Yeah, I agree. Materials matter, but that doesn't mean the most expensive or the cheapest is 'right'. I'm trying really hard to keep my crafting hobbies to knitting and sewing, but dang does tatting look cool! 💜
It's fantastic, once you get the hang of it! I find it really satisfies that urge to fidget with something without feeling like I have to make something huge 😄
Tatting - I started learning to tat due to Engineering Knits. I learned the whole, "start with good tools" lesson with knitting, so I researched what shuttle to buy and what thread to use. I still used crochet cotton for learning because I did not really care if I ended up throwing it out. I know I have binned at least a pound of odd little rings and chains in various colors and weights of crochet cotton. I am currently tatting with size 30 vintage American Thread Company Gem Crochet Cotton because I'm a contrary creature. I told my sister once I was some sort of odd Goblin/Dragon hybrid. She scoffed and replied, "You're a Dwarf, obviously. You prefer cave-like conditions, love sparkly things and spend all your time working on progressively more intricate and arcane crafts. Dwarf." I think I'd rather be a corvid. Of course, with my Italian heritage I'm expecting my Nonna beard to come in any day now, so the Dwarf thing may work out. Also "Requires Special Conditions and Ritual Prayer" needs to be a T-shirt.
Great video! My feelings around this matter are pretty simple and align with yours. I think that the most sustainable material for a craft is the one you already own, but that really goes hand in hand with the idea that the most sustainable material is the one that produces the item you're going to get the most use/wear from.
My grandmom learned me how to knit and she only used cheap acrylic. So I only used cheap acrylic for years like there wasn't an alternative. And then I discovered handspinning and wool. A whole new world opened up to me...
I tend to choose based on recipients of my knitting. Baby blanket that I want parents to use...cotton, acrylic blend, rarely wool. If it gets thrown up on, I want it to be easy care for parents, not an heirloom. For my Mom, who I know will appreciate and care for wool, the good stuff! I will do a soft wool blend with acrylic for those I'm not sure about their itchiness tolerance. I know it's plastic, but there are some really soft acrylics nowadays that are lovely and easy care.
I often think much the same way. The folks who will take care of a crafted garment generally get the good stuff. Sometimes I'll experiment with something and throw the door open to my craftworthy family, and they'll outright choose the acrylics, just because it looks fun. I'm not going to knock them for it. And for folks who just need to wash & go? Acrylic is definitely a fair choice 😃
I think the two principles I try to employ to steer towards the platonic ideal of ethical crafting, while also trying to save money: 1. Don't buy everything, even if it's a good deal. Not only is spending more money than I likely need to on things I'll never use up, but then there's less for the crafters coming to the store after me. Thread on sale for ridiculously cheap? Sure I'll stock up on a few neutral colours I know I always use, but I don't need to clear the store of black thread. 2. The right tool for the job saves frustration and money. Just like it makes more sense to own a flathead screwdriver rather than fighting with a butter knife to fix everything (and potentially break something in the process), the right tool can be worth it. But that often means time-tested quality tools (such as a good pair of dedicated sewing scissors), not gimmicky electronic trends with flashy bits I don't need
Pretty much with you on this one (although having had semi-acrylic yarns for crochet and since gotten the chance to use pure wool...... I'm never going back lol the touch is SO different) I'll also say that while thrifting is great, seeing old things, especially old things that are in good shape and no longer in production anymore, only as materials rather than having worth in themselves? Kind of drives me up the wall. Like you said, using your own low quality or super worn out modern bedsheets (bc let's be real, they wear out like crazy unless you put hundreds into them) for mockups, draping, etc? Absolutely a fantastic use of them. Using pristine condition hand embroidered sturdy bedsheets/tablecloths to cut them up and make a dress you'll wear like twice because it's the trendy thing rn or because you Must have a new *costume* for a historical themed event and it doesn't look cool if you don't have a different dress every time? I don't actually consider that thrifty or sustainable in any way. It's taking something that might have had still plenty of use into it and turning it into something that won't see much use and won't continue on, and when it's a finite resource... It feels to me like the equivalent of taking an early 20th century singer machine that still runs and throwing all the actual mechanical parts away so you can use the furniture part as home decor. (Of course, if it's to get access to fabrics that won't aggravate sensory issues for something you actually plan on wearing day to day and caring for, or giving a new life to fragments of something beautiful and broken, that's a very different story)
My art professors in college would always stressed good quality supplies. Most of us students were too poor and too stubborn to pay for the more expensive stuff. As I get older I see the wisdom in their advice. My art would have been so much better if I didn’t buy cheap, transparent paint. I’m knitting an acrylic sweater right now, only because its my first and I didn’t want to spend $60+ on nice yarn if this project was going to be a disaster. But I am also not a new knitter and have experience under my belt to help me deal with the yarn. There is a place for cheap sometimes, but good quality for the win most days!
I definitely fall in the middle of the spectrum. I try to use natural fibers whenever I can, but sometimes you gotta go with what you have on hand or easy access to. I’m a bit spoiled by my favorite local charity shop. It only carries sewing and crafting supplies. I regularly score silk yardage, I’m talking 15+ yards, for around $30 US total. I’ve gotten a few bolts of cotton velvet, twill and corduroy along with linens and wools for a steal. They also have huge quantities of lace, yarn, buttons, embroidery supplies and paper crafting stuff. It’s always my first stop when starting a new project. On the other hand, I just purchased 8 yards of the most glorious silk/wool blend plaid from a large online fabric retailer. It really all depends on what strikes my fancy when browsing the interwebs.
You made a lot of really great points, and I agree wholeheartedly. It's good to know what materials to use and when, but it takes some experience to learn that. That's the most likely origin of the "I don't know WTF to do with this" yarn/fabric/etc. in most stashes. Boye crochet hooks suck. I've tried several and they're just infuriating. I have some metal ones and wooden ones, but my favourites are the vintage Susan Bates hooks. A friend gave me a few crochet hooks from her grandmother's stash, and received a small essay on how much I love vintage crochet hooks! I'm lucky she's patient. My mom used Red Heart Super Saver to make a blanket for me before I was born. I'm now 35 and I still have that blanket. It will survive the heat death of the universe. I've found that acrylic/wool blends are great for blankets, because you get the washability of the acrylic and the warmth of the wool. I wish I could embed a photo here because I'm really proud of a massive, blue, granny square blanket I finished last year out of yarn I got on sale at Michael's.
Speaking of massive blue granny blankets... I bought a bunch of Caron Cakes in their "Fairy Cake"(sp?) colourway because the blue-to-white gradient appealed to me, and cast on. Fast forward a year, Mum and I were going thru Michaels, and she zones in on the EXACT SAME YARN, right down to the colourway and dyelot. And proceeds to tell me she wants to make the EXACT SAME BLANKET. And despite me telling her she can just continue where I left off on mine, she buys ANOTHER 6 skeins of the yarn so she can cast on her own (she only did a couple of rows because it took a lot more out of her than she thought) This blanket is going to be massive. The yarn fills an entire large bin/basket, and yes...like your blanket, will survive the heat death of the universe.
I feel this. As a sewist, I started with bedsheets and a walmart machine my mother in law bought me. Now I have a machine I picked up for free (My darling Singer Touchtronic 2010) and cost me the amount of a service call. I still use bedsheets but I cherish my on sale meterage. I just started knitting a 2 weeks ago. I thrifted bamboo straights and used my cheap yarn which was my main for crochet. I can knit and purl now. After a week, I bought an interchangeble set after fighting with a fixed circular. YES. I spent a decent amount that took time for me to save as a SAHM. I recognize the privilege I have now that I didn't grow up with. But I had to recognize if I was going to actually use any of it, I have to make an attempt to put my dollars toward longevity vs what I can get for the smallest amount. I'm using Drops Nepal. It's 50g and costs the same as a 200g skein of red heart. But it's animal fiber and quality. Everyone should be allowed to craft and I still use acrylic but I know that if I had waited to thrift my individual components, I wouldn't be crafting. That being said, I still proudly wear my bedsheet dresses and aprons. And I still thrift so many supplies and stalk marketplace.
Good vlog thank you! I'm a 50 year veteran sewist and I am not wasting my time and energy any more on sub standard materials, because the most valuable thing that goes into anything I make is actually my time. And so I know it is worth it. And I see people using the wrong things -cheap plasticky rubbish sewing machines and nasty fabrics and then hating what they have made and thinking sewing sucks because of it, and it is really hard to say what you said but it is TRUE.
for my crochet i almost always use acrylic, blankets and easy to wash cardigans are all i make so no need for more expensive materials. my knitting is now almost all cotton or wool because those are shawls, socks, and nice cardigans but i learned with acrylic because i had a stash and yarn is yarn when you're learning. all of my sewing supplies are thrift finds because i am a beginner and want to get the hang of it before i start using nice fabrics. as i get older and more financially stable i'm sure i will upgrade but for now my stuff works for the purposes i want them for.
I’ve been crocheting blankets, and while I’d love to make them from soft luscious hand dyed yarn, I know my projects will be rode hard and put away wet, as my granny would say. So the fanciest I’m willing to go right now is WoolEase Thick and Quick - most of my blankets are Caron Cakes though, and I’ll probably branch out into cottons for lighter weight options.
I learned to knit when I was five (so that would have been around 1972). One of the few things I will ungrudgingly thank my father for (he learned in the army, apparently, and taught me and my sisters when we were all very young). I don't remember the lessons, but I retained the knowledge of how to do it, and I'm pretty sure it would have been using cheap needles and acrylic yarn. I never finished a full sized garment. These days I only really knit in miniature - scaling down both the yarn thickness and needle size so I can knit in doll scale, and I'm usually kniting in 100% wool or a wool blend. My knitting didn't stop being super-tight until I tried square needles, and somehow I managed not to return to super-tight tension when I scaled down to smaller sizes of needle than were available in sueare needles. Howevever, all of my knit jumpers (made by a dear friend with the patience for knitting full sized garments and knit to raise money for her local church) are in cheap acrylic yarn. They're the only synthetic fibre garments I wear. I learned early on that, much as I like actual wool, it generally survives about three washes before I manage to ruin it in some way (a much smaller friend inherited the few 100% wool jumper that shrank but were still wearable garments). Said knitting friend died over ten years ago now, but all (except one) of those jumpers she knit me are in good, unshrunk, wearable condition (the one that didn't survive was left at a freind's house and remained folded in a conservatiry over a hot summer, and faded on all the outer layers in a very odd pattern due to the folds). The varigation of colours in those cheap acrylic yarns meant most of the finished jumpers were referred to as "interference patterns" almost from the start, and my friend had a knack of finding them in exactly the eye-searing combinations of colours that I love to wear. One of my favourites is in the fluorescent colurs of highlighter pens. As for bedhseets and tablecloths - I will and do happily make and wear clothing and costume made from them, but only if they're good quality 100% natural fibre (so usually cotton, occasionally linen if I really luck out)... the same for old curtains - many an old pair of cotton velvet (or damask, or brocade - rarer to find in cotton, however) curtains has been doomed to finish it's days as a costume on my (or a friend's) hanging rails. So yes, I tend to agree with you about the synthetic and synthetci mix bedding and tablecloths looking forever like bedding or tablecloths no matter what they're made into.
Sounds like you've had really good luck with your thrifted materials! And yes...my Dad has/had some pretty fantastic sweaters made from acrylic and acrylic blends in the 80's...though I think my grandmother may have actually busted out the "good wool" for a few of those items. I should check the sweater I stole just before I went off to art college in the mid-90s 😂
I agree with you. I am constantly trying to decide if I can live with what I can afford to use or if I should just save up and buy what I would prefer to work with
I have a collection of sheets I have picked up at thrift stores that as a plus size gal I find invaluable to try out a pattern to ensure fit before taking the scissors to the fashion fabric. It's amazing how quickly a failed mock up can be vanished into stuffing for a stuffed toy for a niece or nephew or a cat bed... When it comes to yarn, I have learned that the romance of knitting and crochet is not met by the commitment required to achieve the outcome I want, and I can sew faster than I can knit.
I've just thrifted my first cotton jumper and frogged it for yarn. I'm plus size but the yardage will give me enough for a vest. It's beautiful yarn that I would never be able to afford otherwise.
I think your views are correct. Growing up, any crafting was done with found items. Mom saved popsicle sticks during the summer and we built stuff in the winter. Sand shovels were milk bottles and bleach bottles. So we’re the fairy houses. I struggle with acrylic yarns and cotton yarns. I do prefer the wool yarns. I gift my stash of acrylic yarns to various groups that want acrylic yarns. If I find a yarn that I love, but cannot find a pattern or I cannot work with it, I pass it on. I am currently downsizing my craft bins and getting rid of metal needles and straight needles. I just do not use them.
I learned to knit from one of those kits. Didn't come with yarn, but it had a short dvd of knit and pearl stitches. I bought the cheapest yarn I could find and practiced for several days before I bought some lovely (still acrylic) yarn to knit a simple rectangular shawl. I gave it to my mother, who loved it and wore it for years, washing it frequently. (I still have it and think of her arms around me when I wear it.). Even though I now mostly knit intricate lace shawls, I mostly knit in acrylic yarns. When I gift someone a beautiful shawl they shouldn't be afraid to wear it (and then have to wash it.). Once acrylic yarn has been steam blocked it stays blocked. If I haven't knit beads into the shawl, then they can machine wash. ...Also, I am allergic to wool, so I don't like to be in the same room with it... 😆 I do like cotton for socks.
I only knew the knit stitch for 20 years, then I saw my MIL knit a beautiful layette set and decided if she could do it, then I could too. The second thing I ever knitted was a pair of socks with acrylic baby yarn. I only dropped one stitch. As I got better I wanted better materials and boy did I find them. I love Knit Picks and they'll have to pry my Addi needles from my hands. I absolutely love my 60" Addi's. I need to get them in all sizes, but for now zero thru three works nicely. GREAT VIDEO!
