Mar 20 2007
Cheapskate
Acrylics: a great majority of knitters “cut their teeth” with this synthetic fiber. I was among them. My first scarf was knit (and unknit) in Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky, which is a blend heavy on acrylic. As time goes by, many knitters prefer to work with other yarns, expanding their repertoire by using various natural fibers. I have developed a taste for the natural fibers as well, and usually prefer a nice wool over an acrylic, or a blended yarn.
However, as the market has expanded, and new knitters come into “the fold”, the large yarn companies represented in the craft stores (Lion Brand, Caron, and yes, even Red Heart) have truly raised the bar. Rarely do the new acrylics squeak against the needles as they used to, and there is often no competition on the price.
There is such a thing as a nice quality acrylic yarn.
Don’t get all high-horse, holier-than-thou on me. Admit it. Go into a craft store’s yarn department and tell me that there is not one yarn -not even one- that doesn’t tempt you or make its way into your basket.
Last fall, I was shopping with my mom and my aunt. We decided to stop in the craft store. I decided to check out the yarn and needle selection.
I saw some fugly fuzzy yarns, yes, but I also saw some really pretty colorways, and they felt great too. I came home with 3 skeins for $6.00. No denying that that is a deal.
Fast Forward.
I was working on my stash inventory spreadsheet and found these three balls again. Fell in love with the yarn all over. Also loved the ball band pattern. Why not swatch it up and see how it looks? Well, the swatch turned into a sleeve…
Stacey called it Noro-ish. The great thing is, I didn’t pay Noro-ish price for it! and I can throw it in the washing machine without a care!
…That is the beginning of this…
Free Pattern on Caron’s site. I am using a slightly darker colorway than the one shown here. The color I bought is called “Dark Moss”. Kind of like a worsted weight Trekking yarn, don’t you think? That is probably what drew me to it. Dark Moss is a emerald base with lime, turquoise, magenta, and yellow highlights. Sounds like a pretty match for the next Project Spectrum sequence!
The ball band called it Simple Shrug, but because of the luscious green, I am going to call it VERDANT.
What about you? Is there an acrylic yarn that you love? what are some of your favorite acrylic projects?
Updates: I bought the yarn… I got the pink colorway. Also, Glee is done. Still trying to figure out if I like it…
i guess i just love all yarns. i am addicted to colors and then if they feel good, i buy it! i usually stick to natural fibers, but on a trip to michaels in january i was amazed at some of the nicer acrylics and even more amazed by the prices. i just wish they were called something else, the word acrylic really is like nails on a blackboard to me!
Caron Simply Soft is my favorite acrylic…because it really is soft enough that you forget it is acrylic. I haven’t seen the shadows, though, and I love that shrug. Another one to add to the ever expanding “to knit” list.
Thanks!
Great question! I can’t wait to bear about people’s favorites.
I hate knitting with 100% cotton, but I do love me some cotton/acrylic blends, like TLC Cotton Plus.
Yes, I buy and use some acrylics. Caron and Patons have some really good stuff. My own LYS just bought a huge allotment of Universal Yarns acrylic/wool. It feels just as soft as Caron Simply Soft to me. I don’t like to knit things for my children that can’t be washed.
I love TLC Cotton Plus as well. You can’t really tell there is any acrylic in it and it’s great for baby clothes.
That is pretty! And a whole shrug for $6? Who can beat that?
My mom knitted me a throw out of the greem colorway of that yarn and I LOVE IT!!!!
Hmm, must find me some Caron to feel up, asap. Looks good to me…
I’m definitely a fan of Caron Simply Soft, too. I’ve never seen the Shadows type in person, but I think I’d have a hard time resisting, too. My grandmother crocheted me a blanket out of it and I also knit my first sweater (Knitty’s Tubey) from it.
I was just thinking today that I could use a shrug - so thanks for the pattern link! It’s probably going to go on my to-knit list very soon. I really like the colorway you’re using.
I love how it’s striping - much more subtle than Noro, I must say…
A friend of mine swears by Caron Simply Soft. I use acrylic yarns for all of my kitchen projects because they are so easy to toss in the machine - lets face it, kitchen things get dirty! (I haven’t made dishcloths, yet, and I’ve heard they should be cotton.)
