Why acrylic yarn is the best! No yarn snobbery here
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
- So, what is acrylic yarn and why do most knitters hate it? Why I love acrylic yarn and all the things I've knitted and crocheted using acrylic yarn!
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00:00 Intro/why I like acrylic yarn
01:00 What is acrylic yarn, the history of acrylic yarn and how it's made
02:49 What I've knitted and crocheted with 100% acrylic yarn
14:23 What I'm currently making with acrylic yarn
14:40 Blankets are perfect for acrylic yarn
15:29 Try not be too precious about your knitting/crochet
16:14 Comparing yourself to other knitters
17:37 My favourite 100% acrylic yarns
20:24 Postbox toppers/yarn bombing
21:15 Outro and thank you for the love on my Yarn Snobbery video!
Pattern designers mentioned
Sincerely Louise: www.sincerelylouise.co.uk/
HayHay Crochet: hayhaycrochet.com/
For The Frills: forthefrills.com/
Knot Bad: knotbadami.com/
Yarns mentioned
Brian's Best Wool: www.briansbestwools.co.uk/
Yorkshire Trading Co (60p!)
Woolcraft Pebble chunky
Women’s Institute Bright Lilac Premium Acrylic Yarn by Hobbycraft
King Cole Big Value DK
Scheepjes Softy
Cygnet Seriously Chunky
Stylecraft Special DK
Paintbox Yarns Simply DK - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
There's one comment on here that I was so tempted to reply to about acrylic yarn.
We ALL know it is plastic.
Some crafters can't afford natural materials. I do occasionally buy the odd hand dyed skein, but like a lot of people my yarn budget had been slashed to almost nothing with the increase of bills, food etc.
I have ten amazing grandchildren, who I love to make things for.
I don't get to see all of them very often so they know that when Nanna sends them a little gift in the post, every stitch, loop and, yes the occasional error, is done with love.
I don't through any away, my ends are used a stuffing for amigurumi. We shouldn't have a to justify why we CHOOSE to use acrylic, but I find I have to.
My favourite is for Home Bargain, but I'll use any kind of yarn if it suits what I feel like or been asked to make.
Love, love the dinosaur! xxJane
Couldn’t agree more 🥰 well said Jane 🥰xx
Another fabulous video - you will love the women’s institute yarn it’s one of my favourites along with style craft special and usually the women’s institute is 3 for 2 which works out an amazing price especially if you buy the 400g ball!! Love your animal heads 😊 they are so cool!!! Xx
I am in N Y wearing my first knitted sweater which is acrylic. Love you videos!
Aww, lovely! Acrylic yarn is the BEST 😊
Thank you!
My favourite thing I made with acrylic yarn is the blanket I made my niece when she was born. I used Caron super soft and it was beautiful!
I also knitted a chunky cropped jumper in burgundy acrylic and it’s the most “me” item of clothing I have!
So lovely ☺️
I’ve yet to knit/crochet a piece of clothing that’s ‘me’, I’m hoping the fuchsia pink hexagon cardigan will be it
I absolutely love Stylecraft Special DK and have crocheted many blankets with it (mostly Attic24 patterns) and the blankets are in constant use, including being sat on out in the garden! I find that most acrylic yarns are lovely to use.
I have come across some people who hate postbox toppers because they say that microplastics are leached out of them by the rain… I wonder if this is true? (I haven’t yet researched that one!). Postbox toppers always make me smile and I’d love to make one for my local postbox one day…
Thank you for another entertaining and thought-provoking podcast!
Microplastics are leached out every time you wash them. We have machine washable wool here in Scandinavia. And in fact, you do not need to wash real wool so often, it only needs to be aired. But, by all means, go on polluting the world for your children if you prefer.
@@ilonak7847 Thank you for the information- I definitely don’t want to be responsible for helping to pollute the world! So perhaps a postbox topper made from machine washable wool is the way to go!
I love acrylic yarn. I'm in the USA. I buy Stylecraft DK usually for cardigans that i knit. I love to make amigurumi as well and i usually use acrylic for them too, because cotton hurts my hands.
Some time ago I've knitted beanie and scarf for my daughter and used beautiful, soft and squashy acrylic yarn. Unfortunately I had to throw it away cause the set was very heavy and wasn't warm at all. She complained that she had frozen to the marrow wearing that beanie and scarf that definitely hadn't protected her from the really ice-cold wind
Oh wow!
