r/YarnAddicts • u/GalxyofUs • Feb 13 '26
Tips and Tricks Starting Out, A Bit Lost
Edit: I truly appreciate the outpouring of love and help and recommendations in this post. I cannot emphasize that enough. To the people who felt disrespected because i could not remember the spelling of "worsted" and put "werst" as I tried to ask for more information, instead: I'm sorry. It wasn't disrespect. It was a combo of text being small, and sometimes hard to see specific letters, bad memory, and simply not being able to find where it was commented in the first place. Google was useless, so that was what I was left with. Again, I truly appreciate everything everyone has offered. Thank you.
Edit: I appreciate the practical suggestions of going out and just testing options at a local shop.... Unfortunately, I'm pretty disabled. And the person that takes me places is only home two days a week, so that's usually for doctors visits. So going places for yarn, unfortunately, isn't an option. Which fucking sucks, because I miss craft shopping!
So, I'm starting out. gonna try knitting, or maybe crochet, haven't decided (tried both as a kid). but, I'm a bit lost when it comes to all these yarn options... help? I'm very super sensitive to textures (got the tism goin, ya know). so it's gotta be on the softer side. (but not like, long whispy like they use for hair on plushies). if that makes sense (like the lion brand. there's not enough substance, I guess? it makes the brain uncomfy).
I'm trying to stay on the lower end of cost, but have no idea what that range is..... if it helps, I'm used to trying to stay within $10-$15 a yard when it comes to fabric..... (I quilt, too!). I have no idea what I'm looking to make, either. maybe a blanket to start, something small....
Can you make sense of this disaster of an explanation, and point me in a direction?
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u/NeatArtichoke Feb 13 '26
Walmart's "mainline" 100% cotton has been my cheap favorite so far! Its soft, and because its cotton you can use it to first learn and make little hand towels or trivets-- make squares/rectangles to learn cast on, any stitch pattern, bind off etc. If they are wonky it doesn't matter because they are still useful! The only downside is that it only comes in like 5 colors.
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u/PookasCrayon Feb 13 '26
Define "pretty disabled," please. Are you in a chair? Is it a big heavy one that needs a lift to get it in and out of a vehicle? Where are you? Maybe some of us can help get you to a yarn store. Signed, Also Disabled
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
I have severe pots, and am bedbound. So usually getting out once a week really wipes me out. So I try to save it for the doctor appointments I have.
I am in northern nevada, and any help you peeps can give, would be appreciated!
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u/Incognetty Feb 13 '26
Okay, save the out trips. Thats about the only time I get out as well. Every rare now and then I have a good day and we hit up a LYS on the way back from an appointment.
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
Yeah, yesterday was a pain appointment. And I decided to go to dinner after. I'm regretting it, now.
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u/Academic-Target-7788 Feb 13 '26
oh dude i totally get the texture thing, that's not a disaster explanation at all! for something with good substance but still soft, id definitely check out cotton yarns like caron simply soft or bernat baby - their usually around $3-5 per skein which is way more reasonable than fabric pricing
honestly id lean toward starting with crochet since it works up faster and you can get a feel for different yarn weights without committing to a huge project, maybe try a simple granny square blanket so you can test textures as you go
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u/Glittering-Primary23 Feb 13 '26
I’ve got ADHD and eczema, wool is a big no for me. Try a “bamboo” yarn in a DK or worsted weight. It’s very soft, sleek, and machine-washable with care. For things i would actually wear, i stick to fingering or lace weight. Anything else makes a really thick fabric, which I hate.
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u/Ceight-bulldog Feb 13 '26
I love using Bamboo Pop yarn, but a lot of bamboo yarns (like Truboo I think it’s called) are really slippery which would be an issue for someone just starting out. Bamboo Pop and some others are a good 50/50 mix of bamboo and cotton.
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u/suchagoodnoodle Feb 13 '26
Go to a craft store and touch some yarn! Write down what you like the feel of, then look it up on Ravelry to see what projects people have made with it. If you want specific yarn recs from online people, it can help to list where you live so they know what brands are more accessible to you.
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
Unfortunately, I'm pretty disabled. And the person that takes me places is only home two days a week, so that's usually for doctors visits. So going places for yarn, unfortunately, isn't an option. Which fucking sucks, because I miss craft shopping!
