Skip to main content

Seven Favorite Yarns

We all fall in love with certain yarns for many reasons. I think color, stitching ease and how it works up are my main criteria. Sometimes I fall for a yarn I'd never thought would appeal to me. Other times I dislike yarns everyone seems to love (but we're not focusing on the negative today.) Yarn is like everything in crochet, up to the preferences of the maker. I just thought I'd recommend the brands that make me a very happy hooker. :)

My current #1 favorite is Premier Puzzle in the colorway Marbles. This is a 100% acrylic #5 bulky weight variegated yarn in colors that never before greatly appealed to me. Yet something about it makes me so happy -- maybe because I think of summer everytime I look at it. The yarn stitches and works up beautifully. No troubles, no problems, just pure delight.

Lion Brand Mandala Ombre in the colorway Serene is a 100% acrylic self-striping #4 worsted weight (on the lighter side) yarn with bright and beautiful colors that glide through my fingers easily and works up with especially nice stitch definition. It's so vibrant it seems filled with energy, but not so vivid it becomes glaring. This is my go-to yarn for special gifts.

Premier Sweet Roll yarn in the colorway Cinnamon Pop became an obsession of mine for awhile. This is another 100% acrylic self-striping #4 worsted weight yarn that is super soft and works up like a dream. I love the unusual colorways in this line, too, and no cake has ever disappointed me.

Although it can be very expensive, I will always have a special place in my heart for handspun art yarn. Weavers and spinners are among my favorite creatives on the planet. This year I tried out weaving with two hanks of art yarn and made a couple of baskets that turned out so well I can hardly believe I made them.

A recent surprising new favorite is Premier Farmstand, a 93% acrylic 7% PBT (Nylon) #1 superfine weight yarn. I had a dismal experience with a cotton superfine weight yarn this year, so I wasn't expecting much when I first tried this yarn. It knocked my socks off. The wonderful stitch definition, soft but sturdy hand, and stretchiness that really helped in tight spots really made me fall in love, and I look forward to trying to make some wearables with it.

Yarnspirations Red Heart Super Saver yarn is my go-to when I need a workhorse 100% acrylic #4 worsted weight yarn for a big project. It has no dye lots, but it does come in a wide variety of solid, self-striping, variegated and specialty colorways. Yes, it's basic, and not especially soft until after you wash it, but it has never once disappointed me. It's sturdy, never seems to have factory knots and works up with very nice stitch definition. Also, unlike most yarn lines it comes in 110 colorways, I can buy it new at Wal-Mart, and it's the most common yarn I find in thrift stores, where I pay only pennies for it.

Finally, Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick. This is an 80% acrylic 20% wool #6 super bulky yarn that I've been thrifting and collecting for about two years now for a very big project. Unlike most acrylic/wool blends it is machine washable and dryable, which appeals to me for bed-size projects. I've worked with it in the past and I just fell hard for this yarn, which has a lovely hand, works up quickly and looks lovely stitched.

Am I going to follow up with a list of yarns I'm not in love with for whatever reasons? Nope. We're focusing on the positive right now, so I'll probably do one with my favorite crochet accessories next.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On the Beach

Last week my guy and I went to walk Daytona Beach, which was mostly (and eerily) deserted. This is what our beaches used to look like when I was a kid. It was a beautiful day, cold and breezy but calm. It feels like 2026 is getting off to the right start.
Post a Comment
Read more

Eight Plus Numbers

When I was looking up the retail on the small lot of yarn plus a tapestry kit I got a lot of surprises. This Red Heart Roll with It Sparkle skein in "Diamonds" was actually a cake that sells $10.99 on Yarnspirations. The lot included two Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo skeins, which retail for $8.99 each, and stuck in the center of the buff color I found a 5.5 mm crochet hook. This is a skein of 100% Icelandic wool, which can be really expensive. It's marked with a price tag of $7.00, and I found it selling for $8.00 online. The needlepoint kit is the biggest surprise of all. It makes a pillow, and hails from the UK, where it sells for £45.00 ($60.76 US). Since it's flamingos I definitely have to finish it if I can. Altogether my eight plus lot retails for $125.04; I paid $21.30 total for the lot with the buy-it-now option and one penny shipping. I indeed got a very nice bargain.
Post a Comment
Read more

Halfway Month Blues

Last week I realized on the 14th that two weeks of 2026 flew right by me, and right now I'm writing during the third week. I wanted to be finished with more projects by now, but life and work have to come first. I think this might be when most crocheters start a new shiny project to boost their spirits. Not me. I kept working away at my first project for the year, and here's why: I don't like being surrounded by unfinished things. I also tend to get fatigued and abandon projects more easily if I've left them by the wayside to do something else. Finally, the payoff of the finished project gives me a much better spirit boost than messing around with several projects at the same time. I have a couple of strategies for sticking to working on one project at a time, which I can use to keep myself focused on reaching the finish line. Planning my next project is probably what I do most often by pulling the yarn from my stash, getting out the printed pattern for the...
Post a Comment
Read more