Returning to knitting and crochet after many years.

[Littlepleasures]

I learned to knit at the age of 7 and became pretty expert over the years. Didn't do much crochet except granny blankets though. Gave up 20 years ago though when I had my dc as could never find the time and wool became so expensive compared to ready made garments. Just retired, dc long fled the nest, with granchildren a distant, even non existent possibility.
Thought I might take up crochet to fill these long winter nights. Try to move my skills on from granny squares a bit.
Where do I buy wool though? There seem to be very few wool shops around and I feel like a bit of a novice?
Where do you get your wool for a good price? Nothing specialist to begin with, just bogstandard 4ply and dk. Or are these even terms now? Do you use any particular online suppliers which you would recommend or is the wool in supermarkets and places like Wilco ok?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Just had a look on Pinterest. Got my eye on some hexagonal afghan blanket patterns.

[WhereBeThatBlackbirdTo]

Have a look on Wool Warehouse or LoveKnitting for Stylecraft special. It's an acrylic yarn in 4 ply, dk, chunky etc in a huge range of lovely colours. It's cheapish, very cheerful and a good way to get back into knitting and crochet. Be warned though, from bitter experience, collecting lots of colours is mildly addictive.

Have a look on Ravelry for pattern ideas, there are a lot of free ones on there to drool over.

And if you want to look at colour combinations and crochet basics have a look at Attic24. She can be a bit twee but she has excellent tutorials for getting back into crochet.

And - welcome back! I started knitting and crocheting again after many many years and I love it.

[TheWoollybacksWife]

Yarn still comes in DK, 4ply, chunky, Aran etc. I buy mine either in my local yarn shop (instant gratification but more expensive) or online from Wool Warehouse or Deramores (less expensive and a bigger range but I have to wait for it to be delivered)

I can lose hours on Pinterest and Ravelry (free to join online knitting and crochet forum). I like making blankets if I'm crocheting - I look for inspiration on Pinterest and like the ideas and clear tutorials on the Attic24 blog. I tend to make baby items if I'm knitting - it comes in useful having a huge family who are constantly procreating.

[Bobtheblob]

Wherebe has basically posted what I was coming to say! Online is definitely the way to go nowadays, bricks and mortar yarn shops just don't have the same choice or competitive prices in my experience. I use Wool Warehouse regularly and the service is fantastic. I also love Stylecraft yarn - it's great value for money, washes and wears well and is lovely to work with.
Have a look at the blog Attic24 - she has some gorgeous free patterns and tutorials, and uses a lot of Stylecraft yarn!

[CaliBoingo]

Kemps Wool Shop. I'm a bit biased since I live near the bricks & mortar store and visit there as often as possible, but their online shop prices are generally cheap, & shipping cost is reasonable (and free, if you order enough). At any given time they carry a lot of cheap clearance yarn - good for practice, good for beginners. Their website isn't very pretty and they don't carry all the posh brands, but the service is good. As for who to avoid, don't buy from Deramores if you need your order to arrive quickly.

[Littlepleasures]

Thanks so much for your replies. Just the info I needed! Can't wait to become one of the crocheting community. I'll let you know how I get on.