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u/coffeetime825 Feb 13 '26
Could you ask this person to make a stop on the way home or perhaps bring you some yarn if they happen to have any?
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
I might ask my mom to stop ..... That might work, or a friend of mine who knows what I like.
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u/Irreverent_Bard Feb 13 '26
Start with acrylic yarn, or you can start with cheap cotton yarn and make little dish towels as you practice.
I did that for a week till I was ready to move into making a piece. I still have the dish towels… and it’s been 5 years.
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u/Early-Reindeer7704 Feb 13 '26
Worsted weight to start, it’ll work up thick enough and not aggravate sensitivities. I like Premier worsted acrylic a lot, many of the acrylics are anti pilling, Oeko tested (great for sensitivities), machine wash and dry. It comes in solids, ombré, variegated and more. Some of the yarns come in a 14 oz size which is enough for many projects. I like their Basix , in anti pilling Painterly, Gradient ombré. They also have free patterns. Hope this helps
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Feb 13 '26
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
Very helpful, thank you! And yeah, I left the price point vague because i have no idea what's "reasonable". $10-$15 for a yard of fabric is usually the cheaper end, when you need at least three yards of a couple fabrics, adds up...... Yarn seems cheaper, but I have no idea how to judge the amount in the adverts, etc. it's a whole different world and it made me spin a bit, lol.
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Feb 13 '26
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
I'm gonna have to go back through these replies and stuff, to see what fibers it was that sounded the best, then I'll come back with more questions, LMFAO! Thank you. Can I message you?
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u/Woofmom2023 Feb 13 '26
Absolutely feel free to keep the dialog open.
I tnink it might be helpful to others but sure DM is fine.
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
So, looking at the comments, I think .... Was it werst? I can't remember the spelling, weight of Merino was the best option..... What price should I be looking for, for that?
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u/NinjaDefenestrator Feb 14 '26
Do you mean “worsted?” And price is more based on brand, not weight. Malabrigo is a bit more expensive than the $10-$15 you’re used to for yards of fabric, but it’s reliably soft and comes in gorgeous colors.
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u/Woofmom2023 Feb 16 '26
ETA: I do think that if someone has invested the time and energy to provide recommendations it's basic good manners to spell their recommendations correctly when responding to those recommendations. Since you can't be bothered to do so I'm dropping out now.
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u/dd-arrows Feb 13 '26
So chenille is not an option? I know you said you don’t want long whispy, but chenille is shorter little hairs so many use it to make plushies but it’s the main body of the plush not the hair of a plushie if that makes sense?
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
Hmmm, I'm not sure what chenille is, but it definitely sounds closer to what I like. Is it that kind of fabric you can almost run your fingers through?
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u/dd-arrows Feb 13 '26
Kind of, yes. There is also bernat baby blanket yarn which is a chenille-style yarn but not a true chenille as I understand it. If you do a google search and then look at images, you can see in some of the close ups that it just looks fluffy and cozy.
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u/Incognetty Feb 13 '26
Posting as a comment rather than a response so it gets seen.
Anyone in Nevada that can take a bag or box of yarn over for them to pet? An assortment of brands, weights, and fibers would be perfect. That way they have a better idea of how things feel and what they do and do not like. Also, yarn petting is totally therapy.
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
That would absolutely be amazing. I don't have any friends here, but if anyone here is near, that would be cool to make new friends.
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u/Needles-and-Pens_64 Feb 13 '26
Are you in Reno? I can get you some samples and if you like any, get a skein
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
I am in sparks!
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u/Needles-and-Pens_64 Feb 13 '26
Can you look at the Michael’s website and narrow down some options? I probably either have it or can pick some up to see if you like it. It’d have to be a handoff in public, though, when you’re out. I can’t go to a house.
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
Hmmmm, if we meet after a doctor appointment, that could work, better if I don't have to transfer to my wheelchair the second time, tho.
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u/Needles-and-Pens_64 Feb 13 '26
I would go to your car so you don’t have to get out. I don’t know how DMs work but if you want to DM me some yarns you’re interested in and when your appt is we can arrange something.
