Do you remember the scarf craze? I certainly do. I'm trying to get our spare room under control. I store my yarn there, in file boxes on shelves my husband put up for me. I know my stash isn't as large as many knitters but I'd like to eliminate the yarns which are outdated. Of course that evaluation is often dependent on the knitter. I did use novelty yarns a few times myself. I made some of the scarves as gifts because non-knitters coveted them. I also used them as trims, cuffs and collars and edgings on hats.
When the craze happened (in the late 90s?) novelty yarns were the cause. They were billed as easy knitting since it was all garter stitch, however inexperienced knitters struggled because they had difficulty seeing the stitches. My LYS assisted those knitters who were were dropping stitches or adding extra stitches in but the staff was very frustrated with how difficult it was. Usually when I teach someone to knit I start them with a smooth tightly spun wool so they can see what they are doing. At the time knitters were so happy the yarns were attracting new knitters we just went with it and helped as much as possible.
The shop owners felt the craze was something they couldn't afford to miss out on, so they brought in lots of the yarns and saw a lot of extra customers as a result. Unfortunately later, I remember the shop I worked at eventually couldn't sell off the remainders of those yarns even at a loss.
I've always wondered if the scarves lead to more life long knitters or if perhaps we are a separate category? What do you think? Are any of my readers knitters who started with a novelty yarn scarf and kept on knitting?
