Is Your Child Learning to Crochet? Don’t Buy the Fluffy Yarn.

Walking down the yarn aisle in a craft store can be very overwhelming, especially when shopping for yarn for beginner crocheters. There are so many choices. Where do you even start to make sense of it all?

And if your child is anything like most of my students, they will probably be attracted to the cute, fluffy yarn they see people making stuffed animals out of online.

This may be hard to hear, but DON’T buy them that fluffy yarn. I know it’s soft and it comes in cute, fun colours.

You now might be thinking “why shouldn’t I buy that cute yarn?” Here are just a couple reasons.

• The thickness and fluffiness of the yarn makes it harder to see the stitches.
• Those yarns often fall apart easily.
• It can be harder to work with that kind of yarn.

So, what yarn should you buy for your child? I have a few tips to guide you on your next trip to the yarn store.

1. Pick a #4 (medium) weight yarn.

This yarn is medium thickness, not too thick and not too thin. Yarn comes in weights (thickness) from 0-7. The smaller the number, the thinner the yarn. Very thick yarns are hard to work with. I like using #1 (superfine) yarn, but it does require lots of patience to crochet with.

You will find the yarn weight on the yarn label. Look for a picture of a ball of yarn with a number on or near it.

2. Go with a light-coloured yarn, especially in the beginning.

Light-coloured yarn makes the stitches easier to see. I avoid the dark colours as much as I can, especially black.

This is particularly important if your child likes to crochet at night, or where the lighting is less than ideal. If your child gets very interested in crochet and decides to make it a long-term hobby, there are lights that they can wear around their neck to illuminate their work if needed. I don’t have one, but definitely could do with one at some points.

3. Avoid the super fluffy yarn (no matter the yarn weight).

I know I already talked about this point, but it’s an important one. Yes, these yarns are very cute and make for adorable stuffed animals. But, when your child is just starting to learn to crochet, those fluffs just get in the way. They make the stitches harder to see, and the stitches are harder to make.

Many of my students have also told me that those yarns have a tendency to fall apart and release their fluffs while they work with it. I prefer to work with non-fluffy yarn.

4. Consider your budget, but focus on quality.

You want to get yarns that won’t split into individual fibers, as this causes issues. Also, very inexpensive yarns (think dollar store) can fall apart, leading to disappointment.

I am currently in the process of transitioning the yarn I use for my personal crochet projects from mostly acrylic to plant-based yarn. This is for environmental reasons (which I discussed in my last post). If you haven’t already read that post, you can find it here.

5. Look at the pattern for the crochet pattern your child wants to make.

Crochet patterns (written and video formats) will include some information on the yarn that will work best for the pattern. They also include the recommended crochet hook size for the pattern. If your child wants to have similar results to the pattern, follow those suggestions as closely as possible.

I hope this information helps you make the best choice of yarn for your child. Send me a message on Instagram (@crochet_with_christine) if you have any questions. If your child would like to learn to crochet with me, check out the link here to my FREE Crochet Starter Guide.