Knitting Through the Recession

Being unemployed sucks. On the up side, I have had a lot more time to knit. I have also been wondering how crafts such as knitting and crochet are faring during this "recession". News reports I have read lead me to think that as some people have less money for movies, travel, and starbucks, they are buying yarn, hooks and needles.

Here are some examples:

• In the article Living with Less: Getting Creative During a Recession, Robin Cowie Nalepa reported interviewed a Yarn Shop owner. "A $24 yarn purchase could garner two weeks of knitting and a scarf, while a sweater project may last two months and cost $80, explained Winburn. It gives new meaning to 'bang for your buck,'" said Lara Winburn." Nalepa aslo reported that this yarn store may not be seeing an increase in sales but is certainly not seeing a slow down.
• Channel KOAT 7 in Albuquerque has reported in the story Knitting Recession-Proof Pastime that a Local Yarn Shop is having difficulty keeping yarn on the shelves. The classes they offer on the fiber arts are also full.

This of course brings me to the issue which causes me irritation in a craft I otherwise love. The issue - the expense of natural fiber yarns, especially wool. I did some comparisons of some popular yarns that are available to me through LYS or online. My methodology was to look at the yardage for skeins of yarn, the price per skein and the number of skeins needed for a sweater.

What I found was the cheapest I could knit a wool sweater would be for about $40.00 in Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool Yarn. I would be extremely limited in the colors I could choose. The problem I see with this, is that I could buy a wool sweater for $40.00 or less. If I were to use one of the most popular Wool Yarns, Cascade 220, it would cost about $60 in yarn.

I could take into account the joy of hand knitting a sweater, but in many ways that adds to the value/cost of the sweater. The question is does the enjoyment offset the expense of materials and time? So far my answer has been no. The expense of wool yarn, especially while I am on unemployment, is way out of my budget.

This is why I knit mostly with acrylic yarns or blended yarns. They are less expensive. I also try to find yarn on sale. I make an exception with my washcloths. I use bulk cotton when I can get it.

Maybe I will begin to change my mind when I am flush again.