We're not the only ones....

[easyquilts]

Every once in a while we have a discussion about the quality of the fabrics we buy.... It's usually for the benefit of a couple of new quilters.... Most newbies haven't a clue about fabrics... I know I didn't.... It takes time, and experience to learn what we like, and how shop for fabric.... Some of us become what we laughingly call fabric snobs.....refunding to use anything but the best LQS. quality fabrics.... Most of us learn how to buy what we like, without breaking the bank... It's a learning process...

Well... Most of you know thst I'm doing a little knitting and crocheting right now....mostly crocheting... I'm making preemie hats/blankie so, and teo special prayer shawls....

I've been watching toms of fascinating podcasts by knitters and critic heaters... I'm having a great time... Some if these podcasts are really good.... And there are a couple of good quilty ones to watch....plus several quilty audio only podcasts.... I digress...

The point is this..... These people will cheerfully shell out real money for premium yarns..... Hand dyes go gir $45...at best.... They sniff at yarns bought at EM and Josnn's.... Sound familiar? I love it...

They will concede thst certain store brands are soft t, beautiful, and happily self stripe, but openly drool over the lovely hand dyed yarns they prefer.... They scrutinize fabric content just the way we look for 100% pure cotton... Alpaca and cashmere are prized,,,,,blends of wool and a couple other fibers are good, but acrylic is simply tolerated....no matter how soft it is.

An exception might be Lion Brand Yarns,,,, these are made in Americs, and the variety....and quality...is amazing... Red Heart has improved lately... Think Singer getting more reliable recently...

I think the parallels here are priceless.... What fun!

[mamo69]

Re: We're not the only ones....

I know some knitters that spend way more on their yarns than I do on fabric I purchase . Each to their on (and bank account!)

[snippet]

Re: We're not the only ones....

The ladies in my Needlecrafters group who crochet get all giddy over sales of certain brands too. When they buy new yarn, they pass it around so we can all feel it - just like we do for fabric!

It's a universal textile thing I suppose.

[bubba]

Re: We're not the only ones....

Lion does have nice yarns, so does Cascade...I love their 220. A place I have gotten a lot of yarn from is KnitPicks.com. You should check that out....good quality for a lot less than shops.

[stitchwishes]

Re: We're not the only ones....

Ever pet buffalo yarn? Makes it very hard not to buy it....

Bubba's right, knit picks is a great place for yarn (their house brand needles are really nice!) and they have good tutorials as well.

[The_Last_Unicorn]

Re: We're not the only ones....

KnitPicks is my favorite source for yarn. I've got a ton of their sock yarn. Some of it is as nice to look at and display as it is to knit with! What until you try an alpaca/silk blend. It's buttery smooth with a slight coolness, almost like how marble feels cooler than room temperature. I've enjoyed knitting with big box store yarn, too. But the cheapest of the cheap is very rough and squeaky on the needles, so I wouldn't be able to tolerate it through a huge project like a sweater or afghan.

If you get deep enough into any hobby, it does start to get expensive as you try and develop a taste for things beyond what was immediately available to you as a beginner. I think the preference for non-big box store materials comes from those materials being more of a pleasure to work with, rather than seeing those things as a status symbol. Though there's certainly some of that out there, too.

[Snip Snip]

Re: We're not the only ones....

In my knitting and crochet experience, I never got farther than the acrylic that you could buy at WM, or the cotton at HL. I think maybe that's why I never got into it any deeper.
Now you all are making me think I should try again and go straight for the good stuff.

[songbird857]

Re: We're not the only ones....

.....sigh.... I have a beautiful cardigan kit that I bought from knitpicks years ago... so many projects, so little time

[songbird857]

Re: We're not the only ones....

In my knitting and crochet experience, I never got farther than the acrylic that you could buy at WM, or the cotton at HL. I think maybe that's why I never got into it any deeper.
Now you all are making me think I should try again and go straight for the good stuff.

When I first started knitting, I used acrylic yarn... when I got my hands on some quality wools, it ruined me I don't like the feel of acrylic yarn, there is no 'give', and I find that it hurts my hands after a bit of knitting. The ladies at the library knitting group were very happy to take all of my leftover acrylic
I haven't knitted in quite a while, but I have set aside a small stash of good yarn for 'someday'...

[Mary Ann]

Re: We're not the only ones....

I used to be more of a knitter than I am today, and agree that "good" yarn can get really pricey. But, as I am something of a fabric snob, I also was a bit of a yarn snob. My rationale - I did not want to spend months making something that I could buy at Target for $15. If I'm going to work on something for a long time (not a fast knitter here) I wanted to work with the best materials I could. Also, can't stand the feel of acrylic yarn going through my fingers.

[bakermom]

Re: We're not the only ones....

Oh, yes I have seen some very heated arguments over yarn brands.
like fabric there is not a one size fits all.

[easyquilts]

Re: We're not the only ones....

Lion does have nice yarns, so does Cascade...I love their 220. A place I have gotten a lot of yarn from is KnitPicks.com. You should check that out....good quality for a lot less than shops.

I really like Lion Brand yarns...and I see KnitPicks being used a lot..... Thanks.

[easyquilts]

Re: We're not the only ones....

OK... I'm off to KnitPicks.... I'll treat myself to dome thing nice... You guys are enablers!

[lots2do]

Re: We're not the only ones....

There are acrylic blends that are quite nice. Acrylic has come a long way! You may want to check out wwwravelry.com. It is a great resource for patterns, many free, and information.

[bhaggerty]

Re: We're not the only ones....

There are acrylic blends that are quite nice. Acrylic has come a long way! You may want to check out wwwravelry.com. It is a great resource for patterns, many free, and information.

Agreed!
and boy is there a difference with yarn!
www.ravelry.com has many great free patterns!