Vegan Yarn
Posted by KissMeKate on Nov 08, 2009 · Member since Aug 2007 · 7322 posts
I'm not sure how many knitters we have here, but I want to hear about everyone's favorite vegan yarn. I haven't knit any major projects for a while, and when I do I use the nicest cotton I can find. What other yarns do people like? Especially for warmth.
For warmth, I think that the plain ole Red Heart works best, even though it risks looking cheap and cheesy. But other yarns I like:
Red Heart Soft Yarn
http://www.herrschners.com/220_img/010728.jpg
For fuzzy-lookin things (hats, scarves, sweaters), i like Bernat Soft Boucle. In comes in nice girly colors ^^
For cotton things (that aren't washcloths), I like Cotton Ease, but it's soooo expensive usually. I have no idea why :(
I like the Cupcake yarn too, but only for certain things. It looks cool, and there are some nice colors, but it's not the softest texture:
http://cache.lionbrand.com/graphics/yarns/460SkeinArt.jpg
Once I got Bernat Bamboo and Bernat Soy yarn on sale/clearance. I *love* that yarn, but of course normally it's like $3-4 for 50 yds or something crazy. Both types are really soft & silky.
I've only used Sugar 'N Cream and Lion. They're both 4-ply.
I have 50+ Sugar 'N Cream Super Size balls because they kept going on sale for $2 and I'd buy six balls in the same lot. I like Lion's darker colors, but I've only bought two rolls because they're about $5 each.
All in all, they're okay. I knit a baby sweater, baby booties & hat, a hat for me (in progress), dishcloths, and a hot pad with the yarn. They all seemed like appropriate uses for the weight.
I'm knitting this hat right now and I think the extra volume will make up for the non-fluffiness of the yarn, so I think it's possible to work around the weight with the right pattern.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2450/3910922402_2221535a32.jpg
I've seen other, gorgeous yarn with nice fluff and variegated color at a locally-owned yarn shop, but it's all, like, $7 a skein, and I haven't come up with a project that would justify the expense of multiple skeins. Sugar 'N Cream isn't fluffy, but it's smooth when you run your hand over the finished product. I'd say it's a Corolla. Definitely not a Subaru.
Sugar n Cream is a little hard for me, and Red Heart is a little too scratchy. I want to try something that will lay a little bit more softly. I might look for a soy or a bamboo. I don't knit that fast, so I don't mind spending more. $7/skein isn't too bad! The yarn shops I've been to have much more expensive stuff. And the women there can never seem to grasp that, no, I'm not ALLERGIC to wool. I don't want wool that's mixed in with other stuff and won't make me sneeze. I just don't want wool! They had some real smooth cotton stuff there and some nice bamboo. I might shop around.
Michael's Impeccable yarn is acrylic, if you use that -- I really like the texture of it, soft and warm and not too fuzzy, and it doesn't cost much ($2.99/skein here in WY). The black is the only one that I think has a coarse feel. For higher end stuff, I recently bought a skein of hand-dyed bamboo yarn from http://www.etsy.com/shop/quovadishandspun - she has some gorgeous stuff.
I found a great etsy shop with vegan yarn:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/quovadishandspun
This is more what I was looking for. She has all different weights, and the prices are pretty great for handspun. I think I'm going to order some.
Nice resource! I've been wanting to make socks since I learned to knit, but the smallest vegan yarn I could find was a 3/dk/light worsted. The only problem is that the lace and superfine yarn on her sight is expensive and I'd need two skeins. I'm not sure if I want a $60 pair of socks. Maybe I should go with the heavier yarn I already have and make slipper socks.