Comparing Budget Yarns - A Beginner's Guide to Affordable 100% wool yarns

[@cherylcameron9972]

Finally! Someone else who can’t afford those expensive yarns that accompany most patterns….thankyou for this video, it’s very helpful!

[@Rebecca_Good]

Glad it was helpful :)

[@tayloradair743]

anything DROPS which I usually get off Wool Warehouse UK (I’m in the US). I’m not entirely educated on the ethics of drops but they do have extremely affordable natural fiber yarns.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks I’ll check it out :)

[@BoggyStitches]

My favourite go-to's for budget wool yarns are Briggs & Little and Holst Garn! Briggs & Little is 100% Canadian wool and while not itchy it's decently rustic and dry, and I wouldn't say it's soft lol. Comes in a ton of different weights. Holst is quite greasy pre-washing (which I actually love) but blooms BEAUTIFULLY and imo is /rustically/ soft and squishy after blocking. I've only used their fingering held double (so DK) and have loved the projects I've made.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thank you I’ll check both out!

[@CornbreadOracle]

I found Holst Supersoft to be somewhat comparable to Jamieson’s Spindrift. I’ve made stranded socks from both. Enjoyed knitting with both but found Supersoft to be softer. I would happily knit a whole sweater from this yarn.

[@queenofpixels5458]

Knit Piks "palette" fingering weight yarn is great as well I have made two sweaters from it. Also Patons makes a great wool/nylong sock yarn that is near indestructable.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks I’ll try it too :)

[@ellielundgren8619]

I loved this video! I have also used the fisherman’s yarn from Joann’s it’s so squishy! I would love to see a similar video with your affordable online fabric store recommendations.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Great idea!! Thank you ❤️

[@masz10676]

Thanks for sharing. I needed this info. On SSI with plenty of time but very limited $.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Leigh1131]

Please try the non-superwash Cascade 220. It’s very popular and very very nice to knit up and the resulting garments are really great.

[@Rebecca_Good]

I'll check it out! Thanks :)

[@lindaarchinal9008]

Thank you for this helpful video. I crochet, great tip on felting edges together.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Glad it was helpful!

[@hollieshuler8024]

There have been times when I priced a project made with the recommended yarn, only to discover the cost was my entire yarn budget for the whole year. Sometimes I can’t afford to make even an accessory sized project from some yarns. I appreciate the value of those yarns but, I need affordable options,so, thank-you for sharing your experiences with these more affordable yarns.

[@Rebecca_Good]

I agree it can be super expensive! Good to know more affordable options :)

[@Palouseweaver]

Hello from Washington! Thanks for your video on affordable yarn. I’m astounded when I look at patterns on Ravelry and I price out the yarn recommended by the designers. I don’t really want to spend $200-300 on yarn for one sweater and that seems to be the norm. And if you add a strand of lace weight mohair/Suri to it, which is really popular now, the price can go even higher! So thanks for the recommendations and the honest viewpoint on your experiences with the yarns that you’ve tried. Cheers ❤

[@Rebecca_Good]

You are so welcome! I agree, want to keep knitting without spending so much.

[@waywardstitch8604]

Cascade 220 also comes in a worsted weight that's non-superwash, widely available.

[@christineb2797]

Little knits is a site that sells a ton of discount cascade yarn . I’m local so I can pick up, but I don’t think shipping is wildly expensive

[@waywardstitch8604]

@@christineb2797 I'm on the littleknits mailing list but you just reminded me I haven't been seeing their emails lately. I know my email app randomly skips over some emails, so I just did a search in my emails and the missing littleknits emails showed up?! And now I see I JUST missed a great cascade sale with a free shipping offer, grrr! The yarn is still on sale but the free shipping has expired. I'm debating now because I hate that I missed the free shipping. Anyways, thanks for reminding me about litteknits! 🤗

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks!

[@annas7715]

@@christineb2797 I have ordered a LOT of yarn from Little Knits, from basic to luxurious. Highly recommended.

