I went to a very disappointing Michael’s sale today – as in not much that you’d want to buy is even on sale – but one good thing came out of it. I have been almost exclusively using Bernat Softee baby yarn for the baby items I donate, and now and then I wonder if I should branch out more, especially when there are baby yarn brands that cost less.
So today, as I was strolling through the yarn isles, I felt up a lot of the baby yarn from various manufacturers. Yes, I coped a yarn feel. I couldn’t help myself.
While some of them weren’t too bad, such as Lion Brand’s Baby Soft which I thought was pretty decent, as I suspected, Bernat Softee is way, way softer than any others I felt. I used to be able to get this yarn at a great price at Wal-mart ($3.28), but it is no longer available there…bummer! Michael’s carries it, but it’s $4.49, yes, even the solid colors, yikes! So now I must be forever on the alert for Bernat sales since the difference is so noticeable.
November 28, 2010 at 7:32 am
I feel your pain, Tammy.
Yarn used to be so affordable that you really felt you were saving a lot of money by putting in the time and effort to crochet or knit.
Now, we-re getting squeezed on both ends. The price of yarn has gone up a lot; and the price of machine-knitted goods (of pretty nice quality) has come down.
December 4, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Tammy, I don’t think there is a Hobby Lobby store in Florida (at least there wasn’t where my parents lived in Englewood), but they do have a website. they carry their own brand… Love This Yarn (or something like that). it is the softest yarn I have ever felt! I sent some to my Mom-in-law and she too was quite impressed by its soft feel. you might want to compare this brand to Bernat.
blessings- Peggy
ps: I had been a Michael’s customer for over 30 years, but now refuse to step foot in their stores, as a matter of principle to me. they changed their coupons so that it could no longer be used on books & magazines. I wrote them a letter and received back a standard form letter that did nothing in the way of addressing the issue. as a senior citizen, being able to use their coupon for magazines & books was important to me, but apparently not important enough for them to respond.
December 5, 2010 at 11:23 am
Thanks Peggy. There are a few Hobby Lobbies, but not close to me. I will keep an eye out for that yarn, though, thanks for the info.
Michael’s gets on my nerves too. They seem to not care much about their customers. I know JoAnn’s (a 40 mile round trip to the next county for me) offers discounts for teachers and I have started a crafting club at my school, so I asked at Michael’s if they had something similar. I was told that I had to go to JoAnn’s and get approved there before they would do it for me here. Heck, if I’m going to drive that distance, I will buy my stuff there, not at Michael’s!
They are the only game in town around here, and they know it.