Caron vs RHSS

[Alnee]

I know this has been asked before. I am looking for someone with recent experience with both of these.

 

I am doing a quilted afghan for my niece and am trying to decide on the yarn both brands have colors I can use... but I have had not so great experiences withboth lately. Due to time I am limited to the brands. I really want an afghan that will hold up for years to come. I love the way the caron looks in a project but know generally in the past RHSS is preferred it seems. Any feedback from people who have used both lately? I have had frays, knots, yarn bard, etc in both brands and in multiple skeins.

[losingmymind2]

I'm not going to be much help since I've had the same problems with both brands lately.

[moonspinners]

Use RHSS for durability; no question. It will soften up in dryer quite nicely.

[magiccrochetfan]

Which type of Caron do you mean?

[Lov2Crochet]

Use RHSS for durability; no question. It will soften up in dryer quite nicely.

 

Ditto! I find that Caron is soft but snags easy and doesn't keep shape. I prefer to use RHSS for most projects.

[Daugherty4inNC]

RHSS is a great yarn to use for durability but it is a bit stiff and scratchy when making the item. The finished item will definitely need to be washed and dryed to loosen and soften. Caron Simply Soft is great for softness and drape but over time the yarn frays and it does split while crocheting quite often. Caron One Pounder is softer than RHSS but not as soft as Caron SS but is a durable as RHSS and is my preferred yarn when needing both a soft but durable yarn. Hope this helps

[RoseRed]

Caron has a lot of different yarns to choose from. Caron Simply Soft is incredibly soft with a wonderful sheen. It also pills. A lot. Especially if it needs to be washed often.

 

Red Heart wears like iron. It's a really good yarn for ghans that are going to be put thru abuse (think small children).

 

Caron Pounders is my fav yarn now-a-days. It washes up really soft, holds it's shape beautifully and wears extremely well.

 

Any yarn will snag if you use a hook that's too big for it. I see a lot of people use Simply Soft with a J hook and I think they're setting themselves up for problems later. It's a 4plyww BUT it's on the very thin side of 4plyww. Of course it's going to snag. I've gone up to an I hook with it but really prefer an H. I've also gone down to an E hook with it. It makes an amazing fabric.

 

If you want to use an I hook go with Red Heart. If you want to use a J hook then go with Caron Pounders.

[jillkap]

I swear by Caron Pounders... it's my go-to yarn whenever I want to make an afghan. Some RHSS colors are just as soft as the caron pounders, but not all (you kind of have to just take a feel at the store).

[Lov2Crochet]

Rose - don't know if you are referring to my snagging comment on Caron but I hardly ever use a hook larger than a "G" with Caron and it still splits and snags. I was originally referring to the snagging after the item is completed and it gets snagged on things like rings or other jewelry, furniture, just anything. I find it to be a somewhat delicate yarn.

[Alnee]

I agree about the caron pounders but they are not available right around here Not to mention for this project it would be overkill to buy them in all the colors I would need. I am, unfortunately, limited to Walmart for the selection of yarn for this afghan. Which means RHSS or Caron SS... Guess I will be going to pick up a bunch of RHSS today for this one... gosh I wish AC Moore wasnt 70 miles one way! OR... that I had thought out this project with enough time to order yarn online. I am alredy cutting it very close though and probably being over ambitious with is project!

 

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

[RoseRed]

Rose - don't know if you are referring to my snagging comment on Caron but I hardly ever use a hook larger than a "G" with Caron and it still splits and snags. I was originally referring to the snagging after the item is completed and it gets snagged on things like rings or other jewelry, furniture, just anything. I find it to be a somewhat delicate yarn.

No, I was just talking in general. As far as simply soft - it seems that some people love it and some people don't.

 

I made a purse with SS and a G hook. I snags on my rings - not so much big snags but more like fuzz snags and it pilled like crazy.

 

I totally agree that it's a more delicate yarn.

[Alnee]

I went with RHSS and I will just wash it a few times and use a large dose of fabric softener when I wash it. I am just hoping for no knots in these skeins like the last couple I have used.

 

I just did a baby blanket with SS... I hesitated to use it because I know how much they get washed. I have not had the best experiences with baby yarns holding up though. I did not know the girl that this was going to so I wrote out very careful care instructions for her on how to wash it and care for it... only to find out that she can not read or speak english! I asked if someone could translate the instructions for her and also tell her I said congrats on her baby boy that arrived a couple of weeks ahead of schedule!

[Real Deal]

Maybe you can stock up for the future with Caron Pounders when they are on sale online. I did that and I have never regretted it. The Pounders are Natura yarn, much nicer than the SS in my opinion.

 

I went in with a couple other people for sales from Joann's online, which included free shipping for purchases above a certain amount. Over a span of a few months, we ordered 3 times, and I built up a nice stash of Pounders, because at that time, Joann's kept putting them on sale for $5. Between that and free shipping, I wasn't going to get a better deal anywhere else. And I discovered the most beautiful cream color in the Pounders that I am never without now.

[RoseRed]

That's how I stash up too. Free shipping and good sale prices.

[Alnee]

I have a stash of the neutral creamy color pounders from when AC Moore had them on sale and I happened to be there... They were $5 each and I had a 20% off total purchase including sale priced items. For this project pounders would not have worked though because of the colors I needed. The afghan is for a 12 year old that loves the bright/neon type colors.

 

I ended up picking RHSS in: Lavendar, shocking pink, turqua, and spring grn and those will be paired with a white accent. I am very nervous about it being too busy but those are her favorite colors (minus the pink! and the fact she prefers dark purple... my color choices were teal/aqua, purple (preferrably dark), neon green, black, and white!)

[Real Deal]

If she likes bright colors, she'll probably love your color selection.