I really hate the Lions Brand Wool Ease, but I really like their Homespun yarns. It’s not great to work with (although it doesn’t suck), but when it’s knit into scarves, people really like them. I get more compliments on my crocheted Lions Brand Homespun scarf than on anything else that I’ve ever made (which drove me nuts until a friend of mine told me that it “looks” homemade whereas things like my convertible gloves look store bought - I think that is supposed to be a compliment for both). This yarn isn’t always fun for knitting with, but it makes some great, soft, washable items.
I have to admit, that yarn looks pretty fab. and that is going to be a darling shrug.
I love me a good acrylic blend. Lion Brand Wool Ease is one of my favorite yarns. I love being able to throw it in the washer and dryer and not having to wonder how it’s going to come out.
It seems that when I hand wash, things tend to stretch out, I just finished “A Cardigan for Arwen,” wore it on St. Patricks Day (so what if it’s blue? I know I’m part Irish, I don’t need to wear green clothes) and now I need to wash it. I’m afraid that when I wash it, it’s going to be ginormous. I’m a plus size, so sweaters are heavier when they’re done anyway. Anyway, I used Swish Superwash for the cardigan, I’m planning on washing tonight. I’m crossing my fingers…
I’ve never knit with Simply Soft, my MIL was looking at it in the store last year and I remember thinking that it might be splitty while knitting. Yours is such a pretty color!
One of my favorite yarns is Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, so I guess I do use acrylic yarns from time to time.
All acrylics are NOT created equal! I agree completely and also acrylic - even the “stainless steel” stuff has it’s place. I work in a GREAt yarn shop (www.thepurlygates.com) and let me tell you - even the “high-end” yarn companies bring out some doozies that are crunchy, scratchy, or just plain UG-LY!
Your Verdant looks great and I hope you love every minute of it!
I do like some acrylic blends… but a non acrylic blend put out by a larger craft venue is Patons SWS. That stuff also has noro like striping quality to it, but without a noro price! and no sticks! It sure made me happy to buy it. I subbed it in for the Fake Isle hat on magknits.com
You look lovely in Glee and in your brown dress. I do love how blue your eyes look in that dress. You look fabulous!
Kisses!
I, uh, well…I kind of love Red Heart. But only for crocheting! Red Heart makes great blankets - the one our bed was crocheted 10 years ago and is still going strong, washer and dryer and all. I can’t stand to crochet with wool - it just feels so weird. And I can’t knit with acrylic. Go figure.
I used some of that yarn for a red scarf and liked how the colors knit up. I really like your little shrug. I guess I need to go back and look at that yarn again. And thanks for the link! I think I need one of those.
I bought that same yarn for that pattern. I’m not above using a nice acrylic, especially for kid’s wear.
I am with Kaet: I just like yarn! If it it is a pretty color and soft (like Caron Simply Soft and some of the Lion Brand stuff), I’ll use it. I’ve got a baby blanket in Caron on the needles and it is lovely to work with (though I haven’t since summer). And it will be easy to clean too.
Cute shrug pattern and pretty green yarn! Verdant is a great name for it.
I love the Caron shadows and tweed-y looking yarn, myself. My favorite acrylic blend yarn is LB Wool Ease. It’s washable and I enjoy using it.
I don’t feel guilty knitting a sweater with it, either since it’s $2.50 per skein.
One of the funniest buttons in blogland is a pic of red heart yarn with ‘ghetto knitter’ splashed on the front, it’s hilarious. Yes, it is so true that major strides have been made recently in the A.C. Moore/Michael’s realm. I for one am for it: sometimes LYS prices are truly cost prohibitive.
While I am usually a lover of the natural fibers, I think all yarn has its merits. I am especially a fan of TLC Cotton plus, I think it’s half acrylic or 49%, I think it’s pretty good for kid knits.
I admit to being a total acrylic free zone, but I picked up some Cascade Cherub acrylic in a yarn swap and used it to make a baby sweater recently and really enjoyed it.
I’ve always been the first to say that “there are no bad yarns. There are only yarns that may or may not be suitable for the project at hand.”