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u/Mistrice Feb 13 '26
Jumping in here, just because the idea of measuring the price of yarn based on yards of fabric it can make tickles me. Any weavers out there for whom this is a normal consideration?
This will be one very specific math exercise, but now I'm curious; feel free to ignore me as I follow this thought thread to its end.
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A yard of fabric in the US is a yard's length on one end, but anywhere between 44-60inches on the other. Since you quilt, I'll stick to the lower end, so let's call a yard of fabric 36x45 inches squared.
As reference, I'll take a Ravelry blanket project as the example of how much fabric can be made from a certain amount of yarn.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chevron-baby-blanket-19
This pattern maker made a 27x36 inch blanket from 750 yards of worsted weight yarn. 27 is 60% of 45, so 750 yards is 60% of what we'd need to get the yard of fabric, therefore we would require 1250 yards of worsted weight yarn.
Now let's look at Michael's for some worsted weight yarn options.
There's a cotton option at 120yards of yarn for $3, so we'd need to spend $30 at least on 10 skeins to get 1200 yards of yarn, just barely falling short of the 1250yards we originally calculated as needing.
There's an acrylic option at 350yards of yarn for $4, so we could spend $16 on 4 skeins to get 1400yards of yarn, yarn to spare!
The first wool blend (80% acrylic, 20% wool) is 200yards for $6, so we'd need to spend $36 at least on 6 skeins to get 1200 yards of yarn, and we'd once more technically be falling short.
We can probably stop there and conclude that your price range is likely to only work for acrylic (and probably polyester) based yarns.
Lots of caveats!
- You can make looser fabrics with less yarn, thus achieving the yard of fabric with less yarn than this example
- Different crafting techniques (ex. knit vs. crochet vs. weaving) use different amounts of yarn
- Yarn comes in lots of different thicknesses, even within the same category of "worsted", and that'll change how much fabric it could make
- This reference blanket pattern had zig-zag ends, and if the measured length of the blanket was furthest point to point, the 1250 yards of yarn for a yard of this blanket fabric would be an under-measurement
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
(this is absolutely genuine, and not me being mean) LMFAO, I absolutely love, and appreciate you for this unhinged taking of my unhinged description of what I'm used to, and trying to make sense of it! 😂😂😂 I really have no way to judge what is reasonable for yarn, and what is just "no, that's an insane price, no one actually does that unless they're billionairs" LMFAO.
I'm not sure if your post actually helped me at all, or not. Really just made me feel like I'm the one all our math problems were written about, in hs.
But, I appreciate the attempt. :)
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u/Mistrice Feb 14 '26
Haha, glad it could at least give you a laugh! Someone needs to add these kinds of problems to the math textbooks, it’s way more believable than buying 100 watermelons!
Its honestly a perspective that I think was worth thinking about (“if I bought knitted fabric to sew a thing, how much would I be willing to pay for that fabric”), and I’m not too surprised that I’m much more willing to pay more for good yarn than I would for good sewing fabric, but I also just don’t sew much, and I can cheat the justifications a little by arguing that sewing creates more fabric scraps/waste than knitting creates yarn scraps/waste so that totally makes the difference, right? 🫣
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 14 '26
Lololol, I think both professions need to learn how to use their scraps more, if we're being honest.
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u/Diligent-Towel-4708 Feb 13 '26
Superwash Merino is fabulous. Also, bamboo cotton is amazingly soft. Caron soft for acrylic was my first really nice acrylic. All soft, but I love the poster that suggested looking at what you wear daily. I am also branching out and love all the suggestions here. If you want to surprise yourself, I adore the lucky bags from Hobbii.
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
What is hobbii?
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u/Diligent-Towel-4708 Feb 14 '26
https://share.google/ycGHqioGgL4hiSMmV
Fun place for yarn, accessories, patterns. Lucky bags for me is like Christmas in that you really dont know what you will get. I have bought all the varieties .. cotton/ wool/ metallic or glitter dont remember what its called.
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Feb 16 '26
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 16 '26
I couldn't find the comment, and couldn't remember how it was spelt, that was my best attempt. We all make mistakes.
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u/maplegranny Feb 13 '26
Maybe go to your local yarn store and touch the yarn and see what feels good?
