Yarn choice for skirt and shawl

[Kittaly]

So after telling myslf I would never do clothing I've suddenly become very tempted to make myself a skirt and possibly some sort of shawl. I was wondering what sort of yarns would be best. I'd want both to be wearable all year so nothing too heavy or too light.

 

A coupl of the skirt patterns I've looked at used the Caron so soft which I'm familiaer with but only for doing amigurumi, would that fit that bill? I don't want anything that's gonna pill or wear either I'd like to be able to wear the stuff often.

 

[Granny Square]

You know, I've never considered crocheting a skirt because I purchased a fine gauge knit suit once (long ago), and the skirt did not keep it's shape well - it got baggy in the seat - and this is when I was (ahem) slim and trim, but did a lot of sitting for my job.   I can imagine a worsted acrylic skirt would be a disaster.

 

And yes, it will pill where it wears.  I make myself acrylic sweaters, and they pill terribly in my tummy area - I think where I rub up against the kitchen counter, have crochet work or a book rubbing against it in my lap etc. I have made1 simply soft sweater and it haloes more than pills, but it is the worst for holding it's shape.

 

I think cotton, would pill much less, although it does grow with wear too.  If you used a lacy pattern, in a lighter weight yarn/thread with a sewn underskirt the saggy/baggy might be less obvious.  Not all of these are free, but to give you ideas -

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#query=skirt%20%2B%20cotton&craft=crochet&view=captioned_thumbs&sort=best&page=1

 

All this wouldn't matter so much for a shawl, you could use worsted but keep it cool with a lacy pattern.  Plus, the fit isn't so important!

[Kittaly]

Ravelery was the first place I looked for patterns. I had decided on these two.

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/12-long-skirt

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/emmajeans-minty-green-skirt

 

The green one uses Bernat, which I've used only once and found it to similar to the Caron.

 

So basically what it sounds like is that both will stretch and I know cotton will have a tendency to shrink, so either way it sounds I'm screwed. Hmm, maybe I will just go back to my no clothing policy.

[Gingerbread Girl]

I have to agree that at least for skirts I don't think it's such a great idea to knit/crochet them. Shawls you won't have trouble with, in my opinion, so if you find a pattern for a shawl that you love you should absolutely go for it. I've both knitted and crocheted many shawls/wraps over the years. I tend to prefer them with fine (lace) yarns so they're lightweight. If you use a fine wool/mohair yarn they'll be surprisingly warm despite them being lightweight. 

I think in general sweaters/tops can work very well, provided you choose the right yarn weight and fiber and properly block the pieces when finished. It's just the skirts/bottoms that, in my opinion, don't fare well as knit/crocheted pieces. 

[magiccrochetfan]

I don't really wear skirts these days, so I have never made a skirt.  But I would think if you used a cotton blend, that might work well.  Cotton I think will tend to grow when worn and then shrink back to size when washed.  Linen could be a good choice as well, or a linen blend because linen does tend to be expensive (unfortunately, as it is one of my favorite fibers to work with).  

 

I personally won't make a garment of 100% acrylic because the one time i did, it is way too hot for me to wear.   I need something that will breathe.  

[FlossiePotts]

I think that one of the elastic sock yarns could work for a skirt.<br />I have a knitted skirt that I have had for about fifteen years and have worn it countless times, not handmade, but it is in very fine yarn with quite a lot of elasticity.

[acraftylady]

I do shawls for the prayer shawl ministry I run at church and we use just any kind of worsted weight.  Red heart, I love this yarn, simply soft and such.  Probably if you want a shawl for evening wear then a fancier yarn would be better.  Mary