Top 5 Online Yarn Stores

Like most of you knitters out there, I have a favorite local yarn store (or two, or three, or a dozen) that I buy my yarn from. But what do you do when you just can't find what you're looking for at any of the local shops? If you're anything like me, you turn to the great big wonder that is the internet.

There are some fantastic places to buy yarn online, and there are some advantages to buying this way. For one, you can look at several different stores for the yarn you're looking for without driving all around town. For another, you can find some really good prices online - like really good. How does 1.50 a skein sound?

The only real downside to buying yarn online, other than not supporting your LYS, is not being able to feel before you buy. For me, the feel of yarn is something that makes me want to buy it in the first place, which makes buying yarn sight unseen (or touch unseen) can be a bit of a gamble. But if you don't mind the risk, or already know what you want to buy, here are a few of my favorite places to shop for yarn online.

5. Yarn Market/Royal Yarns 

These sites offer pretty much the same things - good overall selection at decent prices. And if you sign-up for their e-mail lists, every once in a while you'll get a free shipping or a $5 off coupon.

4. ColourMart

For all you lace knitters, this is the place to go. ColourMart is a British company that specializes in selling remainder luxury yarns - remainder yarn being the yarn left on the cone after a piece is knit or woven. Anyways, this is the place to go if you want lace weight yarn in bulk for  a really good price - anywhere from $15 to $40 (including shipping) for about 1500 yards of cashmeir, silk, marino or some combination.

3. Ravelry.com

More just a place to find wonderful patterns and chat with your fellow yarn enthusiasts, Ravelry.com can also be a great place to buy yarn, especially discontinued yarn. Under the "Yarn" Tab at the top, either search for a specific brand or type of yarn you want or go browsing. Click on a specific yarn, and then either choose the "buying options" tab or the "stashes" tab to find out which other Ravelry members have your yarn and who is willing to sell or trade it.

2. Knit Picks
   

To be honest, Knit Picks is really only a great place to buy yarn if you like KnitPicks brand yarn, which I do. They have yarns of all fiber types and colors at really good princes - 440 yards of baby alpaca lace for under $6? Yes and please.

1. Webs 

For the life of me, I will never understand why this site is called WEBS instead of Yarn.com - but whatever. All I know is that these guys have nearly every yarn under the sun. And their closeout section is one of the best places around to find some amazing deals on yarn.

So - have you ever bought yarn online? If yes, where's your favorite place and if not, would you ever consider giving it a chance?

Casting off,

Megan

Knitting for Charity

So here's a question that nearly all knitters ask themselves at one point or another (and for some of us it's asked quite a lot): What should I do with my yarn stash? For some this question may be more pressing than it is for others.

In some cases, it's only a question of picking which color or which pattern to work on next. In other far more desperate case (myself included), in addition to asking which pattern to work on next or which yarn to use, one must also consider several other mitigating factors. These include, but are certainly not limited to: an overabundance of scarves/socks/sweaters/other knitted items in your home; family and friends who have threatened you with certain bodily harm if you attempt to give them just one more knitted item; and/or you have a bunch of single skeins of yarn that you thought might be fun to knit with but you have since discovered a) one skein isn't enough to knit anything, b) the yarn is a big ol' pain in the patoot to knit with, and/or c) the color puce (or whatever) no longer hold any appeal to you what so ever. So, again, the question is - what to do with your yarn stash?

Well, for some, myself included, the answer is to knit things to sell to people who have some odd need for more handmade things in their life (see: Etsy). But for others - and I include myself in this category as well, there is the option of donating your knitted items. There are literally hundreds of organizations out there that are ready and willing to accept you handknit sweaters, scarves, blankets, hats and other items for the less fortunate.  

Now, I know there will be some out there who will be a little weary of this option - so many of us are incredibly busy and barely have time to go grocery shopping (hey - ranch dressing is a food, isn't it?), let alone knit blankets and sweaters for complete strangers. Never fear!

There are knitting charities out there designed to fit your busy schedule, including one of my favorites Knit A Square. All they ask is that you send them in knitted (or crocheted) 8 inch squares that they in turn use to make blankets for AIDS orphans in southern African. Not only is this a great way to test out yarn or new stitches, but it's super fast and easy. I try to send them a few every month.

Other such charities are those that collect hats - which are super quick and easy to make - for either soldiers or for chemo patients. A great charity for soldier's caps (helmet liners) is The Ships Project, among several dozen. And for chemo caps, check out Head Huggers. Be aware, if you would like to contribute to these causes, there are often restrictions on what can be donates, color and fiber for example.

As the holidays near, its always nice to turn your thoughts to those who are in need of a little bit of help, even if its just a scarf or a hat. In addition to the options I mentioned above, you might find these lists of Knitting Charities helpful: Lion Brand Yarn: Charity Connection and Interweave Knits: Knitting Charities

Do you have a favorite charity (knitting or otherwise) that you contribute to? And what do you do with your extra yarn stash?

Casting off,

Megan