It’s gotten to the point where I’m sick and tired of hearing about The Economy. I can’t have a conversation with someone without hearing, “that’s the way the economy is right now” or “times are tight all over.” I can’t look at a newspaper without being subjected to giant headlines about recessions and unemployment rates. And I haven’t visited a single online knitting forum that isn’t discussing knitting as a “recession-proof” hobby or surveying whether or not a person’s yarn stash will outlast the economic downturn.
I’m so over it.
Yes, times are tough. People have lost jobs, taken pay cuts or a reduction in work hours. People live paycheck to paycheck. It’s harder to get approved for loans to buy cars or condos. We no longer have the disposable income to buy a new TV or new clothes or whatever yarn we want whenever we want. Yeah, it sucks, and I don’t mean to belittle anyone legitimately suffering due to economic tragedy. But enough is enough.
It’s time to take the reins of our economic horses and turn that cart around. Many things are out of our control—we don’t get to decide how much our employers pay us or how much tax money the government collects from us. Like all things, we have to start local, and we have to support the economies that support us.
I read a lot of blog and forum posts from knitters who say they have stopped buying yarn, or now only buy knitting supplies from big-box stores, because of the economic crunch. On the other hand, I personally am making more of an effort to buy from local yarn stores and Etsy. Why? Because even as small as my dollar may be in this belt-tightening time, it’s still a tangible demonstration of economic support. I vote with my dollar, and I vote for LYSes, handcrafters, artisans, and indie dyers. Many of these businesses began in a flourishing economy, and already some have shut down their Etsy shops or closed their store doors as knitters and other crafters turn to cheaper alternatives. If this continues, what will happen to our yarn artisans? It’s possible that many will disappear for good. Personally, I value the offerings of independent yarn stores and artisans, and want to show my support. I want to have access to the goods and services they offer in the future, in good times and in bad. I’d rather knit less, or smaller projects, with yarn from sellers and sources I want to stay in business, than knit more projects and see those people and stores go under. If I have $20 to spend on yarn, I’d rather buy one skein of yarn from an Etsy seller that I love and support and use it to make one pair of socks, rather than get a 10 skeins of a lesser quality yarn in a clearance color that I don’t really like but will feel forced to use because it was a “great deal” on sale.
Now I’m not saying to irresponsibly run out to your local yarn shop and buy every skein of cashmere. All I’m saying is to think about your purchases, and think about them beyond the immediacy of the moment. Consider your intended project: while you may save a few dollars buying some crunchy acrylic yarn at a big-box store, if you never wear the sweater made from it, have you really saved money, or was that money actually wasted? Likewise, if you’re making a blanket for a messy baby, it might be a waste to use that expensive cashmere, even if it did come from your stash. And I think it should go without saying that if you’re considering buying yarn—even if it’s at the lowest priced clearance sale—when you have other bills to pay, your economic responsibilities probably need realignment.
There’s no one, single solution to restoring The Economy. And it’s very likely that things might get worse (or at least stay bad) for a while before they get better. But thinking carefully about buying decisions, for yarn as well as other products, can not only help our preferred businesses and industries during this recession but can also help to begin restoring our economy as well.