I am lucky enough (or maybe not?) to have a big box craft store in the same shopping center as a thrift store where I live. I am lucky because it gives me a one-stop shop when I’m shopping for a new project, but sometimes I can also end up spending way too much money. Sometimes I can go out and only get only what I need and head home. Other times it’s extremely difficult to not get distracted by all the beautiful clothes and trinkets offered at a lesser price than buying new. Obviously, it can be difficult to find a decent second-hand item, but it’s the thrill of the hunt, right?
I want to take the time to really explore what it means to buy second-hand and especially focus on second-hand craft supplies. Back to my lucky shopping center: I’m not sure if it’s because it’s so close to a craft store, or what the reason is, but the thrift store more often than not has craft options! I live in a highly populated area, so there are a lot of thrift stores nearby, but I’m realizing not a lot of them offer craft supplies. Whenever I visit, I check out the blanket and curtain area for by-the-yard fabric, usually, there are 2-3 yard pieces offered for $2-$3 for the whole piece! I usually see ribbons and other notions offered in small bags grouped together by type or color also for fairly cheap! And of course, my favorite, YARN!
On a recent trip, there was a whole section of a wall that had yarn in little bags. (Did someone donate their whole stash?) But they had some beautiful offerings, and I couldn’t help but take a few home! As you can see in the picture above, I purchased two bags. One had two unlabeled skeins, and the second one I was glad still had the information about the yarn attached! I believe the dark blue is a tweed yarn (by the bits of fluff throughout) most likely the Joanns Value Tweed. For the lavender color, I had a hard time deciding between Joann’s value yarn, or possibly a Red Heart value yarn. It seemed too soft to be the Red Heart when I was working with it, but also too rough for Joann’s value yarn. I work with Joann’s one a lot and it’s honestly super soft and nice. So I really hard time deciding on that one. Either way, I’m pretty sure it’s a basic acrylic.
Is there any downside to thrifting yarn?
Obviously, there are downsides to thrifting in general. Whether it be thrifting clothes or home goods some items can have obvious and sometimes extreme signs of wear. Items can be torn, or seem worn out, and then there’s the unfortunate *mystery stains*. EEK! I used to be a pretty avid second-hand clothes shopper online and even though my favorite place would take pictures of the items and try to describe them as best as possible I would still receive items that were ripped, missing buttons, or just plain the wrong size for me. However, this is from a corporate online thrift business, not one that has individuals posting their own clothes. (I’ve had good luck with those actually, but that’s a whole other blog post!)
At any rate, with specifically yarn or other crafts, or even by the yard fabric, you can still find some items dirty, worn, or also unfortunately stained. In the case of the items I purchased, there’s still a risk of having the whole yardage available. Who knows if they used a bit of the yarn and then donated the rest. Luckily the skeins were pretty intact, but if you work with yarn at all (which I assume you do) it’s really easy to get it all knotted up! Luckily these were placed in bags so it would be difficult to get them dirty at least in the store, but who knows how they were kept or stored, I lucked out with these items, and they seem to be in pretty good condition.
Then there’s the fiber issue. A lot of crafters would prefer to work with only natural fibers or are against working with animal fibers. I’m sure there’s a way to tell what kind of fibers the skeins are, but for me, or other somewhat novices when it comes to fiber content, I have no idea how to do that by look or feel! Also, since they bagged two skeins in one package that were mismatched, I found myself turning down a lot of the options that had one skein I really loved, and another that would probably just wind up back at the thrift store! And for a girly on a tight budget like me, that isn’t really an option.
All in all, I believe the pros outweigh the cons. I was able to get a few products I really loved, at a fraction of the cost that I would have paid for these items new! I do have to be careful when using these yarns to make sure I have the correct yardage for any project I’m working on, but I’m glad to keep these items out of a landfill, and give them a new life with a beautiful project! Do you have a favorite thrift store near you that offers craft supplies? Let me know in the comments below!
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