Crafts & Hobbies

Yarn, sewing, embroidery, scrapbooking and beading supplies from partner stores, with last-checked prices.

Buying craft supplies: getting the right material the first time

Craft supplies are cheap individually but expensive to get wrong: the wrong yarn weight changes a whole pattern, and a second batch in a slightly different colour can spoil a finished piece. The checks below are the ones experienced makers do before ordering.

Yarn, knitting and crochet

Buy the yarn weight your pattern asks for (lace, fingering, DK, worsted, chunky and so on) and check the recommended needle or hook size on the label. Fibre matters as much as colour: wool is warm and elastic, cotton is cool and does not stretch back, acrylic is easy-care and cheaper. Buy all the yarn for one project from the same dye lot, plus one extra skein; a later lot can be visibly different.

• Compare price per 100 g or per metre, not per skein; skein sizes vary.
• "Destash" lots are good value but may lack labels; ask for the fibre content.

Sewing and embroidery

For fabric, check the width (the price is usually per metre or yard of a given width) and the fibre content, and pre-wash natural fibres before cutting because they shrink. Embroidery floss is numbered by colour chart (DMC numbers are the common reference), which makes comparing sellers easy. For a first sewing machine, a simple mechanical model with good service availability is usually a better buy than a feature-heavy cheap one.

Beads, scrapbooking and paper

Bead listings give the size in millimetres and the material; "glass" and "acrylic" beads look alike in photos but differ in weight and finish. For jewellery that touches skin, check whether metal findings are nickel-free. For scrapbooking and cardmaking, "acid-free" and "lignin-free" papers keep photos from yellowing.

• Mixed lots are cheap per piece but may contain sizes you cannot use.
• Check the count or weight in the listing; photos often show more than the pack contains.

Shipping and bulk

Small, light supplies ship cheaply and are often good value from abroad; heavy items such as fabric bolts or large paint sets are not. Buying from one seller in one order usually saves more than a small per-item discount.

How this page works

Products from our own partner feeds appear first, in our usual order. Live eBay listings are shown in a separate, labelled section in eBay's own order; commission never changes either order. Prices come from the store at the time shown, and the store page has the final word.