Sometimes it can be really hard to choose which yarn to use for your latest project and often cost is the deciding factor.  This means that man-made yarns are often substituted for natural as it keeps the cost down.  It's true that when you add up the cost of making a sweater, for example, the difference in prices between yarns can be quite alarming.  If we assume that a size 10-12 jumper plain jumper takes 1000g of double-knit yarn then it can cost anything from £10.00 for the very cheapest acrylic to £100.00 plus for a high end natural fibre.   We often compare to shop-bought mass-market items which are much cheaper but they are mass-market so we are not really comparing like with like.  Based just on cost it seems obvious which yarn to knit or crochet in but there are more things to consider.

I've just knitted a man's jumper in Woolyknit Diggle which is a mid-range British wool priced at £3.50/50g.  The garment took 12 balls so cost £42.00.  It could have been made in a cheaper acrylic for around £22.00 but cost isn't the whole argument.  The garment was for an adult (my husband) who will hand wash it (because he knows the penalty if he felts it in the washing machine!).  The jumper is heavily cabled so wool will keep the structure of the cables better after washing.  I well remember knitting a beautiful cabled jumper for myself in a lovely soft acrylic which looked lovely till I washed it when the yarn relaxed,  the cables went flat and the jumper grew by a couple of sizes!  Greg isn't likely to have a growth spurt so I don't have to worry about him growing out of an expensive knit and he doesn't find wool itchy.  I think that's most of the objections to wool dealt with so now it is just cost to deal with.

I finished the jumper two weeks ago and it has been worn for at least ten out of those fourteen days.  This brings me to cost per wear.  Cost (£42.00) divided by number of wears (10) = £4.20/wear.  Every time Greg puts the jumper on the cost per wear reduces.  Wool doesn't wear out quickly and barring a washing 'incident' and based on other garments I've knitted for him, Greg will still be wearing this one in 20 years time by which time costs/wear will be measured in fractions of pence not pounds.  Knitted in a cheaper yarn the jumper would lose its shape and structure after a few washes so cost per wear would be much higher.  In the long term, the more expensive option is a better deal.

I know not everyone likes natural fibres finding them itchy or ethically problematic, but whatever you buy, you are going to spend a lot of time producing a handmade article so whether the yarn is natural or man-made, it's worthwhile making it in the best you can afford.   

Our basket is slowly emptying showing us that there are only six days to go until the Crowdfunding discount cards run out.   Visit us this week to make the most of your card before it runs out!

If you have a discount card with us, don't forget that it runs out in 10 days time.
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We are quite excited that it is our second Birthday at the beginning of May.  We are planning celebrations for the day but in the meantime we had a look at what we could offer our lovely customers while they wait.  

As there there's been quite a clamour for crochet recently so we've put together two crochet packs for a blanket.  We chose the design Indian Summer from Drops (144-1) but have chosen our own colourways.   You can find the packs on our shop page and they really are rather lovely.

The two colourways are Autumnal and Blackberry and while they would normally cost £29.50 for the yarn, hook and pattern, we are celebrating our forthcoming birthday by offering them at 24.99.  There is only one of each colourway available though so you'll have to be quick to get one!

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​Don't forget to come in and use your discount cards if you need new yarn as there is now only 12 days till they expire.

It's just 13 days to go till our discount cards run out and only 18 days till our 2nd Birthday celebrations.  We will be launching our new crowdfunding campaign on the 1st of May and the perks will include new discount cards as well as workshop places and yarn kits. Look out for more posts with details of our birthday celebrations.

We are open as normal over the Easter weekend:
     Good Friday  -  9am to 5pm
     Saturday 15th  -  9am to 1pm
     Easter Sunday  - closed
     Easter Monday  -  closed
     Tuesday 18th - 9am to 5pm
​Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

We're excited to have started a countdown to our second birthday celebration here at Ammonite Yarns. We're planning a fun filled day on Saturday 6th May - more details will follow in another post.

We'd like to thank you all for supporting us through our first two years in business - we've loved getting to know so many of you.

A special thank you goes to our wonderful crowdfunders who helped us broaden our yarn range right back in the early days.  We hope you've enjoyed your discount cards over the last two years. We're sorry to have to tell you that they run out at the end of April 2017 so you have just 17 days left to use them!

We are busily planning a new crowdfunding campaign centred around our workshop facilities so keep your eyes open for more information soon....

I've had this photo on my phone for a little while and isn't it stunning.  This lovely blanket has been crocheted by one of our customers in Woolyknit Blue Faced Leicester and West Yorkshire Spinners Blue Faced Leicester and it is so beautiful.  The yarn is soft and the lustre of the colours shines through really doing justice to the amount of work in this amazing blanket. 

If you would like to be able to crochet an heirloom piece like this, Gaelle will be starting her crochet courses again in May and is running stand-alone project sessions throughout the year.  Don't hesitate, book now and begin your creative journey!



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