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Buying Yarn Online – Questionairre

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Members of The Crochet Crowd were asked on July 12th, 2011.

Do you buy your yarn online, if not, what would get you to buy your yarn online?

Frankly, I am surprised as many people are already buying online. I expected it to come back from everyone saying they would never do it. Retailers!!!! Are you paying attention to this?

Here’s what our audience said:

  • Ashley Ludlow free shipping
  • Karen Archamboult I agree with Ashley, free shipping and reasonable pricing. If you can get it on line for the same you would pay in a store, then on line of course. Otherwise, let’s go shopping. Hope that helps Mikey.
  • Amy Davis I buy sock yarn online. Cheaper shipping would get me to buy on line more often. I usually buy a lot at one time so I get my moneys worth for the shipping.
  • Sandra Ortiz-Hall free shipping, no tax, bigger selection than my local store…
  • Tina Rego I buy most of my yarn online. Free shipping and more colors. I also can watch the sales more.
  • Whittney Renfro I haven’t yet bought any yarn online, but I’d like to mostly for specialty yarn that isn’t sold in any stores in my area. The only reason I haven’t is because I can’t actually see and feel the yarn in person, I have to just trust a picture and a few reviews.
  • Maha Hall I buy my yarn online because there isn’t any here where I live which is Saudi Arabia. I have been buying from Yarn Paradise in Turkey which has some really nice and unique yarns.
  • Lisa Defferding Yes I have but only whenit is free shipping or something I can’t find around where I live. I have found yarn online is more expensive than in the store, so if it isn’t anything I can buy local it will order online.
  • Bj Vermillion I buy yarn online sometimes when I want a color or a yarn that my lys doesnt carry. The selection on line is far greater than what I can buy locally.
  • Rita DCm I’ve bought yarn on line. but only when I’ve wanted an specific yarn or color . And I did it on a spanish website. (I’m from Spain), so , I’m not sure if this could be useful :S
  • Ebony Gee i bought online for the first time a couple of weeks ago from herrschners.com. was extremely pleased with the quality and price. i got eight skeins, and with shipping, the cost was about five bucks less than i would have paid for eight skeins at hobby lobby, michaels or jo-ann’s, including tax. i will purchase again from this company.
  • Rita DCm Ebony, I’ve seen that they ship to Spain . I think that I’ll take it a look later. Thanks ! 🙂
  • Kara Giglietta free shipping is a great motivator…plus I don’t tend to buy fancy yarns online, I like to feel them…but if it’s a brand that I know or type of yarn that I know that offers free shipping or sales I won’t hesitate to order online
  • Sara Monkie cheaper than what i can get in store
  • Dawn Raymond 
    In the UK most yarn retailers are small independents, so I prefer to buy my yarn from a small shop in the next village. However, I’m a slave to online sales, and recently bought a mixed pack of 17 balls – the colours are gorgeous and I’m slowly working my way through them and sharing my products on my blog. The reason I bought online was that it was a reasonable price, and as soon as i saw them I wanted them :). Interesting to see the points of view re “free” shipping. As an online retailer myself, I know that if retailers don’t charge extra for the shipping, they’re building that cost into the price of their goods, so you end up paying, regardless. If not, then the retailer would soon go out of business or make very little profit. And let’s face it, most of us pay out in petrol to go buy the yarn at the store…so what’s the difference?

So what did you think? Comments?

Who Is Controlling Your Creativity?

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Setting Up My Story:I’ve got this brilliant idea that only I can pull off. A slip over jacket that is made just for me that goes with my stage costume. It’s got glitter coming out of the wahoo and complimentary colours to go with my look. It’s my world wide debut in 2 weeks and I have just summoned up this idea in my brain. Now the question is where to shop?

The obvious choice is the massive retailer because of its convenience. So off to the store I go and suddenly my brain is overwhelmed with colours that aren’t matching what I had in mind. Furthermore, I start getting disappointed with the colour schemes and suddenly when I think something is close… there’s clearly not enough on the shelf to pull off my idea.

I must have walked down the aisle 20 times. I was bad mouthing whom ever choose the colour schemes for the store thing nothing tends to match each other really well. I then start doing what the rest of us do… “I BEGIN TO SETTLE ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THEME!”

Creativity Control:

This is what prompts this story. I see myself on stage with a brilliant jacket… I’m so entranced with the idea of it. I realize my colours aren’t exactly what I wanted and I begin to reason with my subconscious that it’s okay if my shade isn’t exactly what I wanted or I have chosen a completely different colour scheme altogether.

Have you done this? You have an idea and then settle because the store didn’t have what you wanted. When you finished the project you are NOT delighted as you should be because you know in your heart you settled on submission that was 2nd choice. You know darn well what happens next. It will find its way to the very back of the closet never to see daylight until garbage day several years later!

Taking Control Back:

With a hand full of yarn retailing about $70.00 I decided that I am in control. I will not settle for 2nd Choice. I want what I want and I will have what I want! I put everything back down and out of the store I go and the retailer will never know why.

I drove nearly 2 hours to go to a store where I knew I won’t have to settle. http://www.lensmillstore.com Lens Mill Stores of Sourthern Ontario Canada. They have more yarn aisles than 8 massive retailers put together. Everything you could possibly need in quantities to successfully finish a project. For me the drive was worth saving my creativity. Lens Mill Stores was the very first business to ever support my dream in 2009 of The Crochet Crowd.

This is also a wonderful opportunity to check with smaller business owners who sell yarn. Maybe they can get you something special in quantities you need. It’s hard to stock everything due to so much selection. I was going to bug a stock person at the massive retailer but I figured I would get the “Line”, everything we have is put out.

So what do you do? Do you search online for Yarn? Do you check with smaller businesses? Or do you do what most of us do… SETTLE?

For more fabulous ideas on exploring your creativity, visit www.mikeyssmail.com.

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