I have a theory that if you can afford Starbucks, Dutch Bros or something similar on a weekly, or daily, basis, that you can afford to stitch with 100% US wool yarn.
I hear so many saying that all they can afford is acrylic and those of us who speak out against acrylic and it’s dangers are “classist”. I’m not classist, that’s an uneducated broad brush remark. I choose not to use acrylic because of its effect on the environment and my body. With some planning, self-control and intention, you too can afford to work with 100% US wool yarn.
Using Duck Duck Go I learned the prices of a couple of different coffee drinks and an energy drink. I know that these things don’t apply to everyone but most of us have some sort of habit, reward or guilty pleasure where some of that money can be funneled into the yarn budget, if you choose to.
This isn’t a message for everyone, exactly. If it makes you stop and think, great. You can apply the thoughts here in many ways. Maybe you spend too much somewhere else and would like to drink more coffee, you can choose to do that. I have 2 main points that I’m trying to argue against here. They are:
”I can only afford to work with acrylic yarn and not the ‘good’ stuff.”
”Those who look down on acrylic yarn must have more money.”
For this post I decided to send it and compare drink costs to US wool yarn costs. Not just wool from a big commercial company but from a US family owned company.
To obtain the price per gallon for hot coffee was straight forward. The price per gallon was derived by dividing the cost of a small by the ounces and then multiplying by 128, the number of ounces on a gallon. For the iced coffee, I doubled it because by the time the iced is removed from the drink your cup is only half full.
To decide on the price of yarn I used personal experience of patterns that I have worked recently. I chose Brown Sheep Company’s Nature Spun in fingering weight. This is a great versatile yarn.
As you can see, unless you are able to out stitch what’s above, with a little adjusting in your habits and routine you too can likely afford to stitch with US wool yarn.
Hot coffee once a day, 16oz cup, is about $3.75 depending on your location. This is also with out tax and tip. Let’s add 30% for those; $4.88. Making coffee at home 2 days in a week and there’s the yarn for a hat. Yes, there’s still shipping to consider, so add a day.
The take I would you get from this, is don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Just because it looks more expensive, it is, doesn’t mean you can’t afford it. At least look at the numbers and try before you decide that you can’t afford the “good stuff”. Your coffee from home might taste better, will probably be healthier and you can stitch with the good stuff!
Let me know what you think.
Happy making!