Yarn advice

[deflatedbirthday]

I am a very novice knitter and just started to crochet.

I had some very cheap wool I bought for a project years ago which I've been practicing with.

It frays easily and just looks awful. Is that because of the quality of the yarn or my crap needle work?

What yarn would you recommend for a beginner?

Stylecraft Special DK is fab. Easy to use, huge range of colours, easy t9 wash and not got that squeaky acrylic feel.

The cheap wool will not help matters, that's for sure.
Look for one that is smoother - there are some that feel quite silky - and are much nicer to handle. Also your hooks will make a difference.

I am still very novice myself, and learning all the time. But the hooks I use make is even more of a pleasure. (I won't advertise, but here's a pic.) They are not the mainstream that you would buy in even a good crafting store.

One of the yarns in that pic, even though a bit tufty (the Carnival Tweed Chunky, 30% wool) is a lovely feel and grows so quickly. So that might be a good one to try.

Drops are nice and reasonably priced. Drops merino extra fine is a good and reasonably priced wool double knit weight. If you want something a little thicker there’s an Aran weight yarn called drops Nepal. Other popular yarns are Stylecraft special dk which is an acrylic yarn or stylecraft life which has wool in. I get a lot of my yarn from www.woolwarehouse.co.uk and they often have a 10% discount code in inside crochet and simply knit/ crochet magazines.

I made this in a couple of hours. Sent to my poorly cousin, who loves it.
(If I can do it, anyone can....)

In terms of hooks, clover amour and tulip are really comfortable hooks with a soft handle. Clover soft touch is also good and slightly cheaper.

Emu yarn is very nice and reasonably priced. Also make sure you use the right hook size as using a hook too small can cause extra splitting.

So many different variations are available for yarn.

The first thing to consider is whether you want acrylic, wool, alpaca or a plant fibre, or a mix of the above.

If wool, there are different breeds available. E.g. merino is super soft. Shetland is great for colourwork, ditto Icelandic wool (but can be itchy).

The best thing is to see what yarn your pattern suggests. Then if you cannot get it, yarnsub: yarnsub.com/ offers alternatives.

In terms of brands, for wool I like Drops, West Yorkshire Spinners or Jamieson & Smiths (I do a lot of colourwork.

I would suggest you take a look at Wool Warehouse. They have a huge range in terms of weights, fibres and brands.

I use the WOmens institute wool. I love it for crochet.

Second this

Oh and when you are learning, use lighter colours where you can clearly see the stitches. Black yarn is particularly difficult to see what you are doing.

Third this!

unless you are working in a high humidity environment! I took some to the Caribbean once to make a holiday project and it was just awful (first world problems!)

someone mentioned Drops yarn - I really rate their merits and alpaca yarns. Great value. The cotton is very splitty (as are a lot of brands) so not good for a beginner.

Thank you so much for all your advice. I bought some Aran yarn yesterday and while previously struggling with the initial chain I completed 5 rows of a scarf last night! I'm chuffed.

I'm attending a local crochet group at my local pub on Wednesday. Nervous and excited 😊

Another vote for stylecraft, its lovely yarn for the price.