Friday, June 8, 2012

Yarn envy...

There are so many lovely things out there that I would love to make only if I could find some decent yarn. I love using cotton for Amigurumi but only have access to dk weight here, so I use it double which is no bother but trying to find some decent colours is impossible.

My sister has asked me to make an orange blob for my nephew. Orange cotton - you would think that would be easy to find but both my local craft shops have failed me dismally. So, I've opted to buy some worsted weight cotton that Stacey from Fresh Stitches uses for her crafts. It's by Blue Sky and looks lovely - but check out the price. In OZ it is $14 per skein plus $8 postage from Perth. Ouch! There is even one website which will remain nameless that charges a non optional extra $1 to wind your yarn in a ball. What a cheek! Anyway I'll let you know when it arrives.
I would love to buy more Australian products from Australian shops but they really seem to be few and far between. Come on suppliers - Oz is one of the biggest producers of wool and cotton. In fact I did find some cotton mix in 8 ply from Aus Spinners under the Panda brand but they don't sell online and I haven't found a stockist so far.
Anyway. Do you know any good lines of cotton yarns for Oz customers? What yarns do you use?

3 comments:

  1. Hiya,
    I saw your blog and there are a couple of wool mills that sell online. Bendigo:www.bendigowoollenmills.com.au and The Mill Shop at Wangaratta:www.millshop.com.au. I haven't tried anything from them as I have enough wool to knit for another decade but I'm drooling over the colours. Also Big W only get 1 load of wool for the season. When they run out, it's all over. Last year I rang their customer service who told me where there was one ball of green. I made my husband drive an hour an a half there and the same back to buy a ball of wool worth 1.86. I don't know where you are but if you let me know what wool you are after, if I see it I'll get it for you. I cruise Big W's - sad but true.

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  2. Hello Kim,
    Thank you for taking the time to write such a sweet reply. 1 shipment a season for Big W. I will definitely stock up when I see something nice. Luckily, my gray yarn is back in stock so I've been able to finish off my scarf!
    I just had a look at bendigo mills. I haven't heard of that one before but their prices look good and a lot of colour choice. Also, despite the high postage from wool shack, my organic cotton arrived today. It's gorgeous. Worth every dollar. Have a good weekend. Happy knitting.
    Ps. I'm on the northern beaches.

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  3. I really love the cotton from Bendigo Woollen Mills. I am lucky enough to live within driving distance, so I've been able to try it out this year. They sell all their yarn in 200gm balls, so it actually works out pretty affordable compared to buying it in 50gm balls. Their cotton comes in a LOT of colours, and it's what I've been using this year for the blocks I've been posting up on my blog, and also for the amigurumi monsters I've just started to make.
    Check them out :) http://www.bendigowoollenmills.com.au
    (I've just noticed that the previous comment from Kim mentioned Bendigo. So, I can only 2nd her recommendation!)

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Thank you for your comments ;-)