Today Kirsten and I headed out the valley to catch the fibre festival in Abbotsford.  The event was at the Tradex, the very building that housed our convocation ceremony when Jon and I graduated from high school.  Although the airport around it has certainly changed, the Tradex hasn’t so much.

We had a good time.  I had some leftover birthday money that I spent very well.  I picked up some wool/silk blend fleece that Kirsten has promised to spin for me, and some truly beautiful Indigo Moon yarn.  There were so many gorgeous colourways that I had a hard time choosing, but somehow I managed.  I also found some fabulous, colourful yarn from India made of recycled sari silk, and beaded shirts from Nepal for Hannah and I.  It was a great haul, and I had a good time, made even better because Hannah was off enjoying herself with her grandmother while I did my shopping.

I am a fairly new knitter.  I just started in January, so it’s been less than 4 months.  One thing that I’ve learned very quickly, though, is that knitters take their yarn very seriously.  There are some very beautiful and high-end options, and people line up to get it.  I recently purchased some limited edition Sweet Georgia sock yarn.  This is beautiful hand-dyed yarn, and the woman who makes it is going on a hiatus.  It is possible that she may not return.

I found a website that had some Sweet Georgia yarn.  I visited when it came on sale, and I purchased some.  However, all of the traffic generated by this coveted yarn crashed the server, and so I actually could not get the yarn.  Two days later I tried again on another website.  The yarn went on sale at 4:00, and I was there at 3:50 ready to go.  This time I got the yarn.  Many others were not so lucky, as every last skein was sold by 4:02.

I am a sucker for pretty things and unique yarn.  So, you can imagine how excited I was when my good friend Kirsten started dying and spinning her own yarn.  Now I have an inside line on a supplier.  She makes some beautiful things.  You can check out her etsy shop here.

As I understand it, people used to make their own clothes and household items to save money. Knitting a sweater, making a toy, or sewing a dress were all frugal options that stretched your hard-earned dollar. As any modern crafter can tell you, though, this is no longer the case.

I recently started knitting. I bought some yarn to make Hannah a sweater. I chose a cheaper option from a nice yarn shop, at $9.00 for a 100g skein. After taxes, Hannah’s sweater cost me $40.00, not including the needles I had to buy in the correct size. $40.00 could buy me a really nice sweater brand new from a children’s boutique. And, it would come pre-assembled.

Last year, I sewed a dress and hat for Hannah. 2 meters of fabric, some interfacing, ribbon and elastic ran me $25.00. The pattern I used was another $5.00. Again, I could buy a nice new dress and hat for that in a store. On consignment, I could get something equally nice for less than half that price.

I think there are a couple of factors at work here. Discount stores and cheap offshore manufacturing have driven down the price of goods. And, declining interest in handicrafts has pushed sewing and knitting into the realm of the hobbyist. Anyone can tell you that pursing hobbies isn’t cheap. Think of golf, fishing, or travelling. Ka-ching.

So, we are left with a dilemma. Does it really make sense to do your own crafting? I think the answer is yes, as long as you enjoy the process. If you don’t, any trip to the mall will be much cheaper and easier. If you do, the satisfaction that comes with conceiving of a project and creating it all by yourself is worth any extra expense (no matter what your husband thinks ).

When I was in grade 8, overbrimming with the confidence that can only come from making your own pillow case in Home Ec, I declared that I would sew my own wedding dress. I would start, right then, doing all sorts of sewing projects. By the time I got married I would be a super-star seamstress capable of creating the most beautiful white gown I could dream up.

Of course, I bought a couple of patterns and some fabric and nothing ever came of it. 13-year-olds are like that – easily distracted, flitting from one lifelong dream to the next. For some 15 years my sewing was limited to shortening pants, and a couple of minor home decorating projects.

Then I met my good friend Kirsten. She had sewn a few baby carriers, and I decided to try my hand at it as well. Of course, we all know about the obsession that followed. Then I started in on bags. Diaper bags, at first, and then tote bags, purses, zippered pouches, and on and on.

Now, anyone who’s met Kirsten her knows that her first love is knitting. She’s always working on everyone around her, subtly encouraging them to pick up some needles. She worked on me long and hard. I steadfastly pointed out that I was doing all this sewing, and couldn’t possibly find the time. And, since the sewing was sort of her fault, she capitulated. However, when she took up dying and spinning yarn, I could resist no longer. Dying and spinning yarn is so cool, but it’s also totally pointless if you have nothing to do with it once it’s ready. So, for Christmas Kirsten gave me a ball of hand-dyed yarn, the loan of a lovely pair of wooden needles, and a lesson.

So, yes, now I’m knitting. I’ve completed 2 scarves, and 1 kerchief. Between the knitting and the sewing, I’m a one woman handcraft machine. I’ve decided to catalogue my projects this year. Here’s what I’ve done so far: