A Guide To Selecting The Very Best Yarns
Are you a knitting or crocheting enthusiast? One thing that you will absolutely need to have (in addition to your needles) is yarn. And we'd like to help you find and select the very best yarns.
One type of yarn that is growing in popularity is hand spun yarn. While most yarn available for purchase today is manufactured (spun) by machine, it is still possible to purchase yarn that has been spun by hand. As with any material manufactured by hand, slight variations in color and quality will occur -- and this helps to give hand spun yarn it's great appeal, as fabrics knitted or crocheted from such yarn will resemble garments made, and warn, by our ancestors a long time ago.
As you learn more about yarns you will become acquainted with companies which produce a good quality product. One of those is the brown sheep yarn line, while another is Bernat yarn.
The brown sheep yarn company, manufacturers of the brown sheep yarn and lambs pride yarn line, specialize in lambs wool yarn. You can purchase brown sheep yarn that is 100% wool, or various types of yarns that are wool blends. Wool yarn is of course very durable and very warm -- wool yarn is an excellent material for the construction of gloves and mittens, winter caps jackets, etc. The Bernat company makes a wonderful variety of yarns. Bernat yarns can be purchased using alpaca fibers (another great insulator). Another wonderful line of Bernat yarns are made from Cashmere -- and they make a line of natural wool felting as well. Bernat yarns are also available in a soy product -- 50% acrylic and 50% soy. Speaking of Cashmere, if you can afford it (and once your knitting/crocheting skills are well developed) you should try to purchase some Cashmere knitting yarn. As you may know, Cashmere is a natural fiber and is not only a great insulator but also extremely soft and durable. Cashmere knitting yarn is not cheap, but the garments that you make from it will have a luxurious feel and will no doubt be passed down for many years as a family heirloom. In addition to these companies, other types of yarns are also available. For example, the well-known fabric designer Ella Rae Madison is now producing her own line of yarns -- Ella Rae yarn is available for just about any project, and comes in an enormous variety of colors for you to choose from. If you are knitting and crocheting don't assume that your only options (as far as projects go) are for such commonplace items and as sweaters and hats. For example, I have seen small crocheted flowers used as jewelry pins -- I have even seen entire floral displays of crocheted flowers, carefully crafted from special-purpose crochet flowers yarn. Making crocheted flowers is a great way to be economical, as you can make the small flowers from bits and pieces -- small lengths -- of yarn that may be left over from your other projects. One company that deserves special mention is the maker of the red heart line of yarns. Red heart baby econo yarn is very soft and is available in warm pastel shades, being specially-designed for the crafting of baby items such as blankets, mittens and booties, jumpers etc. And for those of you who are trying to economize, the red heart line of yarns is also available in a "super saver" line. Red heart super saver yarn is a great quality yarn which can be purchased in very large packages (skeins) without spending a lot. Red heart super saver yarn can be purchased in a jumbo package, which is perfect for larger projects such as bedspreads, tablecloths, and shawls. As you can see, there's a lot to learn about yarns -- much more than we can describe in this brief article. So we encourage you to do some reading, browse around on the Internet, and talk to your friends in order to learn more. We wish you great success with your next knitting or crocheting project!
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