[@jenniferbarrett3272]

Cascade 220 worsted does come in a non-superwash option. I have used a few yarns from Hobbi and they are quite a good value. Drops and Holst also have good options too, as does Briggs and Little. As a Canadian, everything costs more due to our depreciated dollar. As well, I have super sensitive skin which is a real challenge to find next to skin softness for me. I generally use a blend to help with this. Great reviews. Thank you.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks for the info!

[@marshawoods2634]

Great topic! This knitting obsession can become very expensive. Two more brands that I like are Woolstok by Blue Sky Fibers and Lamb's Pride by Brown Sheep Company. Lamb's Pride is 85% wool with 15% mohair and has a nice hand. I need to look for a local-to-me source of Briggs and Little that doesn't involve international shipping. I have never seen and touched it at an LYS.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Great tip! Thanks :)

[@lauraeaton2092]

You might try Maritime Family Fibers for Briggs and Little. They only ship in the USA

[@HannaVilkman]

I think many knitwear designers use yarns that are easily available for them. For example, Petite Knit is Danish, Sandnes Garn yarns are Norwegian, so from a neighbouring country and are thus readily available in Denmark and not so expensive (in Finland where I live a ball of Sandnes Garn Double Sunday costs around 6-7,5 euros or about 6,5-8 dollars and Finland is also part of the Nordic countries with Denmark, Norway etc.). Knitwear designers from the USA most probably use yarns that are produced in the USA or nearby and those yarns might not even be sold for example in the Nordic countries, so knitting is just about always about substituting yarns, be it due to price, material, availability, ethics of producing the yarn (eg. mulesing) etc.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Very true and worth considering :) thank you!

[@Meredith36]

Thank you! So glad you popped up on my feed. Love the wall of books. I’ve liked and subscribed. Happy knitting 💚🧶💚

[@Rebecca_Good]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@moonbasket]

Thank you for sharing your experiences! I also live in the US and need some budget yarns. However, if you ever have the opportunity to travel to Norway (or probably the rest of Scandinavia), I highly recommend picking up some Sandnes Garn yarn. My mom lives in Norway and she got me a bunch of Sandnes Garn Sunday for about 4-5 dollars a skein. It's super sturdy and smooth yarn and much cheaper when purchased within the country than trying to get a hold of it here in the US.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks! I’d love to someday :)

[@maxx6050]

Good review on alternative wools, thanks. Also, your wall of books looks fabulous.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thank you!

[@teresaoconnell4790]

i am testing Lion Brandi Local Grown. I just found it in Joann Fabric Store in America. It is nice and soft. I like it better than Patons wool worsted, which is my former favorite.

[@Rebecca_Good]

I need to try it out! Thanks :)

[@jonij794]

I’m a big fan of wool of the Andes and palette by KnitPicks. I like the variety of colors and find the heathers are great in blending colors for shawls. Thanks for this.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@jenm4721]

I've used Hobbii yarns and they are really nice and soft. I've made a lot of hats from their happy sheep line and no one has complained that they are itchy. I've also loved the Brown Sheep Company wool

[@Rebecca_Good]

Good to hear thank you :)

[@bestofemse]

Just remember to always wait for a sale when shopping at Hobbii they are fairly expensive imo but they always have sales that change often. @@Rebecca_Good

[@Soporbum42]

Thanks for the vid! I'm going to be trying Premier Yarns "Stitch Please" wool on a hat very soon, at only $4.99/100g skein it's very reasonably priced 100% wool, but I have no experience with it yet

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks!

[@lindaconover4328]

Thank you for this great info, living on a fixed income this will be very useful 👍

[@Rebecca_Good]

Glad it was helpful!

[@valeriebishop561]

Thank you so much for this! I am always looking for options. Love the info as you have worked with these. Wool is the best!

[@Rebecca_Good]

You are so welcome!

[@ylennon299]

Wool warehouse, ICE yarns, Lindehobby are great online shops. Holst garn is great if you don't mind that it's not as processed as the others.

[@twinguardian4208]

Ice Yarns and Holst Garn are my fav. A chore to wash the Supersoft but it's def worth it!

