When to Avoid Using Discount Yarn
As much as I love discount yarn, there are times when you just shouldn't use it…
It's no secret that I love discount yarn. Actually I love anything that's on sale (just ask my husband), but that's another story. I can spend hours pawing through discount yarns at stores, garage sales, and flea markets. No thrift store is safe from me!
Over the years, though, hard experience has taught me that there's a time and place for discount knitting yarns. They work really well for scarves, afghans, and the like, but I've found that there are definitely times when you do not want to use some random sale item you pulled from a garage sale bin.
When discount yarn is not a bargain
1. Any time you're planning to block the finished product.
Blocking only works well with natural fibers, which means that the cheap acrylic discounted yarn you picked up won't adjust to the shape you plan to give it. That means that unless you're absolutely certain you've found 100% wool, you should never use discount yarns in a blocked piece.
2. When making dishcloths.
It probably won't surprise you to learn that some materials do better in water than others. Usually, discount knitting yarn is artificial fibers. And it's often very hard to tell what exactly is in there -- and how it will react when it gets wet. Dishcloths are small, spend a tiny bit more to get a material you know will do okay in water.
3. When putting a lot of time and effort into something.
One time I spent a full year knitting a huge, beautiful afghan out of various yarns. One, and only one, was a discount yarn that completely disintegrated the first time it went through the washing machine, leaving my carefully crafted blanket a mess. If you're planning to invest hours and hours of your time into something, invest a bit of money into it, too. It's worth it in the long run.
4. The first time you try something new.
You might think discounted yarn is a great idea for a new project -- that way, if you mess it up, no big deal. But when you're really new to something, you should use the yarn specified in the pattern (or as close to it as possible). Otherwise, you won't get the right gauge and the finished product might not turn out as you expected.
I really do love discount knitting yarns, but I've come to realize that they're not meant for everything. Use your common sense and only turn to discount yarn when it won't wreck a project.
