Yarn Talk

I've been a hooker (!) for two and a half years now, and I still feel like a complete novice a lot of the time especially when it comes to yarn matters. My study in art/textiles mainly focused on fabric and stitch, so when I taught myself to crochet I also had to learn about all things yarn related. I remember standing in a teeny tiny little craft/yarn shop attempting to buy yarn for the first time and being faced with a whole wall of the stuff, it was quite an overwhelming experience. I immediately realised that crochet would be a most excellent way for me to indulge my passion for colour and it was the Colour Thing that I went for first and foremost (of course). I didn't care a jot about fibre content or yarn thickness, I was only interested in the colour playing possibilities. 

The very first yarn I bought to make my very first blanket was a mercerised cotton. It was labelled as a DK weight, and the lady in the shop advised me on which size crochet hook I should be using. I bought a dozen different colours and off I went scooting giddily into my first colourful hooky adventure.

When that blanket was finished I immediately began to plan my next one (the Ripple) and it was only then that I started to think about yarns in terms of their fibre content as well as the colours available. I went to a local yarn shop new to me (I had moved house/area by this time) and I fondled. I spent a long touchy-feely time with every single yarn on the shop shelves :: I pulled them all down one by one and I squished them and I rubbed my face against them and I scrutinsied the labels to learn about fibre content. I still had a huge desire for Good Colours, but I also began to think more about the importance of softness, of snuggleability (is that a word?).

All the yarns I've used so far in my Hooky career have been natural yarns and I can honestly say I've loved them all. From cotton to pure wool to cashmere/merino, they've all been beautiful to work with and have made me some gorgeous blankies. However, just recently I've begun to look for alternatives to the luxurious "designer" yarns that I've become accustomed to, wondering if there might be other types of yarn out there that deliver good colour and snuggleability (that has to be a word) without breaking the bank. Blanket-making yarns that feel good and look good but which are also cost effective.

First up for trial was the yarn in the above picture, called Kool Kotton. I wasn't honestly too sure about buying Kotton that begins with a K, but heyho, I overcame that and went ahead and ordered twelve colours to try out. This isn't pure cotton yarn, but a 50/50 mix of cotton/acrylic, and at £1.30 per 50g ball, it's very economical indeed.

Ordering from the internet has it's advantages and disadvantages. Main advantage is that you get the delicious experience of receiving yarn through the post, like a gift sent from a very special friend. Main disadvantages are that you have to hang around by the front door each day waiting for the yarn-gift to arrive, and that the colours are often badly represented on ones computer screen. I was a tad disappointed with the Kool Kotton kolours when they arrived, they weren't nearly as bright as I'd expected them to be. Quite chalky/muted in fact.

But it's surprisingly nice to work with and becomes soft and drapey when worked up. I decided to make a small cot blanket using the Vintage Vertical Stripe pattern (excellent tutorial for this can be found on the Bella Dia blog here). This is a fast stripe to work cos you hook in the gaps between the stitches :: I found it quite therapeutic zooming up and down in stripy rows using all one stitch cos my mind could wander off a little and the hooking didn't suffer too much when my brain was temporarily elsewhere.

So here's the almost-finished result :: not quite a Ta-dah moment as I still need to work a border around the long sides. I'm also planning on backing it with some soft fleecy fabric to make quite a substantial cot coverlet/quilty type thing.

What do you think of the colours?? I worked them completely at random and despite the chalkiness I do quite like them all together. It seems strange not not to see any orange/yellow brightness in there though, I think a teensy bit of orange or yellow always brings life and zing to a colour scheme and I miss it here.

I used the same yarn to make a cushion cover, I do quite like the results but again I miss the sunshine colours. Not had chance to make this up into a cushion yet either, I kind of got sidetracked by the arrival of the caravan.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh now thats SOOOooooo much better isn't it?????? We have Sunshine in the bag again, yaaayyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my latest yarn experiment, ordered over the internet and very much more successful in terms of colour selection this time...isn't it scrummy? Mmmm mmmm, very delicious indeedy.

This yarn is 100% cotton, priced at £1.50 per 50g ball and is called Rico Creative Cotton. I ordered from first4yarns  who were lovely, I can't recommend them enough.

top row, left to right ::
76 tangerine
74 orange
05 red
13 fuchsia

2nd row
63 light yellow
73 watermelon
11 cardinal
39 royal

3rd row
44 light pistachio
41 pistachio
46 emerald
47 petrol

4th row
45 mint
30 aqua
36 turquoise

 

Its listed as an aran weight yarn which is normally worked on a 5mm hook, but here I'm using a 4mm to give a slightly firmer finish. It's a lovely soft yarn, quite frustratingly splitty it has to be said, but oh-me-oh-my the colours are so damn gorgeous that I am prepared to overlook the splittiness. Oh the colours!!!!!! They make my heart sing tra-lee-lah :o) !!!!!!!

