What is the Best Yarn for Crochet Beginners

I don’t know about you, but I avoid a yarn store. Wait, what? But you are a crocheter, you say! Yes, I am. And I L.O.V.E. yarn, like, really love yarn. And so when I go into the yarn store or craft store or any store that sells yarn, my eyes get really big and really wide and I want to buy ALL the yarn.

I love it all and because of that exact reason I stay away from the yarn stores. Because I will buy a bunch of yarn and then will do nothing with the most of it because I had no idea what I actually wanted to do with the yarn, or had the skill to work with some particularly funky textured yarn.

So, where am I going here with this?

It is a good idea for your wallet and your sanity and happiness to get yarn for your learning projects that is not too expensive and is easy to work with. Trust me, there is nothing like uncooperative yarn types to ruin your first attempts and make you feel like crochet is the most complicated craft out there. Which it is not. Crochet is light and easy and makes people who do it happy.

Alright, what is the best yarn for a beginner in crocheting then?

Yarn Weight

First, let’s pick a yarn that is not too thin or not too thick. The worsted weight yarn, as it’s called, is the kind of the yarn that is right in the middle of the thickness scale and the most common one to use by crochet beginners. This is not the weight so thin that you think you are crocheting with a thread that constantly gets tangled up, neither is this a really bulky yarn where you feel like your finger is a better tool than an actual hook.

The worsted weight yarn (also numbered with a 4 on the yarn label and named Medium) comes made out of different materials (as the other yarns do): wool, linen, alpaca, mohair, cotton, acrylic, etc.

Some of these materials are beginner-friendly and some are not. To give yourself the best chance to succeed with crochet, start with the yarn made out of acrylic, cotton or wool (or wool-acrylic blend). These yarns tend to keep together and not split into multiple strands (because that sometimes is really annoying).

Yarn Material

Cotton Yarns

Cotton yarns do have several strands that they are made of, but they don’t slip off your hook too easily and that is an advantage when you are just learning to wield your crochet hook just right. Plus the items made out of cotton are more breathable, and if you are learning how to crochet in summer, cotton is so much more pleasant to work with!

If you are a fan of natural fibers, cotton yarn is the way to go. They are also great to show off those crochet stitches as they have nice stitch definition.

My favorite cotton yarns come from Lilly Cookies-n-cream and Caron Cotton Cakes.

I love using cotton and synthetic blend yarns because the offer the best of both. I have made several projects with Caron Cotton Cakes, crochet blankets like Beachglass Cotton Afghan, Stripes on the Beach Blanket, and accessories like Seaside Triangle Shawl and Cambria Dream Beach Bag.

Wool and Wool-blend Yarns

Wool yarn or acrylic-wool blend yarns are all-natural and the items made from the wool are breathable and wick moisture. And of course, whatever you make from wool will be super soft and super warm.

The downside of wool is that it tends to be more expensive. Wool-blend yarns cost less, easier in use and wear and make for one amazingly soft yarn.

My favorite wool-blend yarns come from Lion Brand Yarn, I love thicker yarns for my blanket projects and Wool-Ease Thick and Quick are an easy choice. Bulky weight yarns are soft, cozy and help those large projects work up faster especially when you use bigger hook size.

Acrylic Yarns

Acrylic yarn is every beginner’s best and often first friend. Acrylic yarns are inexpensive, take a beating of multiple crocheting, undoing, redoing, undoing, redoing, you get the gist. These yarns are great for any crochet project and they come from so many companies in such great varieties. Acrylic yarns are affordable yarns and are great go-to for crochet beginners.

Acrylic yarns are often recommended for soft, baby projects. If you are planning to make a baby blanket, or other baby items, you will find an amazing variety of acrylic yarns for this type of project. They are a great choice because they are washable, wearable, don’t fade and very soft to touch.

Made of synthetic fibers, they come in many different colors and are totally machine washable and durable. Worsted weight acrylic yarns usually come in the skeins that have a good length of yarn in it that seems to last you forever. My favorite acrylic yarns come from Red Heart company and you can find that type of yarn in many craft stores.

There are as many wonderful yarns as there are crochet projects and at times is hard to find that perfect yarn as a beginner crocheter, but I hope that this post helped you to get started.

In the comments below, let me know what yarn you ended up getting for your project, what material, color and brand, I want to know!