Patons, we need to talk

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Patons Classic Wool, for a long time now you’ve been my go-to worsted wool yarn. I told myself you were the cheapest worsted weight wool that actually came in colors, and limited though they might be, I thought I needed you.

I realize now I was blinded by love.

You are, at regular price, only .51 cheaper than Cascade 220’s regular price at Webs, and $1.01 cheaper than my LYS.

Now I’ll admit, your regular price at Joanns and Michaels is 2.01 cheaper. And you do go on sale a lot at Joanns, bringing the price even lower. And then of course I get that teacher’s discount at Joanns. Over the past two years or so, this is how you’ve kept me.

But over the past few months, something changed. The colors I need – the colors I know you come in – aren’t on the shelves at Joanns. I check the stock before I head to the store, only to be told it’s inaccurate or they just plain don’t know where you are in the back. So I trudge down the street to Michaels, and I can use a coupon on one ball, but for the rest I pay $6.99 + tax bringing it up to 7.48.

Or Michaels doesn’t have the colors either. So I go home, gas money wasted, and get on Joann’s website. Oh, they take paypal now. Which means no waiting for money from online sales to transfer to my bank account before I can buy more yarn! But I can only use one coupon or discount code per order. Which means I can’t use my teacher’s discount AND a coupon. I can’t use my teacher’s discount AND a free shipping code. When I add in shipping costs, you’re back up to that .51 cheaper than cascade. And Joann’s shipping is slower than Web’s.

I’m working on a project that has a sky in it, so I need a sky blue. And I realized that, Patons, you don’t even have a sky blue. So fine, I’ll use ‘Aquarium” – it’s more greeny than I wanted to use, but the sky looks that way some days I guess, so fine.

But I couldn’t find Aquarium in stores. So, okay, I’ll order it online. You’re on sale on the Joanns site! … but with shipping, one ball would be $12.95. Okay, let me see if Amazon has it! Free shipping with Prime! But it’s only an add-on item, meaning I’d have to spend $25 to get this consolation color. Or, I could buy a 5 pack for $49.40 – paying $9.88 per ball. More than Cascade 220 even cost at my LYS. At my LYS, which is much closer to my house than Joanns and Michaels.

And here’s the kicker. Webs has a discount system where you get 20% off a $60+ order and 25% off a $120+ order. If I buy $120+ of Cascade 220, the price is $7.20 per skein.

Yes, Patons, you read that right. Cascade 220 is $7.20 per skein while you’re $7.48 at the store (where I can’t even get the colors I’m looking for) or $9 – 12 online.

I’ve been so stupid. It will actually be much cheaper if I do a $120+ Webs order of Cascade 220 once a month, and supplement with trips to the LYS in between.

And not only will it be cheaper; I‘ll get the colors I want and need. It isn’t just the stores’ fault; Patons, your color selection is pitiful. You offer me these colors:

(and two of those I’m guessing are discontinued since they are out of stock everywhere) But Cascade offers me these colors:

So sorry, Patons, but we’re breaking up. Cascade 220 is now my go-to worsted weight wool.

I went to the LYS yesterday in search of that sky blue I needed in Cascade 220. I found a fitting color and the colorway is called… “summer sky”. It’s perfect.