I'm making a cushion cover to start with, I did these first two squares last night and seriously I was hopping from foot to foot and squealing to myself with delight when I saw how beautifully the colours are working together. Very very very exciting stuff for the likes of me. I've also invented a new way of joining-as-you-go by edging the squares in dc (worked between the stitches), I'm really pleased with it actually, I can't wait to see how it begins to look as I add more squares.

So depending on how the cushion cover turns out, I may well use this yarn to make a blanket with. I'm still contemplating acrylic but my heart is quite captivated by this cotton yarn. I think I might be falling for it in a big way. Ooooh Creative Cotton *Mwah*

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Edited to add :: Just a little note about Ravelry...many of you yarn-lovers will already know this, but for those of you who don't, Ravelry is a rather amazing "knit and crochet community". You need to join up to become a member (which is very easy to do) and you can then access all manner of yarn info, patterns, discussions etc and join any number of groups to "chat" about what tickles your fancy. Attic24 has it's own little group going on over at Ravelry, and its FAB!! It's called  "we love Lucy" and you are all more than welcome to come and join. There are over 700 members in the group now and we do a lot of chit-chat over there about crochet and the such like, it's a lot of fun. Just thought it was worth a mention xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Me again....(Thurs aft)....the lovely ladies at First4yarns have been inundated with your orders for the Rico cotton and have sold out!!!! I'm told that they've ordered a load more from their suppliers so it should be back in stock next week if you were wanting it, hope this helps xxx

Comments

[Marie]

The Rico colours are definitely more your style and palette! Those squares look fab, so bright, the colours really zing :-) Looking forward to seeing the finished article. I think in these credit crunching times we're all looking for value for money so thanks for posting about these 2 brands of wool, both new to me. x

[springrose]

I love both sets of colors. But the second set is deffinately more you! I live in the US and just checked to see about shipping to me. Love the yarns. After having crocheted for 15 years I have never done a granny square blanket. I thought they were all uguly. Until I saw yours! I love the colors. I especially think that baby blankets should be bright and colorful instead of pastel! Babies need something to look at!

[lily boot]

I don't mind the chalky colours but completely agree about the ordering over the internet bit - I ordered some cascade the other day - the red on the web looked so rich and bright - in reality it is very dark and quite dreary. Bum! The other colours are truly glorious! What makes me hesitant about the acrylic is its tendency to pill. I've had some really lovely garments that have had a high acrylic content pill something aweful - especially where there's rub happening which could happen with a blanket. The other thing about acrylic which is a bit nasty is that it is sucking up non-renewable resources - I'd love the yarn companies to do more work with crops - bamboo for instance. That is so nice and soft, and given it can be grown in a doddle there is no reason it should be as expensive as it currently is! Good luck with your experimentation.

[Ida]

hi - when choosing yarn for the caravan, remember that snuggleability also should include extra warmth for the cool summernights. Be carefull with the man made fibers.. they contain no natural warmth...
good luck, I'm looking forward to following your caravan decoration.

[Shanti]

Love your colors, Love your striped blanket... I think that yarn is good to work with for the Caravan... have you decided a name yet?

I will I could have that sense of color that you have... it's simply not in me... so (sight) at least I can enjoy it in your pictures... :o)

PS I just started a blog (like 2 months ago) it's not a big thing, but just wanted to let you know... in case you want to pass by some day...

[Rachana]

hi Lucy,
I love your round cushion.
and in the process of making one myself.
One request please .
i have started the bag[in which you keep your yarn balls ] the famous Lucy's bag.please give the counts for the bag pattern .i have been messing upwith it.
thankx
Hugs
Rachana

[Georgia Gray]

Lucy,
What superb work. I'm in love with the blanket. Have a look at my paintings on www.georgiaspaintings.blogspot.com
I'm trying to achieve a similar colour range.
Love Georgia

[Tina]

Love this post - especially since I´m a beginner hooker (heheh) myself and just has begun to sew all my granny squares together. Such joy to see it´s actually looking nice - but so much I have to learn!