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thank you!

[@noelleparris9451]

Great round-up of affordable wool yarn, thanks for doing this. I have knit with all the yarns you mentioned (including Hobbii's extra fine merino) and thought they were all great. I especially love Cascade because there are just so many colors and it wears so well. (I don't know about the superwash for garments because I prefer non). I would also add Purl Soho's Good Wool to the list. It is a sport weight Andean highland wool that is glorious to work with and comes in 383 yd (350 m) hanks for 100g. There are a few dozen colors to choose from, and they are lovely. Purl Soho has frequent sales, so I would recommend checking it out.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@esalenchik]

@@Rebecca_GoodWhen I signed up for Purl Soho’s emails, they sent me a 20% discount coupon, which worked with their 40% off sale over the holidays. I was delighted!

[@janeoliver5211]

Plymouth yarn makes a washable wool in the $11-14 range. I got it at my lys. Came in sport or dk and worsted.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks!

[@CornbreadOracle]

Schoolhouse Press might be a good place for you to find 100% wool yarns that are affordable. They care a lot about quality but focus on traditional knitting, not trends. So the wool they sell tends to be rustic. It might be a bit higher priced than big box yarns but the quality is better and you can still usually get a sweater quantity for under $100, sometimes $50 depending.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Awesome thank you!

[@katherine8900]

Never tried felting two ends together. Thanks for the tip.

[@queenofpixels5458]

Its frequently called 'spit splicing". I think there are a couple of videos that show how to do it. Superwash yarns won't do it though because they don't felt.

[@Rebecca_Good]

You're so welcome!

[@farmwife7944]

Another option is exploring fiber farms within comfortable driving distances. With live in a rural area in upstate New York and home to many small fiber producing farms. Every spring the county hosts a Fiber Tour with many farms hosting open houses, meet and greets with their animals and offering processed fiber for sale at each farm. There is also a small fiber processing facility about 2 miles from us and they have a variety of fibers for sale at any given time. Each fall the county fair grounds also hosts a Fiber Festival with many farms selling any number of products. These are not necessarily local farms so just be aware of that if you chose to buy local but is a great choice for comparing varieties of fibers. In our area the fibers include rabbit fur (not hide and you have to sit and comb a big soft rabbit to fully understand the emotional benefits connected with obtaining this fiber and there are always a bunch of calm, lovely rabbits on call to meet and greet! ), goats , alpacas, and sheep. I am currently working with wool from Romney sheep from the local convent and I look forward to buying some of the Angora from their goats this spring. To locate these fiber events look to newspapers each spring as we are quickly approaching Fiber Festival season.

[@Rebecca_Good]

That's a wonderful suggestion thank you! I'll look into Fiber Festivals.

[@francesdeane3480]

Try Briggs and Little yarns. I just made a Petite Knit pattern with the sport weight used as a DK. About C$7 per 100g.

[@carolynbjerk7514]

I like Briggs and Little , a Canadian yarn, I get from Maritime @Family fibers. It is $7.55 for 100 gm and is $2:00 off per skein through the month it is sturdier than wool of the Andes and I think more robust than Fisherman’s wool. It’s a real workhorse, a favorite of folk such as fisherman and farmers . Thanks for your research

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thank you so much I’ll try it out!

[@billotoole1563]

Wool of the Andes is my go-to choice for sweaters, vests, hats, scarves and mittens. Cascade 220 comes in a non-superwash worsted weight, which is also Peruvian Highland wool, but has a slightly thicker feel than Wool of the Andes. I have found that the solid colors of Wool of the Andes feel thicker than the heathers. Since I do a lot of simple stockinette garments to wear to work, I gravitate toward the heathers for their rich shadings. If you venture into stranded colorwork, Knit Pick’s Palette yarns are ideal. They are also 100% Peruvian Highland wool but in fingering weight, and with a HUGE variety of colors to choose from, to the point of being overwhelmed.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thank you for sharing :) I’d love to try color work someday!

