rev. kenna the mighty pea ([info]kennapea) wrote in [info]knitting,
@ 2007-12-13 09:58:00
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cheap yarn ideas?
my upcoming new year's resolution/year-long project is to knit 100 hats (and some scarves if i get the chance) for charity.
what i was wondering is if you guys had any ideas on where would be the best place(s) to find cheap/affordable yarn for a project of that caliber.
online-wise, i was thinking of just keeping my eye on ebay and the like, but do you guys have any local (in general, though i live in bellingham, washington) ideas i could check into?
i'm thinking something along the lines of goodwill, but i'd love more (and more creative) ideas!
it would be a tremendous amount of help!

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[info]corii
2007-12-13 06:22 pm UTC (link)
Sometimes Goodwill or other thrift stores will have yarn. Also you can check craigslist.org for your area, a lot of times people will sell big bags of stash or unwanted yarn for cheap.

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[info]tchemgrrl
2007-12-13 06:32 pm UTC (link)
Another thing you can do at thrift stores is buy sweaters and unravel them.

maybe the knitswap community here on LJ?

Besides that all I can think of is the usual wholesale yarn suspects: EBay as you mentioned, Elann.com, Knitpicks, etc.

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[info]kennapea
2007-12-13 06:34 pm UTC (link)
i completely forgot about craigslist!
i'll keep my eye on that.

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[info]ucancallmeal
2007-12-13 06:25 pm UTC (link)
If you need acrylic yarns, I have a lot that I'd be willing to give away if someone actually used it. Let me know if you want it. :)

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[info]kennapea
2007-12-13 06:29 pm UTC (link)
how much do you want for it? for shipping? etc?

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[info]ucancallmeal
2007-12-13 06:37 pm UTC (link)
I'm not sure how much shipping is, because it's a huge rubbermaid tote! lol. I'm flying for a holiday on sunday and getting married on thursday, so I would like to do it after christmas, if that's okay. Don't worry about the shipping cost unless its over $10, ok? Email me your mailing address, and I'll email you back if it's more than $10. my email is: ucancallmeal at gmail dot com

let me know if that sounds ok to you.
al

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[info]kennapea
2007-12-13 06:44 pm UTC (link)
YOU'RE A SAINT!
after christmas is no problem whatsoever!
thank you so much. =D

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[info]weezer140
2007-12-13 07:13 pm UTC (link)
I have some in my stash I need to get rid of. Also acrylic (mostly red heart) but if you want it it's yours.

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[info]kennapea
2007-12-13 07:20 pm UTC (link)
you guys are awesome!
again, how much do you want for it? how much for shipping? etc..

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[info]weezer140
2007-12-13 07:42 pm UTC (link)
As long as shipping isn't outrageous it's yours for no charge. You should be able to get my email address from my profile, just tell me where to send it. I will do my best to get it out to you before Christmas.

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[info]kennapea
2007-12-13 07:45 pm UTC (link)
you're too rad!

maybe i'm slow, but i'm not seeing your email address on your profile. =\
if you don't want to share it here, mine is kennapea at gmail dot com.

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[info]weezer140
2007-12-13 09:10 pm UTC (link)
ballewal at yahoo or hotmail

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Smiley's Yarns
[info]crafti
2007-12-13 06:33 pm UTC (link)
Check out the Smiley's Yarns Internet Sale:

http://www.pagelinx.com/cgi-shopper/loadpage.cgi/smileysyarns/ezshopper?user_id=id&file=iriot.htm

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Re: Smiley's Yarns
[info]kennapea
2007-12-13 06:34 pm UTC (link)
i checked that out, but don't you have to buy a certain amount?

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Re: Smiley's Yarns
[info]crafti
2007-12-13 06:37 pm UTC (link)
$40 is really easy to get to, plus it's flat rate shipping. I usually get together a group of people and have everyone go in on the order to split the shipping and get up to the required amount.

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Re: Smiley's Yarns
[info]kennapea
2007-12-13 06:42 pm UTC (link)
$40 isn't bad.
i'll look around first elsewhere, but if i don't find anything great, $40 for charity isn't bad at all.

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[info]oaardvark
2007-12-13 06:40 pm UTC (link)
If you're willing to shop at Satan's 5 and 10 (aka Walmart) they usually have a decent selection in their craft area. Stuff like Caron, Red Heart, Lion Brand.

Also, check out discountyarnsale.com

Good luck!

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[info]dragonintherain
2007-12-13 06:46 pm UTC (link)
if you're looking for wool you can usually find wool on the cone at webs

goodwill sweaters can be unraveled, but can be time consuming. but that may just be because i get sweaters with finer yarns

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[info]swingsister_t
2007-12-13 06:53 pm UTC (link)
1) I used to live in B'ham!!

2) I do charity knitting as well. A lot of my yarn was given to me through word of mouth from my friends. Most is acrylic, but that's easily maintained. Freecycle.org is a good way to check things out as well.

Good luck, it's a very great thing you are doing!

