Yarn, Yarn, Yarn
Hello!
Everyone has their favorite yarn, and because of that, I am sure that there are lots of disagreements about what is the best and what is the softest. I am no expert on the subject matter and being a beginner myself I can't tell you that there isn't anything better out there, however, I would like to take a moment to discuss the yarn that I typically use for my projects and why I have picked them.
I am cheap. I love doing these projects because it is much cheaper than trying to find someone to do it for me but I also like to get my supplies for cheap. I live in an area that there are three different craft stores, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn Fabrics, and Michael's. I have shopped regularly at all three however, I think my favorite has to be Hobby Lobby. They are typically bigger and have more stuff than the others (depending on the location) for a decent price and good availability. This store is my go-to for purchasing most things and they almost always have a 40% off coupon online to use. It helps that the closest craft store to me is a Hobby Lobby but I still look at them first for my supplies.
I have done a few different projects, which have required different types of yarn and supplies. My first projects in 4-H were baby blankets of a log cabin type pattern, which I have included a link of what a log cabin pattern typically looks like. These types of blankets are usually made with an acrylic yarn, which is the ones you find in the store that there are tons of colors of and are a little scratchy. Most places carry the Red Heart brand, but I like to use Hobby Lobby's brand of I Love This Yarn. It's softer than Red Heart and the color selection is incredible. It typically costs about $4.00 for a large skein of a solid color, while the multicolored skeins have a little bit less yardage for the same price.
After my 4-H days, I went through a period of not even thinking about yarn work, and actually, have just recently picked it back up and fallen back in love with it. The first project I started back up with were these Waffle Knit Dishcloths that I absolutely love making and using. For dishcloths, however, it is standard to use a cotton yarn. I started with using the Peaches & Cream yarn but found that it was very stiff and did not soften well in the washer. So I picked up Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton and WOW did it make a difference. It was much softer and much easier to work with. The gauge on my projects got much better because I wasn't fighting with the yarn as much.
Those are my two suggestions for using acrylic and cotton yarn. I have done some other projects with a very chunky yarn and if you are going to do something like that I would start looking into the Yarn Bee brand that is also sold at Hobby Lobby. They have lots of different options for chunky yarn that should suit your needs.
UPDATE:
I wanted to give you guys a link to the Ravelry website (my user is broermant). Its a forum based website where people can share their projects and ask all sorts of questions from basic to complicated. You can also save your yarn 'stash' to keep track of what you have and link you projects to the yarn. It really is a great site if you love needlework and yarn work. Hopefully, you guys love it as much as I do!
Much Love,
Taylor
Everyone has their favorite yarn, and because of that, I am sure that there are lots of disagreements about what is the best and what is the softest. I am no expert on the subject matter and being a beginner myself I can't tell you that there isn't anything better out there, however, I would like to take a moment to discuss the yarn that I typically use for my projects and why I have picked them.
I am cheap. I love doing these projects because it is much cheaper than trying to find someone to do it for me but I also like to get my supplies for cheap. I live in an area that there are three different craft stores, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn Fabrics, and Michael's. I have shopped regularly at all three however, I think my favorite has to be Hobby Lobby. They are typically bigger and have more stuff than the others (depending on the location) for a decent price and good availability. This store is my go-to for purchasing most things and they almost always have a 40% off coupon online to use. It helps that the closest craft store to me is a Hobby Lobby but I still look at them first for my supplies.
I have done a few different projects, which have required different types of yarn and supplies. My first projects in 4-H were baby blankets of a log cabin type pattern, which I have included a link of what a log cabin pattern typically looks like. These types of blankets are usually made with an acrylic yarn, which is the ones you find in the store that there are tons of colors of and are a little scratchy. Most places carry the Red Heart brand, but I like to use Hobby Lobby's brand of I Love This Yarn. It's softer than Red Heart and the color selection is incredible. It typically costs about $4.00 for a large skein of a solid color, while the multicolored skeins have a little bit less yardage for the same price.
 |
| Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn in Dark Denim |
After my 4-H days, I went through a period of not even thinking about yarn work, and actually, have just recently picked it back up and fallen back in love with it. The first project I started back up with were these Waffle Knit Dishcloths that I absolutely love making and using. For dishcloths, however, it is standard to use a cotton yarn. I started with using the Peaches & Cream yarn but found that it was very stiff and did not soften well in the washer. So I picked up Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton and WOW did it make a difference. It was much softer and much easier to work with. The gauge on my projects got much better because I wasn't fighting with the yarn as much.
 |
| Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton in Mint |
Those are my two suggestions for using acrylic and cotton yarn. I have done some other projects with a very chunky yarn and if you are going to do something like that I would start looking into the Yarn Bee brand that is also sold at Hobby Lobby. They have lots of different options for chunky yarn that should suit your needs.
UPDATE:
I wanted to give you guys a link to the Ravelry website (my user is broermant). Its a forum based website where people can share their projects and ask all sorts of questions from basic to complicated. You can also save your yarn 'stash' to keep track of what you have and link you projects to the yarn. It really is a great site if you love needlework and yarn work. Hopefully, you guys love it as much as I do!
Much Love,
Taylor
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