Maybe it’s just me – and correct me where I’m wrong – but I thought that some yarn companies and yarn store owners were having a tough time in today’s economy.
Well, maybe that ‘some’ is literally just a few in number, because on the main page of ABC News today, there’s a video article about how well those who are connected to knitting are doing (not that they even spent a hair of a second considering crochet, but we’ll leave that aside for the moment).
The article is called, “Oh Knit! Bad Economy Hobbies,” and the yarn store owner in question is talking about how well her business is doing and suggests that the concept of a “staycation” (staying home for your vacation, for those that aren’t familiar with the term) is what is driving her business. She says that her weaving classes are filled up and are hard to get into, too. I could see that being the case. It is cheaper to stay at home and knit, crochet, and weave than it is to take a real vacation. A knitting or crochet project might cost anywhere from small bills to $250 or more, depending on the yarn you’re using. Compare that to hotel costs for a weekend stay and you’re already saving money, for sure.
But then the news commentator goes on to say that, “And it doesn’t hurt that this is a craft that doesn’t cost a lot of dough,” to which I couldn’t disagree more. Yeah, you might be able to make a really nice scarf for $20, but that will never be the last project you do. You’ll be back at that yarn store making another “deposit” to the yarn Gods and onto your next project in no time. Add it all up and the bill can be hefty, again, not as much as going to Aruba for a week.
As for me, I’d rather have my cake and eat it too. Crocheting a handbag on the beach in Aruba is the way to go. 
Any thoughts on this? Are yarn stores doing well? Are they suffering in this economy? Is the video article a tad misleading?
Thanks for this interesting post! I’m with you, I wouldn’t mind crocheting maybe with linen or cotton or hemp in a nice tropical local, perhaps with a frozen beverage at the ready.
Me too. I’d love to be making a bag out of linen or something, one I could use as a beach bag, while I had a pair of drinks at either side of me. Ahhh, reminds me of being at the Tamarjn in Aruba. It was an all-inclusive place which you could get drinks at any hour. Love that place. How I miss it so.