I use a variety of yarns, but I am most often drawn to DK (8ply) Acrylic. It is often dismissed as cheap, but I use it for a variety of reasons. Some of them are:
- It's easy accessible, and easily substituted.
- It comes in a wide variety of colours.
- Washes well and hypoallergenic.
Not all acrylic is created equal, and there are definitely good and bad brands. The followng is based solely on my own personal experiences and has absolutely no scientific data to back it up :) You may completely disagree with me! I have also listed the places where I buy my yarn, which may be of interest - this post is not sponsored. You can click on the names of the shops and patterns for the links.
Scheepjes Colour Crafter. (100% Premium Acrylic. 100 g/300 m DK/8ply) This premium yarn is soft, washes and wears well. It comes in 93 shades. The softness is definitely what makes it my favourite. it's light, which also increases the yardage in a 100 g ball. It is on the pricier side of Acrylic, but I feel like it is so worth it. I purchase mine from Yarnish.com.au, who also are my (sort of) Local Yarn Store. (there's a bit of a drive for me!) I have used this yarn in a few patterns - some are to be released later this year, but one example is The St Niklaas Star
Paintbox Simply DK. (100% Acrylic, 100 g/276 m DK/8ply) is available in 60 shades. This yarn feels like more of a 'standard' acrylic yarn to me. I still find it high quality and soft. Washable and smooth. Excellent stitch definition. It is exclusively available at LoveCrochet or LoveKnitting (same company) and you can save by purchasing lots in 5 or 10. I have used this yarn for the Hug Cushion Cover.
Special mention to Paintbox Simply Chunky- (100% Acrylic, 100 g/136 m Chunky) Also available in 60 shades, just as soft as Simply DK, but also thicker, meaning faster projects! I love this yarn for blankets. Also only through LoveCrochet. I used it for my Zesty Throw.
Stylecraft Special DK (100% Acrylic, 100 g/295 m DK /8ply) To me, this feels like a good middle ground between the colour crafter and paintbox, soft and durable. Has less stitch definition. It comes in 80 shades. I do also get mine from LoveCrochet. I used this yarn for my Valentine Gloves.
Special Mention to one more yarn, as I was mainly focused on DK weight yarn, but I also love Bernat Big Ball Chunky (100% Acrylic, 400 g/394 m Super Bulky) It is so thick and wonderful for chunky throws, scarves and blankets. It is only available in a few shades. I get mine from American Yarns. I have used for a few personal projects, but will have a pattern coming out later this year using it.
Thanks for reading. I am always open to trying new yarns, in all sorts of fibres. If you have a favourite, let me know!
