Thrifty Thursday: Yarn-Tainer Knock-Off

Today's Thrifty Thursday is a bit of a tutorial, as well as being thrifty, and needs a bit of explaining first.

I do a lot of crochet/knit projects, which means I use a lot of yarn.  And I've seen these really cool Yarn-Tainers at Joanns that look super convenient, but they're pretty pricey.  At least, they're more than cheap ol' me would like to spend.

See how it contains the yarn and feeds it so nicely through the hole on top?!  It was yarn-user's love at first sight.

Anyway, Matthew and I were in Joanns one day, and I was yearning for said yarn holders but refusing to spend the money.  We left the store - me a little heartbroken - and walked a little ways down to the Dollar Tree (one of my favorite places - again, I'm cheap).  I was browsing through the container aisle when a thought struck me.  I could turn a container into a yarn holder for just pennies (100 to be exact)!

I grabbed the container and briskly found my way to Matthew, wherever he was browsing at the time, and told him my idea.  And he thought it was awesome - he's all about being cheap (we're made for each other)!

Here's how to make your own:

• Purchase a plastic container from the Dollar Tree with a screw on top that's big enough to fit the skein of yarn you would like to use.  (I happened to have yarn on me at the time - we'd just left Joanns, remember - and used that to figure it out.  Mine is 3 quarts.)
• Take it home and have your handy-man - or do it yourself if you're skilled enough (I'm not) - drill a hole in the top of the container that's big enough to feed your yarn through.
• Smooth the hole down with a file, if you need to.
• Feed the yarn through the bottom of the lid, and put the rest of the skein inside your container. 
• Screw on the lid, and you're good to go!

I saved approximately $7 using this method, and I'm pretty darn proud of that!  How's that for being thrifty?!

Happy thrifting!