Years ago, my aunt used to knit afghans with “Fisherman’s Sayelle” yarn - which I can’t find anywhere!! Soooooo, what are some soft, long-lasting acrylic yarns that I can use instead???
I’ve heard about Knitpicks new Brava yarn. Any others??
Thanks!
knitcindy
RH SS softens up when you wash it, Caron simply soft is good, as is Caron One Pounder, and Bernat’s Waverly feels really soft.
I don’t care for RHSS, but these are nice soft yarns. I haven’t made afghans with them so can’t attest to their longevity, but I imagine they’d be fine.
I can also recommend Caron’s Simply Soft. I use it to knit 4 pairs of convertible mittens for 4 girls that come through my crossing as a reward for good behaviour.
My favorite for acrylics is Bernat. It’s a fine quality and doesn’t split. I mostly use Bernat Baby Sport for baby items. Their Baby Jacquards is great. You knit in straight stockinette stitch and it makes patterns similar to Fair Isle. One of my WIPs is a top down baby sweater done in Joann’s Sensations Rainbow Classic Pattern brushed bulky acrylic. It feels very soft and has a great self striping pattern. I’m using the bright baby pastel color mix.
I would love to try Brava, but haven’t yet. I have knit with RH Soft, and I love the way it knits up. It feels good and looks good, especially for a relatively inexpensive yarn. Michael’s often has it on sale (like now - $2.50 a skein). At Michael’s, the Loops & Threads acrylic isn’t too bad, either. I used to use Caron SS a lot, but I’m not as sold as I used to be. I find the result a bit limp. But it is soft. I also agree about Vanna - I’ve knit a number of items with it, including blankets, and I like it.
I do a lot of charity knitting, and always wash items before I donate them because I have cats. I keep the cats away when I am knitting, but the cat hair travels… Anyway, even when I knit with regular Red Heart, it softens up considerably when it is washed.
If you want to use bulky yarn, the Deborah Norville chunky is really nice!! I get it at Joann Fabrics.
Good luck!
I’m a fan of Caron Simply Soft for feel, and price.
Berroco Comfort.
Berocco Comfort is by far my favorite, but it can be pricey - especially for an afghan. I used it to make my son’s baby blanket as well as hat. It washes beautifully. For a more affordable option I really like the Caron SS. I use it for all baby blankets and bunny loveys that will be given away - it seems to wash well too. I am not a fan of RH - my mother is addicted to it and so I have 3 gorgeous crocheted blankets made from it and they do not wash up near as soft as Berocco or Caron - they remain sort of prickly even years later.
I like Plymouth Encore. It’s a blend, but acts like acrylic for washability. I personally don’t like the feel of most acrylics in my hands as I knit, just a preference, so I turn to Encore.
Another vote for Simply Soft. I have used it for… almost every project I’ve ever knit or crocheted. I think the neons feel a little… plastic-y is the only way I can describe it, but the deeper colors feel amazing. It is a pretty cheap yarn that is easy to find any where.
if you have a hobby lobby near you i am a HUGE fan of their “i love this yarn” it is super duper soft - giving caron ss a run for its money! i have used it for all baby blankets that i have done and it washes up wonderfully!
I personally have used RH for afghans due to its durability and all mine have washed up nicely and soften more and more over time. I also have now started using Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn for my afghans. It is soft and washes nicely.
I love Vanna’s Choice. It’s durable, but relatively soft to the touch, and it’s got tons of colors. It’s the first yarn I ever knit with, so I frogged and re-frogged many times, and it still held up and looked nice.