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.

Mixing up Yarns

There are many reasons to combine different yarns in your crochet projects and lots of benefits for doing this. For a start this is a great way to use up yarn scraps! Adding a different yarn adds another texture to your crochet work and gives a completely different look. This makes your work completely exclusive, no one will be able to create the same look even if they are using the same pattern.

How to do it?

Combine a different yarn from your main yarn as a stripe

Put an alternative yarn at the centre of a motif
Use a different yarn from your main yarn for the edging of a crochet blanket or throw
Mix up yarns as part of your whole project by using two yarns together e.g. a plain 4 ply yarn with a silky 4 ply
Use a different yarn to make crochet buttons to decorate your project. This works nicely on children’s clothing, when contrasting buttons looks lovely.
Use a different yarn for surface crochet, silky and tweed on plain looks good
Add your different yarn to a motif. For example if you are using a double knit yarn for your project  twist 2 yarns of 3 or 4 ply together to make alternative rows.

Hints

Use different weights and twist together
Use a tweed yarn with a plain yarn
Use a silky yarn with a plain yarn to turn your project into something really classy

Use other weights together in contrasting colours to your main yarn and you can double up 4ply and combine to a double knit based project. If you do this please be careful to check your tension is OK. Make a test piece to check your tension and to check the yarns look OK together and it’s worth experimenting.

Your alternative yarn doesn’t have to be the same type of yarn as your main yarn. I often combine tweed yarns with plain double knit and this looks really good and it’s surprising how many yarn colours a tweed yarn will complement.

It’s worth bearing in mind that if you use different type of weight yarns but from the same manufacturer you often find the dyes are the same, so colours will blend together well.

Wensleydale Longwool Wool

I love trying our new yarns and have wanted to sample Wensleydale wool for a long time so when I visited their shop in Leyburn North Yorkshire on a lovely sunny day earlier this month I was in my element!  Leyburn is lovely and the Wensleydale shop is a treasure trove of yarn, accessories and finished items made using this local Yorkshire wool. If you get the chance make a visit to the shop, the staff are very knowledgeable and very keen to help and discuss your projects.

Made in very pretty Wensleydale using traditional Wensleydale Wool, this very warm yarn presents very good value. The Aran (worsted) yarn is £6.50 per 100gm ball. Double knitting yarn (light worsted) is £6.60 for a 100gm ball and £3.40 buys you the 4 ply in 50gm balls.

The wide  selection of colours includes some marls in the Aran weight which includes Natural, Aubergine, Buttertubs, Coral, Denim, Dusk, Fennel, Larch, Lime Sherbet, Marshmallow, Mizzle, Moonlight, Pomegranate, Storm, Teal, Wild Thyme and Thornton Rust. Yardage per 100g ball: 160m – 174yds and for knitting recommended needle size: 4.5mm (UK 7) with a tension of 19sts and 25 rows over stocking stitch 10cm x 10cm using 4.5mm needles.

Wensleydale Double Knitted(light worsted) also comes in 100 gram ball, colours are Natural, Natural Black, Buttertubs, Coral, Denim, Fennel, Larch, Lime Sherbet, Mizzle, Moonlight, Spruce, Storm, Wild Thyme, Marshmallow, Pomegranate and Thornton Rust. I used a 3.5mm hook 11 dc’s (sc’s) and 13 rows made 6 cm’s/2”. Yardage per 100g ball for the double knit is 235m/257yds with a recommended needle size of 3.75mm (UK 9).

Wensleydale 4 ply in 50 gram ball comes in Natural, Natural Black, Buttertubs, Larch, Fennel, Moonlight, Pomegranate, Marshmallow. Yardage per 50g ball: 170m – 186yds with a recommended needle size: 3.25mm (UK 10) and a tension of 27sts and 36 rows over st/st on 3.25mm needles over 10cm (4″) square

All these gorgeous Wensleydale yarns would be perfect for winter jackets, cardigans, scarfs and hats and gloves. Buy at the lovely shop in Leyburn north Yorkshire or online at https://www.wensleydalelongwool.co.uk/?v=79cba1185463