The other day I went to my lys to look for a couple of things.
The first thing I wanted was some yarn to make a toddler sweater I had bot online. It needed to be super bulky and I also needed a size 13 (9mm) 16" circular to knit it with.
After that, I was hoping to buy some sock yarn… the first time I’ve ever bot it to make socks with and I also wanted to have a look at any circular sets she might have on hand.
The first thing that happened is she wanted to see my pattern so I showed it to her… and she shook her head and said I didn’t really want to make this sweater, did I? (well, yes, as a matter of fact, I did) Well, she said… this is going to be very expensive!
The yarn she took me to was very expensive and she said I would need two skeins. Then I would have to buy the circular… no, no, that just wouldn’t do.
So instead I ended up buying two balls of sock yarn… the kind that is self-patterning but I was dismayed at how thin the yarn was and said so. She said I’d need smaller needles that what I’d been used to and I ended up buying 2 sets of dpns… 3.5mm and 2.75mm.
It seemed to all cost quite a bit… but then I’ve been knitting with very cheap yarn… so what do I know?.. 
After leaving her store, I decided I would go to Michael’s and see what was there that I could buy for the sweater I still very much wanted to knit.
At Michael’s, I found Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick. It’s lovely and thick and would wonderful in the little sweater I would make with it. I bot two balls of 114 Denim.
I also found a circular needle size 13 by 16" long (trouble was - when I got it home and measured it against a ruler… it turned out to be about 15" only… is that okay?)
All told, I spent $36 at Michaels… and about $33 at the lys.
What do you think?
TEMA:shrug:
The cost of yarns suggested in patterns is often expensive, but you can also choose anything you want that will get you gauge. It usually is more expensive to buy there, but I find that the yarns are usually a little nicer. I’ve been buying yarn there even for kids sweaters, but I don’t buy the most expensive even for gifts. My favorite lately has been Plymouth Jeannee. At something like $3.50 (US) a skein and I only need a couple skeins that’s an inexpensive sweater and I love the way it knits up. If you’re happy with your purchase from Michaels that’s all that really matters.
I’m not sure about the needles…what are they for? A circular needle of 16" or so is usually only used for a hat or knitting about that size. It would be too large for socks and not big enough for a sweater unless it’s a very small sweater…
Michael’s has been giving me coupon after coupon, 40-50% off, for weeks, as I buy other craft items there too. Some of the coupons come by email newsletter, other are printed on my receipt. Look into that. But when I need help, Michael’s is not the place. There are 5 or 6 yarn shops near me, but their yarns are pricey. One place has few yarns under $18/skein.
That’s why I joined here.
I love Wool-Ease. I have several skeins of their worsted and it’s wonderfully soft and non-itchy. My ears are very sensitive to itchy hats.
In general it is better to have a shorter circular needle, than a longer one. A longer circular may stretch the stitches as you knit. On the other hand if the number of stitches fit on the shorter needle it will normally work.
On the other hand, you can use a longer needle to knit smaller items by using the magic or single loop technique.
TEMA, I’d look at the sock yarn at Michaels and their dpns to see if they have something similar. If so, take them back to the LYS and return them if they’ll let you, then get them at Michaels if you’d like. Sock yarn doesn’t have to be expensive, enough for a pair of socks can run you from $10-18. WE T&Q is fine for a a child’s sweater, you want it to be washable. The 16" may be a bit too small for it though, a 24" is probably okay.
Sounds like the LYS shopgirl didn’t bring her “A Game” to work that day! She failed to recognize your needs, and to establish a good rapport with you. Seems like there was a lot of her telling you what you think…and not enough time spent in discerning what you want and need.
I’ve never read a bad thing about Lion Brand Wool-ease. It’s a fine yarn, and like mentioned by someone else, it’s warm and washable.
As for sock yarn…why spend a boatload of cash for socks at the beginning? Jan is right, LYS yarns are usually of superior quality, but you have to measure the cost against what you really need. That’s what I think.
