I want to buy a "nice" yarn!

General Knitting
1

Hello!

So, I am going to start something that is not a washcloth tomorrow. I am thinking a scarf, possibly an Infinity scarf, but I want to buy a yarn that I know I am going to want to wear when I am done. I like really soft things, and I like the look of bulky, thick yarn as well. I don’t like frilly, or the kind that is curly, or the kind with bits of squiggly string hanging off, just regular looking yarn. Fat yarn. Soft, fat yarn!

I have been reading some yarn reviews (shouldn’t I be out clubbing and drinking at 25? Hahaha!) and I have been reading about angora, and yaks, and mink, and POSSUMS. I had no idea you could make yarn from possums, but there it is. Do I need to go the route of animal products to get that silky softness?

I want something reeeeeaaally soft.

However, my fiance will kill me if I go out and buy a skein of yarn that costs $25.

I am going to the knitting store in Lethbridge so I am going to get to browse more variety than Walmart offers, but I figured I would ask here.

Also, how much should I buy for a really long scarf? Would one roll be enough? Come to think of it, is a skein and a hank the same amount? Now I have to go back to Google. :stuck_out_tongue:

2

As for what yarn you should buy, the LYS should be able to give you some good advice. I’ve learned to really like wool but there are some good synthetics also. As for how much, that depends on your scarf. Maybe you should take a look at www.ravelry.com and do some looking around. There are scads of free scarf patterns there and you can get a better idea of how much yarn you need and what you might like to do once you have it. Pick a pattern and get the yarn amount it recommends plus an extra ball or hank or even two. You might decide you must have a hat to match.

3

I am going to carry a hank of wool around the store if they will let me, just to hold against my skin. When I was a kid I remember my mother getting a wool sweater for me and it was like wearing fire, I hated it. I am pretty sure it was 100% wool however, so it might not be like that when it is blended.

I have not even practiced weaving a new skein/hank into a piece that has run out of wool yet, I am nervous. I bet it is tricky. If possible I am just going to buy a really, really big ball so that I can knit from a single source. :stuck_out_tongue:

4

The LYS is a very good idea because you can feel the yarn to your heart’s content and they’ll be delighted to let you. There are all kinds of wool, some scratchy but many 100% wools that are wonderfully soft and smooth. I just finished a throw in Cascade 220 Superwash Chunky and love the soft feel.
Skeins, balls and hanks come in different lengths but usually the yds/m are given on the label. Don’t worry about joining a new ball of yarn, there are many ways to do that shown here (about halfway down the pager) and by searching Google.
Have fun at the yarn store!

5

Sadly, I’ve tried many types of wool and find even expensive and blended ones at least somewhat itchy. They feel soft to me in the hank, but once knitted…not so much. The least scratchy ones are the ones that are smoother with less guard hairs.

And don’t worry about starting a new skein. Just start knitting and weave in ends later. Nothing tricky about it.

6

The LYS is a great suggestion. There are many, many yarns to choose from! In addition to GGs great suggestion, my only suggestion is that you consider the care instructions before you buy - which is why I go for machine washable. If you want easy care and are looking at wool blends, look for the term Superwash.

7

What is The Lys? A brand? The only stores I know of here are Knitting Time and Michael’s.

Has anyone ever bought from Michael’s? It was a bit expensive for painting supplies.

I have been looking at some of the delicate Japanse stuff, like Haiku. Yeesh. I’d love to do some lace knitting, but it looks hard!

8

LYS = Local Yarn Shop. I don’t have one that’s really “local” myself. Thanks to justplaincharlotte I’ve come to think of them as petting zoos. LOL Anyhow, you can get yarn at stores like Michaels or Hobby Lobby. If you look online you might find good coupons for 40% off one item, or even more. I’ve been known to go through the checkout more than once to use more than one coupon. JoAnn Fabric sometimes will ring up multiple items in separate transactions to allow me to use multiple coupons. Taking a friend along to go through with a coupon helps too.

9

Do you think Michaels would be just as good as LYS? Just as much selection with quality brands?

I also need to pick up some cabled needles for bigger projects. My scarf is going to be pretty wide, so I need that or I need some very long needles.

10

A really good yarn shop has many more kinds of yarn than a Michaels. There are a lot of online vendors that have good stuff, too.

I can’t use wool (drat! my husband offered to get me a wheel for Christmas and I can’t spin without a dust mask and gloves!) so I’ve gotten used to looking for other fun stuff. Right now I have a bunch of Cotton Silk, which is just what it sounds like. There are also a lot of acrylic yarns that are really soft. I wouldn’t use anything really fuzzy until you’ve been practicing for a while, because it can drive you nuts if you have to frog any of it.

11

One word–Malabrigo. It’s wool but it’s super soft and lovely to work with. You won’t find it at Michael’s, though.

12

Knit Picks.com has some beautiful yarns and that are not that expensive. You can get a 70 percent baby alpaca and 30 percent silk for under 20 dollars. If you look under the clearance yarns you can find it for 3.24 a hank. I recently found some Gloss Lace 70 percent merino wool and 30 percent silk Lace weight yarn for 3.24 a hank in the clearance yarns . I bought 2 hanks of it and paid 6.48 for both.Each one has 440 yds in it, that is enough to do a cowl or small shawl.

