavistic
Permanent Resident
6604 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2009 : 06:58:16 AM
|
I used to buy enough for a sweater.
Now I only buy when I have a particular project in mind. So 20 balls of sock yarn for one project, one for another.
"I'm telling you, we're in a M. Night Shyamalan flick." |
 |
|
|
Silcatra
New Pal
USA
43 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2009 : 07:05:22 AM
|
I wait a week and see if I STILL have to have it then.
And if I do...umm...if I don't have a project in mind for it, I buy just enough to satisfy that MUST HAVE desire. So, that's not USUALLY enough to actually DO very much with, but enough to pet and play with. |
|
|
|
Gelliott
Seriously Hooked
USA
910 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2009 : 12:15:49 PM
|
It depends...I do try to picture a project for which the yarn will be suitable (socks? cardigan?) and then buy enough, but a big variable is price. Also, if it is very different yarn from what I am used to, I may want to buy just enough for a small project, so I know whether I like working with it before I invest a lot.
Gelliott |
|
|
|
hillstreetmama
Permanent Resident
USA
3448 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2009 : 12:21:45 PM
|
That's a tough question. If it's sock yarn, with 400+ yards, then I may buy two. That way, I can do about any shawl, or two pairs of socks, or a small shawl AND socks, a baby outfit, whatever. But otherwise, I usually have an idea of the type of project I would like to do, so a couple small skeins of something for a hat, maybe 3 for a scarf or a bag, etc. Large projects simply require planning. Who wants to buy 12 skeins, only to have the "perfect" project come along that requires 10 (or worse - 14) and you're either short, or you have some pricey leftovers. I used to buy 3 or 4 when I didn't have a project in mind. Now I have lots of those small amounts in my stash and they aren't enough for anything I want to do with it. That's why everyone got hats last Christmas. This year they'll see more hats, bags, and scarves, all made from those 2 and 3 skein purchases. These days, sock yarn is pretty much the only thing I buy without a project in mind.
Buying solid colored sock yarn is like buying kitchen staples - stock up when you find a good deal, because you KNOW you'll eventually use it.
Jan
|
|
|
|
kadiddly
Permanent Resident
USA
3076 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2009 : 6:20:07 PM
|
I very rarely buy yarn without a specific project in mind. I tend to find a pattern I like and then find the yarn to go with it, not vice versa. That said, I used to have a slight weakness for sock yarn, but when I moved last summer, I realized how much of it I had and how little I actually used it, so I haven't bought any more for a long time.
You can't tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon.
Blackstage Stitches |
|
|
|
Mocha
Permanent Resident
Singapore
2903 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2009 : 10:11:46 PM
|
| I look at the yarn, the project in mind, how many available in the store, and then I look at my wallet and see if after I buy this, I'll need to eat grass for the next few weeks.... |
|
|
|
jlc
New Pal
USA
36 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2009 : 11:44:37 PM
|
Oh, Mocha!! That made me laugh out loud!! Probably because I can totally relate. Grass really isn't that bad if you just put a little vinegar and oil on it......
Jan |
|
|
|
One Stitch at a Time
Chatty Knitter
270 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2009 : 06:17:49 AM
|
LOL!
We've had scrambled eggs for dinner on a "few "occasions........ |
|
|
|
NutmegOwl
Gabber Extraordinaire
562 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2009 : 07:50:21 AM
|
Okay, Nanci, I'll bite.
I tend to divide yarn purchases into 2 categories: Steals and Pretties. For the former, it depends on how good a deal and how much is available and what project might suit. (And as you know, with lots of bebe sweaters to make, it doesn't take much ...) As for the Pretties, I tend to buy those when it's something I can't readily get at home and how much it would take to make a suitable project - often a one-skein accessory.
-----
Nutmeg Owl
Quaecumque sunt vera
http://www.owlwaysknitting.wordpress.com |
|
|
|
midnightskyfibers
Gabber Extraordinaire
579 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2009 : 5:39:43 PM
|
I usually get enough to make at least a pair of socks or a hat, otherwise I get enough to make a sweater.
---
Midnightsky Fibers Naturally Dyed Handspun Yarn & Fiber Dyed using only natural dyes and non toxic mordants on luxurious and unique fibers. |
|
|
|
jaymeKnits
Permanent Resident
USA
1326 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2009 : 04:14:24 AM
|
As much as it tells me to buy.
I'm actually not really joking here. I let the yarn tell me what it wants to be and then buy enough yarn for that. If I can't afford it I either don't buy it or try to convince the yarn it wants to be something else, like a hat, headband, pulse warmers, depending on my budget. If i can't convince the yarn to be something else I leave it on the shelf and walk away very sad. Then I may come back later to see if it's changed it's mind or I have.
I do this with spinning too although this is tougher I spin like the fiber wants to be spun and then see what it wants to be. This doesn't work as well since when I have 8oz of spun yarn it usually says it wants to be a sweater (and I'd need a lot more to make that happen).
And no, I don't actually hear little yarny voices, I'm not THAT crazy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Signature? Who needs a signature? |
|
|
|
GeishaGirl
New Pal
47 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2009 : 7:36:36 PM
|
| The Yarn Harlot describes several types of stash -- my "MUST HAVE!!" yarn falls into the "inspiration" category. I love to look at it, pet it, daydream about it, but I never actually knit it. It's there to inspire other knits. The second I wind it up and cast on, the dream is over. So, I only buy one skein unless I have a project in mind -- but then it's not dream yarn :) |
|
|
|
Schaeferyarnlover
Gabber Extraordinaire
481 Posts |
Posted - 09/16/2009 : 08:55:18 AM
|
1. I wait three days.
2. If I still want it, I hunt the internet for the best prices.
3. I go into my knitting room and count the number of sweaters I could knit with what I have (Curently seven,I mean eight,no ten).