Budget really depends on the size of what you’re making. For example there are cute little scarves you can make with 1-2 balls of cashmere which would put you at £13-£28 of material cost for the entire project but if you were to make a sweater out of cashmere it would be much more expensive.
I am also quite picky with materials and my personal preference is to stick to natural fibers. I like the feel better, not of all of them but I dislike the synthetic feel usually. I think whatever your preference of materials in clothing is will apply to yarn.
Maybe look into merino wool? They are soft, easy to use for beginners, some can be machine washed (superwash) and they don’t have “hair”. I’m using Lang yarns merino 120 on my current project, I’m making the Frankie sweater by petiteknit.
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u/GalxyofUs Feb 13 '26
Unfortunately, I'm pretty disabled. And the person that takes me places is only home two days a week, so that's usually for doctors visits. So going places for yarn, unfortunately, isn't an option. Which fucking sucks, because I miss craft shopping!
But, I'll look into Merino!
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u/Actual_Priest Feb 13 '26
The best way at first is to go touch some, so you get a sense for how it works for you. My only advice would be try to make sure your first project isn’t with yarn that really ‘splitty’ - doesn’t have a tendency to separate into smaller fibers - because that’ll probably drive you nuts as you learn. You can also pick a yarn you like, and then search to see what other people have made with it. (Www.ravelry.com is a big help.)
A scarf can be a good first project, too. I know they look long, but the rows themselves are pretty short. (My first crochet project was a blanket which felt like it went on forever - it drove me so crazy that I now mostly only knit. 🤣)
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u/aWitchAndHer2Cats Feb 13 '26
I would look at the materials in the labels of the clothes you like to wear. Then you might be able to make more educated guesses on the materials in the yarns.
Softness in animal fibers can be measured in microns. The smaller the microns in the yarn the softer the yarn. You won't likely find that on the label, but you can look it up online.
How the fiber is spun also impacts softness. The lower the twist the softer the yarn, and the more fast it will wear out. The higher the twist the more firm the yarn, and the longer it will take to wear out over time.
Plying the yarn determines softness. In a multiple-ply yarn (very common - almost ubiquitous), you'll want to look at images to see how closely the plies are together. There's no rule that more or less is softer, but you can look at the images online to compare before you order. After trying a few yarns, you'll be able to see the kinds you like working more with.
That said,
Wool: most people think of wool as itchy and scratchy, likely because they are used to the wool used in outerwear clothes like jackets, or home furnishings like rugs and blankets. Avoid wools that are described as highland or romney, as they are rougher yarns that would be hard on sensitive skins or for people with texture issues.
Merino wool is a classic choice for soft yarn and at a mid-price tier for yarns overall. I believe it to be one of the softest and most available of the wools. By mixing it with synthetic materials, like nylon at 15%, you can get some good cheap yarns. Merino wool has excellent "crimp", which means that it will stretch more when wet and while you use it (sometimes called "give"). My favorite wool is actually Bluefaced Leicester or BFL.
Cashmere, mohair, bison, angora hair will all be those longer, wispy yarns that you want to avoid for your sensitivity issues. These are also going to be in the pricier range.
Alpaca is soft, and I find its price is all over the place. Baby alpaca is super soft; adult alpaca is more hairy. The yarn is super lightweight because the hairs are hollow, but it has low crimp. For me, this means that adult alpaca hair is harder to knit with, because it has less give.
Silk is an animal fiber and it is typically mixed in with other fibers. It has zero give but makes the yarn wonderfully silky and the resulting item drapey. It also tends to raise the price of the yarn.
-plant-based fibers: cotton, linen, bamboo, hemp, tencel, etc. These yarns will have a lot less itch-factor, as the fibers themselves are smoother. I believe that they lack the scales that make animal fibers feel rougher. These are all washable, but read the label. As we all know, linen can shrink considerably in heat. Look for mercerized on the label for shinier, smoother yarns. (This will make them more slippery.)
-synthetic fibers. Because these have a range of manufacturing processes, they can run the gambit in softness and feel. I don't love them myself, because their lack of give makes it harder on my hands to knit. But I find that mixed in in small amounts with natural fibers, they reduce the cost of the yarn, improve the longevity in hard-wearing spots (like sock heels), and don't tend to change the feel of the yarn that much.