An affordable eco-friendly beanie to add to your winter wardrobe

The Backstory

The idea for this “Budget“ beanie originally stemmed from a conversation occurring over the summer in the maker community regarding affordable yarn choice for makers on a budget (me!). I realized that I don’t want to be seen as ignoring people whose budgets don’t allow them to purchase EB Knits accessories. I realize some of the EB Knits are pricey for an average earner, especially during a pandemic! So I decided I wanted to attempt to cater to people on a budget, but still give them a quality product. While synthetic and big box yarns are great, I’ve spoken before on how I’ve prioritized using natural fibers in my business as I believe they are more ethical and eco-friendly than other certain manmade fibers. And they create a much more high end beanie and appear more luxurious than accessories made of other fibers. For more information on that, check out this blog post. So these beanies will be made with the exact same materials as all of my other beanies!

With the concept of the “budget“ beanie I’m able to offer winter accessories at a lower price point to hopefully reach more people who would cherish a handmade knit beanie!

One hurdle I’ve encountered when purchasing affordable items, is the question of how ethical or kind to the environment they are. Oftentimes, a company’s procedures and materials are either difficult to find or not available for the public. Here at EB Knits, I have chosen to source materials from businesses that are clear in their treatment of employees with fair labor practices, that treat animals with dignity and prioritize eco-friendly practices. This, in my case, does come with a higher price point and as a business owner, I’ve decided it’s worth it. If your values align with mine, you can be sure you’re receiving a luxurious, eco-friendly and ethical product from EB Knits! For transparency here at EB Knits, I’ve created two blog posts that I update regularly with all of the businesses I source from for EB Knits materials as well as where I am at in my eco-friendly journey.

Big caveat here, there are ethical and eco-friendly items and businesses that offer affordable products. I have simply discovered this is not always the case and oftentimes ethical and environmentally-friendly mean a higher price point.

What actually is the “Budget“ beanie and how will it work?

So let’s get down to details, the “Budget” beanie is one singular style - a classic handmade beanie. It will be available in multiple sizes to again hopefully include everyone - women, men and kids! The price point of this hat is exclusive for this beanie only at this time. The Budget Beanie style is the same as the Classic Beanie, which is also available at the full price if you choose to support EB Knits with the full price option. Thank you so much! However, the budget beanie is listed at $40 for women, $45 for men and $30 for the kid’s size. If you choose to add a pom to the hat, it is an additional $5. While this price point is considerably less than other EB Knits beanies, I understand that it is still higher than a beanie you would purchase at a retail store. This is the nature of handmade and luxurious materials, I do understand that EB Knits will not fit into everyone’s budgets, but I hope you can see I’m trying to accommodate as much as I can! Because I truly do love knitting and want to share the handmade element with as many people as possible. The “Budget“ beanie is available only at EBKnits.org, not on Etsy or any other platform.

Most “Budget“ beanies will be a custom order so please examine the processing time on the listing so you are aware of the turnaround time. As of September 2020, the processing time is about four week. All of the details for materials, dimensions, colors, size, etc are detailed within each listing as well. These are available in my staple rotation of colors and will not qualify for the Giveback Color of the Month.

To start, I will open 10 slots for the “Budget“ beanie each month. This way I can ensure time to work on other orders, collaborations, etc.

Please note that all of these details are subject to change.

Shop the Budget Beanie

A few common questions…

Will you have other items in this “Budget“ line in the future?

Honestly, I’m not sure yet. This idea is still rather new and we will see how the beanie works to start! I do not want to undercut other makers or myself by offering significiantly discounted items. Tons of work goes into running a business, especially a handmade one, so we will see what the response to this beanie is!

Why can’t all of your beanies be priced at this same amount?

The short and simple answer is because EB Knits is a business and I want to continue to thrive and bring ethical and eco-friendly products to you for years to come and I simply wouldn’t be able to sustain a business if I offered all of my products at such a discounted price. But I still want to accommodate other budgets as much as I can!

Why are your beanies at such a higher price point this year than in previous years?

Honestly, because I didn’t realize how severely I was undervaluing my work in the past! When I started, I did not have a pricing calculator or plan and simply tried to compete with a beanie you can buy at Target. Since then, I’ve come to terms with the fact that there’s no way I can compete price-wise with Target. But I can promise a quality product that I make with hours of love and care and intricate attention to detail on top of the hours I spend researching materials and businesses that are ethical and eco-friendly!

Thank you so much for supporting handmade. Thank you for supporting a woman-owned business. Thank you for your faith in me!