Amigurumi On a Budget: 12 Creative Ways to SAVE Money on Yarn & Supplies
Money saving tips are a hot topic these days! We all want to stretch our dollars and in Amigurumi On a Budget you’ll find 12 creative ways to save money on yarn and supplies.
Amigurumi can be an expensive hobby, but it doesn’t have to be.
There are tons of ways that crocheters and knitters can make their favorite amigurumi toys on a budget.
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Amigurumi on Budget!
Use What You Already Have in Your Stash
The best piece of advice I can give (and I’m giving to myself as well) is to use the yarn you already have in your stash.
If you just don’t buy any yarn, you won’t be spending any money. Pretty simple, right?
Many crafters already have a lot of yarn and supplies in our stashes, but the allure of brand new yarns is oh so tempting.
When we are trying to save money the best thing we can do, is just not spend it.
Rearrange Your Stash
Sometimes we aren’t excited about the yarn we already have because it’s just been sitting there. We see it frequently and it no longer gives us a thrill like it once did.
One trick I’ve used is to rearrange my yarn stash. That always gets me more excited about my yarn for some reason. Seeing those colorful skeins of yarn in a different spot is a magic trick. It makes the yarn look new again.
Wind Your Yarn
Another trick I like to do is wind my yarn into cakes.
For some reason winding whole and partial skeins of yarn into neat little cakes makes me excited to use them.
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My favorite yarn swift is the Knit Picks Yarn Swift. It is made of wood and is a beautiful piece of equipment. It is perfect for winding hanks of yarn.
Swifts are needed for hanks of yarn, not for skeins, cakes or donuts. But you can always wind a hank of yarn between your knees or the back of chair by hand.
Check out my Favorite Yarn Swift Here
The next thing I use is the LAMXD Needlecrafts Ball Winder. This is not wimpy ball winder, it is made of metal and I can wind any type of yarn with it.
If you never use hanks of yarn, you don’t need a swift, but a ball winder is a nice piece of equipment to have.
It turns any yarn into a nice little stackable cake.
For some reason having the yarn rewound into neat little cakes makes me excited to use it (instead of buying more yarn.
Check out my Favorite Ball Winder Here
Work on One Amigurumi Project at a Time
I get it, working on one amigurumi project at a time takes discipline. It’s so tempting to crochet all the pieces and then leave those random body parts sitting in a bag for months.
Nobody enjoys sewing on those pieces.
But when it comes to saving money and making amigurumi on a budget, working on one project at a time really is the best way to go.
First of all, making one amigurumi project typically doesn’t take a ton of yarn and it will keep you busy for a while.
When trying to save money, only having one amigurumi project at a time is the best way to go.
Check Out 7 Tips to Get Control of Those WIPs Here
Not Loving a Project – Frog It!
We all have a project that we just didn’t love.
In the beginning we were so excited to get started and we quickly found out that this project really wasn’t what we though it was going to be.
The thrill was gone.
But we feel too guilty to get rid of it. We promise ourselves that we will finish it.
Don’t do that to yourself.
If you don’t love it, it’s ok to frog the entire project.
This is a fantastic way to make amigurumi on a budget. Rip out projects that you just don’t love and reuse the yarn for a crochet or knitting project that you actually like and will be excited to work on.
Sell Your Finished Amigurumi Toys
One of the reasons I originally got into selling finished toys was so that I could buy the yarn and supplies I wanted without affecting our family’s budget.
I wanted to have all the pretty yarn, but I also didn’t want to take money away from our family.
That’s when I began selling toys, which eventually turned into starting a blog and eventually my YouTube channel.
Everything started so that I could do my hobby without the guilt.
Consider selling your finished toys on Etsy or at local markets. That can be a great way to fund your amigurumi addiction.
Check Out My Handmade Business Topics Post Here
Get on the Mailing Lists of Your Favorite Yarn Suppliers
I get it, no one wants more emails.
But getting on the email lists of your favorite yarn suppliers is actually a really good thing.
Those emails are the primary way craft stores communicate when they are having their sales.
Knowing when those sales are happening is one of the best ways to crochet and knit amigurumi on a budget.