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[info]swingsister_t
2007-12-13 06:54 pm UTC (link)
a second note... to help out with donations and stuff, it's great to track what you're doing online.

I keep track of my knitting at naughtyknots.blogspot.com to give you an idea. This way, you can point it out to your friends/family what you're actually doing.

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[info]kennapea
2007-12-13 06:54 pm UTC (link)
1. awesome! i love this town. =]
2. i'll keep freecycle in mind, too. i've heard it mentioned a couple times, so i suppose i should take note.

thank you very much =D

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[info]ytaya
2007-12-13 08:22 pm UTC (link)
Freecycle rocks! Different regional lists might have slightly different rules, but the principle (free stuff) is the same. You may be able to post a wanted ad on your local list. I see fabrics and yarn and crafty stuff on a fairly regular basis local to me.

Freecycle also rocks for other things. When I moved into my apartment this summer, I scored a whole bunch of furniture (we're talking sofa, chair, bedside cabinets, bookshelves) and some kitchen appliances in very good condition for nothing.

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[info]rita0373
2007-12-13 08:02 pm UTC (link)
I admire you. I had an idea of knitting a hat every week for charity. Between job hunting, house hunting and wedding planning it doesn't look like it will get off the ground too soon...hmm, but if I knit on my bus rides. Even one hat a month is something...hey, you are inspiring me.

I was going to suggest thrifting sweaters cheap but can be a bit time consuming. I was planning on sending an email to friends and family asking if they'd buy a ball a chunky yarn from the craft store.

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[info]kennapea
2007-12-13 08:06 pm UTC (link)
i'm just hoping i can do it.
i figure it'll pan out to about 10 hats a month - which i realize is a lot, but i'm not going for anything fancy, just warm.
i also figure i might not get a lot of them done while i'm in school, so i might be playing a lot of catch-up during the summer.
it's not a totally unselfish thing, though; doing this is going to make me feel good in return.

and you're right, even a hat a month IS something.
anything for charity is great and more than welcome!

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[info]aura_lee
2007-12-13 11:48 pm UTC (link)
There is a charity that takes knitted squares (a certain size, like 6"x8" or something) and turns them into blankets for the needy. It's awesome for those of us who don't have time to make hats! :)

http://www.warmupamerica.com/home.html

Here's the link. The program is still going...but the homepage is referring to a caps for newborns drive they were doing. :)

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[info]hiddentohru
2007-12-13 08:17 pm UTC (link)
I also have some acrylic lying around if you'd like me to send it to you. It's all Caron, and I think I have like six or seven balls in different colors. They're all full skeins wound into balls, so plenty to make hats with. Email me at sierra14black at netscape dot net, and I won't bother with a shipping charge, it's pretty light yarn.

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[info]kennapea
2007-12-13 08:20 pm UTC (link)
you're awesome!!

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[info]dutchcutie
2007-12-13 09:04 pm UTC (link)
You can pick up cheap yarn at garage sales and swap meets. Also at Estate sales (think little old ladies who just kicked the bucket and their kids want to get rid of all their useless crap -- well, one man's junk is another man's treasure)

If you have any concerns about the CLEANLINESS of the yarn you obtain, I would just use the yarn, and then wash the hat after it's made. Also, don't hesitate to ask for donations. I can't tell you how many times people at work come up to me and ask for donations for their church group or whatever, and I take the opportunity to clean out my stash.

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[info]miss_angiep
2007-12-13 09:09 pm UTC (link)
this is a triple yay! 1. yay, good for you, your plan is awesome. 2. YAY BELLINGHAM! some of the best years of my life were spent there... as far as i can recall... ;) and 3. YAY THIS COMMUNITY! what a bunch of generous and supportive souls!

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[info]weezer140
2007-12-13 09:11 pm UTC (link)
your icon is awesome

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[info]kennapea
2007-12-13 09:19 pm UTC (link)
seriously!
this community is absolutely amazing!
there are going to be so many warm heads next winter because of you guys! =DDDD

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[info]megalion
2007-12-14 04:10 am UTC (link)
Heheh the post I just made (and hopefully will be approved and posted soon) is about making helmet liners for soldiers!

I posted it because right now JoAnns is having what I think is a great sale on wool yarn. 1lb skeins of Patons Classic Wool for $4.49 each... and there's a free shipping code available (good til 12/16, no minimum purchase) DECFSERR72.

Doubt you'll need it with all the offers you've gotten but figured I'd post it in the comments anyways.

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[info]slinkr
2007-12-14 04:29 am UTC (link)
http://susandennis.livejournal.com/1391400.html

[info]susandennis knits teddy bears for charity and is an expert on finding cheap yarn. The post above is about her latest favorite online store.

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[info]misty_anne
2007-12-14 06:55 am UTC (link)
Just try word of mouth. If people have relatives that knit that have recently died, they may be looking for someone to give their stash to. Most of mine is from my grandmothers. And I've had people give me garbage bags full of yarn when they found out I was knitting for charity.

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[info]sidewalk_lick
2007-12-15 03:59 am UTC (link)
OMG. that's almost four days for one hat! xD

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