Funny this got bumped. Since there seems to be some interest in the topic, I thought I would post that in my searches for cheap curtain rods, I stumbled across some bloggers who have used electrical conduit to make curtain rods. If we can find the time, we plan to do this as it is a substantial savings. But it has the bonus of no bump to get the curtains over.
Here is a link that might be useful: DIY curtain rod from electrical conduit
Q