Make vs. buy

Make it...

Time spent crafting: 14 hrs
I confess, I’m a knitting virgin. Luckily, the fine folks at Knit New York (307 E 14th St between First and Second Aves; 212-387-0707, knitnewyork.com) offer two free lessons when you buy $50 worth of materials. It took me 14 hours to make, but now I can relate to my grandma!

Cost of materials: $53

Frustration level: A very comfortable three. It was rough at the beginning, but once I got the hang of the looping and swooping, I was a knitting machine.

Yields: 1 SCARF

Buy it...

Time spent shopping: 1 hr
It took me about an hour to get to Forever 21 (40 E 14th St at University Pl; 212-228-0598, forever21.com) from my East Village apartment, shop and get back home.

Cost: $9.80

Frustration level: That area—and store—is supercrowded no matter what time of day you go. But at least I got to treat myself to a Whole Foods snack on the way home. That made my frustration level drop to a two.—JS

Yields: 1 SCARF

—Jessica Strul