One of my frequent knitting projects is small pot scrubbers. The pattern was in the Pattern a Day calendar for 2006, I forget which page. Anyway, the best yarn to use for them is the toughest acrylic yarn you can find, since that scrubs the best.
I have an entire queen-size blanket I knit for my bed from Red Heart Supersaver. I wrap up with it next to my skin, and it’s comfortable. It’s also the warmest blanket I own!
The best approach overall is to keep an open mind, and honestly evaluate your project and its needs. Sometimes a high-end, expensive wool is the only answer. But sometimes - and I’ll bet more often than you’d imagine - an inexpensive acrylic is just the ticket!
I have to admit my first favorite yarn was Lion Brand Homespun. Like the person above, I still get more comments on that scarf than anything else! Although i’ve learned Homespun doesn’t wear all that well. But then neither do some high end yarns.
Since I’ve been exploring blended yarns I’ve been really surprised at the number that have acrylic in them and are actually really nice! And if it’s machine washable, that helps a lot in my house
It’s so pretty! I have some Caron Simply Soft in my stash that came from early yarn-buying, but it makes damn good stuffed toys for my 2 year old cousin (and my 22 year old friend). I have a little fuzzy yarn that was a gift, and maybe some random balls too. Not too bad. And I don’t mind the occasional acrylic or nylon content in some superwash wool blends, either. Rock.
I got my comeuppance in a yarn store about 4 years ago. I was walking around, taking in all the beauty and something caught my eye. A beautiful colorway and super soft. Then I looked at the label - 100% acrylic!! It was Encore, also in a marled Trekking-like colorway!!:::blush:::
As long as you like the yarn it doesn’t matter if it made out of recycled Diet Coke cans and you knit it with your feet. There are no knitting police!
PS - If not for acrylic content in cottons, I’d probably never knit for myself. Acrylic makes cotton good - no hand hurtin’!
I’ve yet to find an acrylic that doesn’t have that fuzzy look. A lot of store bought sweaters come in acrylics and I would love to work with some of those yarns. I have nothing against a good acrylic.
I love the shrug btw!
I like some acrylic yarns or combos..I made some purses for my niece for christmas out of Utopia from reynolds…I think. I really liked it. I have some of that same caron in my stash in the gray colorway. I was thinking abou tmaking a baby blanket with it, bu tmade a quilt instead. I was thinking about making that shrug you are with my 3 skeins!!
My all time favourite acrylic yarn is James C. Brett’s Marble. It’s 100% acrylic and it’ soft as butter. One $6 (and that’s CDN folks) skein has enough yardage to knit an entire baby cardigan. The colours are great and it still looks great after being accidentally thrown in the hot water wash. Can’t say that for most natural yarns.
I like King Cole Soft as Silk for inexpensive, washer-friendly knits, especially for kids. Harder to find with the demise of Lewiscraft, but my mom and I both stocked up when they were going out of business. Mine is now gone and hers is close to gone.
my favorite synthetics are Lion Brand Homespun (98% acrylic, 2% polyester) and Plymouth Dreambaby DK (50% Microfiber Acrylic, 50% Nylon). the Dreambaby is far softer (to me) than most other synthetic baby yarns, reasonably priced and washes/dries well in the machine. i use it for baby hats, slippers and booties. the Homespun i use for scarves & baby blankets.
i haven’t used Noro, but i have seen & touched it in shops and it is ROUGH. think i might prefer an acrylic to that (though the colors, admittedly, are nice).
There are good and bad things about every yarn. I prefer the natural fibres more since I can’t wear acrylics on my feet or hands and animal fibres are warmer in the kind of weather we get. I do like the washability of acrylics and the price though.
I totally agree that not all acylic yarns are bad. I like Bernat Satin for afghans and baby things, and I also like Lion Brand Tweed.
How pretty. I love the noro-ish colors.
I have to ask, what about Glee is not quite working? I’m about halfway down the body. Anything I need to look forward to would be appreciated.
I have nothing against acrylic yarns. I’m just against scratchy yarns (whatever their content may be). Although nowadays I tend to prefer natural fibers, so far I’ve come across very soft acrylic / acrylic blend yarns (it was a craft store brand, and is now discontinued, how sad!), and I’ve also seen scratchy 100% wool yarn. I guess we just have to weigh each yarn on their own merits.
