I shudder when I see that. Or when people come into our shop looking for the cheap stuff. Thankfully we have been able to save people from the dark side, but others are just not willing to see the light! I love it when we switch someone to wool after hearing "it's too scratchy" or 'I'm allergic to it". No, you were allergic to the scratchiness of the old era of wool. Now we have the new era of wool. Big difference!
Continue to ferret out these crimes of humanity wherever you find them. Document them for historical purpose. We must educate the world!!!!! And, have a nice day.

People just amaze me when they buy the cheap acrylic garbage. The only real use I see in them is for stuff for small children--baby blankets, baby sweaters, etc. because you just know a new mom isn't going to have time to hand wash the nicer stuff. It's going to almost almost always be thrown in the washer and dryer. Or is you have a sweater you're knitting for someone else who you just know won't handwash. But to be totally honest, it's much more fun to knit with wool--and alpaca, and silk, and cashmere.....

I could just die. Nonknitters are sooooo clueless. Do you know, I've endlessly worn my BEAUTIFUL handknit scarves this year, and I have several of them. I have only gotten complimented twice. Once on one by a yarn shop owner and once by my sister for the beaded alpaca lace one. When I wore my very first Red Heart TLC scarf -- the first thing I ever knit (which I was very proud of at the time), I got ENDLESS compliments on it. Strangers would stop me on the street, and a colleague wanted one exactly like it. Same thing with the Lion Brand Homespun one my daughter made for me -- misshapen and all -- strangers would say, "I love your scarf!"

And so not so long ago, a woman who knows both me and my husband, but sees my husband often because she works in the court, said to him, "Tell Norma...I know she likes to shop in the expensive yarn stores, but Jo-Ann's is now carrying ALL THOSE LOVELY yarns. She should go see." Well, I did. And your picture pretty much sums up my experience. I was all like, "ICK." Heh-heh.

Some people don't know that there is anything better. Some can't afford the good stuff. And, some don't care what they use, they just want to knit. I think we are lucky to have so many choices. At one time down here in the Southern U.S., acrylic was the only thing available. That's changed now due to the popularity of knitting. I'm glad!

LMAO what can I say, your spotlight looks about the same as my spotlight.Pretty sad about now. As much as I am prepared to buy some sparkly fluffy stuff every now and again, I definately prefer wool. Now it seems for me to be able to get any "real yarn" I have to catch 3 busses there and 3 busses back. Sheeeeeeeesh what I do for wool.

Every so often in Spotlight I catch myself reaching out to touch some of that ... ugh ... yarn (it *looks* so pretty!). Sometimes I even make contact. That's when (after getting over the shudders) I remind myself that I'm a natural fibre girl. I try to avoid Spotlight anyway - do they all have that horrible musty rubbery smell, or is it just the one in Castle Hill?

Spotligts all smell - Julie you are right! And they are all a total disaster area in terms of mess. Wollongong is disgusting and Bondi Junction was worse! I'm glad the cheap stuff is there. It makes the good stuff look better!!! I actually wanted to find the REALLY cheap stuff when I was in the US for felting projects but I was visiting the boutique yarn shops not the Spotlights - sigh... (cant have it all can you??)

Funny isn't it! When I first started making my handbags I was using stuff from Spotlight and Big W (Don't flame/blame me - I was new to the dark side), and I couldn't keep up with the demand of the bags - then I was introducted to Crystal Palace, Karabella, and other fine yarns - and sales slowed down. I think when I was using the cheaper floofy yarns I sold approx 60 bags.....Our Spotlight looks awful at the moment. SOMEONE GIVE ME SOME MONEY TO OPEN A GREAT WOOL SHOP IN WOLLONGONG! PLEASE! (Sorry - just an open call-out to the Yarn Gods).

I have to admit to buying the tlc cara mia .. and loving it ..in my defense it has a little bit of angora thrown in to the acrylic blend !!
usually i'm a wool girl- plain ol'100% wool ..
Spotlight is always a revelation to me(have to travel far to get there ..shop girls are rude , the shops a mess . and it smells funny) .. the amount of floofy yarns and crap is astounding ...Truely, i never realised just how popular all those 'special yarns ' are ..My little local wool shop stocks the basic basics and the other 85 kms away has lots of designer stuf and come to think of it no CRAP.