😆 Oh my gosh!!! I laughed soooo many times listening to this. The struggle is real! Ha. I loved this video! I grew up in the 1970's, so when I see people going all googly eyed over "retro", I want to run screaming from the building, because I remember it (and may still have it!) from the first go-round. I have been crocheting for over 50 years at this point. I branched out over the years into knitting, spinning and weaving, but I still don't sew (or tat...I was unaware that tatting required a different type of thread, so thank you for that info!). Too many crafts, too little time. I have scads of acrylic yarn. I will probably never use it all, but I am just a girl who can't say no to people who want to give me their recently deceased Aunt Mildred's 3000 ton stash of red heart. Again, I loved your take on the extreme crafter craftiness! Yank that pendulum firmly back to the center and make sure it stays there, I say.
yes! I made a shirt from some cheap fabric and I wouldn't wear it out in public yet I am still holding on to some bedsheets. I bought some good fabric from Fabricana realizing that I need proper fabrics and tools if I want to make something that is actually wearable or easy to work with however, the problem I have now is that I am too afraid to mess up while cutting what seems like premium fabric in the hands of beginner.
Oh man, yes, the right materials really matter! I picked up knitting again during the pandemic, using cheap bulk yarn and a set of plastic circular needles from the 1960s that my grandma had gotten free with a magazine. It was like knitting with half cooked spaghetti!!! But I did love the knitting itself, and I am extremely fortunate that my small town LYS did door delivery during the pandemic. I got some nice interchangeable circulars and some Farmer's Daughter Fibres tweed yarn, and I'm still wearing that sweater. Plus, I've found polyester and acrylic makes me sooooo sweaty. For me, anything I'm going to wear has to be natural fibres, or I'll never wear it. I'll happily use synthetics for some projects, but never for clothing.
I use acrylic for items such as dog sweaters and couch throws, but nice wool for items that need less durability such as scarves, etc. So I think it is up to the maker and project. Use what works for you!
Listening while knitting a cone of corse weaving or carpet yarn into a seed stitch blanket. Luckily I live it because I have many many more cones to get through. 😊
Common sense and intuition are two of the hardest earned skills in the crafter's kit. I've used second hand fabrics throughout my sewing career, mostly for reasons of cost, and over time I've learned what works and what doesn't, what risks one can take and which should be avoided. Trying to explain that to someone just starting out is something I'm still learning how to do because it's almost impossible to explain why that bedsheet has entirely the wrong weight and drape, but that other bedsheet is perfect. Really, as you point out here, it's all about finding the best fit for you as the creator. It doesn't matter how much something does or doesn't cost, if it works and you get a result you're happy with, then it's the right tools and materials for the job.
I don't knit that much but like to use yarn bits my sister saves for me ( she's a ferocious knitter lol) in my fabric postcards. I use acrylic for the warmth as I can't have wool next to my skin. I have tried cotton but stopped because of a lack of how to read the pattern and counting. I can crochet a little, basic. Thanks to Grandmothers 💟💟 Still trying to accomplish a dream of making a pair of socks! Ty for the tips 👍💗
I'm definitely in the "middle of the road" camp. I am so terribly jealous of folks who have multiple fabric stores at various price points. I live in the world of big box stores, thrift stores that absolutely DO NOT sell craft supplies of any sort, and ONE yarn store that is *wildly* out of my budget. So if my ADHD/instant gratification supersedes my common sense, my choices are limited at best (especially if it's a project for which I need to actually *see* the drape or feel the materials to make sure there aren't going to be sensory issues). That also meant that when I learned tatting some 20-odd years ago, I was pretty much stuck with the Knit-Cro-Sheen type of stuff for the first several years. Some of it actually can be un-tatted without becoming a rat's nest, but you have to learn that by experience (and it's not just one particular brand -- some colourways are better than others, too).
we reorganized our garage about 2 years ago. I ended up with two dressers that I just shoved sewing projects that I bought material and pattern for but never started into the drawers. I was finally able to make a dedicated sewing room. I went through the dressers in the garage and pulled out the material and patterns to put into a large dresser in my sewing room. I have enough material that I shouldn't have to buy material for years. It's all cotton or cotton/polyester, but that's fine. I also have material from my mother-in-law, who was a very talented sewist. I do personal sewing and quilting. I have plenty to do both. I try not to buy new material unless I have run out of what I need, such as for a quilt I'm making for my queen size bed.
Pet balls of yarn!!! Ha! 😆 I just adore your sense of humor so much ❤😊 I'm also a middle-of-the-road-er... In general, I try to avoid buying new plastic things, but plastic is an amazing material, and in some cases, it's just the thing that works the best. Like having nylon content in a sock yarn, for example. (But would i want a 100% nylon sock? Nope.) Or the cable in circular needles. Ugh. The crappy "Learn to _____" kits. I don't have a solution to that problem. But generally, the reason things get made, is because they sell. I think it comes down to personal intervention. If a friend expresses interest in your craft, don't let them go down the crappy supplies/ tools road. Help them shop. Maybe lend your tools. Refer to fabulous channels like this one. Etc.
100%. The right material doesn’t always mean the most expensive and sometimes it does. I wish people could understand that unless they’re advertising as acquiring their yarn from local farmers, Hand yarn dyers often bulk buy their yarn bases from big producers too, you’re paying for a hand crafteds colour as opposed to a mass manufactured one like from drops or sirdar ir whomever. That doesn’t automatically make it better as a fibre, just an artisan colour. I like wool, but i mostly knit from mass manufactured yarn, and if i buy hand dyed its to buy a small piece of yarn art for myself. And sometimes i just need a cute acrylic sweater i can throw in the washing machine a million times and not worry its gonna felt.
I'll be playing around with it for a while...I think I bought out my local WalMart's stock of Red Heart Neon Stripe in hopes it would make a king-sized blanket. (and my thoughts on Walmart itself are confusing and complex. I've lived in a place where it was a major employer of young people, and I know that in many places, they have poor policies on compensating their staff. They're also one of the most reasonably priced grocers at a time when one of our largest national chains and their cronies are gouging customers on necessary food items, And they're one of the few local sources for Red Heart yarn. That's not even going into my aversion to frequenting crowded places so...complex)
@@MaireColclough I can totally relate. I live in Florida, where the governor is very quickly recreating 1984 with book bans, queer-phobic legislation, and taking away our voting and and female body autonomic rights. The only rights we are being given more of is that of killing each other more freely with un-permitted firearms. And yet, my employer is the state of Florida, and he is my ultimate boss. The only solace I have is that he is not my direct supervisor, and I work for an agency that he is opposed to (helping the needy). I reconcile this by convincing myself that I am working for change from the inside.
@@cleoclaus69 It sounds like you're doing what you can to make a positive change. You have my sympathies. Living in a place where the policies run to the ultra-conservative is difficult (I'm a Canadian leftist living in Alberta, so I get it. Our current provincial government would privatize healthcare and ban women's autonomy if they felt they could get away with it).
When you said "You can only have so many 'pet' balls of yarn" I immediately thought of lots of tribbles wiggling out of your yarn baskets ^^ I've had luck thrifting actual meant for making clothing fabric at my thrift store, and it was 12 yards of lovely 100% cotton gingham (best score ever- paid $3 because I had a discount), and just this week 5 yards of cotton voile (paid $6) not a pretty color but can use as an under layer/mock up material. Bust just those 2. The only places within reasonable driving distance are big box junk stores so I try to stay away, I have bought a few things there but that was at the beginning of sewing when I didn't learn the importance of various fabric types and how they drape, now those fabrics are just waiting to be used as mock up fabric. Now I mostly look for discounted fabric online but have had to stop as my closet is packed with fabric I need to work through (I'm a very slow sewer). I should say I'm kind of in the middle for matierals, not using the cheaper stuffs that frustrates you as it doesn't' work right, but not using the $20-$60+ a yard fabric either.
Thank you! I'm one of those frustrated trying to learn shuttle tatting using the materials I could find in my city (a.k.a. crochet cotton). I've seeing Lizbeth threads in videos but always thought it was just fancy stuff, I didn't know about the difference in the threads. Now I'm going to invest in some of those materials and give another opportunity to tatting
I'm pretty middle of the road. Plastic materials definitely have their place but most hobbies are going to be more enjoyable if you have the best(not necessarily most expensive) materials for your project. I've been knitting with cheap boye and clover circulars but have some chiaogoos coming in the mail I'm so excited for!
Let me know how you like your chiaogoo needles! I have a few I was excited to try until I found the cables were a bit too stiff...the ones I wound up with looked like a plastic-coated steel cable and just didn't work well for magic loop. I think they've gravitated more to an addi-style cable, but for all I know it still depends on the style you order.
@@MaireColclough The cords now are fabulous. Chiagoo has also gone with twist connectors that are amazing. But because the Addi needles have been my long time fave I have never gotten used to the longer tips of the Chiagoo needles
I have quite some yarn but if I were to pick out something from my stash I wouldn't be able to say what I plan on making with it because I have A LOT of plans as to what I want to make but I always find that the texture and feel just isn't right. I need to learn more about types of yarn for type of project. I do have the same silicone grip hooks and they are so comfortable to work with :)
Crochet cotton does work for NEEDLE tatting though, and I've had much success with coated hand quilting thread. I have yet to get my hands to agree to contort in the way that shuttle tatting requires 😅
I definitely use bed sheets as mock-ups and testing material. I do historical clothing, mostly hand-sewing. The fabric I need is often fairly expensive, so I don't like to waste it. I've also made some great seasonal pieces from tablecloths. Do they feel great and lay beautifully? No. Do they make me happy? Absolutely. I've been looking at a beautiful silk but have yet to be able to justify the price.
I’m just teaching myself to sew so I’m using bed sheets to learn on and only making undergarments like chemises and petticoats I have been crocheting for years now and I have indeed been collecting crochet hooks and only use acrylic for projects I don’t intend to wear. Bamboo yarn is currently my favorite yarn to use but can be expensive 🥲
I definetly fall somewhere in the middle. There are projects where I'm just gonna take whatever materials are at the thrift store (my temperature blanket is mostly red heart squeaky acylrics I found at the thrift store), and there are projects where I'm gonna go for the fancy silk and the speciality lace (the Doctor Doom cosplay with silk from italy). I put materials in the same kind of scale I put time - some projects are done fast for the sheer thrill of having that completed item, and some projects are months or years of planning.
I’m more of a sewer these days, and I’m on the brink of beginning a years-long project of updating my wardrobe into homemade clothes. Not just home-made, but, with patience and practise; well-made, hand-made and slow-made. I don’t want or need a lot of clothes - I tend to wear what I have for ages, so I need something that’s classic and solid. So what would it matter if it takes me half a year to make a blazer? If I then can use it and repair it and use it again over the next ten or twenty years? That mindset also makes me more willing to invest in good quality fabric, because I’m going to be spending a lot of time making it, and then a lot of years wearing it. Only exception is stretch fabrics; those really need a sewing machine.
DMC floss costs $0.65 / skein... the cheap multi-skein bags cost about $0.08 / skein, and man, you know it. They are not smooth. They are not supple. They lack that slightly satiny glow of 'the good stuff'. So they don't look good or feel good... IMHO. That makes the 8 cents a waste of my money and storage space.... I think I'll donate my bobbins of it to the local library craft room!
My mother and I had been collecting "The good floss" for years, and she still wouldn't let me take all the boxes off her hands even though she hadn't done cross-stitch in YEARS. I have a feeling one of my niblings will be getting "The Family Floss" someday 😂
@@MaireColclough You use so little of it at a time, generally it adds up... because even tho you have 18 shades of blue, you don't have the RIGHT shade of blue, so another skein comes in. That said, one never has enough 310. (Black)
I have never in my life finished a project. Right now I have a sweater that needs one single seem sewn in and weaving in the ends to be finished, in a bag since late may. I buy cheap acrylic yarns and make a sleeve or the front panel or one sock or whatever and then abandon it. I do feel like I am gaining technical skills by trying all sorts of stitches though, so maybe when I reach retirement I'll have the skillset and attention span to finish something. I can't do tatting with a thingamabob, I learned the basics doing needle tatting wich is sooo much easier. I wish absoletely love my interchangable pund knitting needles! I used to buy the regular circular needles, but it's so easy now to change the needles if I need to ajust the gauge, or if I need to leave one piece of the project to start another, I can just leave it on the calde, and use a second cable for the next part. The only thing is that if you don't screw the needle on tight enough, it slowly unscrews on it's own and makes the yarn catch on the tiny gap that forms.
My grandmother taught me to knit and crotchet. I tried to hard to get it because it looked like fun I was allowed to use the yarn that was terribly rough, acrylic and rash inducing just as you mentioned it for some reason didn't have a label and the whole process started with me clearing up the yarn stash and turning them into perfect balls. I took crotchet up later in life as a destressor and I now love it! A few years back when I crossed over the land border from America to Canada I got in trouble for having too much yarn😅, when I was doing my licensing exams to convert my education over I made several large blankets one of them an argyle blanket with the exact same yarn as in this video :P I have wanted to take up tatting but I am afraid I might become a jack of all and just end up buying something that I do not use often but only momentarily dabble in.
The neon stripes seem to be a very popular choice for planned pooling projects! And tatting is fun once you get the hang of it. The startup cost is pretty low for a vintage craft, all things considered. The main thing is to find resources to get you started and keep you going (I usually recommend Sparowspite / Pocket Crafts Club patreon because they have good introductory videos and patterns)
I think this was my issue with knitting for years. Straight needles were cumbersome. I can’t remember why I tried circular needles but brought a pair of knit pro zing circulars and now I’ve got sweaters and socks on the go.
