Discontinued Yarn, or Why I’ve Added to My Stash Recently

I recently snagged two sweater quantities of discontinued yarn, even though I have been trying to not add to my stash. I’m both excited and also bummed about these acquisitions.

Why I Can’t Resist Discontinued Yarn

I jump on the chance to grab a good amount of yarn that’s been discontinued for a few reasons. In the case of this first acquisition, I’m sad the yarn is discontinued and I know that it’s fantastic.

This beauty is Berroco Mantra, which I used when I crocheted my Water Clover Top. It’s 100% silk, but it’s like a matte silk, and it’s so lovely to work with. When I realized it had been discontinued, I knew I wanted to get another garment’s worth of yarn for a future project.

I found a local yarn store that had an ecommerce shop and happened to have 11 balls of Mantra in the Ginger colorway. A few button clicks and it was on its way to me! Someday, at some point, it will turn into the Botanic Pullover by Moon Eldridge.

Also, sometimes it’s just pretty

I haven’t worked with Hikoo Kenzie yet but I have touched it and liked it immensely. When I heard recently that it was discontinued, I had to get some in my stash. This blend of 50% New Zealand merino, 25% nylon, 10% angora, 10% alpaca, and 5% silk noils creates such a nice fabric.

I will knit a Gown Cardigan (limited sizing) by Irene Lin with this yarn. I can’t wait. Maybe it will knit itself and I can have it for the winter. A girl can dream, right?

Okay, but it’s discontinued. What’s wrong with it?

Probably nothing. Factors that contribute to why a yarn might be discontinued include:

• Mill closures. Hikoo Kenzie is allegedly discontinued because the mill that produced it is closing or has closed. There’s nothing wrong with the yarn, it’s just not being made any more.
• Relatively low demand. Self-explanatory, yes? A yarn can be absolutely amazing yet fly under the radar for some reason.
• Competing products. The yarn distributor may pick up a similar but slightly different yarn and cancel one so as to not cannibalize sales from the other.
• Availability of fiber. If a yarn uses a particular breed of wool or process for making fiber and that fiber changes or becomes unavailable for some reason, it can be easier to just scrap the whole yarn line than to try to source a new one. And many knitters can absolutely tell when a company has swapped fibers between batches of yarn.
• It’s a bad yarn. Very very rarely will an actual bad yarn make it to market, despite some opinions. But it does happen! (PS, knots in a skein do not make it a bad yarn.)

Stash enhancement? In this economy?

Discontinued yarns can be a great buy, especially for my larger-bodied compatriots. Buying a sweater quantity of yarn is rarely budget friendly for larger sizes. Certain yarn stores, however, make it a point to snap up , at a discount, yarns that are being discontinued. Then the discount is passed along to the consumer.

I bought 20 balls (2 full bags) of the Hikoo Kenzie from Little Knits. They are one of my go-to sites when I do want to grab a yarn I’ve heard has been discontinued. That’s 3,200 yards of a really great quality yarn. With shipping, it cost me less than $100. And I do recognize my privilege at being able to drop about $100 on yarn on a bit of a whim. But that’s less than half the regular retail price of that yarn.

I do also recognize the consumer mindset of “omg I can’t get this yarn anymore, must have!” I’m trying to not get wrapped up in those thoughts and be more mindful of my consumption. I did sit and think about it before I made these purchases, and then yes, decided that I really did want to buy these great quality yarns that I won’t be able to get again in the future.

So that’s my story on my recent yarn acquisitions. I don’t have any more plans to purchase yarn until Rhinebeck, as I have plenty of projects on the needles and yarns in my stash should I finish those.

Would you buy discontinued yarn? Let me know!