Yes!! I know - I was there yesterday (Launceston) and the whole back wall of the 'wool' section is fluffy eyelash stuff and 3 of the four aisle sides are acrylic. There is hardly any real wool!! I like the feel of real wool and it is much better for keeping you warm and cool, but I noticed that the acrylics had the nicest colours and there were variegated ones too!!!

Agreed Donna, I usde to visit Spotlight about once a year, and then I would look at all the one off lines, fresh and new in their packets at the start of the season, and remember a trip I made a couple of years ago to Lincraft, where I purchased on impulse enough yarn for a jumper. Or so I thought. A couple of months later having commenced the project - Banff-, I was ringing around all the Lincrafts in Qld/ Nsw trying to match the yarn with odd balls left. Never mind the dye lots. What a frustration experience. And at full price. And I only had enough for a jumper with one ##*&% sleeve!

Spotlight at Birkenhead Point is revoltingly messy etc too! It smells too! And I hate it when the woman at checkout is halfway through your transaction and the phone rings. 10 minutes later I ask her to put caller on hold and finish my transaction and I am treated as someone appallingly rude. I have managed a book shop and would always ask people to hold or ring our 1800 number if it was interstate.
Still, it just matches the rest of the centre apart from the de Costi Bros seafood stall outside Coles which has good fish and is well lit and well laid out. The place is grotty and junky.
Jan

Spotlight here is ok, not really 'that' messy. I used to use alot of acrylics as a beginner (unwilling to spend perfectly good money on experimental knitting) Now I use the leftover acrylic yarn for toys and the toys' stuffing. (confession: used for stuffing coz I'm desperate to use it up/ get rid of it) Acrylic is convenient! I use it for all purposes, like tying up the balloons for someone's birthday party.

As for the 'new yarns' I'm actually ok with them. Actually, I've no comments on them, except that I'm happy they stock TLC now. The Red Heart Acrylics are kinda pointless (isn't spotlight well know for their acrylics? The spotlight here dedicated an entire big shelf to Panda Acrylic yarns! I'm grateful they're nothing like those neon-coloured horrible acrylics in most craftstores in Malaysia. I think you ladies will faint when you see those. Lol.. ) TLC is alright, an interesting distraction from the usual wool/acrylic. Also, some 'Emotive' novelty yarn are nice too. (Or mayeb I'm just too sick of seeing Cleckheaton and Panda)

Now that Spotlight has finally turned its attention to new sources for yarn, perhaps it won't be long before they start selling the supposed 'better yarns'..

Oh I hear ya sista! It's a sad world when the only yarn you can touch is acrylic...*sigh* I think that can of worms, she's open!

I was in spotlight today..And I saw that they had some 8ply pure wool in that same brand as the 8ply acrylic you have pictured...

Nice colours in the 50g balls (for $2.99) and lesser colours in the 100g balls...(4.99)...

didnt get time to stop and feel them much just was surprised to see that they had pure wool there! they are driving out even some of the acrylic for that fluff and stuff crap...

Katt

How's things Donna? I think they call us 'yarn snobs' or something like that....but I'm with you, they are awful.

Have you done anything with that Kaalund yarn? Would be interested to know what it's like. Cheers, Meaghan.

they import this crap but i cant get a copy of Rebecca 27??? what is going on???

I use acrylic yarns because it's what I can afford, and because people I knit baby items for generally don't know how to properly care for handknits. I do also use nice yarns, but only for super special projects. Like when I knit myself a cardigan I will be using *nice* yarn ... However I do agree with you. It's almost painful to hear people refer to Red Heart as lovely.

Oh Donna, you must be reading my mind, I have been having a rant on my blog, on knitting forums, wherever I get the chance to. What is happening to our Australian wool, I think it is also a fault of manufacturers here in Oz, for not lifting their game but that 'stuff' being offered to us is just plain crap. I went into Spotlight looking for some good old Patons Totem, (which I love) and guess what they don't even stock that anymore!!!! In it's place was some raspy feeling wool made exclusively for Spotlight made in bloody China.

You go girl! To Julie it's not so much the odd smell for me but the crap all over the floor and the really bad service.I cannot belive they only got Clover needles a couple of months ago. I was once told i good get some nice wool from The Reject Shop HA!! Top quality at $1 a ball i think not.

Your spotlight sells CLOVER needles????? wow we're lucky to get any at all here in QLD!