I am so disappointed with inexpensive yarns!

[shortylam]

After some years crocheting, I still buy yarns from the craft store instead of the LYS because they're cheaper. So far here are my findings:

 

-RH Super Saver: not soft, Caron Perfect Match: softer

-Caron Simply Soft: pills like mad although looks and feels so beautiful.

-RH Soft yarn: good substitute for Caron SS, a bit more expensive but doesn't pill. Also it's a true worsted weight yarn, not a sport weight (SS) dressed as a worsted.

-Bernat Softee Chunky: feels like Caron SS but chunkier, does not pill. Good for baby jackets (BICO) and afghans

-Most stuff from Bernat and Patons are good, I highly recommend them. However, they are quite expensive

-Lion brand: ignore Homespun, it's not worth your money. Please buy Wool-ease, it's soft and machine-washable

[RoseRed]

Did she wash and dry it yet?

[magiccrochetfan]

Use cold water, the gentle cycle and Woolite. I never put an afghan in the dryer. I hang over 4 or 5 lines of the clothes line. It's like laying it flat, but both sides dry evenly. It smells great dried outside too .

Ellie 13

That sounds like a good approach :-) But most anyone I would be making a gift for will not have time to air-dry, or have a multiple-line clothesline (I do not). And the acrylic yarns are supposed to be able to be dried in the dryer....that is why I used acrylic.

 

After some years crocheting, I still buy yarns from the craft store instead of the LYS because they're cheaper. So far here are my findings:

 

-RH Super Saver: not soft, Caron Perfect Match: softer

-Caron Simply Soft: pills like mad although looks and feels so beautiful.

-RH Soft yarn: good substitute for Caron SS, a bit more expensive but doesn't pill. Also it's a true worsted weight yarn, not a sport weight (SS) dressed as a worsted.

-Bernat Softee Chunky: feels like Caron SS but chunkier, does not pill. Good for baby jackets (BICO) and afghans

-Most stuff from Bernat and Patons are good, I highly recommend them. However, they are quite expensive

-Lion brand: ignore Homespun, it's not worth your money. Please buy Wool-ease, it's soft and machine-washable

Thank you for the reviews. Do you think the Caron Perfect Match and Red Heart Soft hold up well in use?

 

Did she wash and dry it yet?

I had washed and dried it before I gave it to her, and it looked fine at that time, I thought. I can see where washing would probably help the stretching, but the pronounced fuzz all over wouldn't be affected by washing. I think the yarn is just sort of coming apart due to friction of being used. It actually did not seem to be pilling as far as I could see, though.

[RoseRed]

I use acrylic yarns (and I've washed simply soft like too) because they're easy to care for.

 

I toss them in the washing machine on warm and then right into the dryer with a fabric softener sheet. There's no reason to make life more difficult than it needs to be.

 

Simply soft gets fuzzy. I made a purse out of it and that's fuzzy too. I trimmed off the fuzz and it looks brand new again. (Of course I was really careful not to trim the actual yarn).

 

So, I guess she didn't wash it yet?

[magiccrochetfan]

No, like I said in the first post, she said she hasn't washed it.

[Cheeria]

Thank you so very much for the discouragement of using this yarn. I just started to embank on a huge project with simply soft yarn to make the wedding ring afghan, now I lost the desire to continue on with this project. I do not want to spend the time and effort to make this afghan just to have it get mess up and out of shape in the wash or have some many pills on it that it no longer look like a work of art.

[magiccrochetfan]

Cheeria, I'm sorry!

[pasteeater]

I agree about the simply soft. I LOVE the colors but when I try to make anything it just looks cheap. I have a few skiens of it that I'm just going to use for toys. Even some of the ami I tried with the yarn looked bad. It's too bad though because it's so nice and soft. I liked it at first but then lost interest when I saw how it pulled apart while working with it. I used it for some crochet cars I made and am happy with them.

[MaryPat]

I personally would NOT use fabric softener on afghans. It has been known to make things much more susceptible to catching fire. Maybe not so much of a concern this time of year.. but build up over time and when winter rolls around.. uh oh.

http://www.healthrecipes.com/fabric_softeners.htm

 

Also fabric softener is horrid for the environment.

 

A much better alternative is baking soda or white vinegar.

 

An option I use is to keep a stack of old towels near the dryer. If clothes are something that usually use fabric softener, forego the softener toss in a bunch of towels with them, and dry them on a much much lower temp.

 

I have rarely used softener because I'm allergic to many brands plus it seems to me that regular use kind of takes away the absorbency of a towel. I married someone last year who was taught by someone that it is a must, so uses it on everything. I've been trying to wean him from it. He has lots of allergies and I'm sure this doesn't help.

[RoseRed]

The first post was a week ago. I was just curious if you had told her to try washing it since then.

[magiccrochetfan]

Well, no, I didn't. i can't imagine the fuzz would be helped by washing.

[RoseRed]

No - not the fuzz, your best bet with that would probably be a sweater shaver.

 

Washing and drying (in the dryer) should help a lot with bouncing it back into shape.

[magiccrochetfan]

I know that there are probably things that could be done to "rehabilitate" the afghan:D But the thing is, it no longer belongs to me. I am not going to suggest to my stepdaughter that she wash it, because in my mind that comes too close to implying that her housekeeping is lacking (which it is not, in my opinion). I am also not going to give her a sweater shaver so she can spend an hour or two getting the fuzz off.

 

Actually, i doubt if anyone but me has noticed these flaws in the afghan.

 

But my point is: I truly feel that the yarn has not worn well in the few months since Christmas. I shouldn't have to even think about telling a gift recipient how to rehab a handmade gift, and that is why I may never use Simply Soft again.

