The Best Yarn for Crochet Beginners: The Eco Version
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I only recommend yarns which I believe are truly sustainable and the companies who make them are following ethical textile and social practices.
You will often hear that the best yarn for crochet beginners is acrylic because it is cheap, easy to find and it’s easy to use. But what if those reasons aren’t your only criteria?
This is the eco friendly version of finding the best yarn to begin your crochet journey, so I’ll be suggesting an alternative which I absolutely love and I think is perfect for newbies. There’s really only one choice!
Photo by Raelle Gann-Owens on Unsplash
What’s Our Criteria?
For sustainable crochet your top three priorities should be the following:
Easy to use
Eco friendly
Suitable for beginner crochet projects
Easy of Use
As a beginner crocheter, you definitely want the yarn to be easy to use. For this to be the case, you need a yarn that is smooth, light in colour and a weight that is not too thin or too thick.
Why Does it Need to be Smooth?
The smoothness of the yarn can make or break your relationship with it. If it doesn’t glide easily through your fingers and the hook then you will become agitated very quickly and ditch the whole thing. So this is very important.
Why do we Need a Light Colour?
Choosing a light colour of yarn is also really important. It helps you to see the stitches more easily and in turn helps you to keep track of your progress.
If you start out with a dark colour you will have trouble counting stitches and finding the first and last stitches of your rows/rounds and so you will struggle with where to work your next stitches. Believe me! I learned the hard way :)
Why is Worsted Weight the Best?
Worsted weight yarn is the middle ground for thickness. It is neither too thin or too thick. Worsted can also be referred to as Afghan, Aran, Medium or Yarn Weight 4 depending on where you are in the world. Here is a great conversion chart from the Craft Yarn Council if you’re unsure.
Photo by Srozan Nadzmi on Unsplash
Eco Friendly
Our second criteria, after ease of use, is for the yarn to be eco friendly. Eco friendly crochet means working with yarns that are sustainable and not damaging to the environment during their production process or afterwards.
If you want to know more about this, head to my blog post specifically about sustainable yarns where I explain, in more depth, what sustainable means in terms of yarn and how to know if your yarn is eco friendly or not.
For the time being, don’t worry about this too much until you’ve practised a little bit. Rest assured that the yarn I am suggesting to start with is a trusted sustainable option that I personally vouch for.
Suitable for Beginner Projects
Our final criteria is for the yarn to be suitable for beginner crochet projects. Think about what kind of projects you will be starting with. We’re looking for one that is quite versatile and suitable for a range of small, easy crochet patterns
These kinds of projects are usually things like dishcloths/washcloths, coasters, scarves, blankets, shawls. Something one dimensional that has an easy shape like a square or rectangle.
So if you decided that you want to start by making a dishcloth then you would need to find a yarn that is hardwearing and suitable for continual washing.
If you choose to make a baby blanket then you would want one that is soft, drape-y and ok for babies.
The yarn I’m suggesting is so perfect for all of these kinds of projects so don’t worry. You don’t need to look around. I’ve done the hard work for you. :)
The Best Yarn for Crochet Beginners
Taking everything mentioned above into account, I’ve found the perfect yarn that covers all the criteria that we are looking for. It’s easy to use, eco friendly and ideal for a range of beginner crochet patterns.
Knit Picks Organic Cotton - Worsted
A luxuriously soft, 100% organic cotton yarn, certified by GOTS and made without the use of any dyes or bleaches in the production process.
Photo by Knit Picks
The colour is the natural colour of cotton which is beautiful in itself and satisfies our light colour requirement.
It’s worsted weight, so just what we’re looking for and it can be used for a range of projects from dishcloths to blankets. It can be machine washed on low and tumble dried. It’s the perfect yarn!
