Choosing Yarn

The patterns, designs and styles you choose for your crochet projects are probably the first thing to inspire you, but the yarn you choose is as crucial to the success of your crochet project.

Cheap or expensive yarn what’s the difference? 

Cheap doesn’t always mean inferior, as a better guide, gauge the yarn content against what it is you are making. Important is the yardage on the ball band and bear in mind that not all yarns of the same gauge and weight per ball or skein produce the same amount of yarn. Some expensive yarns for example have a greater yardage than cheaper equivalents.

Bamboo yarn is usually artificially produced yarn. Depending on the spinner this yarn is very soft with a slight sheen, perfect for classy crochet shawls. It often has a lower yardage per ball and can be expensive, so keep it for special projects. King Cole and Sirdar have a lovely range of bamboo yarns.
Cashmere and merino yarn blends are grown up yarns! Soft and luxurious they are perfect for special crochet clothing and scarves.  Debbie bliss and Rowan both have a good range of cashmere blends.

Wool the original yarn with cotton for crochet is warm as is angora and alpaca, usually blended they are perfect for crochet garments and make very warm soft scarves. They are usually at the pricier end of the market with lower yardages. When it comes to pure wool try the Rowan range,  Wensleydale Wools and Uist yarns. Hard wearing cotton is perfect for rugs and provides rigidity so is ideal for crochet baskets. For cotton yarns it has to be Sugar N cream!

Acrylic yarns and blends wash well and are hard wearing with some specifically spun for baby projects perfect for baby clothes and adult scarves and cushions.  Both Caron and Sirdar have a wide range of acrylic blend baby yarns.

Should you stick to the yarn recommended in the pattern?

There is no doubt that yarns of the same weight vary greatly in the finish they produce. I’ve experimented with different yarns of the same weight and the same pattern and produced very different results, from smaller stitches to different length and different widthways tension. If you want to use an alternative yarn to the one recommended in your pattern check your tension carefully and adjust your hook size as necessary.

Should you go for mass produced or independent spinner and dyer?

Hand dyed yarn is gorgeous, try Eden Cottage range, and usually produces unique colour ways. If your project is a gift or something for a special occasion then buying from an independent dyer is the one to go for. If it’s a gift make sure your recipient knows that you’ve used a special yarn.

Colour choice 

Mass produced yarn ranges offer the greatest choice of colours. The more popular the yarn the bigger the choice of colours. Acrylic baby yarn blends usually come in a wide range as do economy yarn ranges.

My 10 favourite yarns and how and what to use them for

Sirdar Snuggly double knit (light worsted) is my all time favourite yarn. It’s soft, comes in a wide range of colours and crochets beautifully. It washes well, it’s soft enough to make a baby blanket or a throw. I’ve used it for scarves and it feels beautifully soft next to your skin. Well priced it would be too soft for a bag or basket.

Bergere de France. I’ve used a few of the Bergere yarns range. I started out with the double knit and it was my favourite yarn for throws and baby blankets, but Sirdar Snuggly won me over! The quality of the double knit is excellent and the range of colours tend to be brighter than Sirdar Snuggly so if you want something bright go for the Bergere. It is priced higher than the Sirdar double knit and this helped in my decision. Bergere De France washes well.

DMC Petra is a finer yarn and it comes in 3,5,8 weights. All are more suitable to lace type crochet. It has a gorgeous soft sheen and comes in a wide range of colours with some very welcome brighter colours. I’ve used number 3 and 8. It is slightly thicker than traditional lace crochet cottons so if you are new to lace crochet this would be a good yarn to start with. Petra would make a lovely light weight summer scarf and fine baby blanket or shawl.

Sirdar Calico DK(light worsted) cotton as with all Sirdar yarns is a well priced quality yarn. It crochets beautifully and I love the colour range which goes from subtle greens, and greys, pinks, amber and baby blue. It would make a lovely summer waistcoat or more formal style crochet jacket, summer knits and I’ve used it for baskets and bags. It is very soft but more rigid than double knit wool or acrylic.

Manos de Uruguay. I used Maxima to make a cascade scarf. It was a joy to use, soft, warm and cuddly and it has a lovely finish. This extra fine merino is a hand dyed yarn and this shows in the finish. You will find slubs and variations in the colour but I see this as a sign of originality and I love the finish this produces. Manos del Uruguay is a non profit cooperative of women in the countryside of Uruguay. Maxima is 100% merino wool.

Sugar n Cream Sugar n Cream is a soft and strong yarn Arran weight (worsted) and makes a relatively strong and rigid structure perfect for crochet baskets and bags. Hardwearing, it works perfectly for place mats and rugs. Excellently priced and 100% cotton Sugar and Cream is a very economical yarn to use for larger projects. It comes in multiple colours and different ranges from solid colours to the denim and ombre ranges. It is also available in stripes and twists to a more subtle scents range ideal for baby blankets. Available in 50gram balls  I’d love to try using Sugar n cream for coverings for jars and macramé plant hangers. Use Sugar n Cream to crochet children’s toys, bibs, and baby blankets, dishcloths and sandals.