I’ve always liked Zara yarn (I think the company name is Feza). It’s something like a 60/40 acrylic/wool blend. It’s very soft, it’s machine washable, and it comes in a wide variety of pretty colors. It’s great for any type of baby project (you’re not limited to pastels!) or anything that you want to be able to throw in the wash.
I also like TLC cotton plus. It’s heavy on the acrylic, but it washes beautifully. I just made a log cabin blanket out of it, and it looked better after a run through the washing machine.
I too happened upon the caron simply soft in those colorways. I bought the green, knit it up, loved it, and went back and got the blue colorway and the greyish colorway. Another acrylic yarn I love is Bernat Chunky. I think it’s pretty new… but i got in a pale pink/green colorway and am knitting a baby blanket with it. it’s so soft you’d think you were working with alpaca! (ok, maybe not, but it’s pretty darn soft) The skein was only 6 bucks for300g/480 yds. nice? yes.
I’m really not much of a yarn snob. I like all kinds. It if gets my attention and feels nice, I’ll knit it. I started knitting when I was very broke and in college and most of my knitting supplies were purchased at Meijer (a Wal-Mart type store) when yarn went on sale. Once my Mom and Oma realised it was something I was going to stick with, they started gifting me with yarn, needles and such. As I become more experienced, I do want nicer yarns and needles, but I’ll still use up all those balls in my stash, or give them away to friends who are just learning.
Every skein is sacred.
I can’t think of one that I like… not that I am writing them off totally but I can’t think of one.
Love your shrug though. Would be so cute for spring over a simple dress. (Okay, maybe up here in our crispy springs… not down there in the heat.)
I knit my first Clapotis in Caron Supersoft. I was a beginning knitter and was afraid to spend lots of $ on something I wasn’t sure I was capable of finishing! That Clapper has taken a beating and is still with me.
yay!!! welcome to the dark side!!!
caron yarns are great and i also like TLC yarns. especially blends. they’re great for baby items and for large afghans and blankets. i’m not made of money you know!
I have to admit to being a purist. That’s probably mostly because I don’t go into craft stores so I’m not even exposed to the acrylic yarn anymore. But when I first started knitting I was all about the Lion Brand homespun.
I’ve heard good stuffs about Caron yarn, too bad we don’t have them here in UK. I bought a pack of acrylic yarn from Phildar when I went to Paris because I couldn’t resist the price and the colour. I’ve made some accessories with it for gifts, and people never mind that it’s acrylic!
Noro-ish, Trekking-ish - both good things! I haven’t been to a craft store in quite a while (my closest one is about 45 min away) I’m always looking to see what new and fun things they have - looks like the acrylic yarns are looking up! I made my niece a sweater out of some crazy colors of Caron a while back and it’s wearing like iron. Acrylic definitely has it’s place.
Just saw the brown dress. LOVELY!!! Can’t wait to see it on you. Your shrug will be cute. I bought some of that yarn as well. I love the subtle stripping. XXOO
I have to agree with those who sing the praises of Caron Simply Soft. That is a really nice-feeling acrylic, very silky. Great for baby knitting! I’d also agree that some acrylic makes knitting with cotton not a miserable experience. I was so happy to see that Lion Brand brought back Cotton-Ease.
I also have had great luck with LB’s Wool-Ease Chunky. I made a Licorice Whip sweater with it, which I have put in the washer and dryer several times and it still looks great. Another nice yarn with lots of acrylic in it is Katia Diana … TLC makes a very similar yarn called Cara Mia. It’s mostly acrylic with a little angora (different!) and it feels WONDERFUL.
I do! I do! My name is heather and I love the woolease. - I also dearly love Bernat Chunky…I wear my huge cropped raglan all the time…and it does so well in the wash.
What is this glee doubt??
What a fun spring knit - the colors are great!
Ditto all of your comments about working with acrylics & other fibers! My first knit was dishcloth cotton & next was acrylic content in the scarf. I’ve done some great projects with Homespun (although the process on those projects isn’t a lot of fun) and I find that there are some lovely acrylic blends for making baby blankets - that way a beautiful blanket can be used & no one has to worry about it not holding up.
