Crochet basic – Understanding what your crochet yarn is made of

Something to keep in mind when working with yarn is its composition. Do you prefer manmade materials, or are you a natural person? Yarns are readily available in both, and sometimes it comes down to your favorite choice. Garments are especially nice if they’re made of natural fibers such as wool, silk, or cotton, while items such as afghans lend themselves to synthetic fibers, such as acrylic, mainly because of the reasonable cost and ease of care.

When beginning to crochet, most people find it easiest to learn on a smooth wool or wool/acrylic blend. Although pure acrylic yarns are often the most inexpensive and easiest to find, they don’t have much elasticity. When you’re just starting out, this means your stitches may look more uneven than in a wool or wool-blend yarn. Slippery fibers, such as cotton or silk, create beautiful fabric but can be tough for an inexperienced crocheter to keep on the hook. After a little experience, you’ll be able to crochet wonderfully with any yarn.

As far as price is concerned, on the cheaper end of the scale are usually pure acrylic and other manmade yarns. On the high end are cashmere, silk, and other luxury fibers. Workhorse wools, cottons, and blends of more than one fiber type fall in the middle of the spectrum.

When looking for yarns of different fiber types, be aware that every store carries a different range of products. Although you may have a great variety of budget acrylic yarns at your local megastore, you may have to go to specialty yarn shops for pure silks and wools. But this is changing. It’s now not uncommon to find great quality natural fibers in some of the same stores that were long known for carrying only synthetics.

Most patterns, however, specify a particular yarn because it makes the design what it is, so keep that in mind if you substitute a different brand or type of yarn. No matter what you do, that fluffy wool yarn won’t look the same as a shiny cotton when crocheted.

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Crochet Basics – yarn over