# Where do you find your fiber?



## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Yarn, thread, whatever it's called ... OTHER than spinning it yourself (I'm *so* not there but know enough to never say never  !!! )

So for now I've been to all the usual haunts, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Walmart ... and I'm not sure what I'm looking at or not finding what I like. Well - maybe I should go back to Hobby Lobby; they have TONS but I wasn't sure what I was looking at last time. 

I found an "easy" pattern but it's calling for "3" weight yarn and I'm finding gobs of 4 but not 3. Where should I look?


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Oh well nevermind. A quick google search pulled up gobs of yarn shops around town. Apparently there is even a "yarn crawl" in Charlotte each fall. Interesting. I may learn to do this yet.


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

I see you've answered your own question. Great! When I first began I bought yarn at Wal-Mart but quickly tired of scratchy, cheap Red Heart.
Now I get mine at JoAnn Fabrics. That's about the only source w/in 45 to 50 miles.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Hmm, well, the angora comes from the back yard. The cotton comes from the front yard and the wool comes from my friend's pastures. But this is fiber and it sounds like you are looking for yarn?










This is all backyard yarn, the blue stuff is dyed with roadside weeds.


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## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

I have a closet... :teehee:


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Only one closet? What about the attic? Then you can also use it as insulation and not merely as yarn! Woot! Multi-tasking. It's what I tell my DH anyway and so far he's going along with it.


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## Falls-Acre (May 13, 2009)

Honestly I've started thinking about this a lot more recently as well. It's easy enough to fins acrylic yarns just about anywhere. Branch into natural fibers and it becomes more difficult. Short of making your own (why not!), there are many places online. Once of my favorites (because I like bulk discounts) is the Sheep Shed Studio.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

I'm waiting for a box from them myself! Woot! It will get here when it gets here, though.


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

SvenskaFlicka - I know we've covered this before, but the first step is admitting it 

PrettyPaisley - Of the light weight #3 yarn out there, I like Caron Simply Soft Light and Red Heart Sport. They are affordable and do a fine job while you are learning.


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

I admit it - I do some knitting with "cheap" acrylic blend stuff - and I like Encore and Cascade Pacific the best - it is soft and has enough wool in it to retain some of the qualities of wool along with the washability and durability of acrylic. It is perfect for grandchildren's hats and mittens!

I do NOT knit with Red Heart or Lion brand yarn if I can help it. :teehee: Certainly not for clothing - but I DO keep it on hand for embellishments, duplicate stitching, corespinning cores, and weaving warp. 

I buy most of my yarn online from Knit Picks and occassionally the local yarn store, or I call my not-so-local yarn stores and have them mail me what I need from their inventory. I only get to those stores about once a year - and I make a mental note of their yarns that I like - but I have to be able to TOUCH a yarn before I commit to it. :teehee: I have also purchsed yarns from people's stashes on ravelry.com! I also make it a point to try to stop at LYS (local yarn stores) whenever we travel. 

I also buy specilaty yarns at fiber festivals!


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## mathchick (Aug 13, 2013)

hotcatz - beautiful!!! Do you happen to know what type of roadside weeds?

I'm still learning where to buy yarn, but find I'm having the most luck with a LYS and large but non-chain craft store with tons of yarn (and cheaper stuff than the LYS carries)


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## Belldandy (Feb 16, 2014)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> I admit it - I do some knitting with "cheap" acrylic blend stuff - and I like Encore and Cascade Pacific the best - it is soft and has enough wool in it to retain some of the qualities of wool along with the washability and durability of acrylic. It is perfect for grandchildren's hats and mittens!
> 
> I do NOT knit with Red Heart or Lion brand yarn if I can help it. :teehee: Certainly not for clothing - but I DO keep it on hand for embellishments, duplicate stitching, corespinning cores, and weaving warp.
> 
> ...


I love Red Heart! Takes all kinds, right? I almost cried when they discontinued their self-patterning yarn...forget what it's called now. I had about every color for making scarves and house socks.

Other than what's already been mentioned, I find oddments of yarn at yard sales and thrift stores....a huge bag of some nubby cotton in mostly wheat and ONE ball of pistachio made for an interesting problem in design theory.


