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 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.