I keep my favorite Ami too.
:)
the colors of the Paintbox yarns! 😱 WANT
I know right! 🤗
I agree that no one should judge another person when they use acrylic yarn. I have learned, after several washings, that some acrylic yarns are better quality than others, especially no pill varieties. People don't realize sometimes that superwash yarn has a plastic coating on it, so if they use it, who are they to judge others. I absolutely love Premier Everyday No Pill yarn, as well as anything from Knitpicks. Knitpicks Brava yarn is soft, thick, and lovely as well as Mighty Stitch. I live in Canada. My favourite thing is a crocheted poncho by Marly Bird made out of Premier Everyday yarn.
I absolutely Love the bear head.
:)!
You make a few valid points in favour of acrylic yarn here, but there's a couple of things I disagree with. Although acrylic keeps its shape better than plant fibres, it doesn't usually hold up as well as wool - it has no "memory" and won't bounce back into place. It also tends to be extremely prone to pilling, worse than wool, which usually stops pilling after a while as all shorter fibres are lost.
I'm not opposed to using acrylic - sometimes it's all a person's budget can accommodate, some people are allergic and I prefer it for baby clothes and amigurumi. But there are valid reasons to prefer wool.
Oh I’ve never known any of my things to pill from acrylic, I’ll keep an eye on that!
Yeah, everyone is different and each project you knit/crochet is different too. Some items don’t suit acrylic whereas some do
@@NaomisNeedles Totally respect your experiences - all acrylics are different and it depends how you use/care for things! And on the opposite side of things I also know some superwash or softer wools hold up badly. So there's nuance here for sure.
What an amazing vid. Thank you for making it. You taught me a lot!!
Thank you! ☺️
I'm a big believer in acrylic yarn. I dont love to wear it, but only because I live in a hot place and it doesn't tend to breathe as well as natural fibers, but I've made all kinds of things with acrylic and blended yarns. Sweaters, toys, blankets. Basically any gift I make is done in acrylic because I dont trust anyone else to hand wash anything. I think all fiver types have their place, and if you like acrylic and that is what fits in your budget, then to hell with the snobs.
"Things you make are supposed to be used."
This! My sister told me that when she stays with us she has to tell herself that it's okay to use crocheted blankets because that's all we have. And I've crocheted her a blanket and she barely uses it! 🤦🏻♀️
And of course, every blanket I've ever made has been made frkm acrylic because I will not be hand washing a blanket after my cat or dog pukes on it. Tbh, I'll never be handwashing a blanket. I know the kind of person I am and it is not the kind of person who hand washes blankets.
Currently preparing quick knit/crochet vest tops for summer workshops. Striped knit and granny square crochet.
I am using 10 for 129kr balls of yarn called Holly from the Swedish household stuff shop called Rusta. 129kr is about £11. And £1 a ball is a miracle in Sweden!
They sound like lovely makes, I need to get into summer makes! Still in winter knit mind set, haha
That sounds like a great deal!
@@NaomisNeedles The Granny Square tank top is exactly like that HayHay one that you shared! I have printed off thd pictures from that instead of having to produce my own instructions - so thank you!
The knitted one will be based on Jessie Maed Designs Summer Secret Crop (free) but possibly garter stitch hems and bigger needles for my little pre-teens or they will never finish it in 6 weeks (6 afternoon sessions with me, plus whatever they do at home)
Interesting about how acrylic yarn is made and I suppose if it was made from recyclable plastics then I think it would get more kudos. In your research did you find out whether any companies do that? I will start looking for some examples as this may be the way to go forward. No one wants to damage the planet any further do they? But did you know that you can use ANY scrap yarn to comb into woollen fleece to spin and make a speckled yarn so any waste is not dumped.
Great video and love your quirky presentation it really keeps me watching to the end.
Hi from Canada! Love your creations! Acrylic does get a bad wrap, but I use it often when making toys, you can just pop them in the wash. Acrylic/wool blend yarn is my fav lately.
It is interesting to see that in crochet videos they mostly use acrylic yarn, but in most knitting podcast they prefer hand dyed yarn. At least this is what I assume.
I really enjoy your videos (new subscriber here) but I have to disagree with you one point: soft acrylic yarn pill a lot😢
That's why I love using Alize Baby Best as it is an anti-pilling acrylic yarn and it has 10% bamboo in it which makes the yarn even more softer.
