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Thursday, November 20, 2014

5 Acrylic Yarns With Which it is Actually a Pleasure to Work!

Let's talk fiber.  

I like working with natural fibers (almost) as much as the next person.  Besides looking and feeling fabulous, there's something feelgood and wholesome about crafting something out of cozy wool or smooth cotton.  

But sometimes crocheters and knitters alike, just need a decent acrylic.  Acrylic yarns are generally cheaper than natural fiber yarns, and they come in a much wider variety - all the colors of the rainbow, every color in between, and even in colors that you didn't know existed, as well as sparkly, feathery, flecked, sequin-studded, striped, plaid, and polkadot.  Their cost and variety make acrylic yarns perfect for novelty projects and crafts.  

One of the down sides of acrylics, is that some of them are really itchy, scratchy, and not delightful-feeling.  They're nice and cheap though, so these are the yarns I give to my kids to do whatever it is they want to do with yarn...



I tend not to use these acrylics because they're not nice to the touch, and they're not nice on the hook.  (They're rough and "sticky" and definitely don't glide along the hook into easy stitches.)  But I've used a lot of wonderful acrylic yarn myself for craft projects and soft and comfy hats and scarves.  There are some really nice acrylic yarns out there.  So, since I love a good list of *the best of ___* and I love talking about yarn, here it is...

5 Acrylic Yarns With Which it is Actually a Pleasure to Work
(in no particular order)
(Links are not affiliates.  I just wanted to direct your to a place to view the variety!)


This was my favorite yarn to use when making my first blanket.  It's so soft and cuddly, glides on and off my hook easily, comes in lots of lovely colors, and I can't recall a time when I've pulled a giant tangle of knots out of a Bernat Satin skein - it usually feeds out very nicely :)




Oh my!  This yarn is so soft and supple.  If you have a kiddo (or adult!) that doesn't like scratchy hats, scarves, and mittens touching their skin, this is the yarn for you.  It's really that soft - think baby kittens (that's all I could come up with even though I actually hate cats...) 
The colors aren't perfectly solid; the varied shades in each strand give it interest and depth.  
(As you can probably tell, I'm practicing to be a product description writer for Yarns 'R' Us...  Thanks for putting up with me :)  ) 




I initially bought this yarn because the skeins are big and I needed a lot of yards of a few specific colors (they are 322 yards and I got them for $3!!)  I was so very pleasantly surprised by the quality once I started using them!  It's so rich.  It's worsted weight, but it feels thick and luxurious on the hook.  It's soft and stretchy and perfect.  I'm currently using it for a few hats, but the leftovers are begging to be used in a baby blanket I think :)




This yarn is an anti-pilling acrylic.  It's soft, but sturdy.  That's all very nice.  But what's really nice is how fun the print options are and how perfectly it works up into a funky, warm hat :) 




I left like I had to include a bulky weight yarn in my list, so this is it.  I have found that the softness of these yarns are inconsistent from color to color.  Some are soft enough and would feel comfortable in a chunky scarf or hat, but some are less soft and are probably more appropriate for crafts (like this basket!)  This yarn is easy on the hook, work up quickly and neatly, and comes in lots of fun (or boring) colors.

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What are some of your favorite yarns to use??  What are you creating these days??

2 comments:

  1. Great post! I am definitely a "yarn snob" and most of my stash is natural fibers (and is also in the freezer because the moths got into it :( ). I think I may have used Heartland before; I hear a lot of good things about Lion Brand yarns. I will have to try these out! :)

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  2. Thank you for this list! I just taught my 5 1/2 year old to finger-weave, and I was thinking of letting him pick out a fun-colored skein to practice with. I'm so glad I saw this first so I can avoid the scratchy ones and pick one of these instead! :)

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