I have arthritis in my hands and have lost feeling in my fingertips (I'm OLD) and giving me a ball of yarn or the like...well, you might as well give it to a cat as the results will be the same! Sewing machines are my salvation; I have 5 and each does something different! Hand sewing is impossible for any longer than a few minutes, so any of my "historical" clothes will never be mistaken for authentic! Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn! At my age I am in running for the top spot in "she who dies with the most fabric wins"!
The cheap knitting needle that lives in my pen cup is the BEST back scratcher. I adore my silicone handled crochet hooks. Maybe we'll run into each other at the local Fabric Depot. It's a rabbit warren, but it definitely has some cool stuff. Thanks for the ideas. I definitely do my best to walk the middle of the road.
I want to be more sustainable, I don't want to buy the acrylic yarn... but they're just so pretty! I have the hardest time when I see this 100% plastic super rough feeling yarn that comes in the perfect colorway. I must have it LOL
"Great video!", I echo. I've been crafting since...forever... and have come to learn much about what I need to get real pleasure during the making and a feeling of success when completing what I craft. Like you, I quickly learned that cheap, sloppily made tools are a complete waste of money and the only thing you learn is to hate the tools. And, again like you, go ahead and just try to pry the Addi Turbos out of my cold, dead hands. I am sure others feel the same about their Chiagoo needle sets. I have never wasted money on butt-plug, knurly-looking crochet hooks as I know that over-large tools hurt my hands more than help. They are just horribly awkward for me. Always keep. in mind that ''quality' does NOT equal 'the most expensive'. Sometimes the $12 embroidery scissors can be a world better than the $10 pair. And know that there are some acrylic yarns now that are reasonably price and not awful to work with. I've also learned that I will happily go a bit out of my comfort/price sphere in order to accommodate a friend's need. (i.e. VERY sensitive to wool, or is particular about organic, non-waste products). But even so I will NOT use something within the friend's parameters that I take no pleasure in working with. Price is increasingly an issue for me. At the rate I knit sock I can no longer buy indi-dyers' yarn though it has been my fave choice in the past. Instead, I have found equal pleasure in 'commercial' yarn using texture stitches. I don't sew a lot but I do use cotton sheets for curtains. We went through a phase of coloured sheets which I happily now cut in pieces for curtains à la pojagi. I have also used sheets for a toile but use the softest sheets that have some dang drape to 'em.
THANK YOU FOR SAYING THIS!!! Learning how to pick appropriate yarns for your project is one of the most important steps, if not the most important step, yet I rarely ever see people talk in depth about *how* to pick a good yarn for your project. I've taught a few people how to crochet in my life, and having incorrect yarn is always the first pitfall I see beginners run into. Whether that be cheap yarn made to clump or color swatches that make the stitches hard to see, teaching people how to pick the correct yarn is vital to their long-term ability, because otherwise they'll get frustrated and quit before they even start.
Loved this video, thank you. I still have mum's bell shaped needle gauge, as well as her and her sister's old metal knitting needles and crochet hooks, and like you find the cheep soft handled hook. For easier, sock knitting I use d.p.n.s. in bamboo, though the fine ones I was using recently are problematic, bent or accidentally broken when half on a raised item on the floor and stood on! I also have recently acquired some "Jumbo" wooden crochet hooks will let you know how I get on.
ngl i picked up tatting equipment a bit ago and i was SWEATING when you were talking about tatting cordonette. I accidentally got the right materials @_@
I was so pleased to see this today, I JUST took up crochet again after a long holiday from it and I’ve had two skeins of a gorgeous merino/silk blend sock weight that I’ve basically just been avoiding using because it’s so pretty 😍 but a couple weeks ago I wound one up into a ball and started making little granny squares for maybe a shawl. Pretty sure I don’t have enough of it but the shop I got it from doesn’t sell that dye pattern anymore so I may get another color way and insert some alternating squares. I am personally just a fan of natural fibers when I can make it work with the budget but that’s very much a personal decision. I’m a rotund lady. I live in a hot, sweaty state. I don’t like being hot and sweaty 😂 so like 80% of my stash is cotton and linen. I also kind of need things to be washable for aforementioned sweatiness reasons. But I feel like it’s most important to make intentional decisions as much as you can, like knowing what you’re getting yourself into, what your options are and where you want to compromise and where you don’t, and especially what is going to work for the long game. I love going hunting for things at goodwill but I am also not a bedsheet clothes maker (though props to people who can make it work tbh I am just not one). I do occasionally find decent and relatively large swaths of actual fabric, but I am more of a “this thing can still be used for what it is” kind of person than a “what can I make out of this” kind of person and those are usually the kind of items I’m hunting for-household stuff/appliances are my jam. I would rather leave the clothing on the rack for someone who can use it as is or WILL use it for something else since I know I won’t even if I tell myself otherwise.
@@MaireColclough i figured I can’t take the nice wool with me lol I only recently learned about blocking (my grandma def doesn’t do it lol) how do you block your wool bits/what do you like to use?
I'm middle of the road. I have acrylics that I don't mind using for knitting/crocheting but I also have pricier hand dyed options. I have spun my own fibre as well as dyed using food coloring for some interesting results. I have found some cheaper circular needles from Amazon that I don't mind using, but I also like my Addi and Hiya Hiya sharps. I will say that there are acrylics I will use before Red Heart because I prefer the feeling of them.
Omgosh you totally described my knitting experience to a T except my kit came with an actual book with lots of pictures of how each stitch should look. Well I managed to get my first row of my simple scarf to match the picture but for some reason I couldn't get it to make a second row. No matter what I did. I followed the directions as best I could and still just kept getting more rings in my needle. Recently during one of the cold snaps that brought snow to southern California and even parts of Arizona specifically Tucson, I watched a youtube video knit a beautiful pair of vintage stockings. All I could think was it's a shame it could never get the hang of knitting and that that pattern doesn't come with a crochet option. Even though I live about an hour north of Tucson, and didn't see any snow except on the mountains around me, it was just as bitterly cold. I wanted a pair of nice warm cozy stockings to keep my feet warm. It's Arizona and it typically doesn't get down to 22°F in the winter where I live. I had my hoodie and warmest T-shirt on while I was curled up under my blanket with two pairs of socks on. I was that cold. I know that's probably nothing compared to the Canadian winters you live through, but I'm hot blooded.i like it when its blustering hot and you can fry eggs on the sidewalk and use your car to bake cookies in the summer. There are ways of keeping cool that don't involve sitting by the AC all day during the hottest part of the summer. Recently I've been toting with the idea of seeing what Knitpicks has in the way of how to knit supplies. Maybe I will hit up youtube of skillshare first. But with the warm weather it's been a race to get our garden planted and established before the brutal summer arrives so sitting down to knit hasn't been high in the priority list. Instead I think I'm going to get my old bed sheet and use it a a mick up for the medieval kirtle i've been pro ising myself. I have some beautiful medium weight linen in a pale violet that I plan to make a Lady Amalthea gown out if from the Last Unicorn. I'm totally feeling that whole 80's vibe thing again from your video where you made your vest. I took your suggestion and grabbed my moody hormonal mini me and watched the Labyrinth and rocked out to David Bowie. So now I'm feeling inspired to make my first dream dress, except a more practical every day version of the dress, that I can wear every day. To quote Rachel Maksy "the older I got the more I realise it want my skirts to be swoshy, my sleeves to be extravagant and my pickets to be real" and "we don't have time for dresses we can have snacks in." 😜🤣
You weren't getting rings on your needle...you were making lace! 😃 That's what we call a "Yarn-Over", so it sounds like you added some extra stitches. So you're not doing anything "wrong" per se...just making it a little more advanced than you need 😉 I'm so glad you had the chance to rock out to Bowie with the kiddo and get started on that dream dress. A dress to snack in is very important!
Everything you just said 100000% I'm tired of people trying to make me and others feel bad for putting my pennies together for quality materials. I love acrylic for certain projects (especially if it's going to a kid thats going to outgrow it quickly or tapestry crochet) At the same time I'm working on a shawl made of pure mulberry silk fibers and I'm almost uncomfortable to tell people that. But it's a piece I'm going to have and love for the rest of my life. That's worth the money and time I'm putting into the piece and I'm tired of people trying to put down others for doing so.
I was lucky enough to live near a charity secondhand haberdashery. So I was able to build a sizable stash of both fabric and yarn (and decent embroidery floss) for cheap. And now I've moved and am having storage issues. Whoops. But given how slow I am at making things and how much I am a crow who likes to collect shiny things, it's not surprising. And if those shiny things are cheap, then I can actually afford them. Like the 100% alpaca wool I got from Knit Picks for free (paid only delivery). 10 skeins of stuff that was originally $35/skein. Amazing. Now I just need to get much better at knitting so I can make that sweater that I bought all that wool for.
For me, I knit with acrylic yarn ONLY (preferably the one branded from Walmart). I suspect that the reason that acrylic yarn is the only yarn that I can stand touching for any length of time is because of my situation of being on the spectrum 🤔🤔🤔....... whatever, I like it and I use knitting as an occupational therapy exercise to build/maintain my fine motor skills, my fine grip strength (particularly the "pinch grip strength") and for dedesensitization purposes.
good video. Materials really do matter depending on what you do, like I really don't like to knit with cotton, but acrylic and wool is fine, I really do prefer wool, but I do not like to crochet with wool, but cotton and acrylic are fine, and I do prefer to crochet with cotton. I haven't had money to try out alpaca, mohair, angora or silk, so I can't say if I like to knit or crochet with them. They are to expensive for this plus-sized gal, and my son that is tiny does not like the feel of them as long as they aren't blended with acrylic, so I can't try them on him. (he always what to cuddle the yarn first before I'm allowed to knit or crochet something for him, he has sensitive skin and almost everything that isn't cotton or acrylic itches)
Hello there! Can you give me some direction on that blanket you've been working on for a long time. The cream one? It is gorgeous and I am interested in crocheting it. I enjoy your channel very much. Your dry sense of humor is awesome. I hope you are well! Take care and be safe. Stephanie from California
It's the Phoenix Blanket by Hooked on Sunshine. I found it through Ravelry, but I think if you google the name, you'll come up with the designer's site. They have a video walkthrough available for an extra fee, which I found really useful for some of the stitches they describe 😃
To me, it depends. To cross stitching, I will use DMC and DMC only. I make only small patterns, so it won't break the bank. To crochet, I'll use anything, it depends on what I'm making. For amigurumis acrylic is fine. Cotton is good for pretty much everything. Wool is expensive, so it's reserved for those projects I know I'll use. I have old metal hooks I'll use when I'm making something with thin yarn. I mostly make beading with them. I like Clover Amour hooks and have a couple of those. Not even a whole set since I can use my metals, but Clovers are better when making something bigger than amigurumi. I use cheap knitting needles. I've used expensive ones from my mom and didn't see huge difference. I don't knit much, so that might explain it. I agree about the sheets. They look like bed sheets and would someone truly wear them? I don't think so. It's better to have something that Will be used even If it's more expensive.
Outi P. I I have both dmc and anchor. Getting back into cross stitch I am using both but sometimes dmc can feel too soft. I would like to try the overdyes and others but am gathering info till I come across them. Sometimes it fun and educational to step outside and try it by sampling.
The adage of buying the best materials you can afford should be tempered with the best materials aren't always the most expensive materials. I recently saw some cashmere yarn for around $30 USD per skein, which was barely enough for a hat or scarf. I can't bring myself to spend that much, but then again if I was the kind of person who bought $30 hats or scarves I wouldn't balk at the price. I used to be very poor and that influences me still. Then again, I also will wait until I can get that yarn on sale if I really want it. I tried tatting in the 70s and hated it, maybe it was the shuttle and thread? I may try again.
Your cashmere adventures sound like my own issues with Linen. If you're still looking for cashmere at a decent price, I suggest Colourmart (just google that spelling).The yarn for the Pi Shawl I made my Mum came from one of their lace weight sets, and it was extremely affordable! 😃
@@MaireColclough Linen yarn are really cheap it you buy it from a weaving supplier on cones. I recently bought some for around the equivalence of 18 dollars per kilogram.
Thank you for the tip. I will certainly check them out. As for linen fabric because I do historical reenactment, I tend to buy it if I see it at a good price even if I don't have an immediate project in mind. I think I last bought some unbleached linen because Fabric Mart had a 60% off sale so I'm set. Currently, I am using up the vast amount of size 10 colored crochet thread I bought during Covid. I made 3 sets of crocheted lace curtains and several doilies and over estimated my needs.
I have the tatting shuttles, and have tried to use them many times. They stay on my desk and I stare at them as I tatt with a needle. I have found that needle tatting works really well with the DMC thread I found at a local craft store. Bedsheet huh? I have a set of bamboo sheets still in the original package tucked away for a specific cloak project. I love the way bamboo feels on my shoulders and want that to be the lining of the cloak, but I am terrified to cut the sheets until I practice this particular pattern on some 'more affordable' fabric first. It would be helpful if I could make up my mind on what type of fabric I want to use for the outter fabric of the cloak. I don't have a backstock of fabric, so I will have to find something I love and purchase it when it shows itself to me.
I have a tatting needle, but managed to figure out the shuttles first - and I'm glad I did! It's right up my fidgety alley! If you check out the Pocket Crafts Club patreon, they have some really great tatting lessons to get you started. As for the cloak...it sounds like you have your work cut out for you 😉
Bed sheets make pretty good pyjama pants, especially if you like matching family pj's at Christmas. I have too little space in my budget for taking part in trendy tool buying and big stashes of yarn or fabric. And I was raised by eastern European peasants who believed thriftiness was next to godliness; FOMO is nothing compared to the feelings of virtuous martyrdom of making do or SAVING UP TO BUY SOMETHING LATER. Addi Turbos for life! And as long as my crochet hook has a smooth hook instead of a sharp edge I don't care who made it or what it looks like. I care about the aesthetic of my makes, not the tools I use to make them. (Does your Michaels carry Lion brand yarn? Mine in Scarborough does not.)
