Please, can anyone suggest a specific brand of yarn to use?? I have been using Lionbrand but there are so many out there I don’t know which ones to avoid. Will someone please give me suggestions??:woohoo:
it really depends on what you’re doing. i personally don’t like lion brand, i find the yarn just doesn’t want to work with me. if you’re looking for a nice worsted weight acrylic caron has a soft one that’s great for beginner projects. my first finished scarf was made out of it. http://www.caron.com/color_cards/cc_simplysoft.html
another one i haven’t used but i’ve heard good things about is bernat satin http://www.bernat.com/product.php?LGC=satin
hope this helps
That’s nearly impossible to do. It depends on what you like to knit, whether you’ve any allergies, your budget, etc… I could recommend some and someone else may hate those and tell you to avoid them. It comes down to personal choice as well. The BEST thing to do is knit with what you like. Lion Brand has some good ones, so does Bernat and Caron. Go into a yarn store and take a look around, too. 
What is it that you want to knit? What kind of gauge does the project call for? What kind of drape do you want to have in the finished article, and how do you want to be able to clean the finished product?
Thank you. When I was taing lessons I used a brand called Encore but it is a hard brand to find. I happened upon worsted weight with Lion Brand but they are not the easiest brand to find either. I want to make a afghan so I think I will look at the brands of Caron and Bernat as I remember seeing them in a store close to me. Hopefully I will catch on but right now it is almost overwhelming. Thanks 
I have gotten to the point where I prefer knitting with hand spun stuff…which…I guess one can argue still does have a brand…but isn’t commercial.
If you can get your hands on it…(and can afford it) I have been enjoying Sirdar…They make a number of nice yarns.
I agree with something already said though…it totally matters what you are knitting, what your budget is, etc…
Caron is nice…Bernat has some nice stuff out…and has good availability, as well as Patons…
Just go out and feel up some yarn…You are bound to find something you like!
Encore is often considered a staple yarn in yarn stores I think and is readily available online. I’ve used it for a lot of things and it is a nice yarn and washable.
I’m surprised you’re having trouble with Lion Brand. Our Joanns and Michaels are full of it!
I always use King Cole yarns because it knits up brilliantly and washes very well too and it stays in shape with so- many washes :happydance:
An afghan…so you want something really soft on the skin, sturdy to stand up to use and machine washing, right? And what’s your budget?
The thing is, it’s pretty easy to winnow down your choices if you know the answers to all those questions.
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What gauge do you want? Let’s say you’ve decided on worsted.
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What color of worsted? Narrow it down to the brand(s) that have the color you want.
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Which of the properly colored worsteds feels the nicest to your skin,will wear well, and will wash up properly?
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Which of those worsteds fits your budget?
By now, you’ll probably have gotten it down to at least 3 or less choices, and it’s pretty easy to choose between two or three, right?
Mind you, if you go out on the Web to look, it may take a bit longer, as more will match your requirements, but it’s essentially the same thing. If your choices feel overwhelming, start getting pickier and fussier about your colors and fibers, and that’ll start limiting your options even more. 
Most importantly, have fun! Picking out your yarns is supposed to be part of the most fun bits of knitting. How you make these choices is part of what makes the project really yours and like no other knitter’s!
I go to craft stores and just touch a bunch of yarn til I find something I like. I don’t buy acrylic or acrylic mixes, so that rules out a bunch. I like most Patons, some Bernat… brands don’t really matter that much. When I manage to get to my LYS, there are soooo many brands that I don’t really remember any of them afterward. I bought some nice Cascade, I think?
Pick a project and then go see what you like that would work for it.
If you’re looking for inexpensive, but decent quality yarns, try Knitpicks. If you don’t have something specific in mind to knit already, they have some sampler packs so you can try their various yarns in a small project.
There are a number of popular inexpensive brands available at places like JoAnn or Michael’s or Hobby Lobby, and that sort of place…those can be a great place to start, especially if you’re on a budget. Then you might try finding a local yarn store to go through and fondle a wide variety of yarns, usually of the more expensive and higher quality kind. I found it helpful to check out the yarn by feeling it and reading the labels to check gauge and such when I was just beginning.
I also bought up a bunch of yarn on sale that, after a time, I realized I wasn’t going to be likely to use up because my tastes changed over the year or two before I got around to using it!
To keep from being overwhelmed, I’d choose a pattern or two,and buy some appropriate yarn for the project you have in mind. That will give you an idea how certain yarns feel and how they knit up. Then, after you finish those projects, go on and try something different.
Hope that helps. Jan is totally right about everyone liking different things. I heard so much about Noro, that I was thrilled about taking a class for a project that called for it—but honestly, I hated it, and will probably never buy it again…so you just can never tell!
There is a little known yarn mill which I have been more and more impressed with. They have a great non-wool sock yarn (Saucon), a lace yarn with sterling silver spun through it, some basic worsted wool in terrific colors, and a new yarn called Perfection which is soooo soft-- 70% acrylic and 30% merlino. So washable! And beautiful colors.
Also, I really like Crystal Palace Yarns.
I think a nice brand is CASCADE 220 wool, or CASCADE 220 SUPERWASH wool. It’s a great yarn that can always be counted on to deliver a fine knit! The 220 has to be hand washed, the SUPERWASH is obviously machine washable by it’s name!
A nice acrylic-wool washable yarn is Plymouth ENCORE yarn.
It delivers a quality knitted item and is reasonably priced.
Always buy the BEST yarn your budget will allow.
That’s my 2 cents!
I agree with others that Caron’s yarn is also wonderful!
I like Caron or Bernat because they’re easy to find and are soft…and for the most part not too pricey. Before I found them it was Red Heart. I thought it was fine until I felt the difference; now I can’t stand my Red Heart but I’m using it for my blanket and I refuse to rip it all back out for the hundrenth time. Red Heart is good, but itchy acrylic.