They must have a nicer selection of cheap yarns in craft stores in your town, because in Baltimore I still haven’t been tempted to buy any acrylic.
I’ll use Plymouth Encore though, and James C. Brett Marble (which is 100% acrylic, but I bought my stash of it online).
Hi Lolly….1st time commenter. Love your blog!! That shrug you’re making is turning out great! I was an acrylic snob myself, until last Christmas time. I made hat and mitten sets for 4 girls with a strand of the Simply Soft Shadows that you’re using, plus a strand of solid color Soft Soft on US9 needles, so that it would keep the girls warm in our cold Michigan winter weather. Another new fave of mine is Bernat Satin, which is sold at Joann ETC. I designed a baby blanket (inspired by the Mason-Dixon log cabin blanket), and it turned out gorgeous! Both yarns have great stitch definition, and I’m told they wash and wear very well.
I live nearly an hour from a “real” LYS so Wal-Mart is my local yarn shoppe. That pretty much means Caron Simply Soft and frankly, it’s not bad at all. At the moment I have a gigantic crocheted ripple blanket on the hook for a granddaughter and no way would I have bought anything else! Over the winter I knitted a stole with CSS in their Autum Red colorway and it is gorgeous! Count me as a fan only, where can I get these Shadow colors?
I like Lion Brand Wool-Ease and Plymouth Encore.
I use Encore for most of my children’s garments. Kids only wear an article of clothing for a season and they really put it through it’s paces. Encore is washable and generally holds up well(I’ve only had one bad experience with pilling so far with an Encore garment). I use Wool-Ease and Encore when I make children’s toys and, although I haven’t done it yet, I wouldn’t be against using it in an afghan(as a matter of face I’m using Encore in an afghan I’ll be starting this weekend).
People can put acrylic down but it does have it’s place and, frankly, some of it holds up better than some wool I’ve used. Not that I’ll mention names–cough, cough, Patons Classic Wool, cough, cough.
I have not found a nice 100% acrylic yarn yet, even though I have already knitted several items out of 100% acrylic which did not turn out bad, usually after 2 or 3 washings they get harsh… On the other hand, I have found a lot of mixed composition yarns which contain a lot of acrylic and are really nice. But I’m sure there are nice 100% acrylic yarns, the question is the LYS around here only have nice mixed composition yarns, not nice 100% acrylic yarns, and when I buy online, as I cannot touch the yarn, I gravitate towards fibres I trust more.
I am not a real yarn snob, though, as I love some artificial fibres (I reaaaally love viscose, even though it is splitty, and there’s nothing like shiny nylon ribbon for a funky accent in a classic sweater or cardigan), and I usually prefer cotton/acrylic mixes to 100% cotton yarns. And I simply cannot use some natural fibre yarns (like Lopi).
I can see why that yarn is appealing to you, it does have your beloved subtle striping going on. I think each yarn should be judged on its individual characteristics, so if the colors or the feel work for you, then go for it! I personally wouldn’t want an all acrylic because it doesn’t breath enough for me and I’d get all sweaty.
Remember how they had that really nice, soft synthetic at Knit Happens? Also, one of my SnB members used wool ease for a Rowan sweater pattern and it looks FAB.
I love Caron Simply Soft… it is my favorite acrylic by far! I hadn’t seen your yarn yet, though, so it looks like I need to head to Michael’s to take a look!
I’ve fondled that particular shade of that yarn many times but haven’t yet got it into my basket. Way to go Lolly. Thanks for saying what many have been thinking but were too afraid to say.
I actually used that same yarn to crochet a hobo bag and it came out fantastic. Tha yarn is really soft. I would have to say my favorite acrylic is Caron’s Simply Soft. My local fabric shop stocks all the colors and the skeins are like a buck and change so I use that for most of the baby girt items that I knit. Caron does really make some nice Acrylic.
I haven’t bought acrylic in ages even though some of it does look really nice. My issue is that I’m worried that it’s not going to hold up well over time. My grandmother knit many sweaters for us and they’re mostly acrylic and time has not been kind to them.