My Michaels carries *some* Lion Brand yarn. I'm finding the selection is dwindling more and more each season, to be replaced with Loops and Threads products. 🤔
I am a crafter with a serious budget lack - as in I have to really think hard before I buy ANYTHING for my crafting. I haunt thrift stores for supplies and tools. But, a few years ago I decided I was sick of knitting needles that bent or broke or felt nasty, even if that was what I could afford. I spent so much money replacing needles all the time. So I'm slowly building up a full set of needles in a rather expensive brand (which are proving very hard to get as not everyone wants these needles - another type of needle from the same company sell like hotcakes and I don't like them as much) which should last me the rest of my knitting career. I'm also slowly replacing my thrift store crochet hooks for good quality ones - one hook at a time. I stock up on supplies as I can afford them. I really dislike the trend of making things from thrifted stuff that is only going to be worn once. Especially when it's a slender person buying items that are too big for them - as a person of size it's already tough enough to buy clothing - either new or thrifted - that are nice and that also fit, but when the influencers grab those items to make over into something else it leaves that much less for larger people to choose from. As I've had periods when I've not been able to afford craft supplies, I'm grateful to have my stashes to choose from for projects. I'm working on one at the moment, using up acrylic yarn I purchased to knit a sweater for my husband (which he rarely wears,sigh) and I only had to buy one ball of yarn for it. It's nice that I didn't have to buy a whole sweater's worth of supplies for it.
I raise my hand as someone who gave up on tatting because of the metal shuttle. Up until now I had assumed the problem was that I’m left handed… oh, crap! Have I just gotten my interest in tatting re-piqued?
I can remember the acrylic yarn in my early school days (90s/2000s), i totally hated it. When i started knitting again, a few years ago, i was totally surprised that nowadays acrylic yarn is actually really nice. ( For one of my first porjects i used some from Schachenmayr, which was amazingly soft.) And for me, a person who can´t wear wool - at least not when it touches any of my bare skin (except feet.. weirdly enough), that was great. I also never had problems with those standard knitting needles you get everywhere (aluminium coated?), i prefer them more than my bamboo needles...haha. But sometimes, when i watch all those knitting podcasts, i get really jealous of all those nice woolen handdyed yarns...
Well, the best materials are those you'll use. I'm so happy the acrylic works for you! You might find an acrylic/wool blend and see how that works, and stretch your tolerance for wool to see how it goes. Just like there are amazing new acrylics to go with the old, squeaky, scratchy kind - there are both soft and fluffy woos, and hard scratchy wools. I highly recommend going on a wool-squeezing adventure if you're not actually allergic 😃
@@MaireColclough No, i´m allergic to wool. Sadly i can´t even use blends. My skin get all red and itchy. But i think i can get away with a vest (like a waistcoat) made out of wool, because it wouldn´t touch my skin.
@@sewingforyourlife One of my friends has super sensitive skin, too, but can wear super wash wool (the microscopic 'hooks' are chemically removed) socks.
Great video. I have an acrylic (Red Heart) throw that I made in the 1970s and I still sleep with it. It doesn't feel great, but it does the job. In the day, we passed up muslin sheets because they were the cheap, disfavored type and it was a fabric that was the cheapest in the shop. It had its purpose in sewing. It was used to make and adjust patterns. If you're going to put your money into good stuff, it does you well to work your pattern up in muslin and if it's a repeat type of thing, like a repeat customer for pretty much the same sort of garments as was done in the old days, then the seamstress would keep your muslin pattern with notes about you. Now all of that said, I'm dying to know what the lousey sock yarn was.... can you give a hint?
Well, I feel seen. Laughing. I bought the vintage tatting box from the ebay because I assumed the modern plastic shuttles would snap after using it for 10 minutes. Just like how I've wasted money on a few modern doohickey tools I've tried for sewing. I'm saving up for the proper tatting fiber. And using up the cotton crochet stuff I found at The Village to practice on in the meantime (and wondering if I can find a proper use for the cone or recycle it back to the shop - misfires happen, sigh). For me, sheets are for mock-ups, and wearable mock-ups for around the house (if they turn out decent and I like the print). I've found actual fabrics stocked on the regular for 2 of the Villages - it means buying wool mix in summer and cotton/linen in winter, but I can deal. I've yet to get to a point with a pattern where I feel the need to go into the fabric shops to buy something fresh off the roll - which is probably more to do with imposter syndrome-like head games than it does reality. Figuring out the ins and outs of fitting is my real goal for the year... But, yeah, dealing in making things in a world of overconsumption is a bit of a pickle. Everybody is going to have a different balance point. I try to get the best tools I can afford to spend the money on at that point in time. Hopefully, without having to buy a tool replacement down the road because I picked up the wrong one on the first go-round. And trying to avoid the plastic of acrylic anything is becoming harder to do. Middle of the road - what's in the budget, what's available and what do I already have... - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
Misfires definitely do happen, and I seem to recall you have pretty good luck with the thrifting! And the best tools/materials are the ones you use, so if you're wearing your toiles around the house for comfort, even better.💕 Finding the balance point, as you said, seems to be the key. Consider this permission to get the proper tatting supplies and use your crochet thread to make fantastic vintage crocheted items from the Antique Pattern Library (because it's a free resource that absolutely kicks arse) 😉
@@MaireColclough I keep forgetting about the Antique Pattern Library... Misfires are a pain in the pattootie, especially with shipping factored in. Le sigh. Between the lockdowns and the Truck Nuts we lost some of our fiber 'n' fabric shops. I'm going to have to sit down with the google machine and figure out what's left and what kind of wool/cotton they carry. Now if only I could stop making things that are either too pointy or too square in the bust...
My mum tried to teach me to knit & gave up. My nan managed to teach me, the way I hold my needles & yarn drives my mum up the wall but my finished results look OK. Similarly, when I hand sew a hem it looks upside-down and back to front to my mum & my cross stitch is similar. I think that part of the problem might be that I was intended to be left handed but my mum taught me everything right-handed. The fact that my dad and my daughter are lefties makes me think that I'm the missing link.
@@expatpiskie Nothing says you can't try things the other way around. The best way is the way that works for you. So you might find you knit better continental style than english (throwing) style :D
You'll get a workable new knitter kit out of Michaels/Hobby Lobby when they actually care about their "customers" I got so fed up of not finding a reliable chain of materials for any craft (got the yarn, but not more than 3 balls of any of the colourways or the yarn sewing needles (and no space on the board for them) and I just put the yarn back). I went to look at the sale ares and found cheap nasty yarn (stuff you'd likely use to tie up the tomato plants with) or nice cotton yarn (yes, I love knitting with cotton yarn) in disgusting colours (that indescribable mud green that only looks good in a dark restaurant or flurorescent day-glo pink type colours). Plus everything is just that bit too expensive but you'e driven all that way (stores here tend to be out in the middle of nowhere that *require* driving to) so you might as well buy something for all that trouble. *grumble*
I love wool (can't really use 100% acrylic as my hands itch - 50% is "ok"). But I bought a lot (10 balls) of a natural coloured fingering wool and I finally got to use it after the yarn store I bought it from closed (opening sale at 50% off), and it was Horrible. It shed like it had mange. It was sticky - you couldn't use anythng but metal needles, and it stuck to itsself-ish (spit-splicing was an absolute breeze). When I got through the project (a shawl) It literally bled colour and fibre into the sink so badly I thought it was going to disintegrate. I tried to make a pair of fingerless gloves with the remaining 3 balls but it was so bad I just gave up and threw the yarn away. I felt bad, but I've never worn the shawl I made.
I am down the middle of the road. I can afford better than cheap, but I love recycling and getting a good deal (charity shop material diving is something I like doing once in a while - a recent purchase netted me 16 antique metal crochet hooks for £5/$8). I hate seeing promotion of bad materials (polyesters and acrylic) but it's not going to be me that's buying them (can't wear 'em, can't use 'em, hate the environmental footprint) - BUT - if that's what's available at your budget I'm *not* going to be the one to call you a bad crafter/maker.
I've also heard from a lot of folks who are legitimately allergic to woolen products, so aside from the isue of expense, I have a bit more tolerance for the concept of acrylic. Do I like its carbon footprint? No. But it will hopefully get a lot of good use. Hopefully.
"Smaken är som baken, den är delad". I much prefer the Boye hooks when crocheting with thread. Unfortunatelly, I just hate touching acrylic/polyester fabrics/yarn, it sends shivers down my spine, but they are affordable. So I only use natural fibres, I've even spun yarn from cat and dog hair (never ending supply....) that I get from surplus shops online or from car boot sales etc. I used to breed Angora bunnies before, but my hay fever became to much for me. I want to learn tatting. Can't you have a course for idiots live here on youtube? So I can ask stupid questions in real time? Must get myself a shuttle though.
Oh yeah the material debate. It’s complicated I’m trying for middle of the road. The kids decorative mittens were made out of nice feeling medium expensive yarn that was wash and dry able. Never trust a kid not to need their puppet mittens NOW!! I have lovely natural fibres and horrible plastic in my stash. Oh and everything in between. Most of the plastic is old but it has used so it stays. I don’t buy name brands unless it’s a brand I know has a good record of repairability in appliances. I don’t buy much in the way of new clothes mostly thrift. I don’t understand why you would want some logo on your body. Logos are very expensive for very little return. Besides I’d rather have a funny saying or quote on my shirt. I remember when plastic was going to be what fixed the world. Heck I remember life before plastic bags were prevalent. There are times when plastic is helpful. The world went over board with the idea of a disposable everything and now we’re paying the price
Very close to many of my own personal opinions, but then...I think we hail from the same pocket of the country (in my case, once upon a time and possibly again in the future), so I suspect we had very similar formative influences 😉
Hi! Another fantastic video! I’ve spent most of my life convinced that I was some kind of fiber arts enthusiast, but for years and years I tried different things and kept shoving them in the drawer. I was using the wrong tools and materials. I now crochet every day, and I spin some of my own yarn, but I’ve recently given knitting another try. The thing is - I don’t know what circulars to get. Is there any way you could recommend a pair suitable for standard medium/4 weight yarn? I’d really like to support the channel and I also trust your opinion!
I hear the cables on the Chiaogoo (sp?) needles are vastly improved...they're very similar to my Addi needles. Michael's had some newer Loops & Threads needles with a nice bendy cable - just limited sizes. There are a lot of good options at Knit Picks if you want to try anything from metal to bamboo needles. It's all a matter of figuring out your preferences 🙂
The bedsheet and tablecloth YT-ers have made it impossible to find said items at the thrift stores when you want a tablecloth for a party. Also, one very popular YT-er who frequently uses bedsheets and tablecloths never actually wears the items that she makes for her videos, nor are they mock ups. So, if the item is made just for a video, how sustainable is that? You cut up a perfectly good tablecloth and will now throw it in the landfill because the item is something that you will never wear.
Yeah, I agree. Materials matter, but that doesn't mean the most expensive or the cheapest is 'right'. I'm trying really hard to keep my crafting hobbies to knitting and sewing, but dang does tatting look cool! 💜
It's fantastic, once you get the hang of it! I find it really satisfies that urge to fidget with something without feeling like I have to make something huge 😄
Tatting - I started learning to tat due to Engineering Knits. I learned the whole, "start with good tools" lesson with knitting, so I researched what shuttle to buy and what thread to use. I still used crochet cotton for learning because I did not really care if I ended up throwing it out. I know I have binned at least a pound of odd little rings and chains in various colors and weights of crochet cotton. I am currently tatting with size 30 vintage American Thread Company Gem Crochet Cotton because I'm a contrary creature. I told my sister once I was some sort of odd Goblin/Dragon hybrid. She scoffed and replied, "You're a Dwarf, obviously. You prefer cave-like conditions, love sparkly things and spend all your time working on progressively more intricate and arcane crafts. Dwarf." I think I'd rather be a corvid. Of course, with my Italian heritage I'm expecting my Nonna beard to come in any day now, so the Dwarf thing may work out. Also "Requires Special Conditions and Ritual Prayer" needs to be a T-shirt.
I'm thinking maybe coffeee mugs. They last longer than t-shirts 😉
Great video! My feelings around this matter are pretty simple and align with yours. I think that the most sustainable material for a craft is the one you already own, but that really goes hand in hand with the idea that the most sustainable material is the one that produces the item you're going to get the most use/wear from.
Well said! That last one is the most important, I think. Getting use or wear from what you make is the goal. 😃
My grandmom learned me how to knit and she only used cheap acrylic. So I only used cheap acrylic for years like there wasn't an alternative. And then I discovered handspinning and wool. A whole new world opened up to me...
Isn't it wonderful when new hobbies lead to something as fantastic as being able to make your own wool AND make something from it? 😃
And down the rabbit hole you went. Right on, sister!
I tend to choose based on recipients of my knitting. Baby blanket that I want parents to use...cotton, acrylic blend, rarely wool. If it gets thrown up on, I want it to be easy care for parents, not an heirloom. For my Mom, who I know will appreciate and care for wool, the good stuff! I will do a soft wool blend with acrylic for those I'm not sure about their itchiness tolerance. I know it's plastic, but there are some really soft acrylics nowadays that are lovely and easy care.