Use Coupons
Many times those big craft stores have coupons that you can use to save money on yarn and supplies. Some stores even allow you to stack coupons.
For example, Joann’s is a large craft store here in the United States. If you get on their email list, you will find the sales as well as coupons.
But they also have an app that you can also find out about those deals. They also have coupons.
Joann’s is the only large craft store that allows coupon stacking. You can use a coupon from your email as well as one from the app to get even more savings.
Woohoo!
Loyalty Rewards
Another great way to save money is to sign up for any loyalty programs that your favorite yarn stores offer.
I know that many local yarn shops has a loyalty programs that track your spending and when you meet a certain threshold you get a percentage off or even free product!
For example, Premier Yarns has a fantastic rewards program that you can sign up for online.
You can earn points simply by following them on Instagram, liking and sharing them on facebook and even when it’s your birthday!
Know When Big Sales are Happening
Always educate yourself on when the big sales are happening at your favorite places to purchase yarn. But be prepared to get there early.
Those great deals are typically scooped up right away.
The early bird (in our case) get the best yarn deals.
Do Research Before Starting a Project
Another tip for making amigurumi on a budget is to do your research about a project before you purchase any supplies.
It can be tempting to find the most adorable crochet or knitting project and grab your debit card before you know the details.
Some projects are pretty straight forward and use only one type of yarn and one needle or hook size.
But some projects are a little more complicated and use different yarn weights and more than one hook and needle size.
If you don’t already have those supplies in your stash, the cost of your project can be a lot more than you were bargaining for.
Take the time to really look at the supply list before you jump in head first.
Use Your Local Library to Make Amigurumi on a Budget
Many local libraries are starting to carry amigurumi pattern books. You may find exactly what you’re looking for and it’s FREE!
My local library has recently been offering more and more amigurumi books in physical and Ebook format.
And if your library doesn’t have any, you can always request that they start stocking amigurumi books. Don’t be afraid to ask!
Buy (Used) Books of Patterns vs Individual Patterns
Amigurumi books are a great value compared with individual patterns.
Many patterns are anywhere from $3 – $15 (yes, I have actually paid $15 for one pattern before).
That can add up quickly, plus you may have the cost of printing and storing your patterns as well.
Amigurumi books on the other hand are a fantastic value.
They typically cost anywhere from $12 – $21 and usually contain at least 12 patterns. And that’s the brand new price.
Thankfully we can also purchase gently used amigurumi books for an even better discount.
Check Out My NEW Favorite Amigurumi Books Here
Many times the Kindle version is an even better deal! Plus the added bonus is that you don’t need to have a space to store the physical book.
Swap Yarns in Your Stash
If you already have yarn in your stash, but you really just don’t think it will work for your amigurumi projects, consider swapping with someone else.
This is a fantastic way to trade what you don’t want for something you do. It’s a win-win for you and the person you’re swapping with.
How to Find People to Swap Yarn With
One way to find people to swap yarn with is to look into local crocheting and knitting groups.
You can connect with other yarn loving enthusiasts and find people who would like to swap your unwanted yarn for something they have in their stash that would be perfect for you.
Ravelry groups are another great way to find people to swap yarn with. There are even specific groups dedicated just to swapping. Do a quick search in Ravelry groups to find them all!
Facebook groups are yet another way to find people who want to swap yarn.
One that I found that looks promising is the Yarn, Swap, Sell Trade Community. There are currenlty over 10,000 members.
Recycle Yarn
I am super interested in learning how to recycle yarn. There definitely is a learning curve, but I think it would be a really fun new skill that could be super handy.
There is a great video on YouTube sharing how to learn to to unravel commercially made sweaters and then recycling the yarn.
How to Unravel a Sweater to Recycle Yarn
Buying good quality wool sweaters at thrift and charity shops is a super inexpensive way to aquire yarns that we wouldn’t typically be able to afford.
It may take some trial and error to train your eye to find the type of sweaters that are made with the kind of yarn that works well for amigurumi, but it sounds like it could be a ton of fun.
Amigurumi on a Budget
I hope that you found Amigurumi on a Budget helpful!
And if you have any tips for how you save money on yarns and supplies for your amigurumi projects please comment below!
Happy Stitching!