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

Belldandy - My husband's grandma was a neat lady and would tell depression stories making sure the whole family never forgot how bad it could get. She encouraged us all to DIY, recycle old things, and save our money even if all we had was a few dollars. We went to visit her and what she really wanted to do together was go to the White Elephant second hand store. While there, we found a basket of used yarn in balls. She was thrilled! She then found some knitted items she planned to take apart for the yarn. She was the queen of awesome! I was talking with lady here not long ago that would find second hand men's cashmere sweaters cheap, take them apart and recycle the yarn. Very neat. The great thing about yarn is that you don't have to invest a lot of money. You can if you want and that's okay, but if you want to spend a little bit or only have a little bit, you can find inexpensive supplies.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

I am quite convinced that when I was a child I was gifted with a hat, mittens and a scarf that came from a sweater my mom used to wear that she took apart so that she would have yarn to make a Christmas present for me. We were poor, but mom always found a way to do something for us. 

Years later I had fallen on hard times. I made my son a green afghan. The colors did not match. It was pieced together from bits I had left over. It's still his favorite afghan, especially if he doesn't feel well. He knows how hard it was for me to scrounge up the supplies and how I had so wished I could give him something better. The love put into it was priceless, though, and that is what he cherishes.


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

That's wonderful Kasota  It reminds me of my family and growing up. There wasn't much money but some of the memories are so special, like yours.


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Kasota said:


> I am quite convinced that when I was a child I was gifted with a hat, mittens and a scarf that came from a sweater my mom used to wear that she took apart so that she would have yarn to make a Christmas present for me. We were poor, but mom always found a way to do something for us.
> 
> Years later I had fallen on hard times. I made my son a green afghan. The colors did not match. It was pieced together from bits I had left over. It's still his favorite afghan, especially if he doesn't feel well. He knows how hard it was for me to scrounge up the supplies and how I had so wished I could give him something better. The love put into it was priceless, though, and that is what he cherishes.


 
This is awesome. 

My mom was raised by her grandmother, the one who tried to teach me to crochet. I was raised with the impression that sitting around playing with yarn was a wasteful way to spend your time. You had to be up and successful with every single minute. No time to sit. My mom told me recently after we saw a beautiful shawl at a festival "women who were shawls don't get very much accomplished." I've got to move past that line of thought - being creative with your hands is not being lazy. I dare say my great grandmother did her fair share of milk cows in the day and sat around at night creating beautiful peices. Gotta find that middle ground, you know? Better than sitting in front of a computer screen all night long !


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

Knitpicks, The Woolery, Lys, & Walmart.

For sweaters & socks, I like knitpicks. For spinning I like The Woolery & knitpicks & local yarn store. For blankets & such I like Walmart - for Caron Simply Soft & Red Heart.


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

Definitely check out your local thrift stores. There are some folks on here who find tons of awesome yarn at their thrift stores. If it's a natural fiber, remember that the yarn can be dyed or over-dyed to create a suitable color.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

http://www.mypollywogs.com/pollybsheep.html


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

oh, my husband Cabin Fever ordered me some yarn yesterday from Alpaca Direct -and I forgot to mention local Goodwills and thrift stores. I have gotten some whole cones of machine knitting wool, cotton, silk and acrylic yarns there for a couple of bucks!

I also browse ravelry.com for "destash" sales from private individuals!


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

Belldandy said:


> I love Red Heart!


I am sorry, I misspoke. At the risk of starting an argument, :facepalm: I meant to say that I do not _enjoy _knitting with *Red Heart acrylic* except for embellishments, etc - but I HAVE knit with their lovely Aloe Heart and Sole sock yarn! Loved it - it is economic and pretty good sock yarn! 

Not condemning the whole line of yarns - just to clarify that I don't enjoy knitting with (or wearing) that particular 100% acrylic yarn.


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## Belldandy (Feb 16, 2014)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> I am sorry, I misspoke. At the risk of starting an argument, :facepalm: I meant to say that I do not _enjoy _knitting with *Red Heart acrylic* except for embellishments, etc - but I HAVE knit with their lovely Aloe Heart and Sole sock yarn! Loved it - it is economic and pretty good sock yarn!
> 
> Not condemning the whole line of yarns - just to clarify that I don't enjoy knitting with (or wearing) that particular 100% acrylic yarn.


I understood completely. 

In fact, thanks for reminding me of one source where I used to get yarn: companies that sold mill ends.

This was a few years ago, and it was all mail order, and most of them sent mailings with SAMPLES! So you could see all the pretty colors/textures!

Wish I could remember a name or two but if you Google 'mill ends' you might come up with something.