And very brave of you to state so publicly! ;-> I knit my first sweater with Plymouth Encore (it pilled some, but responded to a pill shaver, and lasted for years), and I still use it for some child and charity knitting - I believe it’s got 25% wool, and it knits up quite pleasantly. I use it to teach new knitters. And Homespun does make nice soft throws and scarves - I have a small stash of it. I’ll have to check out the Caron stuff. My husband’s family gave me his grandmother’s stash - the motherlode of acrylic - and I can’t bear to knit with the stuff, even for charity. I’ll have to think of crochet for some of the softer specimens, but the rest is hopeless. Anyone want some?
I love, love, LOVE Simply Soft. Luckily that’s one of the few yarns I’m able to get in a craft store up here, so all of them - the tweed, the solids, the shadows, etc - are tops on my list when I need to buy yarn for something in a hurry.
In a perfect world, yes, I’d always knit with wool or a wool-blend. But when you’re unemployed and poor like I am - LOL - acrylic is your friend, so thank goodness there’s NICE acrylics out there!
I have a sweater my mother knit me out of Simply Soft 3 years ago, and it’s still soft, still gorgeous, and I don’t find it sweaty at all - the common complaint with acrylic. But maybe that’s because we’re way up north - when do we ever sweat?
Haha.
That is nice yarn - I think my sister’s knitting something out of it right now. The shrug looks eerily similar to the one I just finished - I really like the fit. It will look adorable on you!
I honestly think I would knit with anything. I have found acrylics that I adore, and some that I abhor…but in general, if it is soft and pretty, I’ll knit with it. I like the acrylic and wool blends (like the Lion Brand Thick and Quick) because they can be thrown in the wash and have the feel and look of wool, for less.
I also think it is important to note the quality of natural fibers offered by these company’s. I usually buy Patons Classic Merino as my standard worsted wool. It is soft, cheap, comes in tons of colors, it is readily available and is 100% wool! I also recently discovered Patons SWS, which is half soy and half wool and all lovely.
Simply Soft is my yarn of choice when I’m making something for my husband, who’s allergic to wool. We’re in Canada, so I really want to stick with natural fibers for the added warmth, but itchy is not good, so Simply Soft it is. I think I saw the yarn in your post at Michael’s a couple of days ago - is it Shadow?
Very Nice and I agree with you about the new Acrylic Yarns.
I just made my niece a Wallaby with Caron Simply Soft. By the end of the first day she wore it, what with pancake syrup, cherry ice pop, sand and other assorted 3 year old debris, I was mighty glad that my sister could just toss it in the washer! I also did a Moderne Log Cabin baby blanket with it, and my 5 year old couldn’t stop petting it and asking for a sweater like that (this from the kid with several Cashmerino sweaters in his drawer!)
Ironically–or appropriately, I guess–I just “splurged” on two skeins of Wool-Ease for a baby sweater for a friend’s baby.
I tend to shy away from acrylics because they are a petroleum product and anything I can do to ease our society’s dependence on petroleum is a good thing.
But, when you’re living on one teacher’s salary like my family is this year, and you want to make a gift from the heart and the needles…Wool-ease it is. I really want to try Patons SWS but the Woolease was on sale two for $4. Can’t beat it!
I have scarves that I have made from lots of different expensive yarns, like Noro, made from lots of fibers, like baby alpaca and merino/silk blend, but the scarf I wear almost every day in cooler weather is made out of Lion Brand Homespun. It is super soft on my neck, not scratchy at all, and I can throw it in the washer and dryer when it gets dirty.
I learned to knit with good quality 100% wool yarn and have never, ever knit an item with acrylic yarn. I have also never, ever been tempted by any yarn in a craft store.
Call me a yarn snob if you will but I think acrylic yarn - any acrylic yarn - is just nasty stuff.
i love all yarns. but tend to be a bit snobbish lately… can’t wait to see your glee and hear about your mixed feelings on it! do tell!
Fine. I admit it. I LOVE Caron Simply Soft. There. You happy now?
