Here’s an Easy, Money-Saving Hack for That Knitting Hobby You Took Up Last Year

Raise your hand if you started knitting last year in an effort to pass the time. Yeah, me too — and while it certainly felt cozy and quaint to curl up with my knitting kit as I watched sitcom reruns late into the night, I found that one of the best ways to stay motivated with my knitting project was to judge it by how much smaller the ball of yarn got as I went. Finishing a knitting project is satisfying, sure, but it might not happen for a while. Finishing a ball of yarn? Think of that as a mile post celebrating the work you’ve done so far, halfway through the marathon.

But after a while, I did indeed finish my project, and it was on to the next one. Here’s the thing, though: As I perused yarn options on a bunch of websites, it struck me how darn expensive yarn is.

There are plenty of reasons for this: Textiles made from natural fibers, such as cotton or wool, are going to cost more than those made from polyester or other synthetics. Add in the effort of turning fibers into yarn, from combing to spinning to dyeing, and you’ll understand why yarn costs what it costs! Yet while some Redditors and other avid knitters recommend seeking out sales for yarn, there’s one surefire way to find a yarn sale, on a variety of yarn types: Bid for yarn at Goodwill.

Yep, on the Goodwill website, there are hundreds of lots dedicated to yarn just waiting to be turned into projects. (The search results for “yarn” will sometimes dredge up other vintage wares with yarn elements, such as a doll with a yarn head, but it’s easy enough to cancel those out mentally as you search.) The colors, quality, number of skeins, and other details will vary, but that adds to the joy of the hunt — and with prices as low as $6.99 for a handful of skeins, you could be paying as little as $1 per ball of yarn, or even less.

There are limitations here, including the risk that you might get outbid on a lot you had your heart set on, as well as shipping costs. You also might not find a specific color or yarn type you want for a certain project, which might either lead you to purchase it elsewhere or get creative with what you do find.

Whatever you do, just remember these wise words from redditor u/boldnoodler: Knitting is “only as expensive as you want it to be.”

“Yarn can be expensive, and I try to buy mid-range brands unless the item I’m making is a gift that would really benefit from fancy materials,” they explained in a thread about how people keep knitting from becoming too expensive a hobby. “I also tell people I knit/crochet, and get offers all the time for free yarn from people looking to thin their stash.”