Those bright colors are great! :-)

[Aussie Maria]

I was enraptured with the very first photo and could not quite understand your lack of love for the colour. And then I scrolled down and now I understand

[Maddi]

Very nice! I love the colors of the 100% cotton.
Cotton is annoyingly splitty, but is rather soft on the skin. It'll make a great blanket.
Thanks for all the inspiration you provide!

Regards,
Maddi <3

[ruth]

The colors are wonderful! Can't wait to see what you do with them.

I agree that a tad of yellow in almost anything, makes it sing.

[Tracy]

Lucy, you just have to go for the cotton not the acrylic. How can a girl who needs to sleep on goose down pillows when she is camping/caravan-ing (!) even think about using unnatural fibres!? Sorry for the emotion here too but I am surprisingly het up about this point given that it is not even my blanket. Have a lovely time hooking

[Stacey]

Oh my gosh - I don't know how you manage to inspire me to crochet! I really want to make that blanket now - I love the colours.

[Seiko]

Thank you so much for such a perfect posting in such a perfect timing! Because I was going to ask you how you decide which yarns to purchase for your different projects. I really really like Rowan and Debbie Bliss yarns, but the choices of available colors seem to be somewhat limited in the US/CA. I will be in Tokyo next month and planning to do yarn shopping.

[Chris]

Hi Lucy

Great post, I'm so pleased to hear that I not the only one who as difficulty choosing yarn.
I had an idea for a name for your caravan (If I may be so bold that is) JOY.

I love all your post you are an inspiration.

Love

Chris

[Danielle]

It was after finding and reading your beautiful blog that I was reminded of crochet lessons with my Nanna. I've bought wool and new crochet hooks in the last month and have been happily practising my hooking. Lucy, you seem to inspire so many with your joy and love for life. Your blog is such a colourful place, full of magical attic view pictures and "little people" bliss. Thank you for providing such a 'happy space' to visit. I come to daily to revive and relax.

[Annie]

Have you tried Caron brand yarn? The Simply Soft line in particular is (of course) amazingly soft and the colors are lovely. It is 100% acrylic (machine washable!), which I don't know if you will like, but it is probably the softest, most economical yarn you can get. It's my personal favorite!

[Wendy]

I didn't realize you've been crocheting for such a short time! Thanks for sharing about your yarn experiences. I recently decided natural fibers are the only way to go. The first two squares are lovely, and I can't wait to see more on how you finish the cushions, and how you Lucy-ize the caravan!

[Jessica]

The edging on those last two squares in splendid. Please share it when you have a few seconds to rub together. Love from Kentucky!

[vanessa]

I was mega surprised to see you write you have been hooking for only two and a half years! By your pieces, I thought you had been a hooker(!) for years and years! I only started this lovely craft a few before christmas and bought some cheap acrylic wool mixes to play with. Thought it would get quite expensive to keep messing up with gorgeous wool, but once I had mastered it more and was happy with what I was doing, I would move on to gorgeous yarns! I think it's easier to do that than start off with the lovely ones and then try acrylic mixes. I guess it depends on the size of what you are doing also. The acrylic mixes are fairly ok, and would be a good choice for the caravan. They will get pulled around and be outside and inside and well used by all on chillier days. I am now a bit more confident to start some projects with the more luxurious wool but will look up the cotton type you mentioned as the colour range is to die for! Have a lovely day! xxx......by the way the pink coffee machine has a steamer spout to produce the most amazing italian cappuccino's. Just the sound of it makes you feel like you are in a lovely coffee house, only in the snuggly comforts of your own home! he he! x

[Jackie]

Lucy ~ such yummy colours in your bag ~ much more Attic 24. I think that I'll just have to pop on over to have a little look at the first4yarns sight too :O) xx

[Resmi Ravi]

Hi Lucy,

Yes, your square throw and round cushion covers lack colour and life. But the squares show that springing up of life. Its it colours that drew me to your blog initially. But now, its everything you do that brings me here! Good day! :)

Love,
Resmi

[Goosey]

Love the colours, I'm not a hooker but a fabricoholic. Seeing your wool colours I'm somewhat tempted!

[Lesley]

Hi Lucy, De-lurking to say how lovely (as usual) your colours are. I quite like the chalkiness but you're absolutely right, the sunshiney colours lend a zing.

[Heather]

OMG I was not expecting such a colour overload this early in the morning! I actually want to eat your crochet in this post, it looks so scrumptious. Instead I have to go and dry my hair and go to work in a stupid bank whilst thinking about crochet!
must dash, lots of love x x x x x x x x