If you’ve ever said, “I’ll just look at the yarn store,” and came out €60 poorer… welcome to Yarnaholics Anonymous. You’re among your people. Yarn is love, yarn is therapy, yarn is — let’s face it— expensive.

But fear not! I’ve gathered the best, funniest, and most surprisingly clever ways to save money on yarn without giving up your crochet habit. Whether you’re broke, eco-conscious, or just secretly competitive about stash management, these tips will save you yarn and dignity.

1. Hunt at Thrift Stores & Charity Shops

Forget high-end yarn boutiques. Thrift stores are the real treasure chests. You can often find yarn people donated after abandoning their knitting dreams.

Or, go full detective mode: grab old sweaters and unravel them. Instant free yarn! (Bonus: feels like a heist.)

2. Never Pay Full Price

Before you click “checkout,” check for offers and sales. Yarn stores constantly run discounts, and online platforms or Etsy shops often have clearance sections. Subscribe to newsletters (with your spam email, obviously).

3. Buy in Bulk

If there’s a yarn you actually use, buy in bulk. It’s cheaper in the long run, especially if you design or sell your work. Plus, you get to say “I bought 3 kilos of yarn” and sound like a professional instead of an addict.

4. Swap Yarns with Friends

Organize a “yarn swap party. You’ll trade colors, textures, and stories of projects you’ll “definitely finish someday.” It’s social, fun, and you leave feeling like you went shopping, for free.

5. Search Facebook Marketplace

Type “yarn” into Marketplace and prepare to be amazed. People sell unopened skeins, half-used balls, and even full boxes of brand-new yarn for ridiculous prices. (Warning: may lead to more stash.)

6. Don’t Buy Polyfill. Hack It!

Need stuffing for your amigurumi? Don’t pay for overpriced fiberfill. Buy the cheapest small pillows you can find and use their stuffing instead. One pillow can fill a lot of plushies. And nobody will know your cute monster is stuffed with home décor.

7. Raid Your Closet

That old wool sweater you haven’t worn since 2009? Unravel it. Ask friends for unwanted knits too. It’s recycling at its best and you get “vintage yarn” with a story.

8. Stuff with Yarn Scraps

Keep your yarn scraps! Use them as stuffing for toys, or brush them out with an old hairbrush for a fluffier filling. It’s free, sustainable, and you’ll finally find a use for all those 10cm leftovers you refuse to throw away.

9. Become “That Yarn Person”

Make it known: you always accept yarn as a gift. Friends and family will never again struggle to find you a birthday present. “What should we get her?” “Yarn.” Done.

10. Frog Your Unfinished Projects

You know those half-done scarves, headless amigurumi, and mysterious shapes in your drawer? Unravel them.

“Frogging” (rip it, rip it!) is oddly satisfying and gives you free yarn. I have two entire bags filled with abandoned projects. My guilt always disappears right after frogging!

11. Organize Your Yarn

Sometimes the yarn you need is… already yours. It’s just buried under chaos. Organize your stash by color, fiber, and type. You’ll find forgotten treasures hiding in corners and drawers. It’s like discovering free yarn you already paid for!

12. Tap Your Network

Need just a bit of green for that cactus or frog pattern? Ask around! Chances are, a fellow crocheter has the exact color you need sitting unused. Crocheters are a generous bunch (until you touch their hooks).

13. Choose Small-Yarn Patterns

Some projects eat up entire skeins; others, like my crochet flowers, need a lot less yarn! Focus on patterns that use less yarn but still look impressive. You’ll feel productive and thrifty all at once.

14. Spin Your Scraps (If You’re Fancy)

If you’re into spinning, you can turn your leftover bits into a new, colorful yarn. I haven’t tried it yet. But rumor has it, it’s a yarn-saving miracle.

15. The Final (and Hardest) Step: Use Your Stash

Say it with me: “I do not need more yarn.” (Pause for internal screaming.) Before you buy, look at your current stash and start there. The planet and your bank account will thank you.

My final Thoughts

A true yarn artist can make magic from leftovers. The rest of us? We call it stash management.

Now, off I go to unravel something for the planet.

Until next bloom,
🌹
Kοotsiko

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