The question I get most every day: what brands of yarn do you use? Every post I make, every photo I post that question becomes very common simply because they look perfect.
So the question is where to find these threads like the pieces presented on our social networks?
My answer is always the same: I use all brands available on the market, there is no magic and I am not privileged to find these threads, because the magic is not in the thread, it is in our hands that we make them a beautiful work of art.
First, I need to talk to someone who is new to this knitted yarn market: there are two types of yarn, the residual yarn (which is the waste from the textile industry, and the premium/selected yarn, which is cut and seamless.
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Both types of yarn have their advantages and disadvantages.
Residual wire
Residual threads are threads that often have defects, such as seams, knots, stains, different thicknesses on the same roll, etc. Based on this information this means that any brand that sells residual yarn may have these characteristics, so I can say that buying them would be a lottery! In the same batch you can find several defects or NOT (they can be nice and regular). Also because these defects usually come inside the roll and there is no way for you to open the rolls to know which ones are best for you.
I’m not saying this to discourage you, I’m saying it because this is reality. But you know what? I’ve been working for 5 years with crochet using this material, and back when some brands started to appear in the market, there were far fewer options and even so I was super happy with them! Finding the colors we wanted was a reason for happiness (I think that despite having more brands available, we still suffer a little with the color chart issue).
What are the advantages of residual yarn? Firstly, we are reusing something that would go to waste (and this for me is the most considerable point), so we are contributing to the sustainability of the planet. The best part is that we are transforming garbage into art, into color, into a healing tool for so many people! Another advantage is the value over premium yarn (it’s more affordable).
For me, overcoming all the challenges presented by the residual mesh yarn is the beauty of it all! There are no words to describe the feeling when we finish a job! You look at the piece, look at the obstacles and only see beauty, colors and overcoming!
Today there are more options, more brands and we even have some premium yarn options (in case you don’t want to face residual yarn).
Premium yarns
Let’s talk about premium yarns and their main characteristics: seamless yarns (consequently you will have faster work), regular (no difference in thickness inside a roll), perfect finish, has color catalog, you can buy by thickness ( there are some brands that offer this option), and yes it is more expensive than a residual yarn.
As you can see both types have their strengths and weaknesses.
Actually I didn’t make this post to convince you what kind of yarn to use, or to name the best brands. I did it precisely to discuss its characteristics and so you can choose the one that best suits your type of work.
As you can see both types have their strengths and weaknesses.
We also need to talk about what the yarn will be used for. Because premium yarns are lighter, they are widely used for more delicate items, bags, wall mandalas, clothing. While the residual is mostly used for decoration. Nothing to stop any of the chosen yarns being used for what you want.
Stories that mark
To finish this text, I would like to tell a story that I always carry with me and that can contextualize this subject. In one of the Eco Crochê Retreats we organized, one of the participants told us a story: in the past, bags of bread came with a small piece of string to tie the edges.
His grandmother kept all these little pieces, mended them and thus made her pieces. She told us with tears in her eyes, because her grandmother couldn’t afford the yarn.
In addition to this story, there are many people who made their rolls of knitted yarn by cutting t-shirts and sheets, thus weaving their rugs and pieces. Imagine the work and how much time this process required?
Given these reports, I keep thinking about how lucky we are in having so many options, so many brands, and yet we often complain about seams, stains and all the rest. As I said at the beginning, for me the magic is not only in the wires, it is in the transformation, in what we can do and learn from them!
Overcoming presents itself in several aspects: in the challenge of dealing with imperfections, dealing with failure, dealing with mistakes, with the lack of colors, with irregularities, in short… and all this is a process, a beautiful journey that only leads us to one certainty: weaving is a one-way journey to awaken in us and make our creative potential flourish.
Now tell me here in the comments, do you have a preference for wires? What delights you most about them? I would love to read your comment