On 27 Mar 2006 20:36:06 -0800, "Padishar Creel"
wrote:

It seems, to me anyway, that the non-acrylic yarns are all a bit too
expensive. With so many yarn competitors in the market I am surprised
at the high cost. Am I being to cheap or what?

Well, it depends. I use both the inexpensive acrylics and the more
expensive natural yarns. If I want it to last with very little care,
I use acrylic. If I want something special, I'll take extra care of
it and use something more expensive which should last as long if taken
proper care of.

Handmade yarns take a LOT of handiwork to produce from harvesting, to
cleaning, to spinning, to dyeing, to marketing, to shipping, etc., so
most of what you pay for premium yarns is for the labor involved in
producing it. I think the imports are more about the import tarrifs
and shipping fees than producing it, since labor is generally less
expensive in other countries, and while we seem to be a smaller world
(as evidenced by how wide spread members of the group are), it still
takes a lot of other materials (gasoline and labor to handle) to get
the yarn to you.

If you know how to spin, and how to dye, you can buy a fleece or
whatever natural material and make your own yarn, and probably save a
lot in processing and shipping fees.

Leah