**NOTE: This blog post contains affiliate links. At no extra charge to you, a small commission will be given to my small business when you shop using my links.**
Choosing the right yarn for your crochet wearables can be a difficult task but it doesn’t need to be! In today’s blog post we are going to walk through the most important things to consider when choosing your yarn including budget, fibre content, colour, ethics, and of course GAUGE!
The 3 Most Important Things to Consider
In my opinion the three most important things to consider when choosing yarn for your wearable crochet items are: that it fits your budget, that you achieve BLOCKED gauge with it, and you like how it feels against your skin! Let’s dive into these 3 items and some other important factors when choosing the perfect yarn for your next project!
Budget
Budget. Budget. Budget. Do not break the bank just because a designer used fancy yarn for their sweater! There are GREAT budget yarns from brands like Lionbrand and WeCrochet that will give you a gorgeous finished object. Or if you feel like spoiling yourself with the super fancy hand dyed yarn that is a totally acceptable way to crochet too! You should never feel pressure to use the most expensive yarn just because others are, and using a budget yarn does not making your garment any less special.
Feel
This one can be tricky if you are shopping online, but I highly recommend actually getting your hands on the yarn you’d like to use prior to purchasing it to ensure you like how it feels on your skin. Don’t have that option? Look for online reviews or ask friends who have used that yarn to give you their honest opinion on how it feels! You could try looking the yarn up on Ravelry or Google images to see how it works up in different projects. Or check out www.yarnsub.com for great substitution ideas for a specific pattern!
Another thing to consider is any potential allergies to animal fibres. You definitely do not want to spend all the time making a gorgeous wool sweater just to not be able to wear it because it causes you to have any type of allergic reaction – whether it’s your sinuses or your skin.
Gauge, Weight & Drape
Did you really think I would do a blog post about **anything** and not talk about gauge?? Think again! My rule is: if you can achieve gauge with the yarn & enjoy the drape of it at the proper gauge – then it’ll work! You want to ensure that you block your swatch as different fibres grow in different ways and match your pre-blocked gauge throughout the making of the piece. Read more about the importance of blocking your swatches by clicking here.
Related to gauge is the weight of the yarn. Ideally, you will always use the same weight of yarn that the designer did. E.g. if the designer used DK yarn you should not try making it using worsted. HOWEVER, the yarn weight system and some yarns are on the cusp between one weight and another and may be able to be used for different weight projects. The only way to know for sure is to make a swatch & block it to see if you like how the stitches look!
Things to look out for if you do shift the yarn weight (for the record I do not formally recommend this):
If you use a lighter weight of yarn check to ensure the stitches don’t appear to gappy/holey at proper gauge. If they do, then you could try holding the yarn double or just use a heavier weight yarn.
If you use a heavier weight of yarn you may compromise the drape. Once your swatch is blocked and dry with accurate gauge, hold it up and give it a wiggle. It should move around nicely! If it is stiff then your garment will feel stiff which is NOT comfortable and we are not in the business of spending hours making uncomfortable clothing. The solution here is to use a lighter weight of yarn.
For both the above examples changing your hook size for anything other than achieving gauge is NOT an option. Changing your hook size will change the gauge and will affect the sizing of the design. Don’t do it!
The right weight of yarn should give you a nice moveable, flowing fabric that you cannot see your undergarments through. It can be a delicate balance but it is worth getting the drape just right!
Fibre
There are almost endless different fibre types that have been made into yarn! For the purpose of today’s blog post we will put them into 3 buckets: animal fibres, plant fibres, and synthetic fibres. There is no hierarchy of the 3, the decision is totally up to you (more on this in the ethics section below). Each different fibre and even the same fibre from one brand to another will give you different drape and stitch definition.
Animal fibres are the ones we most commonly associated with crocheted and knitted clothing and rightfully so – they’ve been used for centuries, they are versatile, they are natural and therefore are breathable, moisture wicking, and temperature regulating.
I am not going to go into each and every animal fibre, there are TOO many - but I would like to talk about the difference between superwash and non-superwash yarn because it is important! Non-superwash is basically just the animal fibre in it’s original form spun into yarn. Animal fibres, especially wool, have little barbs in the fibres, which is what you can sometimes feel in an “itchy” wool. This is NOT saying that all non-superwash animal fibres are itchy – some are VERY soft – again, that is why it is important to get your hands on the yarn before making. The barbs give the fibres a bit more structure and holding power versus superwash.
So, what is superwash? In **very short** superwash fibres have been stripped of the barbs and are coated to provide a more smooth surface to the fibre. This prevents itchiness in the yarn and often allows the yarn to be machine washable (check your labels first though). Because it no longer has the barbs to hold it up, superwash yarn usually stretches more than it’s non-superwash counterparts. This is why it is super important to always gauge! Even with the same weight of yarn and hook as you’ve previously used to achieve a specific gauge – the fibre can and will affect that gauge big time!
