Help with Yarn.

[Andrea Shepherdson]

Hi, I am new here and are just learning to crochet. I am from New Zealand and we have quite a small selection of reasonable priced yarn.  I have been looking to purchase some from Amazon or another online shop, but are unsure of the quality of the yarns they offer, as most of these are available in the states I was wondering if your guys could let me know what yarn products are nice and soft and good value for money, this will give me a good idea of what I should order.  Thanks for any info you are able to pass on to me.  Andrea

[redrosesdz]

Welcome to Crochetville and to crocheting!

 

If you're just starting out, don't worry so much about soft.  I recommend starting with inexpensive and easy to use.  In my opinion an inexpensive 4-ply, 4 weight, acrylic or cotton is the best starter yarn.  Look at Red Heart, Caron, Vanna's Choice, Bernat or Deborah Norville for acrylics and Lily Sugar N Cream for cotton.

 

Start with a solid, medium color.  If you start with variegated, a dark color or a really light color, the stitches will be harder to see.  When you're learning it's best to be able to really see the stitches.  Also, look for a beginner pattern.  Patterns are usually marked as beginner, easy, intermediate or difficult.  Some of the "easy" patterns are complex for someone just starting out.

 

The last piece of advice is don't be afraid to rip it out (aka frogging).  We've all frogged many projects!

 

Tips:

• Start and end with long tails (4"-6").  They are easier to weave and less likely to fall out.
• Hooks have a skinny part, called the throat, under the tip.  Make sure your loops are past that part.
• Relax and enjoy!

[shuttlebuggy]

Redroses gives good advice! I do find Bernat, Red Heart with Love, and Caron Simply Soft to be the softest.

[shuttlebuggy]

Redroses gives good advice! I do find Bernat, Red Heart with Love, and Caron Simply Soft to be the softest.

[Real Deal]

All the brands already named are good. I choose the yarn according to what I want to make.

 

The "soft" yarns are not good for slippers, as I discovered. They wear through too quickly, so I always use Red Heart Super Saver to make slippers, plus I make double bottoms on them. The Red Heart is tougher and holds up to a lot of walking. I also use it for afghans you want to use a lot and keep a long time because these will go through the washer a lot.

 

I love Vanna yarn for hats and scarves. It's nice to have that softness around your face, head and neck. I wash these by hand and hang them to dry.

 

Toys and ami's are likely to have hard use so I use Sugar 'n Cream Cotton, Peaches & Creme Cotton (both made by Lily now), or Red Heart Super Saver.

 

Red Heart Super Saver is used a lot around here because it's sold at WalMart for less than on-line, and WalMarts are everywhere.

 

Sugar 'n Cream and Peaches & Creme are also at WalMart, so they are basics too for dishcloths, bath cloths, hand towels and towel toppers, dish scrubbies, placemats, coasters, you name it.

 

If you have to order on-line, wait and watch for sales. Or free shipping. Or buy 2, get 1 free. Whatever. Get some really good value for your money.

[magiccrochetfan]

Hi Andrea, welcome to the ville

 

At this point, do you want to buy yarn just to practice stitches, or are you planning a project?   If you want to start a project, the specifics of that would determine the best yarn to get, so tell us about the project.        For practicing I would get a yarn that is a solid color and not too dark, so you can easily see your stitches.  Also 100% acrylic is probably the best bet for low price.   Acrylic/wool blends like Plymouth Encore or Berroco Vintage are very nice, as the small amount of wool adds a little bounce.  Cotton would usually be more expensive than acrylic, but it can be very nice to work with too; it does not have any bounce to it so sometiems people find it's less comfortable to work with.  

 

Do you have a specific budget in mind?  

 

If you are considering ordering from Amazon US, I would be a little concerned about postage costs.  I think the yarns are all sold by outside sellers, so I would look for items that have a good shipping rate or that qualify for the Amazon low shipping rates (at least that's what I do when I've ordered used books via Amazon for delivery in the US).  

 

I was curious about online yarn shops in NZ so I googled around and found this one for example http://www.woolworx.co.nz

They have free shipping in NZ if you order $20 worth.  I looked thru the yarns and saw the Himalaya http://www.woolworx.co.nz/search?type=product&q=himalaya&submit=   The Worsted and the Everyday Bebe look like they are well priced, esp w/ free shipping, and that is a lot of meters in a skein.  

 

Deramores is a UK company that ships worldwide and seems to have great postage rates to almost everywhere.  Stylecraft Special DK is a very nice yarn, nice and soft but seems pretty sturdy, and comes in great colors.  I've been happy with it for a couple of projects, though I gave them away so I don't know how they held up long term, but I do know it is a popular yarn.  http://nz.deramores.com/stylecraft-special-dk   it comes in different weights too as you can see.  that page should be showing prices in NZ dollars, but if not you can change the currency in the upper left.  Delivery Information at the bottom has the shipping rates.  They also sell Stylecraft in "color packs" so you know the colors will go together and what they will look like http://nz.deramores.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=stylecraft+color+pack

 

Love Crochet also ships worldwide and seems to have a good rate to NZ http://www.lovecrochet.com/delivery.html   I haven't ordered from them myself.  

[frodo60]

Hi NZShepo, im not sure if this helps but cheap shops (2$ shops, cheap and sweet, reject shop, cheap as chips, etc) usually have yarn for about $2 a ball, i am from australia so im not sure if you guys have those sorts of shops but if you do its a good place to have a hunt , or facebook for sale pages usually have some , glad to hear you have started crochet! you will love it and welcome to crochetville i am newbie aswell haha