4. Wait three more days
5. If I still want it, ask hubby what he thinks and he always says I should buy. That's only one reason he is the best hubby ever.
Debra |
|
|
|
Bethany
Permanent Resident
USA
1546 Posts |
Posted - 09/16/2009 : 09:19:20 AM
|
Except for socks, I generally prefer to choose yarn to suit the project rather than choose a project to suit the yarn. I don't have a lot of time to knit, so I want to only knit projects I *really* want to knit -- I prefer not to choose a project based on the yarn in the stash. And if I'm going to spend that much time on a project, I want to choose the perfect yarn for it!
So generally I don't buy yarn without a specific project in mind. Unless it's sock yarn, in which case I buy enough to make socks.
If I do buy yarn on impulse without a project in mind, I generally buy enough for a sweater. That's only happened once so far -- when I was in San Francisco and Artfibers still had a storefront. Bought two sweaters worth of yarn. That was an expensive day! |
|
|
|
Clara
queen bee
USA
4364 Posts |
Posted - 09/16/2009 : 5:54:35 PM
|
Oh dear! Nanci, you're talking my language. Some 99% of the time I'll only buy one or two skeins, since I'm buying them for Knitter's Review purposes and not my own.
But when I really truly fall in love with an extraordinary yarn and want to use it for my own little self, I will get enough for whatever kind of project calls out to me when I hold the yarn up to my ear. Or if there's a truly captivating store sample that I absolutely must replicate when I get home, I'll also get the pattern.
Otherwise? Oddballs. I've got tons and tons and tons of oddballs. (And we just won't talk about the percentage of those personal projects that actually cross the finish line.)
Clara
Your friendly Knitter's Review publisher
|
|
|
|
lella
Permanent Resident
9701 Posts |
Posted - 09/16/2009 : 10:00:53 PM
|
I have seen two yarns, Classic Elite Waterlily, in delicious orange, and Malabrigo, in delicious purple, that I walked into a store and HAD *bing!* had to have it.
Since then, and after buying some beautiful hand dyed from Kelley, and the whole western states supply of TrekkingXXL, I cataloged all my yarn. And, I've pretty much quit buying! 
My Blog @ Zippiknits
Knitting@ Flicker
|
|
|
|
scarfitup
Chatty Knitter
188 Posts |
Posted - 09/17/2009 : 04:50:16 AM
|
I WISH I could say that I've quit buying! BUT.....I try very hard to stay away from ANY yarn stores since I have this H U G E stash!!! And because I only make accessories, I do have great luck simply going to sale bins at quality yarn stores everywhere I happen to be to seek out beauties. Depending on yardage, I might buy one or two of each lovely. I look for color, texture, interestingness (if there's such a word!), and let my imagination run wild. I get bored easily so I'm constantly developing new styles.
Oddballs? I never think of them as that - because I use everything! I've recently developed a new loopy crochet style that's allowed me to use (and not even use UP!) yarn from my stash that's been there forEVER!!! Clara, want to sell some of your most interesting oddballs? I could be interested! :)
Scarf It Up!
http://scarf-it-up.blogspot.com
http://flickr.com/photos/scarfitup
http://scarfitup.etsy.com
|
|
|
|
pmcgrath
New Pal
USA
9 Posts |
Posted - 09/17/2009 : 07:00:11 AM
|
At one point I had no restraint when I saw a yarn that I had to have. This is why my stash got out of control. However, I have learn my lesson. Now when I see a yarn that I fall in love with, I check the yardage, the price, and think about what I can do with it. I know the yardages for socks, scarfs and shawls, which is usually what I do with the need to have yarn. I never buy yarn for a sweater, unless I have a pattern.
Pat |
|
|
|
sharecropper
New Pal
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 09/17/2009 : 07:28:40 AM
|
| Since I work in a LYS, I get to see all the beautiful new yarns as they come in. Sometimes I take a skein to work into a sample for the shop, but more often, I buy 1-4 skeins (depending on how the yarn calls to me). We just got a new yarn that is calling me to make a beret - 2 skeins. I may go by the shop this morning and begin working on that now. In other places, I usually buy one or two skeins of whatever has "called my name" as I go into the shop. I have made some gorgeous wall hangings from the one skein buys. But, my weakness is primary color hand-dyes. I have a mohair hand-dye that hangs by my computer as inspiration for a lot of my fiber and art work. I shake it out occasionally. And, I hang other similar hanks around the room for the same reason. But, my workroom/study is getting too crowded to buy much more. LOL |
|
|
|
Stitching Fool
Chatty Knitter
196 Posts |
Posted - 09/17/2009 : 10:19:33 AM
|
Dear Schaeferyarnlover,
You are my hero. Could I be you when I grow up? Your method is the best! I'd have alot less yarn in my stash if I used it. I'd have alot less everything (that I didn't really need anyway) if I used it. |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
| Knitter's Review Forums |
© 2001-2013 Knitter's Review |
|
|
|
|
How Much Yarn Do You Buy?
