Amigurumi on a Budget | 12 Creative Ways to SAVE Money on Yarn & Supplies 💰 

My tip is to just use all of your yarn. I only throw away yarn that is 2 inches or less in size and sometimes I even pull those apart and rough it up and use it for stuffing. All of those little bits of yarn add up. They can be used for cheeks, shoelaces on your dolls feet. etc. Great video! Thank you for the tip ideas.

“Use up the yarn in your stash” I say this every year and I still buy more🙄I’m going to make a better effort! Thank you for the great tips!!!

I love the idea of re using old unwanted knitwear 😬. That’s definitely something I will look into. Thank you for all your tips.

I love the idea of unraveling a sweater bought at a thrift store! Sometimes I see sweaters that would look much better as a pillow or slippers etc!

Great tips! I was making notes for my comment... 1) I think Joann's will also honor competitor coupons, so you can print out Michaels coupons too. 2) If your library participates in Overdrive / Libby, you can also borrow magazines and read them online. There are crochet and Amigurumi magazines! 😁 3) Watch for free crochet alongs on Instagram... There are some really cute patterns being offered in these CALs, there are usually prizes, like free patterns, and it's fun to see the same project made with so many different spins! 4) I have picked up afghans at thrift stores to recycle the yarn. Last one, a striped one, yielded over three pounds of yarn... For $2.50 (half price day!) and an hour or so unraveling (I wound into cakes as I unraveled).

I just been going trough my Wips , I unraveled the ones that I started about 3 years ago . It feels so good to be able to do that , I donated a lot of yarn that I know I won’t be using . It feels great to just declutter your craftroom , it also declutters your head . Now I am working on a blanket with my left over bits and peaces , it will be a long project but thats ok !! Thank you for your advice , have a wonderful blessed week 💕

This is perfect timing because I've recently been looking at ways to save a bit. For me, it really starts at the store. It's hard but there are times when i don't even go to the yarn section because i don't trust myself 🙂 especially on clearance yarn. I no longer buy yarn with no project in mind or just because it's on clearance. I do keep a stash of cotton because i enjoy making pot holders for friends because they are so functional and everyone always needs pot holders but that's about it. To this day i have three skeins of this black and grey yarn that was very expensive that i just hate but it was on clearance so i bought it. I'm hoping to find someone to trade with at my local crochet group's annual trade day.

I’ve found some great yarn at second hand stores. One near me has a craft room and it benefits Meals on Wheels. A win win…Also free patterns on line! So many generous designers.

Recycling yarn is great! I found a loosely knitted cotton yarn pullover at my local thrift store for $1.50 and was able to make 5 dishcloths from it. I use as much of my yarn as possible, too. When I have scrap yarn, I try to make a tiny granny square with it, just the 4 clusters (and a second round, too, if possible) and add a round of black or white to it. I stick those in a bag to create a larger granny square project later. I will definitely look up yarn swapping groups. I have quite a few skeins that I bought on sale that I just don't see myself using and it's annoying to have them taking up space!

I absolutely love my ball winder! I finally got my own craft closet and bought cardboard boxes, covered the front of the boxes with contact paper, then stacked and taped them together in the closet so I had cubbies. Really transformed my design process because I could see all my yarn! Love your channel! 😄

I love my local library! It's literally less than five minutes from my house. Ive also found yarn at local thrift stores for amazing prices. They usually put several skeins in a bag and mark it all together, so it's worth hunting around for it. I need to go through my stash and see what all is in there. I'm sure I have some great stuff that I've forgotten about. :)

My tip is for anyone who lives in the US near a Dollar Tree store. They have mini skeins of Premier Yarn’s Just Yarn Worsted for $1.25 each. Each skein has 109 yards which is great if you only need a little bit of a certain color.

I know people who buy sweaters at thrift shops to recycle but I've never done it although i think it's a great idea. Sometimes you can find 100% wool sweaters🙂

I think I liked all the tips, they are very down to earth even when we want to buy more yarn, more patterns or start a thousand projects without finishing the ones on the hooks! Thank you for the good advice. 😻

I totally agree with unraveling those projects that you have fallen out of love with. I recently started crocheting an alpaca and I started to work on it again and I realized I just wasn't enjoying it. I ending up frogging it and the once-alpaca is now being made into an ear warmer for my mom. Always work on those projects you love, and don't waste your crochet time on those "I don't like it, but I started it so I gotta finish it" Life's too short for the projects that are no fun. Stick with what you love.