My passion and love for acrylic is simple is that: I do a lot of charity crochet&knitting for premiee babies at the nicu. The only yarn I can use safely is acrylic❤
I'm so happy knowing that you've set acrylic free from needless judgement!
Not only is it long lasting and dynamic, it's a great way for new knitters to get started without judging me for wearing my YOLO hat at my local knit and stitch.
Thank you for this and everyone else who appreciates that acrylic yarn is just a material choice for the individual.
I have made 2 blankets (one knit and one crocheted) with Premier Yarns Just Chenille. It is easy to knit and crochet and feels so soft as a yarn and as a made article. It is also available in 1000gr cones for making the larger articles.
When I first started knitting, I got acrylic shamed at a group meeting. I use acrylic for family and friends who can't handle wool. I'm thinking of using my stash to make a wild, multi-colored cardigan. I do use a wool blend for socks.
That is shocking. I hope you never went back.
Acrylic yarn has served me well for over 50 years.
I would never say anything to anyone like that. No-one knows their circumstances. X
Hobbii Horizon is a lovely acrylic yarn. It is pricey but I recently got it 50% off so I decided to try it. No regrets! It’s soft, doesn’t split, the colours are lovely, very few knots and the company ships worldwide.
Red heart is scratchy. The mixed colors are even worse. BUT, it softens up with a wash and dry. Great for blankets, shawls and toys.
Interesting, thank you! A few people have commented saying they found it scratchy, that’s a great little tip. Just found out I can get it in the UK too so I’ll have to try it!
I think this is a great video. My go to acrilic yarn is Elle's range. I use acrilic for larger projects as natural fibres are just too expensive.
Thank you 🙂
Same, larger projects work so well with acrylic yarn
Be thankful that you can’t get red heart yarn, it’s very scratchy. I don’t use it.
It’ll be interesting to try still I think, especially as I just found out you can buy it in the UK 😸
I just loved this video... I must say I was a yarn snob, but I started crocheting and to make a blanket would cost me a small fortune if I bought combined material yarns, plus the average person would ruin animal or plant based yarns if gifted because of the required care instruction. I not sure I would feel comfortable or welcome at my local yarn shop in knitting group using acrylic yarn because they don't sell it. I live in the US. What do you guys think about using acrylic yarn in your local yarn shop knitting/crochet knit nite how would you feel or how do you think they would feel? Humm?
Plastic is always cheaper than wool. I would like to see what your acrylic jumper or vest will look in ten or twenty years time. Real wool lasts and wears well, plastic does not. There is nothing snobbish about using real wool, it is only sensible, especially if one does not have lots of money.
I love how rematable this video is. When you talked about making a bunch of gifts out of acrylic and forgetting to take pictures of them - same. Your dog chewing off the beak of the pigeon? Thankfully not same, but I have come downstairs in the morning to an entire ball of yarn strewn across the house. 🤦🏻♀️
I will disagree with you on acrylic not pilling. The soft acrylics do tend to pill, which is why Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling yarn is my favorite worsted weight acrylic - super soft without the fluff and pilling. I find that Lion Brand makes the best acrylics overall tbh. But as far as I know, Lion Brand is hard to get outside the US.
Hobbi Amigo is another great acylic yarn that's more accessible (always get it on sale). Ice Yarns also has great acrylics - my favorite is Cakes Blues for self-striping and Favorite for solids. Softly Baby from Ice Yarns is the softest acrylic I have ever felt, but the color selection isn't great.
RHSS doesn't pill, but it will also suck all the moisture out of your hands when working with it. Supposedly it softens after you wash it seventeen times, but I can't handle working with it.
My most recent acrylic creation is the turtledove II sweater. My most favorite is making knitted hats.
I always feel like i have to apologize to knitters when I say I use acrylic. Trying to break that habit.
Just had a little look on ravelry, that’s a lovely sweater! What colours did you use? I’ve recently got into making hats, knit flat then sewn into a hat. Like you I feel like I need to apologise for not knitting them in the round!
So much pressure when knitting sometimes
@@NaomisNeedles I made mine in orange and dark navy blue stripes!
@@NaomisNeedles I also think it's more important that people knit than what they use. If we continue down a judgemental path, this art form will be lost.
wool warehouse has red heart
I never knew that, thank you! Just had a look, soooo many colours 😻
@@NaomisNeedles np. I only saw it as I did a mad buy when I first took up crochet