Brooklyn Tweed’s beautiful rendition of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Garter Stitch blanket has given me a new light on knitting blankets.
Especially since Loop Yarn Shop in Milwaukee offered a class on making this gargantuan blanket in the middle of September.
There’s one hitch- The blanket requires 14 skeins of a gorgeous and sturdy wool yarn which costs $7.50 a skein. That means it’s a total of $105 for this project.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t have 100 bucks lying around when I’ve got tuition, a car and a credit card pay off…
It seems like it would be OK to get all this yarn in installments but one should always be wary of the varying dye lots*. This could make a huge change between the supposedly one color you’re working with. Of course, if you use multiple colors in an item, dye lot wouldn’t be that important to you. I, however, am a purist. I wanted to make this honey of a blanket with one color and one color only, which means two things: I either go to Joann Fabrics and get myself some acrylic mix which costs $3.99 a pound, or I empty my checking account and buy the $7.50 (or more, depending on the yarn I go with!) to get a gorgeous, hand-washable, yarn to make this blanket.
I wrote this in September, shortly before the class took place… I still haven’t made my decision. I’ll definitely let you all know when I decide!
*Dye Lot- It’s the specific color of the yarn. If you buy a skein one day and then need another skein of the yarn a month later, the color could have drastically changed. Be aware that if you don’t think you’ll have enough, either adjust the pattern, or buy more yarn. I suggest buying more yarn. It’s a win-win situation if you get more. You can make a great scarf or mittens if you end up with an extra skein.
On Skeins and Needles 
Man! That is a chunk of cash. It is crazy how expensive crafts and arts can be.
Wow, I never knew how much it realistically costs to make a blanket; that is a decent bit of money, for sure. I’d say it’s a project to set as a goal, so start a little envelope (or whatever you choose) to set aside money each week (or whenever) for the yarn. Once you’ve reached $105.00, go out and buy the yarn! You’ll feel better knowing you spent money you actually had just for that goal, and that way, you also won’t have depleted funds that would’ve been better suited going towards your tuition, car, and credit card 🙂