[RoseRed]

"But my point is: I truly feel that the yarn has not worn well in the few months since Christmas. I shouldn't have to even think about telling a gift recipient how to rehab a handmade gift, and that is why I may never use Simply Soft again."

 

So true!

 

When I give handmade gifts I always include a card with care instructions.

 

I don't blame you for not wanting to give her the pill shaver. Me being me - I would go over and do it myself. I'd just say that I tried a new yarn and I'm not happy with it. Let's toss it in the wash - see how much worse it gets and let me fix it until I'm happy with it.

 

My Mom loves that I'm like that - she doesn't even have to ask. If I see something wrong with any of my work (or any of the work at the house which is mostly mine and my grandmother's) I just jump right in and make it better.

 

I was really dissapointed with the SS in that pocketbook I did. After a month it looked a couple years old and really stretched out.

 

The only way I've had SS hold up is when I use an E hook.

[Titus2woman]

Rose Red, you can come and do such things all over my house anytime you get the urge~LOLOL! I need all the help I can get! Kathy, I appreciate your insight into that.... (((((HUGS))))) sandi

[RoseRed]

lolol

[magiccrochetfan]

I don't blame you for not wanting to give her the pill shaver. Me being me - I would go over and do it myself. I'd just say that I tried a new yarn and I'm not happy with it. Let's toss it in the wash - see how much worse it gets and let me fix it until I'm happy with it.

 

I could see myself doing that kind of thing, if I lived closer to her and was at her house often. we are several states apart so I only see her once a year or so when we go to stay at her house (and by the way she is a great hostess!)

[RoseRed]

I'm 1,000 miles from my Mom. We go home at least once a year but we try for twice.

[Julia from NorCal]

I hope I'm not stirring anything up or seemingly telling you what to do with the gifted afghan but...

 

I gave a gift some time ago that ended up with a similar issue.

 

Possible ending to phone conversation, "Oh and by the way I wanted to tell you that I started to have some trouble with one of the yarns I have been using. I used it for ______ (fill in the blank) and have observed that it needs to be thrown in the wash once in a while to help solve stretching that might occur. Wanted you to know in case it comes up after extended use. I loved making that _____ (fill in the blank). It was a beauty."

 

or something along those lines. It's hard with homemade items. I don't want to tell them something is wrong with something I made but at the same time I want the piece to be as solid as the day I gave it.

 

I had given a lovely hat as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago. Unbeknownst to me it stretched out soon afterwards. The recipient hired her seamstress to sew a seam up the side to tighten it up. I was not told about this until after the fact. I was mortified. A nice run through the washing machine would have saved her the expense and me the horror.

 

Now everytime I give one of my pieces away I remember that sewn hat.

 

You have my utmost empathy.

[SharonW7]

Hi, all,

 

I've been reading these posts with interest because, I, too, am so disappointed with inexpensive yarn. I've been crocheting and knitting for MANY years and learned both using Red Heart yarn, which then was very nice yarn. The past few years I had noticed the decline in quality but continued using it because around here the yarn choices are poor, unless I want to order online.

 

Well, the final straw was a few weeks ago I knitted a baby afghan using Red Heart. I had read on some lists that washing would make it nice and soft. Well, I washed it and it DID NOT soften it at all. I was so disappointed and no way would I give this gift to a baby. I threw it in the trash. And I don't think I will ever use Red Heart Super Saver again. I have heard from others that some of the other Red Heart yarns are nice, but I don't know since Super Saver is all I have used.

 

So I'm on a search for some nice yarn that is fairly inexpensive. I mostly make afghans, and I'm just not willing to pay $100 or more for yarn for an afghan. Right now I have some Bernat Super Value and Caron One Pounders to try out.

 

Happy crocheting everyone!

 

Sharon

[RoseRed]

What color did you use that didn't soften up and did you put softener sheets in the dryer with it?

[misteph]

Sharon, I have tried every wash and dry method possible and Red Heart never softens up for me! Liquid fabric softner and dryer sheets, hot water, cold water, air dry, hight heat, low heat, regular detergent, baby detergent and still I get a fabric that feels like steel wool!

 

I just don't use it any more for wearables. I won't count the orange I just bought to make pumpkins with -since no one will be wearing them!

 

To the OP, I just hate that about your gift. Is it any consolation to know that they at least use it and don't hide it away in a trunk? My Mom would do that-put it up "for good" and never use it .

 

I love the Bernat brand yarns and the Patons brand as well. They are inexpensive and have a lot of colors in acrylics, wool and cotton. I just wished I could buy Patons brand yarns locally instead of ordering them.

 

Michelle in Southern AZ

[magiccrochetfan]

To the OP, I just hate that about your gift. Is it any consolation to know that they at least use it and don't hide it away in a trunk? My Mom would do that-put it up "for good" and never use it .

 

I love the Bernat brand yarns and the Patons brand as well. They are inexpensive and have a lot of colors in acrylics, wool and cotton. I just wished I could buy Patons brand yarns locally instead of ordering them.

 

Yes, I am very happy that they are using it...I think my stepdaughter likes the afghan:) I do believe that I am the only one who sees the flaws.

 

I am going to have to check out Bernat, several people have mentioned it. Patons too....though like you say, i would like to see the yarn before I buy it.

[shortylam]

Thank you for the reviews. Do you think the Caron Perfect Match and Red Heart Soft hold up well in use?

 

Oops, I haven't been here for a while so I didn't know you asked me a question. Caron Perfect Match is very sturdy, I used it to make a blanket and it does fine in the washing machine. RH soft is fabulous, it's way better than Caron simply soft, no pill at all. Plus it has a nice sheen that I love in acrylic yarn.

[magiccrochetfan]

Thank you for the information!