Every yarn hoarder I know runs into the same problem. We have lots of yarn, then we run across the cutest pattern or get the best inspiration to design something and... well dang, nothing in my stash will work! That one is too heavy. This one is too light weight. That one is the wrong shade of green. You all know what I mean.
Example: Several months ago I ran across some Tee Shirt yarn skeins for only $1 each. (Can you say Dollar Tree). Online these skeins sold for $8 to $14 each. What a deal! So I bought a bunch of them and patted myself on the back for snagging such a bargain!
This year I am trying to use up much of my stash, so I pulled out this wonderful yarn and got to work. It turns out that Tee Shirt yarn is not that easy to work with. Also, because of the thickness, there is not that much yarn in each skein. Who knew? Well, I should have. But I am impulsive and don't always think things through, especially when it comes to bargain yarn. This particular yarn is not really Tee Shirt material. Most of it is stiff and hard to work with. About the only thing it is well suited for is baskets, and some of those are not really that sturdy. I have tried starching after making them and that only helps a bit. I did find that weaving a piece of wire through the top round helps the basket hold a nice shape.
I did run across a sweet pattern for a hanging cocoon basket, but alas, the finished size is huge and it takes more than one skein to make it.Also, the thickness of the skeins I bought is not consistent. Some skeins are soft and contain enough for two nice sized baskets while others are stiff and I have to play yarn chicken to finish a project.
So the old adage, "You get what you pay for", holds true. Beware of the yarn bargain bin! It could eat your budget and cause you endless frustration!
That said, I did get a few cute and functional baskets out
of some of this yarn. So perhaps my bargain yarn is not a total loss.
Blessings!
Reny
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