Wow, you want me to pick only one?! I would have to say my favorite is to subscribe to every yarn company there is so that you can see the sales. That way you can make and sell your toys for the lowest possible cost. This video was packed with awesome ideas and I’m looking forward to putting them to use. Especially learning how to roll used yarn into a Hank and wash it to get out the creases in folds. And I never thought about going to the thrift shop to pick up one of those beautiful sweaters to disassemble them, so I am going to watch that video too! Thank you thank you thank you!

Hi Elise I’m new to your channel and let me just say I’m obsessed and have been binge watching your videos. I’m late to the yarn game…51 and have only been in love with crochet and knitting for just over 2 years. Wish I’d discovered my love for yarn when I was much younger. I love love the aesthetic of your channel, it’s so me. I need to say how devastated I was about Jersey Boy, he broke my heart. Such a sweet boy I’m so sorry for your loss. Look forward to all your videos. Blessings from Cheshire in the UK x

I am hooked . Boook a few books and love doing them. At first I thought it was a waste of money , and now I am hook . I love make in them

Lol "it was a fly"....I was literally swatting a fly when you said this 😂

For me, I save money by test making patterns with scrap yarn I know won't be used for anything (usually they're left overs from bigger projects) and using yarn ends mixed with stuffing to use less stuffing but still gave the bulkiness I want for the project.

Hi Elise. Brilliant video and tips. Found out an old jumper I was only part way through knitting and decided to unravel and make a crochet blanket. Gonna need it this winter. Bills going up crazy in England.

Hi Elise. I recommend people check if their library participates in an inter-library loan program. If so, they can see if another library has the book they want. Once they request it, the book is sent over to their library for them to check out.

My favorite tip was checking the library! Turns out mine has A LOT of books on amigurumi. More than I will ever need anyhow. Many of them are available digitally, too, so I can borrow them on any device at home.

Lol, my first thought when I saw the title was "Use the yarn you've got!" But no one wants to hear that because, "Ooo, pretty color I don't own!" lol. I will say, though, as a former JoAnn's employee, be careful advising the stacking coupons. It's true that people can use more than one when they're buying multiple things, but the coupons won't stack exactly. For instance, say you have a 50% off a regular price item coupon, and a 20% off your entire purchase coupon, and the only thing you're buying is one skein of regular priced yarn. Those coupons will NOT stack, and in fact, if both are scanned, the fifty percent coupon will be replaced by the twenty percent one so that you're spending more. With JoAnn's, the best thing you can do is wait until you have the forty/fifty percent off regular price coupons, and then get only that number of full priced skeins. Then, if you have a twenty percent off your purchase coupon, get more yarn, hopefully ones that are already on sale, and you're still saving money. Michaels commonly has a twenty percent off coupon for all regular priced purchases, and that's where I get my bags of stuffing. Oh! That's another thing! For cost effectiveness, for people who do dolls or whatever things that need stuffing, NEVER buy the stuffing at JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby. They have the 6 or 8 ounce bags of stuffing for something like $15 dollars, which is insane. Michaels sells a 20 ounce bag for about $7, and it's less if you use the 20% off coupon. There are also stuffing boxes at Wal-Mart, but I've never used them, so I don't know how the pricing compares. Hobby Lobby doesn't do coupons anymore. They won't accept other stores and don't have their own anymore. But they do have sales every other week for yarn at 30% off. So if you need colors, just wait until those weeks when it's on sale. I'm also surprised that none of the extras with amigurimi were mentioned. For instance, for a doll's facial features, you can buy safety eyes in bulk. Or if you do different sized pieces and don't want thirty pairs of safety eyes around that you'll never use, buy a white piece of felt and two or three tubes of acrylic paint. You'll get dozens of pairs of eyes, (depending on the size,) out of one piece of felt and using paint for the irises. (It also makes things less frustrating than sewing/embroidering a face on.) Anyway, I do love the suggestions, cuz yeah, anything to keep more money in my account is a good thing. :)

Love the topic but ,the crocheted cat in the intro shot is adorable

Great tips! I’ve been organizing my stash (and organizing and decluttering all of my stuff) for the past two weeks, and it is so satisfying to unravel projects that I just didn’t like and salvage the yarn for something else. Now that I’m almost done with the organizing and unraveling part, I’m looking forward to stitching again and not feeling so overwhelmed. 😀

It makes me so happy when you post a video. I always learn something and your videos are such good quality. The best tips for me today are to give my staff new life and find books at the library. Thanks again!