[@susanarrighi]

Bendigo Woollen Mills in Australia has very economic 200gr balls of pure Australian Marino wool for between $14 - $18 Australian dollars, I have used this many times and I’m always happy with the finished garment.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thank you! I’ll check it out :)

[@PatriciaWales02]

I agree. Lovely yarns, not at all scratchy, and large colour range. The 200 gm balls are great. Very economical.

[@cyndylee544]

Thanks for sharing these with us. I found Knitpicks a while back and they have very afordable yarns. Cascade seems to be another good one, although I have only tried the fingering weight and it is super soft. Honestly, I don't hardly even go to the box stores anymore as they just don't have any variety and you can't get a sweater's quantity either. Anyway, thanks for sharing these brands with us and good to know.

[@Rebecca_Good]

You are so welcome!

[@IslandKate]

This video and all the comments are a great resource! Thank you ❤️

[@Rebecca_Good]

Glad it was helpful! :)

[@cynthiaspear-duncan7661]

Thank you for this. I am not an accomplished knitter. So as I venture into bigger projects, cost can be staggering. I am not a small person. I have used fisherman wool. I do like it. Oddly I had some old (years) skeins of tweed listed as 100 percent wool. I made my first sweater. I did use an acrylic /wool blend. But as I gain experience with garments, wool is my preference. thank you again.

[@Rebecca_Good]

You are so welcome!

[@judithsibley3067]

Thanks SO much for this video!!! It has REALLY helped me as a new crafter!!!

[@Rebecca_Good]

You are so welcome!

[@twinguardian4208]

My go-to yarn sources for wool are Holst Garn and ice Yarns. I definitely recommend them as affordable options. I have so many cones of Holst and a person can easily make 2 to 3 sweaters based on the size they make and what they make. I have Tides (my least fav but it makes nice garments), Supersoft (great for colorwork, a bit rustic, but it softens when washed and can highly recommend it if you really want a 100% wool sweater), and my personal favorite Coast (wool and cotton; highly recommend to have best of both worlds since I get hot very easily). And for Ice Yarns that's where I've gotten a lot of my acrylics from that I test knit projects before making it in wool yarn just to make sure I get the measurements right. But they definitely have good wool yarn, especially the sock yarn! Made my first pair of socks out of it and they've held up pretty nicely for being 2 years old. I try not to buy from other sources since it's so much more expensive when penny pinching.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Such good info thank you! I’ll check both out :)

[@Dragons_And_Giants]

Thank you!! I feel like wool is affordable but it's definitely not the yarn being shown with a lot of patterns..and that was discouraging to me. I've been finding affordable options over the years but I like this list as a great reminder.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Glad it was helpful!

[@catherinemccurdy7518]

Purl Soho is great and I love their free patterns and wonderful tutorials.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks!

[@janemarriott3389]

Lots of solid information. This is so practical. I will share this with other knitters! Thank you.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cindyw4278]

Great suggestions! The other advantage of using these kinds of yarns is the colour choices, and the fact that you don’t have to watch out for colour differences when knitting and changing balls, so I prefer making larger garments from these kinds of yarns. I prefer to use hand dyed yarn on smaller projects. I love all the suggestions you have made I will definitely try to get hold of the briggs and little. I’m Canadian and it’s made here so should be accessible.

[@Rebecca_Good]

So true! I’m in the USA but a lot of people have recommended Briggs and little :)

[@thebigsewalong]

Thanks for this helpful video I’ve used cascade 220 worsted and think it’s a real workhorse I’ve tried a couple of yarns from Hobbi but so far only cotton so I’d be interested in others’ views on their wool thanks again!

[@Rebecca_Good]

Glad it was helpful!

[@joanneentwistle7653]

Hi from Windsor Ontario. I love Knitpicks and have yet to be disappointed with a yarn from them. Definitely in Canada here yarn can usually be very expensive in general, so thank you for this video❤ The oldest woolen mill still operating in Canada is Briggs & Little. They have good prices too. You might want to try them out.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thank you! Will do :)

[@abe5849]

New subscriber-thank you for this video!

[@Rebecca_Good]

You are so welcome!