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

Forerunner..if I weren't so dang broke I'd be going to town. That one is going in my favorites. I have a bonus coming in a few weeks, and I might just have to spend some of it on fun stuff.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Her name is Dianne, and she's very dependable and prompt with shipping.


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## mathchick (Aug 13, 2013)

Forerunner said:


> http://www.mypollywogs.com/pollybsheep.html


hmmmmmm. Honestly I wouldn't consider buying anything from this website aside from the fact that forerunner is recommending it.

First paragraph at the top of the site:

***PLEASE NOTE THAT ASKING FOR A QUOTE DOES NOT HOLD THE YARN FOR YOU- if you just want to know how much the shipping cost is we do no need to know the color and quantity of each skein just the total skeins, this will allow us to give you a much fast quote without phusically having to look for skein s and write out an entire quote- 
thank you***


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

She has been very dependable.....


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## mathchick (Aug 13, 2013)

I'm glad to hear - looks awesome. I wouldn't have gotten past the first impression otherwise. I'll keep it in mind as I'm planning projects/looking for yarn!


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

The first time I ever contacted her about a purchase, she said she'd have to go out to her storage trailer to check on quantities, and came back saying that it had been raining and that she had dropped a box of yarn in the mud. 









:sob:






I went ahead and made my order, and it came crisp and clean. 

She's usually pretty speedy with delivery.


Incidentally, for those who haven't used it, Lamb's Pride, bulky and worsted, by Brown Sheep Co.of Nebraska...... is by far my foundation of choice for heavy knits.

The stuff comes 15% mohair, 85% wool, and it accepts mohair strands as though they were made for each other.

.....and four bucks a 100 gram skein for quality wool/mohair is positively scandalous.


ETA.....did I mention that she's speedy with delivery ?
















.


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

That's 1 ply, right?


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Yup......until I get done with it. :heh:


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

YES! Navajo weaving!


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

mathchick said:


> hotcatz - beautiful!!! Do you happen to know what type of roadside weeds?
> 
> I'm still learning where to buy yarn, but find I'm having the most luck with a LYS and large but non-chain craft store with tons of yarn (and cheaper stuff than the LYS carries)


Aloha Mathchick,

The roadside weed is indigo. It's way easy to use if you can get it fresh. I've been thinking it's about time to go dye some more yarn, might go pick some more leaves next time the stuff is blooming. Indigo when there's flowers on it dyes things better than indigo without flowers. 









Here's a few links to some of the previous indigo experiments and dye projects. The first link shows one of the first indigo experiments and the second link is after we'd had a few dye batches to practice on. Indigo is neat since it changes color when it comes out of the dye bath. Goes from a green color to blue, I guess the blue is sort of "rusted" (oxidized) onto the fiber. No mordant, no heat, it's really easy.


https://sites.google.com/site/hillsidefarmhawaii/spin-the-bunny/indigo

https://sites.google.com/site/hillsidefarmhawaii/spin-the-bunny/indigophaseiv

Making yarn has saved tons of money and you can make the exact yarn you want for a project instead of having to try to find something that will work. But there's still LOADS of pretty yarn at the yarn stores that still follow me home.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Look what I found! Look what I found!!

http://www.ask.com/explore/growing-false-indigo

The article says you can use it for dying yarn!

I have this in my yard! It grows ... well it grows like a weed. They said it is hard to propagate but I am not sure about that. I have TONS of seeds from this plant. It has been very easy to tend to and grow - I really do NOTHING for this plant other than water if we've not had any rain. 

It makes pods in the fall that turn black and the seeds rattle around. I collect my seeds and have oodles of them. I'm going to see about sprouting some of them and will start this weekend. If they are viable I will let you know and am happy to share with anyone who wants some. 

Woot!


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

SvenskaFlicka said:


> I have a closet... :teehee:


:hysterical:

Just a closet?

I have a couple of giant baskets of yarn 





















For commercial Yarn...

Paradise Fibers, the woolery.... and etc..


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Bergere.... oh to someday be able to spin such lovely yarn! Simply beautiful!!!


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## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

Okay, I have a closet, and two big shelves on a wire shelving unit, and a box in the living room, and another box, and a few random baskets here and there. But most of it stays in the closet! 

There, I admitted it. At least I sell some of it from time to time. :teehee:


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Kasota said:


> Bergere.... oh to someday be able to spin such lovely yarn! Simply beautiful!!!


Thank you!!!

Just takes practice....and I have been spinning for 20 years give or take.
Where has the time gone? LOL Now I feel old.:grin:


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