Great tips! I really do need to use up my stash. The way that I've been doing it lately is picking projects based on the yarn that I have. Like, "Oh! I can make this toy/project because I already have the yarn to go with it." That keeps me busy enough to not wander around yarn shops for more yarn haha.

I love you videos, Elise. They are chalk full of helpful information and beautifully styled items. Love it!! Thank you 🙏

Who doesn’t love to save a bit of cash! Crafting is my passion, and you are so right Elise - it can all get a tad expensive, especially when, like me, you can’t walk into a yarn shop without walking out with a purchase 😂😱🧶😭! Thank you for all of your amazing tips and tricks! Xx

Love all your videos! You have been an inspiration for me.

I love this channel so much

I love using the library for ami books! I request new titles frequently, and they have yet to decline my recommendation. It makes it so easy for me to add only the books I really, really want to my personal collection.

If you wanna have multiple projects going keep a small bag with your tools and hooks in it then you can always be working on multiple things so you don't get too board. And the app row counter helps so much with that bc it keeps up with multiple projects all at once and you always know where you're at. And it keeps up with your time spent on project. You can also make notes in the app so you know what yarns and hooks you used or some mistakes or altered parts to the pattern. I absolutely love the app and your screen doesn't go to sleep and you can import patterns or just use it as a timer and row counter

With the way yarn prices have skyrocketed combined with nobody ever wanted to buy the stuff I make, I'm getting the point where I've started contemplated making stuff with my current stash and then just not crocheting at all anymore. I hope your tips can help me ;-;

Great videoas usual! I really liked the idea of going to the thrift stores to find sweater yarn. I flip thrifted items anyway and will be on the look out to recycle yarn. Thank you!

I love this! A swift and ball winder was one of my best purchases. It really does make me happy to have all these neat little cakes vs messy partial skeins. I set up a separate "yarn mailers and orders only" gmail account to save it from cluttering up my other personal accounts.

I love your videos so much I'm glad I found you.. you are making me love amigurumi even more thank you for always inspiring us wishing you all the best❤️❤️❤️❤️

Fantastic Information!!! Thank you for sharing all these great ideas!!!!

Great tips! Thank you! 🧶👏🏻❤️

Great tips. I'm definitely going to use the one to rearrange your stash to bring life to it.

Amazing tips! Thank you..

Loved those tips!

chuckle...stored all around the house...that's me...there are only two rooms in my house that DON'T hold any yarn...that'll be the bathroom and the kitchen, and sometimes there might be some in the kitchen as it stops on its way through the house...outside it's in the garage and the extension to the garage..I do declare it, I AM a yarnoholic...chuckle

I brought home 10 huge boxes from a local thrift store for $20 each. Brand new name brand skeins and a minimal amount of odds and ends. It pays to keep an eye out

Thank you so much Elise

Elise, great tips on everything. We, however, should not forget that the yarn makers depend on our money to keep their businesses afloat. Of course our family's security is foremost.

Awesome tips! I've been visiting my local thrift store to peruse their yarn offerings. We're a small town, so there's not a great selection, but the prices can't be beat, so I've stocked up a small stash just from there. Next time I go, I'll definitely look around for sweaters and afghans to unravel...what an amazing tip! Thanks for all you do!

Great ideas! Thank you!

I love you and your work you are amazing ♥

I refuse to buy expensive yarns!! I always finish what I yarn I have and then buy. I do dislike polyester on its own, if wool mixed , why not? Thank you so much for your helpful tips

A great video (as always!). Your local library can get books in from other libraries, too. Online used book stores often have sales, too.

Fantastic tips ❤

Great ideas❤

I teach free crochet at my local library. They have free yarn and crochet hooks that you can check out.

Thank YOU another great video….

I’ll have to try the Goodwill for sweaters and watch the video you suggested

Thank you I learned a lot

I had the same Crochet I conic women book at my Library when I stared to crochet. Although I only started on the monkey.😆

Great video content! ❤

If I don't have the smaller weight yarn I need, I separate 4 ply worsted into 2 and sometimes 3 ply to use so I'm using up my stash. 2 ply of worsted gives me a fingering weight yarn for animal clothes. I can knock off one to two inches on an animal pattern that I want a smaller animal of by doing this. I have made up samples on different size needles/hooks so I know what gauge the yarn makes. I also buy beautiful handmade winter scarves from the thrift store and unravel them for fancy yarns and cheap skeins. Sometimes you can get a whole skein or two out of one handmade .99 cent scarf. Looking forward to Pica Pau 3!

