Combat heating costs with wool accessories!

In February, a collective shriek was uttered as my fellow Newfoundlanders and Labradorians got the January heating bill in the mail. We live in a small house, that was recently reinsulated and ours was over $400! I've seen numerous Facebook posts where people are shocked by what's on their bills.

Now the Public Utility Board is currently looking for answers for consumers and I'm glad they are.  Given all the recent strains on incomes, bills like these can push individuals and families into dangerous waters.

I realized that many of the things I like to knit and wear, actually help us through the winter and keep our thermostats down, and they may not be what people think. There are ways to provide yourself and your families with versatile, handknit items that can have a positive impact on their comfort and the family budget.

Fiber choice matters

I would be remiss if I didn't start off by talking about fiber - that is, what yarn is made of. Big box stores and even yarn shops will have their share of 100% acrylic and polyester yarns, as well as blends that feature large quantities of these in their mixes.  There is no nice way to say this, so here goes:

Natural fibers or blends that feature mostly natural fibers are the best choice.

Acrylic and polyester yarns may be easy to care for, but they do not provide the warmth that wool does, especially when they get wet. They also don't breathe well. Yes, 100% acrylic and polyester yarns are budget friendly and can come in a beautiful array of color combinations, but they do not have the warmth, breathability and durability of natural fibers.

Not all natural fibers are created equal, of course, and budget is a necessary consideration for most people ( including me). So here are a few tips to consider.

Choose your yarn based on what you intend to make with it.  

For example, rustic yarns are excellent choices for outerwear as they a resistant to pilling, help shed rain and snow, can absorb moisture without losing their insulating qualities and can be very budget friendly.  

On the downside, rustic yarns can be "scratchy" for some folks and don't lend themselves well to direct skin-to-skin contact. Yarns featuring Peruvian Highland Wool, and blends of wool and cotton, are often more tolerable and still fall into budget categories.  There are lots of YouTubers who go into depth about fiber choices.  If you are in doubt, check them out.  Here's one of my favorites:

Shop sales.  

If you plan out your knitting projects for the year, you can then use this plan to help you take advantage of sales that your favorite yarn shop or big box store may have. Every January I sit down and consider what might be in my knitting plan for the year.  I take note of what is already in my stash, then make a list of yarn weight, fiber and quantity so I have a ready shopping list.  This also helps me not to impulse buy. The picture of a yarn haul from several years ago is an example of this principle. That order featured mostly lace weight pure wool, with a little DK thrown in for good measure.

Blends are a good budget choice. 

Blended yarns are often a good budget choice. I personally won't buy yarn for making garments or accessories with less than a 50% natural fiber content. But for some uses, I have made exceptions going as low as a 20% wool content. The higher the percentage of natural fibers, the better.

Shop budget brands. 

There are yarn manufacturers that produce good quality natural fiber yarn at reasonable prices. My personal favorite is DROPS Design. They offer an array of natural fiber and natural fiber blends that are very reasonable in price.  I always check these first for any project I might be planning. 

It pays to do your homework and see what brands will work best for you.  I had been a Patons Kroy Yarn fan for decades but over the years became increasingly dissatisfied with the brand.  I decided to give DROPS Fabel yarn a try. It has more yardage per ball and a similar yarn weight.  And it cost me less per ball to boot! Two balls of Fabel make the same pair of socks that would require me to buy three balls of Kroy. 

(The socks pictured here are made from DROPS Fabel yarn.)

Look for retailers that offer good prices.  

This is a no-brainer, but I didn't realize how much until I started checking around myself.  Some of my favorite online shops did not offer the best prices on my favored brands.  I recently discovered the Yarn Warehouse.  Even with the conversion from Canadian dollars to British pounds, and shipping, I am able to buy some of my favorite yarns at a better price.

Consider shopping color groups and yarn weights.

If you find yourself drawn to a wide variety of colors, you might want to consider shopping color groups to ensure that bits left over are more likely to coordinate. Maybe you love neutrals, or earth tones, or jewel tones. If you don't want to limit your color palate choices, then consider sorting your yarn leftovers in a similar manner. This way, you will be more familiar with what you have in your scrap stash and it will make it easier for you to use up the bits that are invariably left over.

Similarly, if you decide on a particular yarn weight that you like to work with, you will find it easier to use up your scraps and to accumulate enough to create additional projects. I tend to work with laceweight, fingering and DK weight. I can combine laceweight strands to work fingering weight patterns. Two strands of fingering approximates a DK weight, and so on. But my favorite yarn weight is fingering weight. I just separate the scraps into super-wash and non-super-wash bags. You get the picture.

Not every project has to be a sweater.  

There are a number of smaller projects that when worn regularly, can make a huge difference to your comfort level during the colder months of the year. 

A good good hat is a must for winter weather.  I made a cabled toque 17 years ago out of Istex Alafoss Lopi yarn and it still looks as good as new (see picture taken today). Over time, the fabric has gradually felted a bit, increasing the protection it offers.

Mittens, scarves and cowls are also smaller projects that can greatly improve winter comfort when made from natural fibers. It took less than two full balls of a DK yarn to create my favorite pair of mittens. 

Cowls, shawls and wrist warmers/fingerless mittens are my go-to indoor woolen wear items. I have a growing collection too as I recently decided these are the best way to ensure the versatility of my wardrobe during our unpredictable climate. 

The best part is all of these can be knitted relatively quickly. You can change up the fibers to create garments that can go well beyond winter. And they are small enough that they won't break the bank even if you want to upgrade your fiber choice.

Consider wearing more wool indoors.

Throughout most days, the temperature outside can vary a lot (the blessing of a maritime climate). Winter here drags on for months into what qualifies as spring in many other places. My best tip for maintaining your comfort as stylishly as possible is to wear more wool indoors.

I always have a shawl and wrist warmers handy in the coldest month.  I have a bed shawl (one of my older merino shawls) that I take to bed nightly except for the very warmest months.  Because I like to sleep with my arms outside the covers, I regularly wear fingerless mittens or wrist warmers to bed as well. 

I wear wool socks almost year around, except for the few weeks I forgo socks entirely. I have knee-high woolen socks that I pull up over leggings. Wool socks in different weights of yarn combined with a wool slipper helps me keep my feet warm like nothing else.

Make use of both free and paid patterns

Knitting doesn't have to be an expensive hobby.  There are lots of online resources to help you keep costs down while you are knitting for your family.

Ravelry is one of my go-to websites for knitting patterns. While paid patterns have their place, there are lots of free patterns available for staple garments like scarves, cowls, shawls, wrist warmers, socks, hats and mittens that don't have to break the bank. And once you've found one you like, you can play with it do add some variety to your finished projects.  

That being said, paid patterns are usually tech edited, and have been test knit by other knitters.  For larger projects that involve larger, more fitted garments, you may want to invest in paid patterns for these. Some paid pattern designers still offer free patterns to get new knitters started. For example, Tin Can Knits has its own mobile phone app and a selection of free patterns so you can try them out with little risk. Of course, if you like their patterns you are more likely to use purchased patterns from them as well.

Some yarn manufacturers also make free patterns available that feature their brand.  DROPS Design is one of my favorites.  They have an extensive library of patterns that can be searched by item, by yarn name or weight.

Check out the free patterns here on this blog as well.  There are lots to get you started.

In closing, you don't have to break the budget to keep your family comfortable during the colder months of the year. A little planning and smart shopping can also help us all get through to spring with a little more money on our pockets.