What is the best yarn you have used to make afghans?

[crochetdiva]

Ok, so this might be a better way for me to work out what yarn to use!

 

I am making a round ripple afghan for a six month old and can't quite work out what yarn to use. Definitely NOT Red Heart Super Saver!!

Looking for either a worsted weight or sports weight yarn. Want it to be soft but durable, and prefer NO sheen.

 

What have you used and like best or least??

 

Thanks:manyheart

[RoseRed]

You pretty much have the whole range of 4plyww. Caron Pounders or Natura, Red Heart Soft, Bernat, Pattons, etc. Just about all the major brands have a soft ww.

 

I really don't know much about the sport weight yarns - I don't generally use them.

[prettywoman030981]

I like using I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby.

[crochetdiva]

I like using I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby.

 

I have heard that is a nice yarn. Thanks!

[crochetdiva]

You pretty much have the whole range of 4plyww. Caron Pounders or Natura, Red Heart Soft, Bernat, Pattons, etc. Just about all the major brands have a soft ww.

 

I really don't know much about the sport weight yarns - I don't generally use them.

 

I know about those yarns, but wondered specifically how folks found them for afghans.

I don't want a sheen like with Bernat Satin. And I am wondering if Caron sport would be a bit floppy.

[prettywoman030981]

I have heard that is a nice yarn. Thanks!

 

It is soft to start off with, and indescribably soft after it's washed. It is my go-to yarn for baby stuff because it is soft, durable and can be machine washed and dried.

[FrLopLady]

Caron One Pound are nice for everything including afghans. ILTY is yummy too! Even some of the RHSS are ok. I usually feel them to see if they feel coarse or scratchy and compare it to a pounder.

 

Lighter weight yarns like sport weight need a smaller hook and wouldn't be "floppy". You don't want to use to large a hook as to make holes in the 'ghan anyway.

[crochetdiva]

It is soft to start off with, and indescribably soft after it's washed. It is my go-to yarn for baby stuff because it is soft, durable and can be machine washed and dried.

 

I just checked online and they don't have the colors I need for a spiderman blanket

[CLLinda]

I like using I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby.

 

 

To me, this is the nicest yarn to use for afghans and other things.

 

I also like Brava from Knitpicks. It's a new yarn, and it's very nice to work with.

 

I personally don't like Red Heart Soft. I made an afghan for myself with it and it got very fuzzy and pilly right away. This was about 5 years ago, so I don't know if this yarn has improved.

 

[chrissyf]

I have to say that Red Heart SS is my go to yarn for the few afghans i do make...once it is washed it softens. But the Bernat Super value is comparable to RHSS and softer to start. You could look at the colors of Red Heart Soft

[FrLopLady]

I just checked online and they don't have the colors I need for a spiderman blanket

 

Are you talking about I love this yarn not having the colors? They have more colors than almost any other except MAYBE RHSS and I'm not even sure about that!

[Amibel]

You cannot trust the Hobby Lobby website to show all the colors available. That being said, when I was buying the ILTY last week for my mother's afghan, they had about 100+ different colorways to look through. However, HL even says they may not show everything on their website because not everything is kept in their warehouse, only in-stores.

 

I'm in love with the Brava worsted weight from KnitPicks, which Linda mentioned, but yeah there's only 30 colors, but they are still a pretty good range.

 

I'm using (and have used before) ILTY - its soft just working with it. I haven't washed any of it yet (since its a full-size afghan and only a sixth done), but I have a feeling it will do great.

 

Red Heart Soft... Yeah, the pilling issue didn't get much better. I made my mother a hooded scarf from RH Soft and it has only been washed once, on gentle with a handful of my kids' clothes, and it did soften up some more but also started to pill badly.

[jillkap]

I have to say I am very impressed with some improvements with red heart super saver, many of their colors have gotten extremely softer and I would consider a direct comparison with caron pounders and bernat super value. You definitely have to feel it for yourself (that's pretty much how I go about choosing my yarns as they can all feel different, even when being the same brand). I do love using caron pound and bernat super value, and I like vanna's choice but it's a little more expensive in my opinion

[crochetdiva]

To me, this is the nicest yarn to use for afghans and other things.

 

I also like Brava from Knitpicks. It's a new yarn, and it's very nice to work with.

 

I personally don't like Red Heart Soft. I made an afghan for myself with it and it got very fuzzy and pilly right away. This was about 5 years ago, so I don't know if this yarn has improved.