Next up are plant fibres! It is incredible what is being done with plant fibres lately. Plant fibres, like animal fibres are great for breathability! Plant fibres do not have the same barbs that animal fibres do and therefore tend to be less structurally sound. Blocking plant fibres to see how they stretch when wet is super important! I love working with plant fibres for tanks and tees or lightweight dresses.
Then we have synthetic fibres. They’re durable and often machine washable! They can be super scratchy or super soft and anything in between! Synthetic yarns tend to be the most affordable and due to their easy care instructions are a very popular group! They’re perfect for anyone who has an allergy to animal fibres or would prefer to not use animal products.
Lastly, there are yarn blends. Blends usually contain a bit of both a natural (plant or animal) fibre and a bit of a synthetic fibre. This brings the best of both worlds together. Blends tend to be long lasting, have decent moisture wicking/temperature control, and are easy to care for.
What fibre content you decide on is entirely up to you – most people base fibre content choices on feel, budget, and ethical reasons.
Ethics
Choosing yarn based on ethics is another aspect to consider. Obviously, the environmental impacts of natural versus synthetic fibres can and should be considered. For natural fibres - the animal or environmental impact can also be looked into if this is something that is important to you.
How we know if something is ethically made/sourced can be tricky but there are a couple things to look for on the yarn label. For wool you can look for the Responsible Wool Standard, which works to certify that wool is sourced from farmers who take a progressive approach to land management and their animals’ welfare. Learn more about the Responsible Wool Standard by clicking here.
Another thing to look for is Oeko-Tex certification. Oeko-Tex is a standard based primarily on the social and environmental impact of textiles. Personally, I’ve found Oeko-Tex yarn difficult to source but every one that I’ve tried with this certification has been dreamy – like the Rainbow Bamboo yarn from Hobbii. To read more about Oeko-Tex click here.
Colour
Another important aspect to consider when choosing the yarn for your project is colour! Personally, I think you can do any project in any colour or combination of colours that you like and want to wear! Let your style fly in whatever way you want!
However, one thing I’ve noticed is that if you are doing a textured stitch, lace, colourwork, or something with any specific detail you want to be able to see it is best to stick with more solid colours. Variegated yarn will hide texture on you because it kind of creates it’s own gorgeous texture as it’s worked up. That is not saying I don’t like variegated, I do, it is just better for something with simpler stitches, or fewer texture or colour details that you want to be visible!
Self striping or self-fading yarns work well for many projects. I personally don’t love them for larger garments like sweaters because it is nearly impossible to match the striping/fading on the sleeves to that in the body.
Lastly, when doing colourwork like my Marzanna, Devana, and Eira sweaters, I highly recommend HIGH contrast colours (e.g. one dark and one light) and recommend staying away from variegated because it will make the colourwork harder to delineate between. For colourwork I recommend asking yourself “If I see this in greyscale will I see a difference between the two colours?” if the answer is no, choose a different colour!
With regards to colour let’s touch on dye lots! When it comes to the big brands you will almost always see what are called “dye lots” on the labels of each ball of yarn. It is important to ensure that all the dye lots for a large project are the same. While yarn companies big and small do their best to ensure consistency in their colours, sometimes minor inconsistencies pop up and you’d hate to have one ball that doesn’t match the rest and end up with one sleeve slightly darker than the rest of your sweater.
With indie dyed yarn, especially variegated yarn, it is incredibly challenging to have a whole sweater quantity of skeins be a PERFECT match to each other. The way to avoid accidental colour blocking is the alternate your skeins. Basically, you just change skeins every couple rows or rounds. I promise that it’s less involved than it sounds. Typically, I try to pick two skeins that look the least alike and alternate between them every 2 rows/rounds. I do not fasten off between; I just float the yarn from the non-working skein up the inside of my project.
Care
Different fibres have vastly different care requirements. Some are hand wash, some are dry clean, some are machine wash and some you can even put in the dryer! Be sure to choose a yarn that you are willing and able to care for in the way it needs to be! All yarn should have care instructions on the label.
In Summary
This blog post just touches on some of the big factors to consider when deciding which yarn to use. The above list of considerations is not exhaustive, nor have I done a deep dive into each aspect. I hope you found it helpful as a basic guide to choosing a yarn that suits your needs.
While there may be a LOT of factors to consider when choosing a yarn, at the end of the day, and yarn you can afford, achieve gauge on, and enjoy the feel of is the perfect yarn for your next crochet wearable!
Thank you for reading today’s blog post! I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any comments, questions or concerns about this topic please email me at courtney@ilovetinderbox.com.
Happy crocheting,
Courtney