Choosing the Right Yarn | Choosing Yarn Weights, Materials, and Colors

Just recently, I posted an easy-peasy conversion chart for crochet terms as well as abbreviations. Check it out here. 

I remember when I was just a beginner crocheter, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Since I had no resources, books, no blogs to follow; I was lost. My first crochet purchase was a Susan Bates 3.75mm hook and 1 skein of Red Heart Super Saver. I desperately searched online for an easy to understand tutorial, and I only ended up with an ugly chain, a mess of yarn, and a teeny crochet hook. 

Have you ever been there? Or even, are you there? The truth is that you're not alone. Every single crocheter has had a learning phase. Thats alright!! Today we are going to crack down on all things yarn. 

Yarn is awesome. It really is. But how do we know what yarn we should buy? It all comes down to three things; weight, material, and color.

Though the process of buying yarn may not seem a huge deal, the right yarn is important because you want to achieve the a beautiful end product. You can spend hours making a beautiful white sweater... only to hear that your friend has a bad allergic reactions to natural wool fibers.

Here's the easiest way to find the PERFECT skein of yarn for your next project.

Yarn weight the thickness of yarn. There are about seven common categories of thickness. Lace weight, super fine/fingering weight, sport weight, light worsted DK, worsted weight, chunky, and extra bulky. 

Yarn weight is important because it will determine the thickness and bulkiness of your finished product. If you choose a beautiful lace weight yarn to make a shawl, you'll a beautiful drape effect. However, if you use a bulky or chunkier yarn... the fabric you create will become very big and stiff. 

It is important to know what kind of yarn you are looking for. Usually, most patterns will have a specific yarn recommendation. It's never a bad choice to use that same yarn, the creator of the pattern has tried out the yarn and has gotten positive results. If the yarn is not available to you, try to use yarn of similar weight. 

This can also give you a broader horizon when it comes to materials and colors. 

Material is what the yarn is consisting of. Fibers consists of two categories.  Man-made fibers and natural fibers. Yarns can have pure fiber or fiber blends. There are 100% acrylic yarns as well as yarn that have 5 different fibers. But fibers aren't just thrown into a basket of roving and spun into a random heap of yarn.

Each fiber has it's pros and it's cons. 

Acrylic yarn is durable, color fast, and easy to wash. Acrylic also comes in a variety of colors. Cotton fibers are good for warmer weather... as it is a more breathable material in the first place. It's a very lightweight category. Bamboo (made from the pulp in a bamboo stalk) yarns are very luscious and soft, great for babies and children.  

The list goes on and on even more into very complex yarn blends. But regardless, it's an important factor to think of when buying yarn for a project. For chunky and warm cowls... try a soft wool blend. A rug or placemat... try more durable yarn like acrylic or t-shirt. 

Just like the weight of the yarn, the yarn make-up itself is extremely important. 

Now you have found the perfect yarn for your kick-butt project, now you can choose the color scheme. In my opinion its the best part!!

Color can evoke many emotions and feelings. There is detailed psychology behind this... and it can be more interesting than you think. 

That's what makes it so fun. You have complete control over the mood  of your crafted piece. You can have lots of happy pastels for a colorful and upbeat project. Or you can imitate a gloomy and cold winter scene with dark hues of blue and gray. 

Color blocking, contrasting colors, and hues of colors are also great choices.

There is NEVER any wrong way to go when choosing colors. The sky is the limit!! Its what you as the creator feel like making that day... it is entirely up to you.