For instance, I guess it could be said that I use expensive yarns for my own sweaters…but recently I bought some Lion Brand Super Thick (acrylic!) yarn at the grocery store for a log cabin blanket (for the floor) for my great-grandson due in June! It cost me under $50. And it’s washable, soft and cushy. If I’d used Rowan BIG WOOL, the blanket would have cost $250. Now who needs a $250 baby blanket for the floor? :shrug:
And BIG WOOL is not washable whereas the Lion Brand yarn is totally washable!
So my less expensive choice of yarn is much better suited to this project!
Okay Dollyce…you bought yarn at the [I]grocery store[/I]?? :??
Yes!
Out here in Washington State, we have a FRED MEYER grocer! In addition to the food aisles, there are CRAFTING aisles, HOUSEWARES, FURNITURE, OFFICE SUPPLIES, CAMPING, GARDENING, CLOTHING, SHOES, FINE JEWELRY, AUTOMOTIVE! It’s really the ultimate in one-stop shopping!
I really REALLY save money when I do my grocery shopping at www.safeway.com!
:roflhard:
:?? Is Fred Meyer a division of Safeway?
Oh no! Fierce competitors in our area!
Oh, c’mon. Fred Meyer is not exactly a grocery store, even though they carry groceries. :roflhard: It’s more like what I’ve heard about Walmart, a multi-purpose store.
I can just picture the beautiful red yarns near the tomatoes, and the green yarns alongside the celery, but watch out for the food next to the gray yarns…
It really is a grocery store! I think of it as a grocer first, miscellany second! Fred Meyer even has a bakery, and custom fish/meat dept!
Oh, forgot to mention…Fred Meyer even had an electronics depth! Tvs, music,.movies, cameras! What can I say? Grocery Store on Steroids! But groceries first!
It sounds like the old Gemco we used to have. I guess the super Walmarts are that way and now the Targets in our area have food, too. No yarn though. 
Freddy’s is more like WM, super Target or other combination dept/grocery stores like Meijer in the midwest. They were bought out by Kroger years ago.
I don’t buy at big box stores unless I absolutely have to, as they run small shops who offer variety, excellent products and service out of business. A sweater I made out of yarn recommended by my LYS that I thought was outrageously expensive has held up beautifully for 15 years; cheap stuff I’ve gotten has pilled and looks shabby after a few washings. I’m gradually replacing my yard sale knitting needles with better quality, too, and it makes knitting more enjoyable.
A knitting friend treats herself to expensive yarns for the sheer pleasure of working with them. She figures the cost per hour of enjoyment while both knitting and wearing the yarn comes out cheap in the long run.
That said, you should buy what you like, especially as you’re learning - you’ll appreciate higher quality more if you’ve used some low quality, and you’ll know which projects are worth spending more on. I’m guessing there are lots of LYS owners cringing at the poor service you got in yours. I hope you give them another chance.
I don’t shop in big box stores at all. We have plenty of private yarn shops here, although an old standby that had stores here for 80 years recently went under. I’ve bought yarn in Michael’s only if it’s a name brand, like Lion Wool-Ease. It doesn’t pay to use cheap yarn for a garment you want to keep for many years. That is, if it still fits you after many years! :mrgreen: On the other hand, I’m not shopping at the store that has no yarns under $18.
There are yarn ratings here for many brands.
Yes it is a very small sweater… the circular is for the neck, as far as I know… it doesn’t say to get another larger circular but I haven’t read the whole pattern as yet…
Thanks very much for your imput!
TEMA:muah:
Thanks for your reply… I certainly will give the lys another chance… I will buy my yarn wherever I can. I have used cheaper yarns for my learning process and now I want something different. Not sure I can always pay top price, money being an issue, but will buy the best I can afford. Sometimes that will be acrylics… but I’m really liking Wool Ease that I got a Michaels.
TEMA:thumbsup:
Check the sale or bargain baskets at the LYS; sometimes there’s only one or 2 the same color, but sometimes there’s the same yarn in complimentary colors so you could use 2 or 3 colors for a larger project.
Did I already post these yarn reviews? :
One of my LYS’s has a 2-for-1 sale on a discontinued yarn, but being a beginner, I don’t know if I have a use for it in those colors. I think it’s cotton-wool sport yarn.