Newbie yarn help please

[DanielleM84]

Hi, I'm new to crochet-in fact I only just received the wool so Ive literally finished work, and seen as I have a fractured foot, thought it was a good time to sit and have a go ???? I bought double knit wool, and I've mastered the single stitch, but I'm finding the wool hard to work with- I can't see the loops very well to try and make a second row, and sometimes a strand is getting pulled through wrong as the wool is fluffy...is there a type of yarn I should start with as opposed to the double knit wool??

Thanks in advance Danielle

[Avon Lady]

You are calling your yarn "wool".  Not being sure where you are, (it's not in your profile) I'm not sure if you are referring to actual wool or acrylic yarn.  I would recommend acrylic yarn, in gauge 4 (usually on the label).  That stands for 4-ply, and is a rather standard weight.  You can also use baby yarn, but for a beginner, it might be a challenge.  Look for yarn that is rather tightly wound (not fluffy or loosely twisted).  You could also go with cotton, but I find that some cotton yarns have a tendency to separate easily while you work with them.

You've come to a great place for help!  There will be several others on here--coming to your aid.

[magiccrochetfan]

Welcome to the ville!

 

Double knit is a size, or weight, of yarn. It sounds like the problem is the fuzzy texture of it, not the size. A smooth yarn would be easier to work with.

 

But you do need to use a hook that is the right size for the yarn. If the hook is too small the stitches will be tight and hard to work into. What size hook did you use?

[DanielleM84]

Thanks for the replies, when I searched for crochet yarn, I got a lot of items that said crochet/knitting wool, so I assumed it was the same thing I am using a 4 hook, the only one I have until my set arrives, should I wait and try a different one? I shall try and get some acrylic yarn, thanks for the help x

[magiccrochetfan]

I think wool or acrylic yarn would be fine to work with.  Wool has a nice bounce to it usually and so it is easy to stitch with.  A wool-acrylic blend would be nice also.  

 

Avon Lady, I don't think the numbering system is based on plies, i think it is just arbitrary numbers from low/fine to high/heavy.  

 

Danielle, here is a chart of the numbering classification used on many yarns in the US http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/weight.html   These numbers can be found on the labels of many yarns sold in the US.  I don't know if it is used much outside the US.  DK would be number 3.  But the gauges attributed to yarns can be pretty subjective, and there is overlap between wieghts as you can see by looking at the gauges.  So a yarn called DK could be as heavy as another yarn labeled worsted  .  

 

Lion Brand has a chart comparing the US and UK names for different sizes of yarn https://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/yarnInfo.cgi?yarnByClass=1

 

If you are in the UK, Stylecraft Special DK is a popular yarn that should be easy to work with---I like it a lot myself.  It's not fuzzy.  

[magiccrochetfan]

Is your hook 4mm?  That should be OK with DK weight, though slightly bigger might be better.  

[redrosesdz]

Welcome to Crochetville, Danielle!

 

I agree with Collette and Kathy about the yarn.  It should be acrylic or acrylic blend, worsted (weight), smooth and I'd like to add that it should be in a light, solid color.  Light colors are easier to see and solid colors are easier to work.

 

If you have a size 4 hook, then it is steel and very small.  It's way to small for worsted and even for DK (double knit.)  The smallest hooks are numbered and are good for thread work. 

 

Standard crochet hooks are lettered.  For worsted weight yarn, it's best to use a size H, I or J.

 

Patterns suggest you what weight of yarn and hook size you should use to get the proper gauge.  You should start with what is recommended.  You can adjust your hook size, if it doesn't match the pattern's gauge.

 

Here are a couple of charts that tell you about yarn weight and hook sizes....

http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/weight.html

http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/hooks.html

 

ETA:  I see that Kathy typed in the yarn weight link while I was still typing! 

[Granny Square]

Danielle, welcome to the 'ville and I'm sorry about your foot!  

 

Aside from what was said above, I'd discourage starting out with dark colors or variegated, as it's a bit harder to see your stitches.  And I'll throw this out, because it happened to me as a beginner - I started out crocheting tightly because I was just using the hook tip to form my stitches, and not working the stitches further the shaft.  Because I was working so tightly I had issues with yarn splitting.  When I made an effort to retrain myself to use the right part of the hook, my stitches had a more normal gauge and I had fewer issues with splitty yarn.

 

Magiccrochetfan & Avon Lady - an interesting tidbit I just learned myself - before the Craft Yarn council developed the current US yarn weight system, 'worsted' yarn was labeled 4 ply.   Evidence from an archaeological expedition into my stash (note CFC skein logo, but no #4 weight, as of 1983):

[magiccrochetfan]

Archeological expedition into the stash lol :-D I can relate!

Love the wiggly crochet afghan pic on the label!

 

But i would think that 4ply in that case means the yarn actually was made up of four plies.