Lion’s Brand Yarn Newsletter: 7 Irresistible Afghan Patterns.
Me: Hmm, looks like there are only six actually. Granny, Granny, hello 70′s… Okay, this one is granny too, but might have potential if it’s in shades of blue to match the living room. I wonder if they make this yarn in blue… Click, click. No, I don’t remember my password. Yes, send it to me. Click click. Hmm, oh they do make it in blue… How much will I need…?
Yarn 1 5 balls $ 41.45
Yarn 2 5 balls $ 41.45
Yarn 3 4 balls $ 33.16
Yarn 4 4 balls $ 33.16
Yarn 5 3 balls $ 24.87
Total cost of yarn… $174.09 before tax.
$174.09? O_O
Oh I’m resisting this. Yep. Nooo problem. I can buy a really nice blanket for $50.
I mean, really, did anybody look at the cost of this project before they pushed it out there? The knitted/crochet blankets generally do not last long under a regular use and wear and tear. Nor are they supercomfy. A simple chenille throw is a lot of times much more comfortable on the skin.
So I can spend nearly $200 (with shipping and/or tax), work on this for a month, and then it will look like an old dish rag in a year. No thanks.
omg…a logical knitter. I thought there were only two kinds; crazy must knit everything & knit to hang out with other people….
The afghan is pretty, but give me a jean quilt any day to keep me warm
I feel the same way about the comfort & value of crocheted vs. store bought blankets. My will wasn’t initially as strong as yours though. I acquired several totes of yarn before the Aha! moment set in. I’m making my daughter a granny square coverlet for her bed in 3D flowers. I already have the yarn & I figure I’ll put it over a store bought comfy blanket instead of an expensive quilt for bed decor. She’s very girly so I know she’ll love it.
I qualify as the crazy type then. I am in the process of trying to use up my stash so I made a cotton afghan to donate to the local CIL (Centers for Independent Living) and washed it first since it has been in process for a couple of months. Argh! I now have to delint it and hope that it comes out of that looking good enough to donate. Or else the dog gets it. And she is looking luckier by the day.
To kind of quote Indiana Jones, “Don’t tell me the costs!! Never tell me what it costs!”
I quilt and have no willpower for kits, fabric, designs etc. Currently working on a kingsize quilt. Boyfriend died when I told him what I spent on fabric for the quilt. I have three others I haven’t even started even though I have all the materials. Yes I admit I am a fabric hoarder.
Yeah, you can always buy one for cheaper. But the stress relief while knitting is priceless!
I can stress-relieve knit a pair of socks, that will cost me $6.
Could you make it using a different type of yarn? At $8/skein, it certainly is way out of my price range, but you might be able to find something comparable in size/weight that is less money, or maybe that comes in a larger skein so you don’t have to buy so many. I’m way too cheap to make full-sized afghans in expensive, super high-quality yarns, so my family and friends have to live with what I can afford… or buy the yarn for me. =o)
Wowzers – that is just mental!
I never finish projects like that either, I’m too flakey
Chantal Halpin recently posted..Books and Bald Babies!
Wanna bet the person who put this pattern out there was paid by Lion so that folks would run out there and spend a carpload of munny on their yarn? Jus’ sayin’.
I used to quilt and cross-stitch, although I’m a knitterwannabe (too high strung evidently and can’t control the tension on the yarn). I went back to work full time and there went all my energy for such things. I have a cedar chest full of projects just waiting for me to retire. They will be all out of date, but I swore to complete them . . . someday.
Used to be handcrafted stuff was cheaper than store bought. Now it’s just the opposite: way cheaper, easier, and no hassle to just drive to the store and buy what you want. I actually think this is a sad thing. I’m a quilter, knitter and crafter, though it’s getting harder to do the projects I want to do–price-wise. This is how skills and techniques are lost…who can afford to do them?? Still, I have a fabric stash that fills an entire closet, and several large containers of yarn, plus crafty stuff in numerous plastic bins. So, I’m okay…for now. I think. Though, hmmm, I wonder if there are any sales on at the quilt shop today………………………..
The one place I go on Black Friday is our local craft store. They are packed, but the savings are worth it. I try to stock up for at least half the year. It’s a lot, but with savings around 75% it makes it worth it.
I do cross-stitch and needlepoint. Luckily I use only cotton embroidery thread, which is two or three skeins for a dollar on sale. Plus some specialty threads, but those aren’t used often. The devil (cost wise) is in the finishing. It can take months for me to complete even a small project, but I am always happy with the result. I have never seen store bought needlework worth buying. Snooty? Yes, but true.
OMG Wont,
Just got a stunning visual of your avatar astride his highspirited stallion cruising over the sand dunes in Egypt while cross-stitching…
No surprise, my visual doesn’t match yours.
my grandmother does cross-stitch… *G* One year, she gave me and the guy a history of us. everything from how we met, what we do… like ‘writer, nurse, mom, wife’ on the side for me, to ‘printer, deacon, husband, father’ on the side for him. trips we’ve taken, our kids, things they do. I love it.
