A Desire for Options
So, I'm a knitter. Mostly for pleasure and therapy, but occasionally to make gifts as well. Fairly casually, I don't live with a pair of needles in my hand. So, as you can probably guess, I don't like spending a lot on supplies. I DO have a very nice set of needles that I spent good money on, but needles can be used over and over again. For yarn I try to keep the price low and the quality high. I don't want to spend more on yarn than I would spend on a finished item, but I also won't knit with junk that I wouldn't want against my skin, so no acrylic or nylon. Craft stores tend to be a bust since they mostly stock junk and finding the good stuff is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Small local yarn stores are nice, and it's MUCH easier to find good stuff, but then it costs way too much. When yarn costs $14-40 a skein, I'm unlikely to make more than a one-ball project, or buy it at all. Knit-Picks and other online sources are a god-send, and I use them a lot, but sometimes I really want to look at a material in person before I buy. I want to see the color with my own eyes in different lights and feel the weight and quality with my own hands.
The point of this post: I know there are other knitters and crafters out there. What do you guys do to find your materials?
The point of this post: I know there are other knitters and crafters out there. What do you guys do to find your materials?