Yarn Reviews and Recommendations
Knit Picks Brava Worsted
Knit Picks has a variety of yarn, but my favorite to use is Brava Worsted. It's premium acrylic, and is $1.99 for 100 grams (218 yards). I've mixed this with Hobby Lobby's I love this yarn, and Red Heart Supersaver, and had no problems. It reminds me a bit of Caron Simply Soft, just because it's so soft and sort of shiny, however, it does not pill, and it comes in lots of colors. It also has a nice drape. NOTE: THIS VIDEO IS NOT MINE.
The other thing I like about Knit Picks (all their yarn), is they tell you more about each color, and what it goes best with, if you click on the color. For example, it tells me: Cornflower is a color that falls in between lighter shades of blue and green, similar to a soft turquoise or a robin's egg blue with slightly more green undertones. Cornflower is also a calm and tranquil shade that is sure to add a pop of color without being overpowering. I have not found a store to buy this yarn in person, but I have never been unhappy with my online purchase of Brava yarn. I use Knit Picks for most of my custom orders. EDIT: I've tried Knitpicks Brava Sport, and it's equivalent in weight and length to Stylecraft Special DK. It's very thick for a "sport" weight. |
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Stylecraft Special DK
I purchase Stylecraft Special DK from Wool Warehouse. I've used it in two separate projects now, and I do like it. I do tend to mix colors and brands a lot, and the only thing about this is I don't have other DK yarn to mix it with. It comes in a variety of colors and it's fairly cheap.
I've heard this yarn doesn't pill, but I made a sweater out of it, and where my arms rub against the body, it is beginning to pill. However, I do like it and will keep using it. |
Red Heart Supersaver
I have heard a lot of negativity regarding RHSS, and in the past, I don't think it was very good yarn. (I have some old skeins from the 1990's and early 2000's) It is not my favorite yarn, but it is the one most readily available in rural USA, and I do use it often. The trick with it, when you're finished, toss it in the washer AND the dryer. Putting in in the dryer helps relax the fibers and they soften up A LOT. It makes it almost as soft as Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn.
For $2.84 (at walmart) for 364 yards, it's hard to go wrong with this versatile yarn. They are coming out with lots of new colors and lines, such as the "pooling" line, and the Ombre and Stripes variegated colors. However, they do cycle through other colors quite often. A few years ago, I fell in love with "Guava" and now I can't find it anywhere! |
I Love This Yarn (Hobby Lobby)
Now that they put in a Hobby Lobby in 20 minutes away from me, I am beginning to use this yarn more, However, it is still twice the cost of RHSS. While I don't dislike this yarn, the price is what keeps me away from it. It's 3.99 for 282 yards, and you can find it on sale quite often, I don't buy it often.
I did make a blanket out of it for my mom a two years ago, and she put it on the back of the couch. Last time I went to visit, I looked at it, and it looked very worn and not quite pilling, but it was fraying and little threads were coming off all over. It didn't look very good at all. |