But I could never do it. no patience and I hate trying to mess with needles
Shiloh Walker recently posted..The Friday 56… the next #Grimm
This is why I cross stitch. I can stitch a Teresa Wentzler piece and it’ll last forever.
Garage sales, thrift stores, its the only way to be able to afford to do crafts.
It is definitely the way to go. Gave in and bought Bamboo yarn with 40% off coupons at Joann Fabrics to knit with, OMG it is so soft and cushy and drapes beautifully, it was going to be a baby afghan, but i’m a new knitter and the baby will be 2 before I’m done. so i’m making it into a throw instead. the baby got a quilt with fabrics that matched it’s parents wedding quilt and it only took a weekend.
175. for a blanket?
Eesh. I’m going to stick with my camera for my hobby making.
Shiloh Walker recently posted..The Friday 56… the next #Grimm
I’ve noticed that with “sets” as well. It’s $200+ for a sweater I may or may not f-up. When I can go get one at Target with a coupon for $7.00. Um… not rocket science there.
I take my pleasure in the cheaper yarns and making what I knit look damn fine.
And I’m with you on the granny quality of the blankets. I went with… http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-beekeepers-quilt. $5.50 for the pattern and I can make it out of the junk yarn I have lying about in all kinds of fun colors. I messaged the creator and they said it wouldn’t break the honeycomb if I used worsted weight or heavier I’d just have to reduce stitches accordingly. Happily, I like experimenting.
I think it’s the same thing with some recipes. By the time you’re done buying all the ingredients, not to mention the time involved, you could have spent less time and money to get some really good take out.
I love crafts but they are expensive…sigh.
The afgan is pretty but $175 for the yarn — wow! Just, wow!
I am usually safe from these kinds of tempations because when God handed out
the crafty gene, I was in the toilet!
How many people have you killed today? Maybe slaying fictional characters can become your new stress relief!
I’ve heard stories of people who have spent $300 on good yarn to knit a sweater…and then they accidentally threw the sweater into the washer/dryer and it shrank down to Lilliputian size.
I knit, but I knit thrifty.
Ah… us knitters! They see us coming a mile away. I don’t knit sweaters for this very reason. I can buy it for 1/4 the price. Hehehe (And I can be sure that it will fit.)
I knit things that you can’t buy. Mostly lace. I also know that my $50 lace shawl is going to be a heirloom. A $200 blanket won’t!
Wow. I make jewelry as a hobby and assumed the silver and stones made it a really expensive hobby, but I’ll spend 5$ on supplies for an all day project or $50 on something that takes a week. Of course, those aren’t expensive stones.
Whoa that’s crazy for Lion Brand yarn! I’d maybe knit one but I’d do some serious yarn shopping first. Funny how the 70′s are back already, Think I’m getting old. If your really feeling a yen to knit something big then check out Cestari yarns or 100purewool… They would be how my thrify self manages to afford a hand knit sweater every now and again.
With projects like that u wait for a SALE oh and def do not buy the LB yarn from LB I will never understand why the heck they sell their yarn for more than other retailers one would think they would sell it for a better price. But a good sale will do u just fine
I can’t knit to save my soul, but I’ve been known to crochet baby sweaters and blankets. I like things that take one or two skeins, max (those are the only projects that have a chance of being finished). It’s been too long- last time I had a crochet project, the two year old spent a few moments unraveling an entire evening’s worth of work. I’m sure there’s a great philosophical observation in there somewhere, but it still makes me feel too frustrated to search for it
I think the mix of colors is beautiful. This, of course, is from a person who was raised to think purple, green and gold go together quite magnificently!
You are right about comfort though. Fleece or chenille is much cozier!
The afghan is beautiful; I really love the colors. Maybe you could save the pattern and wait for the yarns to go on sale? I know you can buy cheaper, but there is much to be said about the love people put in something home made. I have inherited a hand crocheted coverlet that my grandmother made for my mother when she and my father first married nearly 60 years ago. It’s special to me because she made it.
I buy a lot of my yarn on Ebay because you can get it cheaper then in most hobby, fabric stores. It takes some hunting and will to resist overbidding on certain auctions but when you can get 5 or 6 skeins of wool for under 10 dollars you get a little rush of happy!
I too, am a crazy knitter. My problem isn’t websites for yarn….my mother owns a wool shop, so everytime I go down I see new wool and patterns. It’s very hard to resist. I get why people won’t spend that much on wool when they can buy a blanket cheaper ready made, but I get a lot of personal satisfaction when I finish a big project.
Take yesterday for example, new wool & patterns came in at the shop. I was helping out. I found one I liked so I worked out how much for the wool/yarn – NZ$500.20 (approximately US$410.00) <- This was for the wool/yarn ONLY. Alpaca & Baby Kid Extra yarn – very soft and so pretty. (http://naturallyyarnsnz.com/product.php?id=802 <- it's the cover picture jacket/coat/long cardigan)
I'm going to learn how to make socks. I love some of the patterns for socks out there.