Puppets Eldorado Puppets Eldorado cotton comes in a whole range of colours and sizes 6, 10, 12, 16. The traditional colours still exist but for a more contemporary look go for a darker colour. Colours range from pale pinks and blues to darker like a deep red, dark brown, black and dark green. I love the broze and gold yellow. Puppets Eldorado also comes in a range of lovely blends which I’ve used for my 3D flowers. I used Puppets Eldorado number 10 for my gold table runner and number 20 for my pot pourri bags, it’s 100% cotton and lovely quality. Use puppets Eldorado to make traditional doilies and table covers but for delicate edgings and flower trims for summer straw hats. Use Puppets Eldorado to make a lovely anniversary or wedding gift when crocheted to match bought towels.

Sirdar Baby Bamboo is a soft yarn with a lovely sheen and comes in a gorgeous choice of colours, pinks, red, shades of green and blue and more subtle greys and browns. I use Baby Bamboo a lot in cushions and baby blankets and you can see it here in my summer holdall.  Baby bamboo while reasonably priced does not go as far as other 50 gram yarns so it makes sense then to combine it with another type of yarn.

Louisa Harding Azalea is a soft 100% cotton DK(light worsted) print yarn that comes in a choice of subtle blended colours, including heather and rusty purple subtle blends with multiple colours per ball. Azalea has an elegant drape effect which you can see in the cascade scarf I made. Used in combination with a Bergere de France Ideal wool based yarn the result was a lovely soft drape tweed scarf. Azalea is perfect for beautiful warm weather knits and stunning shawls. As you would expect from a cotton yarn, it has fantastic stitch definition.  Azalea is machine washable.

Sirdar Crofter double knit (light worsted is a quality yarn priced well. Very soft it was designed to create a Fair Isle effect in knitted jumpers and cardigans. I’ve seen Crofter used in knitting to create that lovely Fair Isle look, but you can also use Crofter very effectively in crochet tops and jackets. When you use it for scarves, cushions or throws, Crofter will make a simple design look much more intricate than it really is.

Kaleidoscope cushion - design 13

Crochet Kaleidoscope cushion

My first Kaleidoscope cushion launched in April this year, featured multiple square motifs. The Kaleidoscope collection of three cushions are all inspired by my garden which is a bit wild and rambling! For the second of my Kaleidoscope cushions  You can see the first one here...I had the idea of one big square motif for the middle of the cushion. I had been experimenting with free form crochet and making ruffles which in free form add a 3D element to flowers and shells. I could see how using a ruffle would make a lovely edging for the cushion, so the two ideas came together!

When I designed this cushion late spring was here and wild campion was growing alongside ‘Lady's Mantle’ (alchamelia mollis) in the garden. It’s amazing how nature creates lovely combinations all by itself. The pretty pink of the taller campion was surrounded by the lime coloured leaves of Lady’s mantle and late spring showers made sparkly rain drops on the leaves lady’s mantle. This gave me the idea for the colours and the yarn for the second of the Kaleidoscope cushion.

My first Kaleidoscope cushion has a homely style. I wanted the second one to have a summery look and feel, something that would look good in a conservatory or on a garden chair. What yarn to use? I love Baby Bamboo! It’s a soft yarn with a lovely sheen and comes in a gorgeous choice of colours so it seemed the perfect choice. I use Baby Bamboo a lot, you can see it here in my summer holdall. When I designed this bag I used baby bamboo for the popcorn flowers and it really stands out.

For my second Kaleidoscope cushion, which is design number 13 I used 3 colours of baby bamboo, I used a lovely bright green and turquoise blue for the centre motif and added a pale pink for the ruffle edging. Read my Baby Bamboo review here.

Whatever I am designing I love combining yarns and the effects this produces. It makes a big difference to crochet projects. Baby Bamboo is reasonably priced but does not go as far as other 50gm yarns so it makes sense to combine it with something else. 

I decided on Sirdar baby cotton it is a rather dull looking yarn but is very soft and lovely to crochet with. Better still it goes a long way. The idea I had was to create a basic background effect with a heavier weight yarn to the finished cushion which would show case the lovely shiny baby bamboo and I think this has come off.

For the second Kaleidoscope cushion, Auriol Crochet design 13, I used 3 colours of Baby Bamboo a lovely bright green and turquoise blue for the centre motif with a pale pink for the ruffle edging.

I love fastening and I feel very strongly they should be a fundamental part of the design not just an add on. Kaleidoscope cushion 1 has big buttons on an envelope style fastening. Kaleidoscope is a bit more sophisticated with a different style of button. I added 2 buttons, but a row of buttons would look really good. You could pick any colour you sued in the cushion for the buttons or ix and match!

 I used hook size 3.50 (E4)

Like more? See the pattern here....

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