Very pink knit she is my first teacher in you tube ❤ and I love your vedio 🥰🥰 (want to try this amigurumi) Greeting from Srilanka

One great way I saved was to watch for the Annie's epatterns sale. One day they had the entire site on sale for 1$. It was amazing! While it was a bit of an expense at the moment it pays off in the long run. Another is to get hooks with one ergonomic handle with interchangeable tips. And the medical scissors I mentioned in another video works bc they work for multiple materials.

I'm pretty sure tip number one is a curse word in these crafting circles ma'am lol. We always have to have more yarn especially when there's a huge yarn sale going on!

Hello Elise. And thanks for all your good tip.and you thoughts on finding those good books 📚👍

I buy a large amount once or twice a year when I get my extra Christmas money or vacation money. this year I looked through my stash and found I better use up my stash a bit first so I did that. I think I only bought yarn twice this year once because it fitted a hippocampus toy I wanna make for myself and it had the right colors and some sock and cotton yarn and a sock knitting book. I have a request for a dragon for a baby and when I found the cotton i figured could make a dragon napkin to go with it and i don't wanna use acrylics for that.

I have gone to the good will and be unravel a blanket wash it and reuse it I didn't know someone else was doing that and another tip is going to the food pantry and get a knitted and crochet item as well

I have that iconic women book too

Thank you for saying use the yarn I already have in my stash😜...I have sooooo much yarn,but was thinking I couldn't use it for my amigurumi,like I felt that I should buy specialty yarns......well not any more..I'm going to make things with the yarn I have,sell some of those and then if I want to I'll buy some really nice yarn for special projects

Sometimes I find bags of yarn, very cheap, at the local Goodwill store.

What great ideas! Thanks for sharing. I'm left-handed, do you have any suggestions on how to get a hold of beginner patterns, or books, that I can learn the right way of making amigurumis? Thanks for your help.

My craft room can be a store in itself with all the yarn and fabric that i have accumulated. I vowed to not buy anymore yarn/fabric until most of it is used up. 😆

I also.use Dollar tree yarn. It is premier yarn.

Compare the price of budget pillows vs stuffing at the craft store.

In addition to books in your library, most people also have access to electronic knitting and crocheting magazines full of tips and projects. If your library subscribes to Hoopla, you can watch Craftsy videos on a binge pass for free!!! Ask a librarian! Btw, I'm a librarian😊

I’m really gonna think about using the yarn I have already, I’m pretty bad about yarn buying and I have a new acquaintance who owns an Alpaca ranch and mill 😵‍💫🧶It’s tough to resist but at 30$ a skein (worth every penny of it) I need to apply the brakes 🧶💕……. Karen from Greenleaf Idaho

Hi lovely love your RU-vid channel could you please tell me the yarn and colour used when you crochet the Lula doll xx thank you Steph plant

I followed the link to recycled sweaters, I thought you were going to show hank creation?

Can yarn be used as stuffing instead of poly-fil? If so, it seems like using yarn ends and leftovers from skeins is easy way to be economical.

I have a ball winder from Knit Picks. I loved it until one day I went to wind some yarn and it wouldn't wind right. My cake was not a uniform anything. What did I do! Better yet, how can I fix it? Any suggestions? Love your videos.

I got a trunk load of red heart at a thrift store for $10. The person in charge of organizing had more than she could sell and begged to take whatever I could haul off!

Amigurumi is shrunken projects. Once you collect some colors you can make may items for lower cost. I don’t spend anywhere what I did on sweaters or shawls. Painters need paint. Knitters need yarn. I’m happy with my makes. I love the book ideas. 💕🌸

Is it a good idea to buy yarn from Temu or Wish? Or should I stick to places such as Michaels and Joanns? I hear a lot from different people. I bought fabric through Temu and it's pretty thin but for what I want it for, I think it will be okay.

What yarn winder did you use?

My library do not even have a crochet books only a few on knitting :(

I created an email just for signing up for company emails. This way, it stays out of my main one.

Is that a amigurumi Anne Shirley you have by your bitty bunnies?

Per cortesia ho acquistato il libro knitted animali Friends ma non riesco a capire il procedimento per il cappottino perché scritto in inglese ho provato a fare la traduzione in italiano ma non riesco a capire mi puoi spiegare il procedimento per cortesia grazie mille se lo farai😊

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Dad gum,I wish I'd known about the trade, sale, etc. Facebook! I just gave away a bunch of yarn to ARC! ( They give things to Thrift stores!). I love so many of your ideas!😄❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