 

Have you washed the Brava yarn yet? This might be a good choice for the blanket since it is for an infant and being Sports weight it wont be as bulky.The shipping price is good too.

Thanks

[annmcc1976]

I don't know but I like REd hearts.. A. it's cheep. and B. its not so heavy.. I don't like using Cotten for a full afgan.. mabey for baby ghans. and Finger weight (baby yarn) is only good "to me" for baby ghans

[Nira]

I haven't had RHSS go pilly on me yet.

[crochetdiva]

Red Heart SS IS cheap and has good color selection, but it is too hard and rough for a baby blanket. I will keep looking.

 

I was wondering about Mary Maxim Starlette yarn for afghans too.

[Sylviaf]

Another vote for I Love This Yarn. I like Deborah Norville Everyday even more, but the color choices are pretty limited.

[RoseRed]

Babies only stay little for a little while.

[kraftynkrazy]

I agree about ILTY. It is, in my opinion, the best yarn for anything that needs to be soft and gentle against the skin. I made my son and daughter-in-law an afghan out of it for Christmas and right away something got spilled on it and they had to wash it. It still looks and feels wonderful even after being washed several times now.

[sahm2g1b]

Red Heart SS IS cheap and has good color selection, but it is too hard and rough for a baby blanket. I will keep looking.

 

I was wondering about Mary Maxim Starlette yarn for afghans too.

 

 

RHSS has improved drastically over the last few years. Even those skeins in the store that feel a little coarse, soften up nicely in the wash! I made ghans for my 3rd cousins 2 Christmases (ages 8 - 4 months) ago with RHSS & they turned out very nice & were nice & soft. Some of the yarn was a little coarse before washing but it softened up nicely.

 

That being said, I'm also a HUGE fan of ILTY!!! I made a RR in it a few months ago and it is super soft! I'm definitely using it more in the future.

 

Both of these brands would make a wonderful RR for a little one. Personally, I would want to stick to something like these two for a little for durability. If that blanket becomes a fave for the little one, it will go everywhere with them & take a lot of abuse. You would want something that will hold up to that. If you've got a Hobby Lobby near by, go check out their yarn and in-stock colors. If the store doesn't have the colors you need, see if they would be willing to order them for you. Most stores will.

 

Oh! Another yarn would be Vanna's Choice! Lots of great colors (even bright red & black) and oh-so-soft!! It's another that has become my new favorite!

[Amibel]

Okay, I washed my Brava items last night. Now, keep in mind that we have to run our dryer on medium heat for a little while to jump start the drying process, otherwise low heat takes 3-4 hours to dry a load. Well, I also forgot to turn it to low, blah. So. The Brava turned out incredibly soft, and I washed it on cold delicate, even if the medium heat kind of flattened it I'm happy with Brava, I just could kick myself for forgetting to turn the temp down when I was standing only 10 feet away cooking. I will be making a few more items in the next day or two in Brava so will try to (finish a thought) wash it properly and see how it turns out.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Amibel
forgot to finish my last sentence LOL

[TFCH8184]

For baby yarn, I like loops and threads snuggly wuggly. It's thin but drapes nicely, holds up well and is soft.

 

I'm also a huge fan of l&t impeccable its a soft acrylic and almost always on sale. I'm using it right now to make a neutral cowboy/cowgirl blanket for dfs coworkers baby.

[Melindawitchy]

I like using I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby.

 

We finally got a Hobby Lobby and I am making my first RR with it. I like it so far. It is much softer than RH and it seems stronger too.

[megsdaboss]

Red Heart SS IS cheap and has good color selection, but it is too hard and rough for a baby blanket.

 

Babies only stay little for a little while.

 

 

I love RHSS for blankets. They may seem a little rough when you are working with them, but they soften up so nice the first time you wash them. I made all my babies blankets out of red heart. My youngest wont sleep without hers (which is not necessarily a good thing! I am going to hate trying to break her of the "blankie: ) Plus its durable, my son still has the blankets I made him as a baby, they have been used on all of mine, dragged through the mud, to baseball games, car trips, etc....

 

I don't know if anyone washes blankets before they give them, but if I am giving to family for babies, and we have had a lot of babies I have somewhere around 13 nieces and nephews, I usually wash mine before I give them in a "hypo allergenic" baby detergent. I cant think of the name of it, but its a white and pink jug.... Just cause babies in our family are really sensitive and I would hate for them to react to the dye or something.

 

But my vote is for RHSS. If you simply cant bring yourself to use it for baby items, my next go to is Bernat Baby sport, you'll need a smaller hook but its soft