~Suz~
Delurking to say that I agree with others - acrylics CAN be very nice yarns. I too love Simply Soft, all versions of it - the Shadows that you are knitting with, the basic solid colors, and I especially love the SS Tweed. I’m currently knitting Knitty’s Viveka in the same green colorway you are using, but in the Tweed version. Just saw an ad this past weekend that Caron is coming out with SS Heathers this year -can’t wait to see those! I’ll spend money on a nice yarn for most things, but for others, like afghans and baby items, I’m a huge fan of soft, machine washable acrylic. Lion Brand also has some good ones - Wool Ease and WE Thick & Quick are both ones I’ve used and been pleased with.
For those wanting to purchase some of these yarns, I’ve found that Knitting Warehouse has a great selection and even better prices.
Have you seen Suss Cousins’ line of yarns? She has some beautiful acrylic blends. My favorite is her “Kool-Aid” line… it’s this great, soft, slubby yarn in incredibly vibrant colors. I buy it at Wild Wools Yarn…. http://www.wildwoolsyarn.com. Check it out, it’s great!
lolly! I love it! totally cute shrug pattern!
I am not at all adverse to acrylic yarn. Use Wool-Ease quite a lot. I’m using it for an afghan that I’ve been working on forever. I’ve also used Encore (I cant’ remember who makes it). These are both wool/acrylic blends. I am tempted to go to JoAnns to see if they have any of that gorgeous Caron yarn!
My favorite is Plymouth Heaven. It is a cheap knock-off of Berroco’s Plush. It feels like a cloud.
Amy
What a great deal! It will make such a pretty shrug. I am trying not to buy yarn right now, so have to work on the stash first.
Hey! I like that yarn too! I find that acrylic is quite fitting for ‘heavy use’ items like a blanket or afghan. No one wants to ‘hand wash and ‘lay flat to dry’ an afghan. Well, not me anyway.
My favorite acrylic yarns are Caron Simply Soft and Lion Brand Baby Soft… and my favorite project was a Copper Kettle Crop Sweater I made… Love your shrug… the colorway is beautiful
Wow Lolly! What great timing your post is. I just finished up my grey sweater that reminded you of your Glee. I didn’t want to tell anyone that it is knit out of 100% acrylic yarn! But ya know what? I kinda liked it. My thought was just like you, I can toss it in the wash! I have like 5 more balls left over and I though I would try a pair of knee socks out with the yarn too. Why not?
I guess I am not so much a snob anymore. But I still have to draw the line at fun fur. HATE THAT STILL!
The acrylic yarn I love is a yarn I love because it came to be via my father’s high school girlfriend. My father is 81 and still married to my mother. They married when she was 20 and he was 22. In high school, though, he nearly married a woman named Hazel, and remains friends with her, as does my mother, to this day. Hazel gave my mother a huge garbage bag full of yarn last year to give to me. In it is the most beautiful bright turqoise semi-fuzzy worsted weight ACRYLIC. I’m looking around for the perfect pullover to knit out of it.
I have been ordered lots of yarn from Store.knitting-warehouse.com. They do carry Bernat Organic Cotton Yarn, Bernat Satin Yarn, Lion Cotton Ease Yarn, TLC Cotton Plus at lower price. I do love the feel of Bernat Satin Yarn (100% acrylic), it’s soft and more durable than Caron Simply Soft. The color choice is also better.
Far be it for me to be a fiber snob! I have some Caron Wintuck acrylic which is being used for an almost completed (one square left) crochetted bobble blanket. It’s soft and the colors are very nice.
This blanket has been in the works for YEARS and the yarn is still nice and soft and the finisihed squares have not pilled or fuzzed or otherwise messed up.
I’m fine with acrylic, as long is it’s not squeaky and as long as it doesn’t pill too badly.
Besides, I LOVE the colors you can get in it sometimes.
Hey, the most important thing about any knitting project:
A) Do YOU like it?
B) Does your recipient like it? If it’s for yourself, see A.
NOTHING else matters. Knitting is a craft, something we do for the love of it. I personally am only rarely seduced by even the prettiest of acrylics, but I have nothing against those who are. If you like it, rock it, girl!
I’m using TLC Cotton Plus for a baby cardigan right now and I love it! I don’t know that I would spend a lot of time on a really intricate project with it, hoping it would last forever, because that’s just not realistic. But for a baby cardigan that will not get worn probably too often? yes, sure, why not.