[@helenaclaesson6469]

I'm a crocheter and am at that point where I want to do more items of natural fibre, and less acrylic. Indeed the world of yarn is a lot for people with a lot of money I must say. I enjoyed your video, even though I live in Europe, and the only one I know that is available to Europe is Hobbii. It always annoys me a little that most online stores don't mention that they don't ship to Europe. I am myself doing a project to test out different wool yarns, to see what is affordable... but also to learn what is out on the market, so it was curious to find your video. So far in my own research I've found that Hobbii is the best/most affordable. They are a reliable company with a lot of yarn, a lot of variations.

[@helenaclaesson6469]

I'll look at that. Thank you 👌👌@@nony_mation

[@helenaclaesson6469]

Thank you @@nony_mation , appreciate it a lot. I'm currently in Spain.

[@helenaclaesson6469]

must be this one: So Many Swatches!!🧶In Search of the Perfect Vintage 3 Ply Yarn for Vintage Knitting @@nony_mation

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks for sharing :) I’m so happy everyone has so many good recommendations in the comments!

[@helenaclaesson6469]

I just finished a hat made of Hobbii Friends 100 % wool. They cost 4,45 EURO for 50 g (100 m), but quite often they have sales. I really like how soft and strong the yarn is, and also they come in many colours.

[@KarenAnne1965]

Great video! Thank you!!!

[@Rebecca_Good]

You are so welcome!

[@maryw246]

Huge fan of Patons. It is the workhorse of my stash.

[@Rebecca_Good]

I loved working with it!

[@keedledee]

Thank you. It was very helpful.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Glad it was helpful!

[@satsumamoon]

Buy drops wools until youre spending months knitting a fairisle sweater on 2.5 mm needles and want it to last for decades. Nylon or silk add durability to garments and can make the garments lighter. (Fewer skeins needed) .

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks for the tip! :)

[@CassieDA17]

I’ve knit with the Patons and like it, but it is a little scratchy. I have done fisherman’s but haven’t tried it yet. I didn’t realize that the solids were only 100%, thanks for pointing that out. I also have some “I love this wool” from hobby lobby and haven’t tried it yet. It’s $6.99 regular price and goes on sale 30% off every other week. 100g 220 yards. I also really like universal deluxe worsted and DK, but it’s Superwash. It’s around $12 regular price.

[@Rebecca_Good]

I haven’t tried hobby lobby wool yet, will check it out. Thanks!

[@CassieDA17]

@@Rebecca_Good I just remembered that Joann’s now has some 100% wool by Lionbrand called something like “local grown” it’s in some of the bigger Joann stores

[@Rebecca_Good]

Oh cool I’ll look for that too.

[@onajourneylife2242]

Thank you for this great video! Just subbed :)

[@Rebecca_Good]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@dixiesebald5406]

Very helpful video. Thank you!🙂

[@Rebecca_Good]

You're so welcome!

[@Tinsleymumsey]

Great video - very 'watchable'! Thank you!

[@Rebecca_Good]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@elinordrake9716]

Excellent, thanks!

[@Rebecca_Good]

You're welcome!

[@donnacohen-avery8086]

Where do you find Wool of the Andes for 3.99? I’m only seeing it for 5.49. Regardless, it is still affordable and I agree with you. I love this yarn. I received some for a gift and made two sweaters with it. It is an amazing yarn for the money. Fiber events are a good place to find less expensive farm wool yarn. I’ve gotten some great skeins for reasonable prices at fiber events. I’ve also blown the budget… cascade 220 also comes in a non-superwash worsted weight and it is a true worsted, not light. I also don’t know if you have shopped the Webs house yarn, Valley Yarns. If not, you might want to check them out.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Lots of great info thank you! I purchase wool of the Andes from knitpicks, here’s a link www.knitpicks.com/yarn/wool-of-the-andes-worsted/c/5420103 I’ll check out valley yarns!

[@donnacohen-avery8086]

@@Rebecca_Good this is so interesting. When I click your link it is 3.99. When I go to knit picks on my own, it is 5.49. So odd.