Ok, here are some other project ideas to do or just buy them completed here. I suspect getting tattered may only _improve_ these lovely hats:
http://www.snorgtees.com/hats/long-barbarian-hat
I agree, projects should be cheaper than purchasing off the rack. Of course, I have expensive taste — cashmere arm warmers for $80+, super soft fancy scarves that sell for $60 in little boutiques, often in colors I don’t love. I buy my yarns on sale or thru ebay, and then I have one-of-a-kind items for half the price that I’d otherwise pay.
My evil comment: Jo-Ann’s is having a $2.79 sale this weekend for President’s Day. At least they are here in GA. Gonna go stock up for my next afghan! ^_^
Weird…the afghans/blankets my great-grandmother made still seem fairly new despite being used heavily for at least a couple of decades. Maybe yarn is in that vast category of items that aren’t made as durable as they were several decades ago… Then again, it could be that it’s the kind of textile that only did fine back when items were rarely washed & then only on “delicate” with special soap like Woolite; I don’t remember how or if they were washed.
I think I spent >$50 for the afghan I just finished crocheting, though granted, I used much cheaper, acrylic yarn than likely the kind you are eyeing. Still, I’m happy to have finished my first longterm project (an afghan made out of granny hexes).
Walmart sells Lion Brand for cheaper than the lion brand website, like $5 a skein, but they have less of a selection, and it can still add up! If you just go for stress relief, just crochet, it’s quicker, and you can easily undo whatever you make and reuse the yarn.
And shouldn’t 21 balls of yarn make at least about 5 afghans? How big is this thing?!
After discovering online coupons I loathe purchasing any craft item at full price. I think your afghan pattern is very pretty and could be easily replicated from a pre existing yarn stash. One of the tips I’ve learned in keeping down project costs is to find alternative sources for yarn. I am not adverse to cutting apart thrift store sweaters and frogging them or trading/ ebaying yarn. It’s actually kind of fun bargain hunting.
Now money for gardening on the other hand…
Oh, saving money on gardening, I could go on for hours! I have a network of friends who share plants, use personal greenhouses to raise annual starts to share, help each other with big projects. A group of folks at work got together and developed a garden on our building site, where we raise food for the local food bank.
I’m designing a greenhouse for my own & share with my bestie, that I’ll make from scratch and recycled stuff, although can’t scrimp on some things. I’ve been haunting the Habitat for Humanity store downtown for fans, lumber, glass windows. I’ve also got an in with a guy at one of the glass installers, to get his discarded sliders, since they’re the right size.
I salute anyone who finds ways to get the items they want through scrounging, eBaying, making connections their communities. Sometimes I want what I want when I want it, and go pay full price, but there’s something so satisfying about scratching and scheming to get it.
Bought a throw made out of something (felt?) and 20 years later I’m still using it. I did make my sister 2 blankets 20 years or so ago. She still has them, but one of them is unraveling. No idea of how to fix it.
This is why I (mainly) cross stitch. It’s only a couple of bucks for a thing of cotton embroidery floss, and they last for quite a while. I’ve noticed that aida is getting more and more expensive, though. Lucky for me, I have family in China who will buy HQ aida for me in bulk and send it over (all that stuff is made in Asia anyways). You can even get the really fine stuff for petit point de croix.
As for knitting, I’m sticking to making scarves and shawls, in heavy yarns. Much cheaper, and the therapeutic effects are still there XD
You might check out the Rambling Rows afghan pattern by Cottage Creations. Here’s the Ravelry link to it: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rambling-rows-afghan
It’s great fun to do, and, of course, you can use your own yarn. I do think there are several yarns that wear really well, last a long time, and are just nice to work with. Brown Sheep Company’s Lamb’s Pride is such a one, 85% wool and 15% mohair. It’s not terribly expensive, and I have both sweaters and well-used blankets I made with it years ago that still look fine. There are others as well. And there are several online yarn shops that often have terrific sales.
Regarding a previous post, knitting is a great thing for an anxious flyer to do on a plane trip. (And, yes, as far as I know, knitting needles are still allowed on domestic flights. I think the TSA realized that knitters were more dangerous on an airplane without their needles!)
I totally understand! I am a part time quilter and the decent fabric is way too expensive. I have to buy a little at a time. Despite the cost, it is for the enjoyment and sense of accomplishment that I quilt (like – OH MY GOD! I actually made that?! ). The idea that you made it makes it invaluable with your family.
I started crocheting and knitting with the sole purpose of making afghans in mind. That didn’t change until I made my first afghan and realized how many kick-ass scarves I could’ve made with the time and yarn instead. I’m proud of it, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not going to expend the resources on another one…any time soon, that is. I do like that most the yarn companies are posting the total cost of a project up front now.
And this is why I refuse to hand stick anything. If it can’t be done by machine it will not be attempted. Even the binding on all my quilts are machine done.
You and Robin Mckinley need to get together and talk about knitting. She’s also obssessed…er she likes to knit too.
I still have knitting groups following me on twitter that are her fault. All i did was find her glow in the dark knitting needles so she could knit during the opera. You can tell her she still owes me a sweater by the way 