13

Although she hasn’t provided her location, the OP’s use of the word “wool” leads me to believe she’s in the UK, Canada, or another country (i.e., not the US). I don’t think Knitpicks ships outside the US :sad: , but I could be wrong.

To the OP: Michael’s and other large-scale chain stores carry lines of yarn/wool that most LYSs do not carry. The reverse is also true: the better (IMHO) lines of yarn, e.g., Skacel, Malabrigo, Manos de Uruguay, Schoppelwolle, are carried [B]only[/B] by independent LYSs. You won’t find them in chain stores. The LYSs are also the place to find natural fibers: sheep (whether of multiple or single breeds), alpaca, llama, camel, yak, angora rabbit, mohair (from goats), cashmere, and others.

If you think wool from sheep is hard to wear, be informed by my personal experience. When I was a kid, my mother MADE my sisters and me wear some clothes she’d sewn for us out of wool fabric. I don’t know whether it was the finish on the fabric, the dyes in the fabric, or what, but I broke out in a rash every time I had to wear that outfit (skirt and vest, I think, but definitely a skirt). I thought, for a long time, that I was allergic to wool (sheep). Then I learned how to do needlepoint as an adult. The yarn/wool was very soft and it had a grain. When stitching with the grain, heavenly; when stitching against the grain, definitely NOT heavenly.

Hmm. Had it been the finish? the dyes?

So, when I learned to knit in May 2011, I looked further into wool fiber. Different breeds of sheep grow wool with different fine-ness and different crimp (crinkly-ness) and different softness. Merino, Rambouillet, and Cormo are [B]generally[/B]–not universally–agreed to be the three softest sheep wools.

When one selects a knitting yarn/wool from one specific breed, one has stepped out of the industrial model and into the artisan model of producing supplies for end users (us). This introduces the concept of the knitter/crocheter supporting a Living Wage for the person or people who have helped in the creation of that single-breed skein of wool/yarn. It is very labor-intensive, and very skilled labor at that, to process the fleece on a small scale, to spin the yarn on a small scale, and to market the single-breed yarn on a small scale.

However, if you want to wallow in woolly softness and lusciousness, that may be where you need to go. Familiarize yourself with the single-breed yarn sellers in your region and see whether anyone on Ravelry may be selling such for less than retail (Ravelers occasionally “de-stash” yarn at below-retail prices; heck, below-wholesale prices!).

Where are you?

14

I agree. While there isn’t anything wrong with yarn from craft stores the higher quality yarns are sold in independent yarn stores and online.

Malabrigo makes me itch. :frowning: I can knit with anything, but I can’t wear it.

15

My daughter who “can’t” wear wool loves her sox made from Knit Picks Felici yarn and is hoping for a pair made from Stroll. I buy it when it’s clearanced or they’re having a big sale. It works up nicely and is soft. YMMV and I bet Jan wouldn’t say the same thing about it. We’re all different, that’s OK.

16

I would agree with the Malabrigo yarns being very soft and have knitted with them before. I would also recommend Stonehedge brand from Michigan, 100% wool, and it’s very, very soft. I’ve made a cowl and a scarf with it so far and it’s not at all itchy.

I would definitely recommend choosing a pattern or two first, and taking them with you to a yarn store. I would try and get there when it opens, so it’s not busy and the assistants will have time to help you out and talk you through things. Just about every LYS has a clearance section where they put stuff they’re no longer stocking, or the last couple of hanks of something, so check there too, but be sure to buy enough for your project, because clearance yarn isn’t normally restocked, so if you run out you might be up the creek without a paddle!

I think the big box stores can be useful and there’s nothing wrong with buying things there, I have a lot of sock yarn from those stores that I’m still using up and it’s just fine. But going to a LYS is like letting a 5 yr old loose in a toy store! Be warned! :teehee: You might also be a bit overwhelmed at the choice, so it’s best to have a plan, or at least an idea of what you want to do.

17

Putting together Lethbridge and Knitting Time on Google, which she mentioned in an earlier post, I came up with Alberta, Canada. She’s definitely going to need something to keep her warm!! :happydance:

18

One last thing! Michaels and JoAnn both have a pretty good selection of knitting needles and notions (I like Takumi Bamboo brand), but definitely sign up to get their coupons because they have a LOT of them. Getting your needles with a coupon at the big box stores for 40% off means you can spend a bit more on your yarn. That’s the way I look at it anyway.

In the USA, JoAnns have their needles and chrochet hooks on sale at 25% off until Christmas, not sure if they carry those same sales into Canada.

19

I probably couldn’t wear it as a scarf, but socks might be okay. My feet aren’t as sensitive to wool. Since I don’t like hand knit socks it’s a moot point though. :teehee:

20

Blasphemy! I know a suitable punishement. You won’t be allowed hand knit socks until you want them.

I am so glad there are so many yarns to choose from. We all have different needs and wants when it comes to yarn and the things we knit.