I often think much the same way. The folks who will take care of a crafted garment generally get the good stuff. Sometimes I'll experiment with something and throw the door open to my craftworthy family, and they'll outright choose the acrylics, just because it looks fun. I'm not going to knock them for it. And for folks who just need to wash & go? Acrylic is definitely a fair choice 😃
I think the two principles I try to employ to steer towards the platonic ideal of ethical crafting, while also trying to save money: 1. Don't buy everything, even if it's a good deal. Not only is spending more money than I likely need to on things I'll never use up, but then there's less for the crafters coming to the store after me. Thread on sale for ridiculously cheap? Sure I'll stock up on a few neutral colours I know I always use, but I don't need to clear the store of black thread. 2. The right tool for the job saves frustration and money. Just like it makes more sense to own a flathead screwdriver rather than fighting with a butter knife to fix everything (and potentially break something in the process), the right tool can be worth it. But that often means time-tested quality tools (such as a good pair of dedicated sewing scissors), not gimmicky electronic trends with flashy bits I don't need
Pretty much with you on this one (although having had semi-acrylic yarns for crochet and since gotten the chance to use pure wool...... I'm never going back lol the touch is SO different)
I'll also say that while thrifting is great, seeing old things, especially old things that are in good shape and no longer in production anymore, only as materials rather than having worth in themselves? Kind of drives me up the wall. Like you said, using your own low quality or super worn out modern bedsheets (bc let's be real, they wear out like crazy unless you put hundreds into them) for mockups, draping, etc? Absolutely a fantastic use of them.
Using pristine condition hand embroidered sturdy bedsheets/tablecloths to cut them up and make a dress you'll wear like twice because it's the trendy thing rn or because you Must have a new *costume* for a historical themed event and it doesn't look cool if you don't have a different dress every time? I don't actually consider that thrifty or sustainable in any way. It's taking something that might have had still plenty of use into it and turning it into something that won't see much use and won't continue on, and when it's a finite resource... It feels to me like the equivalent of taking an early 20th century singer machine that still runs and throwing all the actual mechanical parts away so you can use the furniture part as home decor.
(Of course, if it's to get access to fabrics that won't aggravate sensory issues for something you actually plan on wearing day to day and caring for, or giving a new life to fragments of something beautiful and broken, that's a very different story)
I think you've just put your finger on the majority of my particular boggle 😉
My art professors in college would always stressed good quality supplies. Most of us students were too poor and too stubborn to pay for the more expensive stuff. As I get older I see the wisdom in their advice. My art would have been so much better if I didn’t buy cheap, transparent paint. I’m knitting an acrylic sweater right now, only because its my first and I didn’t want to spend $60+ on nice yarn if this project was going to be a disaster. But I am also not a new knitter and have experience under my belt to help me deal with the yarn. There is a place for cheap sometimes, but good quality for the win most days!
And there's no reason cheap can't also be good quality! It's a matter of perspective (which you seem to have already figured out) 😉
I definitely fall in the middle of the spectrum. I try to use natural fibers whenever I can, but sometimes you gotta go with what you have on hand or easy access to. I’m a bit spoiled by my favorite local charity shop. It only carries sewing and crafting supplies. I regularly score silk yardage, I’m talking 15+ yards, for around $30 US total. I’ve gotten a few bolts of cotton velvet, twill and corduroy along with linens and wools for a steal. They also have huge quantities of lace, yarn, buttons, embroidery supplies and paper crafting stuff. It’s always my first stop when starting a new project.
On the other hand, I just purchased 8 yards of the most glorious silk/wool blend plaid from a large online fabric retailer. It really all depends on what strikes my fancy when browsing the interwebs.
Sounds like you have some amazing primary sources to draw on! 😃
I made a shawl from Unfroggable, (RH Unforgettable). It's super soft, but a big HELLNO to undoing ones work.
Unfroggable! How apt! 😂
You made a lot of really great points, and I agree wholeheartedly. It's good to know what materials to use and when, but it takes some experience to learn that. That's the most likely origin of the "I don't know WTF to do with this" yarn/fabric/etc. in most stashes.
Boye crochet hooks suck. I've tried several and they're just infuriating. I have some metal ones and wooden ones, but my favourites are the vintage Susan Bates hooks. A friend gave me a few crochet hooks from her grandmother's stash, and received a small essay on how much I love vintage crochet hooks! I'm lucky she's patient.
My mom used Red Heart Super Saver to make a blanket for me before I was born. I'm now 35 and I still have that blanket. It will survive the heat death of the universe.
I've found that acrylic/wool blends are great for blankets, because you get the washability of the acrylic and the warmth of the wool. I wish I could embed a photo here because I'm really proud of a massive, blue, granny square blanket I finished last year out of yarn I got on sale at Michael's.
Speaking of massive blue granny blankets... I bought a bunch of Caron Cakes in their "Fairy Cake"(sp?) colourway because the blue-to-white gradient appealed to me, and cast on.
Fast forward a year, Mum and I were going thru Michaels, and she zones in on the EXACT SAME YARN, right down to the colourway and dyelot. And proceeds to tell me she wants to make the EXACT SAME BLANKET. And despite me telling her she can just continue where I left off on mine, she buys ANOTHER 6 skeins of the yarn so she can cast on her own (she only did a couple of rows because it took a lot more out of her than she thought)
This blanket is going to be massive. The yarn fills an entire large bin/basket, and yes...like your blanket, will survive the heat death of the universe.
59 seconds ino the video and i already love it.
Aw thanks 😊
I never thought of using thrifted sheets as a lining fabric, that's actually a fantastic idea. 🤔
I feel this. As a sewist, I started with bedsheets and a walmart machine my mother in law bought me.
Now I have a machine I picked up for free (My darling Singer Touchtronic 2010) and cost me the amount of a service call. I still use bedsheets but I cherish my on sale meterage.
I just started knitting a 2 weeks ago. I thrifted bamboo straights and used my cheap yarn which was my main for crochet. I can knit and purl now. After a week, I bought an interchangeble set after fighting with a fixed circular.
YES. I spent a decent amount that took time for me to save as a SAHM. I recognize the privilege I have now that I didn't grow up with. But I had to recognize if I was going to actually use any of it, I have to make an attempt to put my dollars toward longevity vs what I can get for the smallest amount. I'm using Drops Nepal. It's 50g and costs the same as a 200g skein of red heart. But it's animal fiber and quality. Everyone should be allowed to craft and I still use acrylic but I know that if I had waited to thrift my individual components, I wouldn't be crafting.
That being said, I still proudly wear my bedsheet dresses and aprons. And I still thrift so many supplies and stalk marketplace.
Good vlog thank you! I'm a 50 year veteran sewist and I am not wasting my time and energy any more on sub standard materials, because the most valuable thing that goes into anything I make is actually my time. And so I know it is worth it. And I see people using the wrong things -cheap plasticky rubbish sewing machines and nasty fabrics and then hating what they have made and thinking sewing sucks because of it, and it is really hard to say what you said but it is TRUE.
for my crochet i almost always use acrylic, blankets and easy to wash cardigans are all i make so no need for more expensive materials. my knitting is now almost all cotton or wool because those are shawls, socks, and nice cardigans but i learned with acrylic because i had a stash and yarn is yarn when you're learning. all of my sewing supplies are thrift finds because i am a beginner and want to get the hang of it before i start using nice fabrics. as i get older and more financially stable i'm sure i will upgrade but for now my stuff works for the purposes i want them for.
I’ve been crocheting blankets, and while I’d love to make them from soft luscious hand dyed yarn, I know my projects will be rode hard and put away wet, as my granny would say. So the fanciest I’m willing to go right now is WoolEase Thick and Quick - most of my blankets are Caron Cakes though, and I’ll probably branch out into cottons for lighter weight options.
My blankets and blanket-like projects are mostly acrylic due to volume (though if the sock scrap blanket grows, that might just change) 😃
I learned to knit when I was five (so that would have been around 1972).
One of the few things I will ungrudgingly thank my father for (he learned in the army, apparently, and taught me and my sisters when we were all very young). I don't remember the lessons, but I retained the knowledge of how to do it, and I'm pretty sure it would have been using cheap needles and acrylic yarn. I never finished a full sized garment. These days I only really knit in miniature - scaling down both the yarn thickness and needle size so I can knit in doll scale, and I'm usually kniting in 100% wool or a wool blend. My knitting didn't stop being super-tight until I tried square needles, and somehow I managed not to return to super-tight tension when I scaled down to smaller sizes of needle than were available in sueare needles.
Howevever, all of my knit jumpers (made by a dear friend with the patience for knitting full sized garments and knit to raise money for her local church) are in cheap acrylic yarn. They're the only synthetic fibre garments I wear.
I learned early on that, much as I like actual wool, it generally survives about three washes before I manage to ruin it in some way (a much smaller friend inherited the few 100% wool jumper that shrank but were still wearable garments).
Said knitting friend died over ten years ago now, but all (except one) of those jumpers she knit me are in good, unshrunk, wearable condition (the one that didn't survive was left at a freind's house and remained folded in a conservatiry over a hot summer, and faded on all the outer layers in a very odd pattern due to the folds). The varigation of colours in those cheap acrylic yarns meant most of the finished jumpers were referred to as "interference patterns" almost from the start, and my friend had a knack of finding them in exactly the eye-searing combinations of colours that I love to wear. One of my favourites is in the fluorescent colurs of highlighter pens.
As for bedhseets and tablecloths - I will and do happily make and wear clothing and costume made from them, but only if they're good quality 100% natural fibre (so usually cotton, occasionally linen if I really luck out)... the same for old curtains - many an old pair of cotton velvet (or damask, or brocade - rarer to find in cotton, however) curtains has been doomed to finish it's days as a costume on my (or a friend's) hanging rails. So yes, I tend to agree with you about the synthetic and synthetci mix bedding and tablecloths looking forever like bedding or tablecloths no matter what they're made into.
Sounds like you've had really good luck with your thrifted materials!
And yes...my Dad has/had some pretty fantastic sweaters made from acrylic and acrylic blends in the 80's...though I think my grandmother may have actually busted out the "good wool" for a few of those items. I should check the sweater I stole just before I went off to art college in the mid-90s 😂
I agree with you. I am constantly trying to decide if I can live with what I can afford to use or if I should just save up and buy what I would prefer to work with
I have a collection of sheets I have picked up at thrift stores that as a plus size gal I find invaluable to try out a pattern to ensure fit before taking the scissors to the fashion fabric. It's amazing how quickly a failed mock up can be vanished into stuffing for a stuffed toy for a niece or nephew or a cat bed... When it comes to yarn, I have learned that the romance of knitting and crochet is not met by the commitment required to achieve the outcome I want, and I can sew faster than I can knit.
I've just thrifted my first cotton jumper and frogged it for yarn. I'm plus size but the yardage will give me enough for a vest. It's beautiful yarn that I would never be able to afford otherwise.
Hallelujah - "sometimes a bedsheet is just a bedsheet"!! appropriate fabric choices people!! I so love your videos and always look forward for more!
I think your views are correct. Growing up, any crafting was done with found items. Mom saved popsicle sticks during the summer and we built stuff in the winter. Sand shovels were milk bottles and bleach bottles. So we’re the fairy houses.
I struggle with acrylic yarns and cotton yarns. I do prefer the wool yarns. I gift my stash of acrylic yarns to various groups that want acrylic yarns. If I find a yarn that I love, but cannot find a pattern or I cannot work with it, I pass it on. I am currently downsizing my craft bins and getting rid of metal needles and straight needles. I just do not use them.
Each supply/tool has it's best use.
Bed sheets are fantastic for mockups and petticoats.
Lizbeth is my go to for crochet lace, it's even better than aunt lydia's for my smaller projects. And oh, such pretty colors!!!
I learned to knit from one of those kits. Didn't come with yarn, but it had a short dvd of knit and pearl stitches. I bought the cheapest yarn I could find and practiced for several days before I bought some lovely (still acrylic) yarn to knit a simple rectangular shawl. I gave it to my mother, who loved it and wore it for years, washing it frequently. (I still have it and think of her arms around me when I wear it.). Even though I now mostly knit intricate lace shawls, I mostly knit in acrylic yarns. When I gift someone a beautiful shawl they shouldn't be afraid to wear it (and then have to wash it.). Once acrylic yarn has been steam blocked it stays blocked. If I haven't knit beads into the shawl, then they can machine wash. ...Also, I am allergic to wool, so I don't like to be in the same room with it... 😆 I do like cotton for socks.
My Mom's favorite line "Life is too short for frustrating tools" and that is a good overall theory on life.
I only knew the knit stitch for 20 years, then I saw my MIL knit a beautiful layette set and decided if she could do it, then I could too. The second thing I ever knitted was a pair of socks with acrylic baby yarn. I only dropped one stitch. As I got better I wanted better materials and boy did I find them. I love Knit Picks and they'll have to pry my Addi needles from my hands. I absolutely love my 60" Addi's. I need to get them in all sizes, but for now zero thru three works nicely. GREAT VIDEO!
😆 Oh my gosh!!! I laughed soooo many times listening to this. The struggle is real! Ha. I loved this video! I grew up in the 1970's, so when I see people going all googly eyed over "retro", I want to run screaming from the building, because I remember it (and may still have it!) from the first go-round. I have been crocheting for over 50 years at this point. I branched out over the years into knitting, spinning and weaving, but I still don't sew (or tat...I was unaware that tatting required a different type of thread, so thank you for that info!). Too many crafts, too little time. I have scads of acrylic yarn. I will probably never use it all, but I am just a girl who can't say no to people who want to give me their recently deceased Aunt Mildred's 3000 ton stash of red heart. Again, I loved your take on the extreme crafter craftiness! Yank that pendulum firmly back to the center and make sure it stays there, I say.
I've had to learn how to say no to han-me-down acrylic, but I'm still wading thru my Mum's old stash, so... 😂
Thanks for the cordinette recommendation. I'm a crochet cotton frustrated tatter! Hi from Ottawa!
