☞ Question of the Week: What’s your favorite yarn?

Dear users and authors,
which yarn do you like best? Of course, you can specify different types and recommend the right yarn for each of your projects.
This is sure to be a thread that resonates with many here in the forum.

I don’t really have a “favorite yarn” in the sense that I knit exclusively with one particular kind. I like to design my patterns so that they can be recreated with as wide a variety of yarns as possible. My personal favorites are the yarns from Wollmeise or the Laceball from Schoppel. Since I’m quite sensitive to scratchy yarn, the coziness factor has to be very high. ;-)
Right now, I’m crocheting a lot with multi-stranded designer yarns. I really like them because of the beautiful, long color gradients.

My Belladonna shawl, for example, was knitted with Wollmeise; I designed the Tinuiel specifically for Schoppel’s Laceball; and the Be my Valentine crochet shawl was crocheted with a designer yarn.

What is a gradient yarn?

Gradient yarn means that the individual strands lie next to each other and are not plied together (i.e., twisted). It takes a little getting used to working with it, but you quickly get the hang of it. You just have to be a bit more careful to catch all the strands with your knitting needle or crochet hook. :-)

For amigurumi, I most often use Catania by Schachenmayr. It’s relatively well-known, and thanks to its smooth surface, it doesn’t irritate my youngest child’s eczema-prone skin as much. I also often use Lisa by Gründl. It’s very affordable, and you can buy it just 10 minutes away from us. I mainly use it for doll clothes.

Thanks @Wollness-Oase

You’re welcome, @Josefa. :-)

Hi there,

I prefer working with 100% cotton. I mainly use Catania yarn for that. It’s very easy to work with, and it gives amigurumi a lovely stitch definition.
Of course, I try out other yarns from time to time, but in the end, I always come back to Catania.

Best regards, Dorigurumi

I love crocheting with “Cotton 125” from NEXT Yarns because of its beautiful colors, or with “Ibiza” from Supergarne. When I’m working on a larger project, I use “Cotton fun,” “Joker,” or “Twister,” depending on the color I need.

Hi everyone,

when it comes to play shop accessories, stuffed animals, and decorations, I prefer to crochet with Catania.
I also prefer Catania for my summer hat and my shell-patterned beanie.
I especially like to crochet shawls with 3-ply or 4-ply yarn, because it comes in great color gradients.
Otherwise, for other projects (kids’ clothes, hats, scarves, etc.), I just go with whatever I like at the moment in terms of thickness and “feel.”

Best regards—Nina

Personally, I love using Schachenmayr Catania for amigurumi, but for small items like keychains, I also like Schachenmayr Bravo.

For me, it depends on the season. For summer projects, I like to use Algarve, Limone by Schoeller+Stahl, or Catania by Schachenmayr. For winter projects, I personally love alpaca because I’m quite the “Gfroeserl” (= someone who gets cold easily), and alpaca is at least five times warmer than virgin wool. In general, I prefer wool and yarns with as little or no synthetic content as possible...; and if they do contain acrylic or microfiber, then I go for the higher-quality versions. I love sock yarn with alpaca or cashmere—as well as 100% merino, and the natural organic wool from Mondial, and so on and so forth... Well, it’s not for nothing that I have my own yarn shop ;-)
I think the time you invest in a knitting or crocheting project makes it worth using good materials.

@Traudelina.... ooooohhhh, my own yarn shop—that would be my dream! I brought back some yarn from an alpaca farm, along with some unspun fiber—I want to try my hand at spinning with a hand spindle. I think alpaca wool is soooo wonderful! I even got to go into the alpaca enclosure, and one of them even nibbled on my nose—very gently and carefully. What wonderful animals! :-)

@Wollness-Oase – I couldn’t agree more :-)
I once went on an alpaca hike in Reit im Winkl. What I didn’t expect was that these cute animals definitely have a mind of their own: if they don’t feel like hiking, they just lie down—and then not even a hiking guide can nudge them from behind—we laughed so hard :-)
Good luck with your spinning. I’d like to learn how to do that someday, too.

I usually crochet my hats and clothing with Lana Grossa yarn. Lighter items with McWool and warmer ones with Bingo, Mille II, or Neon Sport. I also really like Olympia—it has wonderful color blends. I love this yarn. It’s a bit more expensive, but the quality is excellent. I’ve also crocheted pillows with McWool—I actually have one on my hook right now—and even though the kids play with it, it’s still in perfect condition with no fraying or anything like that. The yarn also holds up well to washing. Plus, the retailer is local, which makes a big difference since it’s nice to be able to feel the yarn in person.

For amigurumi, I use Catania by Schachenmayr, and for some projects, Paris by Drops. Paris is cheaper, but I find it a bit harder to crochet with. With Catania, I think the colors are brilliant and the intensity is outstanding.

For textile yarn, I especially like Next Recotton from Wollfactory. They have absolutely great colors, especially in the Color line. I’ve ordered from them several times and have always had a good experience.

I love experimenting with yarn and colors, so I have a wide range of favorite yarns...
From Wollmeise, Madeline Tosh, Malabrigo, Siidegarte, woolworxx, Quince & Co, and Gefachte Garne Cel Stoff, all the way to my absolute favorite dyer from Wool of Fame, who offers a gorgeous alpaca blend with a wonderfully cozy feel in beautiful colors.

Kind regards

Christa