Affordable cashmere yarn?

[samurman]

I have been dreaming of having a 100% cashmere catsuit ensemble, complete with balaclava, gloves, and socks (wouldn't it be great to slip into a second, heavier layer!), but the problem is that cashmere is so expensive. I already have a knitter whose work I admire a lot, so I only need to find good quality cashmere yarn. In North America and Europe, cashmere yarn sells for at least 15-25 USD per 2 oz (64 grams?) and this means I would have to spend about 400-500 USD for the yarn. This prompted me towards ordering from China.

What do you think? Any advice is appreciated.

[Oompah]

There is usually some cashmere yarn on ebay. Even so, to buy enough to knit an entire catsuit would still be expensive. I totally share your dream - a catsuit knitted from cashmere would be the ultimate in softness. How would I ever bring myself to take it off?

[samurman]

Thanks for your reply, Oompah, nice to see you around againg:)

Well, yes, the cashmere yarn I find on ebay starts from 12 to 20 USD per 2oz (56 or 64 grams?). So that means at least 190-200 USD per kilogram of yarn. If you take into account the balaclava, socks, gloves, etc, the whole ensemble could easily weigh over 2 kilos, so at these prices it is just too expensive. But, and that's a big BUT, I have been searching the Chinese sellers, especially with the help of alibaba.com, and it seems that it is possible to get cashmere yarn at less than 100 USD per kilo. If I can find a suitable seller at an affordable price, I will definitely try it.

I hope to have my catsuit by Christmas. We'll see if I will get my Christmas present:)

[mohair_cd]

Yeah, you may be able to find the yarn cheaper from Chinese sources, but as with everything else from China, is it going to be good quality?