You are so welcome! 😃
yes! I made a shirt from some cheap fabric and I wouldn't wear it out in public yet I am still holding on to some bedsheets. I bought some good fabric from Fabricana realizing that I need proper fabrics and tools if I want to make something that is actually wearable or easy to work with however, the problem I have now is that I am too afraid to mess up while cutting what seems like premium fabric in the hands of beginner.
There you go...toile from the thrifted bedsheets, and the shirt you'll wear from the good fabric once you have the pattern sused out 😃
Hello there, new subscriber here! So happy yt recommended your channel.
The one who dies with the most yarn wins.. that sounds like a good life goal..haha :)
Oh man, yes, the right materials really matter! I picked up knitting again during the pandemic, using cheap bulk yarn and a set of plastic circular needles from the 1960s that my grandma had gotten free with a magazine. It was like knitting with half cooked spaghetti!!! But I did love the knitting itself, and I am extremely fortunate that my small town LYS did door delivery during the pandemic. I got some nice interchangeable circulars and some Farmer's Daughter Fibres tweed yarn, and I'm still wearing that sweater.
Plus, I've found polyester and acrylic makes me sooooo sweaty. For me, anything I'm going to wear has to be natural fibres, or I'll never wear it. I'll happily use synthetics for some projects, but never for clothing.
I use acrylic for items such as dog sweaters and couch throws, but nice wool for items that need less durability such as scarves, etc. So I think it is up to the maker and project. Use what works for you!
Listening while knitting a cone of corse weaving or carpet yarn into a seed stitch blanket. Luckily I live it because I have many many more cones to get through. 😊
That sounds like a project I would admire greatly, but never touch with a 10-foot pole myself 😉
Common sense and intuition are two of the hardest earned skills in the crafter's kit. I've used second hand fabrics throughout my sewing career, mostly for reasons of cost, and over time I've learned what works and what doesn't, what risks one can take and which should be avoided. Trying to explain that to someone just starting out is something I'm still learning how to do because it's almost impossible to explain why that bedsheet has entirely the wrong weight and drape, but that other bedsheet is perfect. Really, as you point out here, it's all about finding the best fit for you as the creator. It doesn't matter how much something does or doesn't cost, if it works and you get a result you're happy with, then it's the right tools and materials for the job.
I don't knit that much but like to use yarn bits my sister saves for me ( she's a ferocious knitter lol) in my fabric postcards. I use acrylic for the warmth as I can't have wool next to my skin. I have tried cotton but stopped because of a lack of how to read the pattern and counting. I can crochet a little, basic. Thanks to Grandmothers 💟💟 Still trying to accomplish a dream of making a pair of socks! Ty for the tips 👍💗
I'm definitely in the "middle of the road" camp. I am so terribly jealous of folks who have multiple fabric stores at various price points. I live in the world of big box stores, thrift stores that absolutely DO NOT sell craft supplies of any sort, and ONE yarn store that is *wildly* out of my budget. So if my ADHD/instant gratification supersedes my common sense, my choices are limited at best (especially if it's a project for which I need to actually *see* the drape or feel the materials to make sure there aren't going to be sensory issues). That also meant that when I learned tatting some 20-odd years ago, I was pretty much stuck with the Knit-Cro-Sheen type of stuff for the first several years. Some of it actually can be un-tatted without becoming a rat's nest, but you have to learn that by experience (and it's not just one particular brand -- some colourways are better than others, too).
we reorganized our garage about 2 years ago. I ended up with two dressers that I just shoved sewing projects that I bought material and pattern for but never started into the drawers. I was finally able to make a dedicated sewing room. I went through the dressers in the garage and pulled out the material and patterns to put into a large dresser in my sewing room. I have enough material that I shouldn't have to buy material for years. It's all cotton or cotton/polyester, but that's fine. I also have material from my mother-in-law, who was a very talented sewist. I do personal sewing and quilting. I have plenty to do both. I try not to buy new material unless I have run out of what I need, such as for a quilt I'm making for my queen size bed.
Pet balls of yarn!!! Ha! 😆 I just adore your sense of humor so much ❤😊
I'm also a middle-of-the-road-er... In general, I try to avoid buying new plastic things, but plastic is an amazing material, and in some cases, it's just the thing that works the best. Like having nylon content in a sock yarn, for example. (But would i want a 100% nylon sock? Nope.) Or the cable in circular needles.
Ugh. The crappy "Learn to _____" kits. I don't have a solution to that problem. But generally, the reason things get made, is because they sell. I think it comes down to personal intervention. If a friend expresses interest in your craft, don't let them go down the crappy supplies/ tools road. Help them shop. Maybe lend your tools. Refer to fabulous channels like this one. Etc.
100%. The right material doesn’t always mean the most expensive and sometimes it does.
I wish people could understand that unless they’re advertising as acquiring their yarn from local farmers, Hand yarn dyers often bulk buy their yarn bases from big producers too, you’re paying for a hand crafteds colour as opposed to a mass manufactured one like from drops or sirdar ir whomever. That doesn’t automatically make it better as a fibre, just an artisan colour. I like wool, but i mostly knit from mass manufactured yarn, and if i buy hand dyed its to buy a small piece of yarn art for myself.
And sometimes i just need a cute acrylic sweater i can throw in the washing machine a million times and not worry its gonna felt.
Great episode! Plenty of food for thought.
I just found out about yarn pooling, so it was cool to see you playing around with it.
I'll be playing around with it for a while...I think I bought out my local WalMart's stock of Red Heart Neon Stripe in hopes it would make a king-sized blanket.
(and my thoughts on Walmart itself are confusing and complex. I've lived in a place where it was a major employer of young people, and I know that in many places, they have poor policies on compensating their staff. They're also one of the most reasonably priced grocers at a time when one of our largest national chains and their cronies are gouging customers on necessary food items, And they're one of the few local sources for Red Heart yarn. That's not even going into my aversion to frequenting crowded places so...complex)
@@MaireColclough I can totally relate. I live in Florida, where the governor is very quickly recreating 1984 with book bans, queer-phobic legislation, and taking away our voting and and female body autonomic rights. The only rights we are being given more of is that of killing each other more freely with un-permitted firearms. And yet, my employer is the state of Florida, and he is my ultimate boss. The only solace I have is that he is not my direct supervisor, and I work for an agency that he is opposed to (helping the needy). I reconcile this by convincing myself that I am working for change from the inside.
@@cleoclaus69 It sounds like you're doing what you can to make a positive change. You have my sympathies. Living in a place where the policies run to the ultra-conservative is difficult (I'm a Canadian leftist living in Alberta, so I get it. Our current provincial government would privatize healthcare and ban women's autonomy if they felt they could get away with it).
When you said "You can only have so many 'pet' balls of yarn" I immediately thought of lots of tribbles wiggling out of your yarn baskets ^^
I've had luck thrifting actual meant for making clothing fabric at my thrift store, and it was 12 yards of lovely 100% cotton gingham (best score ever- paid $3 because I had a discount), and just this week 5 yards of cotton voile (paid $6) not a pretty color but can use as an under layer/mock up material. Bust just those 2. The only places within reasonable driving distance are big box junk stores so I try to stay away, I have bought a few things there but that was at the beginning of sewing when I didn't learn the importance of various fabric types and how they drape, now those fabrics are just waiting to be used as mock up fabric. Now I mostly look for discounted fabric online but have had to stop as my closet is packed with fabric I need to work through (I'm a very slow sewer).
I should say I'm kind of in the middle for matierals, not using the cheaper stuffs that frustrates you as it doesn't' work right, but not using the $20-$60+ a yard fabric either.
Sometimes it feels like my "pet" balls of yarn multiply like Tribbles 😂
Thank you! I'm one of those frustrated trying to learn shuttle tatting using the materials I could find in my city (a.k.a. crochet cotton). I've seeing Lizbeth threads in videos but always thought it was just fancy stuff, I didn't know about the difference in the threads. Now I'm going to invest in some of those materials and give another opportunity to tatting
I'm pretty middle of the road. Plastic materials definitely have their place but most hobbies are going to be more enjoyable if you have the best(not necessarily most expensive) materials for your project. I've been knitting with cheap boye and clover circulars but have some chiaogoos coming in the mail I'm so excited for!
Let me know how you like your chiaogoo needles! I have a few I was excited to try until I found the cables were a bit too stiff...the ones I wound up with looked like a plastic-coated steel cable and just didn't work well for magic loop. I think they've gravitated more to an addi-style cable, but for all I know it still depends on the style you order.
@@MaireColclough oh no! I went with them because I heard their cables were super flexible!
@@MaireColclough The cords now are fabulous. Chiagoo has also gone with twist connectors that are amazing. But because the Addi needles have been my long time fave I have never gotten used to the longer tips of the Chiagoo needles
Great Video. I really like your rambling, it makes a lot of sense to me and I agree.
I have quite some yarn but if I were to pick out something from my stash I wouldn't be able to say what I plan on making with it because I have A LOT of plans as to what I want to make but I always find that the texture and feel just isn't right. I need to learn more about types of yarn for type of project. I do have the same silicone grip hooks and they are so comfortable to work with :)
Crochet cotton does work for NEEDLE tatting though, and I've had much success with coated hand quilting thread. I have yet to get my hands to agree to contort in the way that shuttle tatting requires 😅
I definitely use bed sheets as mock-ups and testing material. I do historical clothing, mostly hand-sewing. The fabric I need is often fairly expensive, so I don't like to waste it. I've also made some great seasonal pieces from tablecloths. Do they feel great and lay beautifully? No. Do they make me happy? Absolutely.
I've been looking at a beautiful silk but have yet to be able to justify the price.
I’m just teaching myself to sew so I’m using bed sheets to learn on and only making undergarments like chemises and petticoats I have been crocheting for years now and I have indeed been collecting crochet hooks and only use acrylic for projects I don’t intend to wear. Bamboo yarn is currently my favorite yarn to use but can be expensive 🥲
I learned these lessons from making mistakes. Many, many mistakes. - Make do and mend works for me.
I definetly fall somewhere in the middle. There are projects where I'm just gonna take whatever materials are at the thrift store (my temperature blanket is mostly red heart squeaky acylrics I found at the thrift store), and there are projects where I'm gonna go for the fancy silk and the speciality lace (the Doctor Doom cosplay with silk from italy).
I put materials in the same kind of scale I put time - some projects are done fast for the sheer thrill of having that completed item, and some projects are months or years of planning.
I’m more of a sewer these days, and I’m on the brink of beginning a years-long project of updating my wardrobe into homemade clothes. Not just home-made, but, with patience and practise; well-made, hand-made and slow-made. I don’t want or need a lot of clothes - I tend to wear what I have for ages, so I need something that’s classic and solid. So what would it matter if it takes me half a year to make a blazer? If I then can use it and repair it and use it again over the next ten or twenty years? That mindset also makes me more willing to invest in good quality fabric, because I’m going to be spending a lot of time making it, and then a lot of years wearing it. Only exception is stretch fabrics; those really need a sewing machine.
DMC floss costs $0.65 / skein... the cheap multi-skein bags cost about $0.08 / skein, and man, you know it. They are not smooth. They are not supple. They lack that slightly satiny glow of 'the good stuff'. So they don't look good or feel good... IMHO. That makes the 8 cents a waste of my money and storage space.... I think I'll donate my bobbins of it to the local library craft room!
My mother and I had been collecting "The good floss" for years, and she still wouldn't let me take all the boxes off her hands even though she hadn't done cross-stitch in YEARS. I have a feeling one of my niblings will be getting "The Family Floss" someday 😂
@@MaireColclough You use so little of it at a time, generally it adds up... because even tho you have 18 shades of blue, you don't have the RIGHT shade of blue, so another skein comes in. That said, one never has enough 310. (Black)
@@nixhixx So very true! 310 is *always* in demand!
I have never in my life finished a project. Right now I have a sweater that needs one single seem sewn in and weaving in the ends to be finished, in a bag since late may.
I buy cheap acrylic yarns and make a sleeve or the front panel or one sock or whatever and then abandon it. I do feel like I am gaining technical skills by trying all sorts of stitches though, so maybe when I reach retirement I'll have the skillset and attention span to finish something.
I can't do tatting with a thingamabob, I learned the basics doing needle tatting wich is sooo much easier.
I wish absoletely love my interchangable pund knitting needles! I used to buy the regular circular needles, but it's so easy now to change the needles if I need to ajust the gauge, or if I need to leave one piece of the project to start another, I can just leave it on the calde, and use a second cable for the next part. The only thing is that if you don't screw the needle on tight enough, it slowly unscrews on it's own and makes the yarn catch on the tiny gap that forms.
My grandmother taught me to knit and crotchet. I tried to hard to get it because it looked like fun I was allowed to use the yarn that was terribly rough, acrylic and rash inducing just as you mentioned it for some reason didn't have a label and the whole process started with me clearing up the yarn stash and turning them into perfect balls. I took crotchet up later in life as a destressor and I now love it! A few years back when I crossed over the land border from America to Canada I got in trouble for having too much yarn😅, when I was doing my licensing exams to convert my education over I made several large blankets one of them an argyle blanket with the exact same yarn as in this video :P I have wanted to take up tatting but I am afraid I might become a jack of all and just end up buying something that I do not use often but only momentarily dabble in.
The neon stripes seem to be a very popular choice for planned pooling projects!
And tatting is fun once you get the hang of it. The startup cost is pretty low for a vintage craft, all things considered. The main thing is to find resources to get you started and keep you going (I usually recommend Sparowspite / Pocket Crafts Club patreon because they have good introductory videos and patterns)
I think this was my issue with knitting for years. Straight needles were cumbersome. I can’t remember why I tried circular needles but brought a pair of knit pro zing circulars and now I’ve got sweaters and socks on the go.
