With this recession and all I’ve been thinking a lot about material costs lately and trying to keep mine as low as possible. I’ve avoided more expensive and luxurious wools like malabrigo merino and instead headed for acrylics, polyester and wool/acrylic blends. (I’d like to add that I also use these yarns because I think the end result looks fab and they seem to be popular!)
Red Tango Ribbon Scarf
I also look out for good deals and cheaper places to source my yarns so that I can keep my prices at a reasonable level. For example I’ve just managed to source my ribbon yarn for a cheaper price than before and as a result my Tango Ribbon Scarves are now more than 10% cheaper !
Although we’ve all been hit financially in some way or another, I’ve also realised that there must still be plenty of people out there who would happily pay a bit more for a good quality, luxuriously thick woollen scarf. Afterall, a lot of hours goes into knitting a full length wool scarf so not only are you paying for the more expensive material, but for the labour as well.
Purple Malabrigo Merino Cable Scarf
My aim for this year and next is to focus on creating a wide range of good quality, hand knitted scarves made from a variety of materials in order to suit all budgets. From the cheaper, fluffy polyester scarves right up to the more expensive malabrigo merino wool numbers, each scarf would be knitted with love.
In recent times I’ve been hesitant to invest in the luxurious brands of wool for fear that the finished scarves will be deemed too expensive and sit unwanted in the back of my shop. In the meantime I have been using a merino wool/acrylic blend which is 70% merino wool and 30% acrylic.
Red Merino/Acrylic Blend Ribbed Scarf
My question for you is this – how much would you be willing to spend on a scarf that was hand knitted with luxurious, top quality wool? I’m just looking for ball park figures here , but would be so grateful if you would leave a comment below!
EmmaDickieDesign 