Yarn Questions

[Happysj56]

Hi,

I am making a granny square afghan. Although I learned to crochet 50 years ago, this is the first time I have tried a project without being able to ask my mother for advice - she was a very talented knitter and crocheter, and always knew 'the right' yarn and 'how much'. She passed away five years ago and is very much missed...

 

She had a tradition of making granny square afghans for family members as high school graduation gifts. My youngest nephew is graduating this year, and I am trying to 'finish' the tradition by crocheting an afghan using her yarn (she had a few tubs of it). I am using an 'H' hook and crocheting four rounds in different colors. I think I will use 88 squares, 8 x 11.

 

I want to border in black, and plan to use Red Heart yarn, which I plan to buy online - I live in the city, no car, and there is no easy place to buy yarn here.

 

Is there a quality difference between 'Super Saver' no dye lot skeins and normal 3.5 ounce worsted yarn?

And how much do I need? I don't mind buying an extra skein or two to be sure. If I buy online and there is a dye lot, will they match it before shipping?

 

Thanks so much for any guidance.

[ratdog]

Supersaver is similar to regular 3.5oz skeins. It is much stiffer than the red heart soft.

It softens a bit with washing.

 

I am using Caron one Pound for a blanket and it feels comfortable.

 

The companies do try and match dye lots for online orders.

 

I know there are yardage calculators online that give estimations for how much yarn is needed. I dont have any links for them though.

[Happysj56]

Thanks Rat Dog. I will look at Caron One pound too.

 

I think I need to do a round, then pull it out, measure and multiply...I have been resisting that because I know my mother would say definitively 'you need x skeins' and be right, so I know there is a feeling/knowledge experienced crocheter said have...but maybe how tight you work matters too, and it's individual.

[redrosesdz]

Welcome to Crochetville!

 

Red Heart Super Saver (RHSS) is 7 oz, 364 yds.  One skein will easily go around your afghan a few times, if you're doing a simple border.  If you're doing a fancier border with 4-5 rounds, then get a second one just to be safe.  Caron pounders are 16 oz, 826 yds.  Between the two, I prefer RHSS.  RH Soft is 5 oz, 256 yds.  It is a lot softer than either RHSS or Caron pounders.  The no-dye lots are pretty good at getting the same color every time.  They are manufactured with the color, rather than dying them after the yarn is spun.

 

Do you know what brand of yarn you'll be using from your mom's stash?  Your best bet is to match the same brand.

 

By the way, here is a calculator for the entire afghan ...

http://thecrochetcrowd.com/afghan-calculator/

 

Good luck!

[Happysj56]

Thanks Redrosesdz. I will check out the calculator.

 

All but 6 of my squares are done. I know some yarn was RedHeart, and some was Vanna - my mother liked Vanna for sweaters but used Red Heart for hats and scarves. I know there is a risk mixing yarn brands, and I can feel the difference when working with it. I know everything is worsted 4 ply acrylic - she didn't like to work with wool or silk, and I sorted out the three ply yarn before I started.

 

I plan to put a black border around each square, and the single crochet around the whole afghan - whether I go more than one round depends on how close it gets to graduation!

 

I hope to finish the squares pre- border this week and lay them out to make sure I am satisfied with 88 squares. I am not out of yarn yet but I want every square to be different and I am starting to be limited in color choices...since I want to use up yarn I don't want to buy more! I know dedicated knitters and crocheters always have a supply but this is more a labor of love than a hobby and I will put my hooks away after this and will need a big motivation to break them out again!

[Bailey4]

If you are buying online I'd also suggest putting the stock you want in the cart and compare the prices after adding shipping.  For a recent Red Heart Soft order I compared JoAnn's, Knitting Warehouse, and the Red Heart site itself.  Red Heart was having a sale and even with shipping they had the best price with all the items I needed in stock.  To get the best deal I'd have had to wait for back ordered items.  It can pay to comparison shop.  I find shifting between sites is worth it to save some money.

 

The Vanna yarn feels significantly different than the Red Heart Super Saver, it should be easy to spot.  I've mixed Caron Pounders and Red Heart Super Savers in afghans before and had no problem.  While I love the Pounders for the amount of yarn I can use before having to change to another skein, the colors are limited.  So, I often do have to add and my choices have been Red Heart SS or Bernet Super Value.  I tend to use the three brands across projects. 

[Happysj56]

Thanks Bailey4. I looked at the Red Heart site and Walmart, but I didn't think of Joanne's and don't know Knitting Warehouse. I am going to buy black - I want the 'stained glass' effect that I think that gives, plus it will be more 'manly'.

 

As I've been crocheting, I can often 'match' yarn with the garment made from it - my mother made me a sweater every year for my birthday, and I also have the ones she made for herself. She was a very skilled knitter - more than once, I had someone offer to buy a sweater I was wearing...I never sold but she always said I should, she could make another one! She also knit for a fundraising craft group, and she made many 'pumpkin' sweaters with the face knit in - she even had variations of the face. On Halloween, m brother and I think of all the children wearing sweaters she made - one in our family was passed to 12 different children...for all I know, the mother of the youngest one still has it...and there is a pop of orange in the afghan!