I love the Zing needles!
Crocheted ipod cosy - ooof that gives me early 2000s flashbacks! 😂
Indeed! 😁
Loved the clown barf reference - I challenge you to make something useful from a ball of it!
Birdy
Working on it 😂
I have arthritis in my hands and have lost feeling in my fingertips (I'm OLD) and giving me a ball of yarn or the like...well, you might as well give it to a cat as the results will be the same! Sewing machines are my salvation; I have 5 and each does something different! Hand sewing is impossible for any longer than a few minutes, so any of my "historical" clothes will never be mistaken for authentic! Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn! At my age I am in running for the top spot in "she who dies with the most fabric wins"!
The cheap knitting needle that lives in my pen cup is the BEST back scratcher. I adore my silicone handled crochet hooks. Maybe we'll run into each other at the local Fabric Depot. It's a rabbit warren, but it definitely has some cool stuff. Thanks for the ideas. I definitely do my best to walk the middle of the road.
Glad I'm not the only one repurposing my cheap knitting needles! And yes...maybe we'll bump into each other at the 'Depot! 😉
I buy my nice supplies as vacation souvenirs. My closest LYS is 3hours drive.
I want to be more sustainable, I don't want to buy the acrylic yarn... but they're just so pretty! I have the hardest time when I see this 100% plastic super rough feeling yarn that comes in the perfect colorway. I must have it LOL
"Great video!", I echo. I've been crafting since...forever... and have come to learn much about what I need to get real pleasure during the making and a feeling of success when completing what I craft. Like you, I quickly learned that cheap, sloppily made tools are a complete waste of money and the only thing you learn is to hate the tools.
And, again like you, go ahead and just try to pry the Addi Turbos out of my cold, dead hands. I am sure others feel the same about their Chiagoo needle sets. I have never wasted money on butt-plug, knurly-looking crochet hooks as I know that over-large tools hurt my hands more than help. They are just horribly awkward for me.
Always keep. in mind that ''quality' does NOT equal 'the most expensive'. Sometimes the $12 embroidery scissors can be a world better than the $10 pair. And know that there are some acrylic yarns now that are reasonably price and not awful to work with.
I've also learned that I will happily go a bit out of my comfort/price sphere in order to accommodate a friend's need. (i.e. VERY sensitive to wool, or is particular about organic, non-waste products). But even so I will NOT use something within the friend's parameters that I take no pleasure in working with.
Price is increasingly an issue for me. At the rate I knit sock I can no longer buy indi-dyers' yarn though it has been my fave choice in the past. Instead, I have found equal pleasure in 'commercial' yarn using texture stitches.
I don't sew a lot but I do use cotton sheets for curtains. We went through a phase of coloured sheets which I happily now cut in pieces for curtains à la pojagi. I have also used sheets for a toile but use the softest sheets that have some dang drape to 'em.
Sounds like you've got this down to an art. Definite meaning in the phrase "Live and Learn" 😃
THANK YOU FOR SAYING THIS!!! Learning how to pick appropriate yarns for your project is one of the most important steps, if not the most important step, yet I rarely ever see people talk in depth about *how* to pick a good yarn for your project. I've taught a few people how to crochet in my life, and having incorrect yarn is always the first pitfall I see beginners run into. Whether that be cheap yarn made to clump or color swatches that make the stitches hard to see, teaching people how to pick the correct yarn is vital to their long-term ability, because otherwise they'll get frustrated and quit before they even start.
Loved this video, thank you. I still have mum's bell shaped needle gauge, as well as her and her sister's old metal knitting needles and crochet hooks, and like you find the cheep soft handled hook. For easier, sock knitting I use d.p.n.s. in bamboo, though the fine ones I was using recently are problematic, bent or accidentally broken when half on a raised item on the floor and stood on! I also have recently acquired some "Jumbo" wooden crochet hooks will let you know how I get on.
I envy you that bell gauge! Good luck with the needles 😃
ngl i picked up tatting equipment a bit ago and i was SWEATING when you were talking about tatting cordonette. I accidentally got the right materials @_@
I was so pleased to see this today, I JUST took up crochet again after a long holiday from it and I’ve had two skeins of a gorgeous merino/silk blend sock weight that I’ve basically just been avoiding using because it’s so pretty 😍 but a couple weeks ago I wound one up into a ball and started making little granny squares for maybe a shawl. Pretty sure I don’t have enough of it but the shop I got it from doesn’t sell that dye pattern anymore so I may get another color way and insert some alternating squares.
I am personally just a fan of natural fibers when I can make it work with the budget but that’s very much a personal decision. I’m a rotund lady. I live in a hot, sweaty state. I don’t like being hot and sweaty 😂 so like 80% of my stash is cotton and linen. I also kind of need things to be washable for aforementioned sweatiness reasons. But I feel like it’s most important to make intentional decisions as much as you can, like knowing what you’re getting yourself into, what your options are and where you want to compromise and where you don’t, and especially what is going to work for the long game.
I love going hunting for things at goodwill but I am also not a bedsheet clothes maker (though props to people who can make it work tbh I am just not one). I do occasionally find decent and relatively large swaths of actual fabric, but I am more of a “this thing can still be used for what it is” kind of person than a “what can I make out of this” kind of person and those are usually the kind of items I’m hunting for-household stuff/appliances are my jam. I would rather leave the clothing on the rack for someone who can use it as is or WILL use it for something else since I know I won’t even if I tell myself otherwise.
The alternating colours on that shawl sound lovely! I'm glad you decided to use the Really Good Wool. 😃
@@MaireColclough i figured I can’t take the nice wool with me lol
I only recently learned about blocking (my grandma def doesn’t do it lol) how do you block your wool bits/what do you like to use?
I'm middle of the road. I have acrylics that I don't mind using for knitting/crocheting but I also have pricier hand dyed options. I have spun my own fibre as well as dyed using food coloring for some interesting results. I have found some cheaper circular needles from Amazon that I don't mind using, but I also like my Addi and Hiya Hiya sharps.
I will say that there are acrylics I will use before Red Heart because I prefer the feeling of them.
Would I prefer to be using something other than squeaky scratchy Red Heart? Most definitely. The things we do to play with technique 😉
@@MaireColclough I fully understand :) I was playing with red heart sparkle a couple of years ago for Christmas ornaments
Omgosh you totally described my knitting experience to a T except my kit came with an actual book with lots of pictures of how each stitch should look. Well I managed to get my first row of my simple scarf to match the picture but for some reason I couldn't get it to make a second row. No matter what I did. I followed the directions as best I could and still just kept getting more rings in my needle. Recently during one of the cold snaps that brought snow to southern California and even parts of Arizona specifically Tucson, I watched a youtube video knit a beautiful pair of vintage stockings. All I could think was it's a shame it could never get the hang of knitting and that that pattern doesn't come with a crochet option. Even though I live about an hour north of Tucson, and didn't see any snow except on the mountains around me, it was just as bitterly cold. I wanted a pair of nice warm cozy stockings to keep my feet warm. It's Arizona and it typically doesn't get down to 22°F in the winter where I live. I had my hoodie and warmest T-shirt on while I was curled up under my blanket with two pairs of socks on. I was that cold. I know that's probably nothing compared to the Canadian winters you live through, but I'm hot blooded.i like it when its blustering hot and you can fry eggs on the sidewalk and use your car to bake cookies in the summer. There are ways of keeping cool that don't involve sitting by the AC all day during the hottest part of the summer. Recently I've been toting with the idea of seeing what Knitpicks has in the way of how to knit supplies. Maybe I will hit up youtube of skillshare first. But with the warm weather it's been a race to get our garden planted and established before the brutal summer arrives so sitting down to knit hasn't been high in the priority list. Instead I think I'm going to get my old bed sheet and use it a a mick up for the medieval kirtle i've been pro ising myself. I have some beautiful medium weight linen in a pale violet that I plan to make a Lady Amalthea gown out if from the Last Unicorn. I'm totally feeling that whole 80's vibe thing again from your video where you made your vest. I took your suggestion and grabbed my moody hormonal mini me and watched the Labyrinth and rocked out to David Bowie. So now I'm feeling inspired to make my first dream dress, except a more practical every day version of the dress, that I can wear every day. To quote Rachel Maksy "the older I got the more I realise it want my skirts to be swoshy, my sleeves to be extravagant and my pickets to be real" and "we don't have time for dresses we can have snacks in." 😜🤣
You weren't getting rings on your needle...you were making lace! 😃
That's what we call a "Yarn-Over", so it sounds like you added some extra stitches. So you're not doing anything "wrong" per se...just making it a little more advanced than you need 😉
I'm so glad you had the chance to rock out to Bowie with the kiddo and get started on that dream dress. A dress to snack in is very important!
@@MaireColclough maybe the directions were just wrong or maybe the book wasn't very clear. Who knows 🤷🏼♀️
Always interesting! Thanks.
💕
Everything you just said 100000% I'm tired of people trying to make me and others feel bad for putting my pennies together for quality materials. I love acrylic for certain projects (especially if it's going to a kid thats going to outgrow it quickly or tapestry crochet) At the same time I'm working on a shawl made of pure mulberry silk fibers and I'm almost uncomfortable to tell people that. But it's a piece I'm going to have and love for the rest of my life. That's worth the money and time I'm putting into the piece and I'm tired of people trying to put down others for doing so.
I'm actively resisting both quilting and tatting because I don't need ANOTHER crafty hobby.
I was lucky enough to live near a charity secondhand haberdashery. So I was able to build a sizable stash of both fabric and yarn (and decent embroidery floss) for cheap. And now I've moved and am having storage issues. Whoops.
But given how slow I am at making things and how much I am a crow who likes to collect shiny things, it's not surprising. And if those shiny things are cheap, then I can actually afford them. Like the 100% alpaca wool I got from Knit Picks for free (paid only delivery). 10 skeins of stuff that was originally $35/skein. Amazing.
Now I just need to get much better at knitting so I can make that sweater that I bought all that wool for.
For me, I knit with acrylic yarn ONLY (preferably the one branded from Walmart). I suspect that the reason that acrylic yarn is the only yarn that I can stand touching for any length of time is because of my situation of being on the spectrum 🤔🤔🤔....... whatever, I like it and I use knitting as an occupational therapy exercise to build/maintain my fine motor skills, my fine grip strength (particularly the "pinch grip strength") and for dedesensitization purposes.
You work with whatever fibre and colours you like. We do crafts for pleasure.
good video. Materials really do matter depending on what you do, like I really don't like to knit with cotton, but acrylic and wool is fine, I really do prefer wool, but I do not like to crochet with wool, but cotton and acrylic are fine, and I do prefer to crochet with cotton. I haven't had money to try out alpaca, mohair, angora or silk, so I can't say if I like to knit or crochet with them. They are to expensive for this plus-sized gal, and my son that is tiny does not like the feel of them as long as they aren't blended with acrylic, so I can't try them on him. (he always what to cuddle the yarn first before I'm allowed to knit or crochet something for him, he has sensitive skin and almost everything that isn't cotton or acrylic itches)
Hello there! Can you give me some direction on that blanket you've been working on for a long time. The cream one? It is gorgeous and I am interested in crocheting it. I enjoy your channel very much. Your dry sense of humor is awesome. I hope you are well! Take care and be safe. Stephanie from California
It's the Phoenix Blanket by Hooked on Sunshine. I found it through Ravelry, but I think if you google the name, you'll come up with the designer's site. They have a video walkthrough available for an extra fee, which I found really useful for some of the stitches they describe 😃
To me, it depends. To cross stitching, I will use DMC and DMC only. I make only small patterns, so it won't break the bank. To crochet, I'll use anything, it depends on what I'm making. For amigurumis acrylic is fine. Cotton is good for pretty much everything. Wool is expensive, so it's reserved for those projects I know I'll use. I have old metal hooks I'll use when I'm making something with thin yarn. I mostly make beading with them. I like Clover Amour hooks and have a couple of those. Not even a whole set since I can use my metals, but Clovers are better when making something bigger than amigurumi. I use cheap knitting needles. I've used expensive ones from my mom and didn't see huge difference. I don't knit much, so that might explain it. I agree about the sheets. They look like bed sheets and would someone truly wear them? I don't think so. It's better to have something that Will be used even If it's more expensive.
Outi P. I I have both dmc and anchor. Getting back into cross stitch I am using both but sometimes dmc can feel too soft. I would like to try the overdyes and others but am gathering info till I come across them. Sometimes it fun and educational to step outside and try it by sampling.
You say Red Heart squeaks, and I can still feel it in my fingers.
hahahaha me, too. *cringe*
The struggle is real 😉
The adage of buying the best materials you can afford should be tempered with the best materials aren't always the most expensive materials.
I recently saw some cashmere yarn for around $30 USD per skein, which was barely enough for a hat or scarf. I can't bring myself to spend that much, but then again if I was the kind of person who bought $30 hats or scarves I wouldn't balk at the price. I used to be very poor and that influences me still. Then again, I also will wait until I can get that yarn on sale if I really want it.
I tried tatting in the 70s and hated it, maybe it was the shuttle and thread? I may try again.
Your cashmere adventures sound like my own issues with Linen.
If you're still looking for cashmere at a decent price, I suggest Colourmart (just google that spelling).The yarn for the Pi Shawl I made my Mum came from one of their lace weight sets, and it was extremely affordable! 😃
@@MaireColclough Linen yarn are really cheap it you buy it from a weaving supplier on cones. I recently bought some for around the equivalence of 18 dollars per kilogram.
Thank you for the tip. I will certainly check them out. As for linen fabric because I do historical reenactment, I tend to buy it if I see it at a good price even if I don't have an immediate project in mind. I think I last bought some unbleached linen because Fabric Mart had a 60% off sale so I'm set.
