What is your favorite shape for shawls? Triangle, crescent, rectangle?
I love them all :) Sometimes the yarn tells me the shape the shawl will be. Sometimes I just have to start and see if it works out. You would not believe how often I have to frog a shawl project before I'm happy with the result.
Which are my favorite yarns for making shawls? It's actually an easier answer then the blanket question. I have tried many different yarns while designing shawls, some I love to use a lot, others I have used once and won't use again lol.
Here are my favorite yarns and samples of what I've crocheted with the yarn. I've only picked one sample for each yarn used. You can click on the photo to find the pattern.
Estelle Yarns Worsted (50% Acrylic,40% Wool, 10% Nylon, 200 meters, 100 grams) Absolutely love this yarn. It's labelled as a worsted but it's more of a aran weight. Maybe between aran & dk weight. Perfect for shawls if you don't like fingering weight yarn. It's so soft and easy to work with, no splitting & frogs nicely. They really pretty colors as well. Most of the time I buy it at YarnCanada. Estelle Yarns does have their own website. I have also seen it at smaller specialty yarn stores.
2. Willow Yarns Denim Grace (40% Acrylic, 30% Nylon, 30% Wool, 360 yards / 330 meters, 5.3 ounces / 150 grams).
Oh my gosh. This yarn is so soft! Again it's labelled as worsted weight but is definitely closer to dk. If my memory is correct I may have had to be a bit careful about splitting, but not much. It unravels well. The drape is beautiful because it's so soft and smooth. Drapes better than the Estelle yarn. Unfortunately it does not come in very many colors. Though you can buy some of the colors in bags of 5 which saves a bit on the cost. The yarn can only be purchased on the Herrschners website.
3. Paintbox Simply DK & Stylecraft Special DK.
Paintbox Yarns Simply DK (100% Acrylic, 302 yards / 276 meters, 3.5 ounces / 100 grams)
Stylecraft Special DK (100% Acrylic, 322 yards / 295 meters, 100 grams)
Yes - I'm going to put them together again. To me they are the same thing though the Paintbox is probably a bit thicker. They both make lovely warm shawls. The yarn is affordable which is important to me since I donate all the shawls I make. The Stylecraft as more yardage for a bit less money. They both come in a large variety of colors. The Paintbox can only be purchased at LoveCrafts & quite often they are out of the colors I want. You can also get the Stylecraft at LoveCrafts, but I would suggest buying it at the Wool Warehouse, they always have all the colors.
Oh I should mention.... I ordered yarn from LoveCrafts in January and had to pay extra duties at the post office. The order came out of the UK! Previous orders where shipped out of the US, so not sure what is going on there. Definitely a deterrent for ordering from LoveCrafts. Probably won't do it again. They do still have a warehouse in the US I believe, so if you are in the US, chances are they are shipping from there, but you may want to check that out before ordering.
4. KNIT PICKS Upcycle Alpaca Blend (33% Alpaca, 34% Wool, 33% Acrylic, 219 yards, 100 grams)
I used this for the first time in fall. Saw it on the WeCrochet website in a package of 3 colors and thought I would give it a try. Really lovely yarn! It's quite thin for a worsted weight yarn... this seems to be a theme with all of the yarns. The yarn crochets beautifully. You don't want to unravel too often though. The Alpaca and Wool make it a bit "sticky".
I wonder if they are trying to clear them out or if the yarn is discontinued? Just before Christmas I happened to see the skeins on sale for $2 each in a few colors. Yes - I bought enough to make 5 shawls lol. Now they are on sale for $5 a skein, but some of the colors I have are no longer available. Wouldn't you know it..... I like a yarn and all of a sudden it's gone.
This is what I made with the original 3 colors I purchased. The pattern has not been published yet, but is coming soon.
5. Sidar Jewelspun Aran (100% Acrylic, 546 yards / 500 meters, 200 grams)
It's been a few years since I used this yarn, but I ordered more this winter and it's waiting for me to figure out another shawl pattern. The only place I know to buy it online is on the Sidar Website. So this yarn is labelled as aran weight, but again... I would say closer to dk weight. The colors are beautiful! Though because of the way the colors are created it's hard to see stitch definition on a project. I made a simply shawl with the first Jewelspun yarn I purchased, but I think I will try something with a bit more texture with the next 2 colors.
This pattern is free on my website.
6. King Cole Cotton Top DK (78% Premium Acrylic & 22% Cotton, 284 yards / 260 meters, 100 grams)
The first time I used this yarn I was hooked. It was also the first time using yarn with cotton in it for a shawl. The yarn is so lovely. Softer than I thought it would be, very easy to work with, unravels well when you find a mistake a few rows previous. Maybe because of the cotton or the combination of acrylic & cotton, a shawl doesn't really drape well. If you are looking for something that is warm and cozy, I would suggest trying this yarn. It comes in a few colors, but not many. The yarn can be purchased at LoveCrafts.
These are my top 6 picks right now. I do have some new yarns waiting for me to design a shawl, so who knows.... my favorite might change by this time next year lol.
I would love to know what your favorite yarn is for crocheting shawls! Leave a comment below, message me on FB, or send an email. I will reply to all messages.
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