[@Rebecca_Good]

That is odd!

[@Belenshares]

@@donnacohen-avery8086US $ versus Canadian $ perhaps?

[@karengustafson7666]

Thanks!❤

[@Rebecca_Good]

You're welcome 😊

[@PatlLawson]

Briggs & Little fan here!

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks!

[@PatlLawson]

@@Rebecca_Good You are most welcome Rebecca. I’m a thrifty knitter too and love that you cover the angle. BTW, Briggs & Little yarns are dyed in the wool giving them a lovely tweed effect and making them much easier to match colours bought at different times or from different lots. There’s a KZbin video showing their process and includes some background on the mill. I love their story (being Canadian myself) and product. I believe they are open to direct selling from the mill. I rarely see them in local yarn stores. Yarn Canada is a big distributor.

[@jacquelineleibfried4691]

Thanks for sharing

[@Rebecca_Good]

Thanks for watching!

[@tobielurie4582]

I have used all the yarns you mention. My only complaint is that they all pill a lot.

[@Rebecca_Good]

Have you found one you recommend?

[@elinordrake9716]

Interesting, I've found the Patons did, and the Cascade, but I made a sweater out of the Fishermans that is a Solid Workhorse, no pilling & I wear the heck out of it. BUT, one thing I've started to realize (I'm a crocheter fyi) is that if I use a bit smaller hook than is called for, and crochet a bit tighter, there seems to be much less piling and the fabric is sturdier (albeit also more stocky/less drape.) When I used to use Fishermans there was a Michael's that stocked it next to the grocers so I took a 50% off coupon in Every time I went to the grocers until I had a sweaters worth. :)

[@Rebecca_Good]

I typically go down one needle size to get the density of fabric I like, maybe that’s why I haven’t seen a lot of pilling yet? I know eventually you have to depill all wool sweaters.

[@elinordrake9716]

@@Rebecca_Good Maybe? :) I'm not sure. I know that I recently got a very good deal on a very fluffy icelandic yarn, crocheted a sweater super-fast using a huge hook size, and even after just a few wears it is looking a bit 'meh'. I've decided to frog it & recrochet it using a much smaller hook. Basically, all of my garments that I've crocheted with a loose gauge have just not lasted long. So I'm Swearing that I will Remember that THIS Time lol. (You know how you learn A Thing & then a few years later you realize oops, you forgot again?)

[@Rebecca_Good]

Haha yes eventually I’m sure it’ll stick :)

[@judygrayson7896]

Did you find the fisherman’s scratchy? You didn’t Sat it was soft or not but you made a scarf with it but I felt it thought it was scratchy for me. Maybe a outer garment with a shirt under. Everyone has different sensitivity. Thanks

[@Rebecca_Good]

I found that after soaking it (the finished knit) in eucalan and laying flat to dry it felt much softer to touch. It’s comfortable to wear as a scarf. Hope that helps :)

[@annettegraff8323]

I just finished a gansey type shawl in Fisherman natural It was soft to me and a light #4 imo ! This is a wt I prefer I have used Cascade 220 and had no problems! I have used the Patons for socks and hats Also lovely! A swatch is advised to ensure proper size after blocking! Iwould use any of these again! I loved Eco Duo and am disappointed it's not available! I have just enough for a scarf😢❤

[@dr.evelynsharp2351]

Question: you mention knit Wool of the Andes feeling a bit lighter than others. But then you say you sized down a needle size. Was that to make a better fabric? Because I can't seem to mentally adjust down a needle size for a lighter yarn to meet gauge. Maybe I'm just confused this morning.

[@Rebecca_Good]

For instance, if the pattern called for worsted weight yarn and say a needle size 8, when swatching with a lighter weight worsted yarn I'd get a less dense fabric, more spaces between stitches. By going down to a size 7 needle, the stitches would be closer / create a more dense fabric. I hope that helps.

[@Kayemwhy]

Check out Little Knits in Seattle, WA

[@Rebecca_Good]

Will do!

[@user-tw3je7fk2k]

🥰

[@talitasmit9337]

❤