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Cotton Blends
Discover Spotlight's range of superb cotton blend yarn and wool to find your ideal combination of fibres, colour and weight. Shop online or in-store.
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Choosing The Best Yarn For Knitting And Crochet? Here's How You Do It!
With a large range of yarn to choose from, crafters certainly have plenty of choice when it comes to yarn for crochet and knitting projects. But how do you choose the yarn that will give you the best result? Check out our useful guide to select the best yarn in minimal time.
How Do I Select Yarn Based On The Gauge?
One of the properties that you can base your selection on is so-called gauge. Gauge is basically another word for tension. It determines the amount of stitches per centimetre, but also how flexible your yarn will be.
Choosing yarn with the right gauge is extremely important. After all, if you use yarn with the wrong gauge, then your project could turn out looking quite awful. In most cases, you will find the recommended gauge on your knitting or crochet pattern. If you have your pattern already, be sure to check the recommended gauge before you choose some yarn from our catalogue.
How Do I Select Yarn Based On Weight?
Even though the gauge is the first quality you will always consider, weight does matter when it comes down to the selection of your yarn. In fact, the overall weight of yarn will determine its suitability for various projects.
Let's take the example of doilies. Can you imagine making doilies with heavy yarn? It does not need to be said that heavy thick yarn is not going to give you the result you need in this case, so you will need to find something thinner for this particular project.
Of course, the opposite is also true. You cannot use thin yarn for blankets or sweaters, as they will not provide the necessary warmth or durability that can withstand daily wear and frequent washes. So, if you are making a scarf or a sweater, a heavier yarn will be the best option.
We must mention that yarn weight can be different according to the brand you purchase. So, similar looking yarns from different brands may not necessarily have the same weight. So, always check the weight of the yarn on the label or in the online product description before purchasing.
How Do I Select Yarn Based On Drape?
Drape is relatively easy to determine for yarn, this is good news for beginners, who are not that familiar with the various properties of yarn. As a general rule of thumb, thin yarn tend to provide less drape than thicker yarn. If you are looking for something a little more loose, thicker yarn will deliver what you need. However, if you are searching for detailed work with little give, then thin yarn will provide the better drape.
Can I Select Yarn By Colour And Texture?
Once you have considered the gauge, weight, and the drape of your yarn, you can filter down your options further by the colour and the texture. Evidently, these two properties are important too, as they can influence the look and feel of your projects.
Colour choice - Colour selection is usually straightforward, as most people have an idea about the colour they would like for their project. Your pattern may be mentioning certain colours too, which make the selection of yarn even easier.
Texture selection - One of the things that can help when selecting the texture of your yarn is taking a closer look at the fabric fibres. The fabric fibres of your yarn will always have some elasticity, which in turn influences the texture of your future project.
When you are looking for less elasticity for your project, consider options such as cotton and silk yarn. On the other hand, if you are looking for some elasticity with lots of durability, then cashmere should be a serious consideration. Of course, cashmere can be pricey, so we only recommend this option for the most experienced crafters.
Of course, there are other yarns with variable texture properties too. Just think about popular options such as wool, cotton, and lots more. If you do not know which of these yarn options matches your preferences, why not try some affordable options from Spotlight and add them to your projects?