I have knit with that exact same yarn/color and I loved it! I knit a cable-knit scarf for my boyfriend’s mom. One tricky thing is that when you start a new skein, you need the right part of the color pattern to continue with. This left me with some small balls of it left over. Good luck!
Hi, I also fell in love with this pattern (and the yarn!).
Hey, if you want to start that shrug over… cast on and join into a round RIGHT AWAY!. Work the sleeve in the round. Split the knitting into flat knitting where the pattern says to add markers which is the sleeve top. Knit the back flat as per the pattern then rejoin to the round for the second sleeve.
This will save you the really ugly seam up the front on the sleeves!!!
Happy knitting.
Anne In Nebraska.
Delurking as well to say that Hobby Lobby has it’s own brand of yarn called Yarn Bee that I use quite a lot. Especially their baby bee yarn for baby items!
that colorway is _lovely_…..
I’ve just starting a baby hat with Plymouth Encore and I must say, I’m having a grand time of it. For me, if the acrylic just has a _bit_ of natural fiber in the blend, that helps to give it some nice springiness. I also like the TLC line of Coats and Clark.
The big questions for me and acrylics is: what am I using to knit them up? early in my knitting days, I had a very bad experience making an entire baby blanket out of Lion Brand homespun on WOOD needles— oh, the pain, oh, the squeaks. On Addi turbos, it would have been just fine.
But really, all yarn is grand. For me, the biggest problem with synthetic yarn is that garments made in it just don’t _breathe_ the way that natural fibers do… which is why I can’t wear an all-polyester shirt from the store, either– too stuffy!!! must have air
I started off as a yarn snob from the get go - yet I’ve really grown to appreciate some of the acrylic and acrylic blends out there. My LYS (and employer) just received some Dark Horse - I haven’t given it a go yet, however it feels quite soft - and not squeaky.
A few years ago I purchased a knitted hat from a local artists’ co-op. I gladly shelled out 38 bucks for it - so soft and the colors blended together so subtly and lovely. And it fit perfectly. A few years later when the LYS decided to carry a few choices of Lion Brand did I realize it was Homespun. I always appreciate giving my business to knitters… but $38 for a single rib stitch Homespun hat? Oh my! Yet, even armed with that knowledge I still loved and treasured the perfect hat.
Regretfully, I lost the hat in a hat-on-the-lap-in-the-car / get-out-of-the-car-not-realizing-the-hat-is-on-the-lap episode (I went back and searched for it.) I sort of forgot about that until now. Perhaps it’s time to get myself a ball of Homespun and start fresh! The blue/grey/teal colorway is perfect for Project Spectrum!
Unless I’m knitting socks, I knit almost exclusively with acrylic.
I would never give a new mother a blanket that had to be hand washed unless I wanted to be slapped. I also knit a lot for charity and acrylic makes the most sense for those items.
My favorite acrylic for blankets is Caron Simply Soft. For scarves my favorite acrylic is Bernat Softee Chunky.
I’m a bit of reverse yarn snob, I guess. I do enjoy the higher end yarns that I use for my socks, but I can’t imagine giving up acrylic.
Not. Even. One.
I’m sorry! I wish I wasn’t so snobby, but acrylic practically makes me break out in a rash. I’d rather knit with the cheapest-itchiest-stinkiest wool than with expensive acrylic.
I just finished my very first sweater out of 100% wool. I miss my darned acrylics because I just don’t know how the wool will wash. I love acrylics. I like Simply Soft, the new Red Heart Soft, TLC, Woolease, etc. And the main reasons I love acrylics are because they are affordable, machine washable, and they DON’T FREAKIN’ ITCH! I may change my tune someday when I can afford silk, but for now, I heart the petroleum based yarns.
Also, now that my friends are having babies, I know they would utterly kill and maim me if I made them something that had to be handwashed after the kid threw up on it. I’d probably kill me too, for that matter!
I have an infant so I concur. Machine wash all the way!
I too love that yarn and that exact pattern. I’ve been eyeing the grey and cream colorway for a while now, but can’t bring myself to buy more yarn until I have my stash-problem under control.