I posted a poll on my instagram stories recently asking which yarn you used most – cotton or acrylic. I was actually a little surprised, as it was an overwhleming 71% of you that said you use acrylic more.

So instead of trying to convince you to switch to my favoured cotton, I thought I would instead share a few of my favourite acrylics. Acrylic yarn is great for blankets and items that need to be machine washed frequently, like for clothes. There are usually lots of colour options to choose from, well there are in the ones I have listed below. But I suggest being prepared to pay a little bit more for a qulaity acrylic as it can be really stiff and yick to work with if you buy it quite cheap.

The yarns that I cover here are ones that I have used and personally liked. Cotton and cotton blends are my preferred go to for an every day yarn though. I find them much nicer to work with and I love the stitch definition that the cotton brings. All yarn is to be loved though, but some just get more love than others!

First up is KnitPicks Brava Sport. As the name suggests, this is a sport weight yarn so I tend to use a 3 or 3.5mm hook with this yarn. I haven’t bought any for a long while, but I do have quite a bit of it left in my stash and I am slowly using up some of it with a stash busting granny square blanket. This one has lots of bright colours as well as pastels to choose from. It’s lovely and soft and works hard too. I have used this for a variety of different projects so it is definitely a keeper for in your stash.

Paintbox Acrylic – Simply DK is another I have been happy to use. I love the colour choices that are available and it is very easy to work with. It’s available from Love Crafts in the UK and the only draw back now the shipping cost to Australia. Though it is often on sale so the savings on the yarn can go towards the shipping if you’re willing.

Scheepjes Colour Crafter is another I love that has a huge range of colours. And is available in the UK and in Australia. It also has a big sister in the Chunky Monkey which I enjoy working with even more than the Colour Crafter and is probably my favourite of all of them and was easy to work with considering it is a thicker yarn than one I usually play with.

Now I know that there are a lot more acrylics out there to purchase too, but what I find when you’re first discovering yarn is that the choice is overwhelming! I find that it is better to have a few to choose from for varying hook sizes and available in lots of colours. Then as you get more familiar with yarn you can start to branch out and try more. The ones that I have covered here are great for beginners and are for a number of hook sizes, so it is easy for you to test out and see which ones you prefer.

Knowing how easy it is to get overwhelmed by yarn and not knowing what yarn to use for what projects is also why I started giving yarn reviews inside the Hooked on Crochet Club. Just quietly – it is also a great excuse for me to purchase yarn. Every month I review a new yarn and now that we have the updated hub, I am able to create a library of yarns based on location for purchase, yarn weight, and fibre so it is even easier for members to compare yarn before they buy. If you’re wanting support choosing yarns at any time then I encourage you to add your name to the waitlist as the doors will be opening again very soon!

What are some other acrylics that you love? Maybe you could comment on this post so that others can check out your suggestions. And I’m always happy to try out more yarn!

Seona x