Hi!
I am getting ready to try my first sweater. I am newbie and have msde dishcloths, hats, Socks so far. I dont want to spend $100+ for washable wool until I have more experience. However, I hate pilling. Can you folks recommend what is the best low pill acrylic or blend? Thankyou!
If you look on the label, a lot of acrylic yarns will say if they are anti piling or low pile. I recently started making my own sweater using premiere everyday yarn and it seems to be coming out okay so far. It’s fairly soft and it might fuzz up a little over time but haven’t noticed any issues so far. I like Caron simply soft but I don’t know if it piles a lot, I have only used it to make afghans but haven’t noticed any issues. The only thing is is that the simply soft tends to split easily when you’re knitting? So whether you like it might depend on how you knit…
Yarn bee, a brand sold by Hobby Lobby, has a line that says on the label that it is low-pile, called soft and sleek. I’ve only used to make swatches so far but it seems nicely soft so…
The best way to tell if something will pile badly, is to make a swatch, about 6 to 10 inches square (depending on your patience,lol), and then wash it once or twice, and carry it around in your pocket for a while, while you see how it holds up. It’ll let you know how the fabric holds up, and you’ll be able to see if it’s prone to piling or if you just get a little bit of fuzzy halo or not.
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Great tips!! Thank you. Off to do some swatches on some acrylics I have in my small newbie stash 
Maybe you want to look at a merino wool and nylon.
I have noticed that it does pill when husband washes it in the normal cycle.
It’s very soft and has some stretch. I buy mine when it’s on sale.
Best of luck on your search.
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Getting a blend will help with the pilling of acrylics. If you have a LYS, look at their sales bin for a bargain for your first big project. Stripes can help make a sweater quantity of yarn. Littleknits.com is a great online source of bargains of great quality yarn. They have great service.
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