Currently, I am using up the vast amount of size 10 colored crochet thread I bought during Covid. I made 3 sets of crocheted lace curtains and several doilies and over estimated my needs.
I have the tatting shuttles, and have tried to use them many times. They stay on my desk and I stare at them as I tatt with a needle. I have found that needle tatting works really well with the DMC thread I found at a local craft store.
Bedsheet huh? I have a set of bamboo sheets still in the original package tucked away for a specific cloak project. I love the way bamboo feels on my shoulders and want that to be the lining of the cloak, but I am terrified to cut the sheets until I practice this particular pattern on some 'more affordable' fabric first. It would be helpful if I could make up my mind on what type of fabric I want to use for the outter fabric of the cloak. I don't have a backstock of fabric, so I will have to find something I love and purchase it when it shows itself to me.
I have a tatting needle, but managed to figure out the shuttles first - and I'm glad I did! It's right up my fidgety alley! If you check out the Pocket Crafts Club patreon, they have some really great tatting lessons to get you started.
As for the cloak...it sounds like you have your work cut out for you 😉
Bed sheets make pretty good pyjama pants, especially if you like matching family pj's at Christmas. I have too little space in my budget for taking part in trendy tool buying and big stashes of yarn or fabric. And I was raised by eastern European peasants who believed thriftiness was next to godliness; FOMO is nothing compared to the feelings of virtuous martyrdom of making do or SAVING UP TO BUY SOMETHING LATER. Addi Turbos for life! And as long as my crochet hook has a smooth hook instead of a sharp edge I don't care who made it or what it looks like. I care about the aesthetic of my makes, not the tools I use to make them. (Does your Michaels carry Lion brand yarn? Mine in Scarborough does not.)
My Michaels carries *some* Lion Brand yarn. I'm finding the selection is dwindling more and more each season, to be replaced with Loops and Threads products. 🤔
I am a crafter with a serious budget lack - as in I have to really think hard before I buy ANYTHING for my crafting. I haunt thrift stores for supplies and tools. But, a few years ago I decided I was sick of knitting needles that bent or broke or felt nasty, even if that was what I could afford. I spent so much money replacing needles all the time. So I'm slowly building up a full set of needles in a rather expensive brand (which are proving very hard to get as not everyone wants these needles - another type of needle from the same company sell like hotcakes and I don't like them as much) which should last me the rest of my knitting career. I'm also slowly replacing my thrift store crochet hooks for good quality ones - one hook at a time. I stock up on supplies as I can afford them.
I really dislike the trend of making things from thrifted stuff that is only going to be worn once. Especially when it's a slender person buying items that are too big for them - as a person of size it's already tough enough to buy clothing - either new or thrifted - that are nice and that also fit, but when the influencers grab those items to make over into something else it leaves that much less for larger people to choose from.
As I've had periods when I've not been able to afford craft supplies, I'm grateful to have my stashes to choose from for projects. I'm working on one at the moment, using up acrylic yarn I purchased to knit a sweater for my husband (which he rarely wears,sigh) and I only had to buy one ball of yarn for it. It's nice that I didn't have to buy a whole sweater's worth of supplies for it.
I raise my hand as someone who gave up on tatting because of the metal shuttle. Up until now I had assumed the problem was that I’m left handed… oh, crap! Have I just gotten my interest in tatting re-piqued?
Luckily, it's not a terribly expensive craft to try out 😉
I can remember the acrylic yarn in my early school days (90s/2000s), i totally hated it. When i started knitting again, a few years ago, i was totally surprised that nowadays acrylic yarn is actually really nice. ( For one of my first porjects i used some from Schachenmayr, which was amazingly soft.) And for me, a person who can´t wear wool - at least not when it touches any of my bare skin (except feet.. weirdly enough), that was great. I also never had problems with those standard knitting needles you get everywhere (aluminium coated?), i prefer them more than my bamboo needles...haha. But sometimes, when i watch all those knitting podcasts, i get really jealous of all those nice woolen handdyed yarns...
Well, the best materials are those you'll use. I'm so happy the acrylic works for you! You might find an acrylic/wool blend and see how that works, and stretch your tolerance for wool to see how it goes. Just like there are amazing new acrylics to go with the old, squeaky, scratchy kind - there are both soft and fluffy woos, and hard scratchy wools. I highly recommend going on a wool-squeezing adventure if you're not actually allergic 😃
@@MaireColclough No, i´m allergic to wool. Sadly i can´t even use blends. My skin get all red and itchy. But i think i can get away with a vest (like a waistcoat) made out of wool, because it wouldn´t touch my skin.
@@sewingforyourlife One of my friends has super sensitive skin, too, but can wear super wash wool (the microscopic 'hooks' are chemically removed) socks.
Great video. I have an acrylic (Red Heart) throw that I made in the 1970s and I still sleep with it. It doesn't feel great, but it does the job. In the day, we passed up muslin sheets because they were the cheap, disfavored type and it was a fabric that was the cheapest in the shop. It had its purpose in sewing. It was used to make and adjust patterns. If you're going to put your money into good stuff, it does you well to work your pattern up in muslin and if it's a repeat type of thing, like a repeat customer for pretty much the same sort of garments as was done in the old days, then the seamstress would keep your muslin pattern with notes about you. Now all of that said, I'm dying to know what the lousey sock yarn was.... can you give a hint?
Well, I feel seen. Laughing. I bought the vintage tatting box from the ebay because I assumed the modern plastic shuttles would snap after using it for 10 minutes. Just like how I've wasted money on a few modern doohickey tools I've tried for sewing. I'm saving up for the proper tatting fiber. And using up the cotton crochet stuff I found at The Village to practice on in the meantime (and wondering if I can find a proper use for the cone or recycle it back to the shop - misfires happen, sigh).
For me, sheets are for mock-ups, and wearable mock-ups for around the house (if they turn out decent and I like the print). I've found actual fabrics stocked on the regular for 2 of the Villages - it means buying wool mix in summer and cotton/linen in winter, but I can deal. I've yet to get to a point with a pattern where I feel the need to go into the fabric shops to buy something fresh off the roll - which is probably more to do with imposter syndrome-like head games than it does reality. Figuring out the ins and outs of fitting is my real goal for the year...
But, yeah, dealing in making things in a world of overconsumption is a bit of a pickle. Everybody is going to have a different balance point. I try to get the best tools I can afford to spend the money on at that point in time. Hopefully, without having to buy a tool replacement down the road because I picked up the wrong one on the first go-round. And trying to avoid the plastic of acrylic anything is becoming harder to do. Middle of the road - what's in the budget, what's available and what do I already have...
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
Misfires definitely do happen, and I seem to recall you have pretty good luck with the thrifting! And the best tools/materials are the ones you use, so if you're wearing your toiles around the house for comfort, even better.💕
Finding the balance point, as you said, seems to be the key. Consider this permission to get the proper tatting supplies and use your crochet thread to make fantastic vintage crocheted items from the Antique Pattern Library (because it's a free resource that absolutely kicks arse) 😉
@@MaireColclough I keep forgetting about the Antique Pattern Library...
Misfires are a pain in the pattootie, especially with shipping factored in. Le sigh. Between the lockdowns and the Truck Nuts we lost some of our fiber 'n' fabric shops. I'm going to have to sit down with the google machine and figure out what's left and what kind of wool/cotton they carry.
Now if only I could stop making things that are either too pointy or too square in the bust...
knitting with plarn as I watch this
my learning to knit arc has me finding out that there was more than one way to hold needles, and which hand you hold the yarn in.
The trick is to find what works for YOU. There is no One True Way, except that which gets the job done safely and at a pace you can manage 😃
My mum tried to teach me to knit & gave up. My nan managed to teach me, the way I hold my needles & yarn drives my mum up the wall but my finished results look OK. Similarly, when I hand sew a hem it looks upside-down and back to front to my mum & my cross stitch is similar.
I think that part of the problem might be that I was intended to be left handed but my mum taught me everything right-handed. The fact that my dad and my daughter are lefties makes me think that I'm the missing link.
@@expatpiskie Nothing says you can't try things the other way around. The best way is the way that works for you. So you might find you knit better continental style than english (throwing) style :D
@@MaireColclough I have thought about it but I've been knitting English style for about 50 years at this point, I'm not sure I could make the switch.
@@MaireColclough yup
You'll get a workable new knitter kit out of Michaels/Hobby Lobby when they actually care about their "customers" I got so fed up of not finding a reliable chain of materials for any craft (got the yarn, but not more than 3 balls of any of the colourways or the yarn sewing needles (and no space on the board for them) and I just put the yarn back). I went to look at the sale ares and found cheap nasty yarn (stuff you'd likely use to tie up the tomato plants with) or nice cotton yarn (yes, I love knitting with cotton yarn) in disgusting colours (that indescribable mud green that only looks good in a dark restaurant or flurorescent day-glo pink type colours). Plus everything is just that bit too expensive but you'e driven all that way (stores here tend to be out in the middle of nowhere that *require* driving to) so you might as well buy something for all that trouble. *grumble*
I love wool (can't really use 100% acrylic as my hands itch - 50% is "ok"). But I bought a lot (10 balls) of a natural coloured fingering wool and I finally got to use it after the yarn store I bought it from closed (opening sale at 50% off), and it was Horrible. It shed like it had mange. It was sticky - you couldn't use anythng but metal needles, and it stuck to itsself-ish (spit-splicing was an absolute breeze). When I got through the project (a shawl) It literally bled colour and fibre into the sink so badly I thought it was going to disintegrate. I tried to make a pair of fingerless gloves with the remaining 3 balls but it was so bad I just gave up and threw the yarn away. I felt bad, but I've never worn the shawl I made.
I am down the middle of the road. I can afford better than cheap, but I love recycling and getting a good deal (charity shop material diving is something I like doing once in a while - a recent purchase netted me 16 antique metal crochet hooks for £5/$8). I hate seeing promotion of bad materials (polyesters and acrylic) but it's not going to be me that's buying them (can't wear 'em, can't use 'em, hate the environmental footprint) - BUT - if that's what's available at your budget I'm *not* going to be the one to call you a bad crafter/maker.
I've also heard from a lot of folks who are legitimately allergic to woolen products, so aside from the isue of expense, I have a bit more tolerance for the concept of acrylic. Do I like its carbon footprint? No. But it will hopefully get a lot of good use. Hopefully.
There's a somewhat sly nod to recording artist Meryn Cadell's "The Sweater" buried somewhere in this video. Extra points if you figure it out 😄
All I can hear now is " if you want to destroy my sweater, hold this thread as I walk away..."
"Smaken är som baken, den är delad". I much prefer the Boye hooks when crocheting with thread.
Unfortunatelly, I just hate touching acrylic/polyester fabrics/yarn, it sends shivers down my spine, but they are affordable. So I only use natural fibres, I've even spun yarn from cat and dog hair (never ending supply....) that I get from surplus shops online or from car boot sales etc. I used to breed Angora bunnies before, but my hay fever became to much for me.
I want to learn tatting. Can't you have a course for idiots live here on youtube? So I can ask stupid questions in real time? Must get myself a shuttle though.
I'll see what I can do about that 😉
As a BOYE addict, I will only use Made in USA Boye hooks. Since outsourcing in early 80s, the hooks are just NOT right!
There's my problem..my supplies are too new! Time to dive into the cache of vintage hooks swiped from Mum 😉
Oh yeah the material debate. It’s complicated I’m trying for middle of the road. The kids decorative mittens were made out of nice feeling medium expensive yarn that was wash and dry able. Never trust a kid not to need their puppet mittens NOW!! I have lovely natural fibres and horrible plastic in my stash. Oh and everything in between. Most of the plastic is old but it has used so it stays.
I don’t buy name brands unless it’s a brand I know has a good record of repairability in appliances. I don’t buy much in the way of new clothes mostly thrift. I don’t understand why you would want some logo on your body. Logos are very expensive for very little return. Besides I’d rather have a funny saying or quote on my shirt.
I remember when plastic was going to be what fixed the world. Heck I remember life before plastic bags were prevalent. There are times when plastic is helpful. The world went over board with the idea of a disposable everything and now we’re paying the price
Very close to many of my own personal opinions, but then...I think we hail from the same pocket of the country (in my case, once upon a time and possibly again in the future), so I suspect we had very similar formative influences 😉
My issue is there is nothing much local.
Hi! Another fantastic video! I’ve spent most of my life convinced that I was some kind of fiber arts enthusiast, but for years and years I tried different things and kept shoving them in the drawer. I was using the wrong tools and materials. I now crochet every day, and I spin some of my own yarn, but I’ve recently given knitting another try. The thing is - I don’t know what circulars to get. Is there any way you could recommend a pair suitable for standard medium/4 weight yarn? I’d really like to support the channel and I also trust your opinion!
I hear the cables on the Chiaogoo (sp?) needles are vastly improved...they're very similar to my Addi needles. Michael's had some newer Loops & Threads needles with a nice bendy cable - just limited sizes. There are a lot of good options at Knit Picks if you want to try anything from metal to bamboo needles. It's all a matter of figuring out your preferences 🙂
me again.. the link for Lion Brand Wool Ease does nor work properly .. maybe you can fix it?
Link should now get you to the yarn in question. Thanks for the heads-up! 😃
@@MaireColclough works like a carm, thank you :) be safe, be happy, take care
The bedsheet and tablecloth YT-ers have made it impossible to find said items at the thrift stores when you want a tablecloth for a party. Also, one very popular YT-er who frequently uses bedsheets and tablecloths never actually wears the items that she makes for her videos, nor are they mock ups. So, if the item is made just for a video, how sustainable is that? You cut up a perfectly good tablecloth and will now throw it in the landfill because the item is something that you will never wear.