When a new thing or skill pique our interest, one of the things we probably ask is, "How do I start?" And the answer depends on the field you would like to explore.
As for crocheting, I feel like it is important to know the types of materials to be used first. Not only will it help you start creating, but you probably would save money and resources, too!
In this post, I would like to share what I know when it comes to the tools and materials for crocheting, in case some of you would like to add this needlework to your lockdown hobbies. Haha.
These are all based on my personal experiences and opinion, and other crocheters may have a different perspective on some points I would be sharing here. If you do have a different or additional information, please feel free to leave a comment! I would looove to hear from you!!!
Anyway...
In crocheting, we basically need two main materials--- yarn and a hook. If you have these, you could already create a piece! But there are various types of yarn and hooks out there. Which one should we purchase??
Yarn
Yarns are divided into three categories: Animal Fiber, Plant Fiber and Synthetic. Based on the posts I see online, both from Filipino crocheters and sellers, I can say that a lot are veering towards synthetic yarns and plant fiber yarn (mostly cotton).
Animal fiber yarns include Wool and Alpaca, and when looking into synthetic yarns, you would often come across the names, Acrylic, Lanalon, Indophil or Polyester. Personally though, I haven't tried both of these catergories, hence, I could only talk a bit more about some plant fiber yarns.
Milk Cotton
I am putting this first because Milk Cotton is actually cotton-blend yarn. It is made out of cotton and milk fiber, and is semi-synthetic. Some manufacturers even add acylic to their milk cotton yarns. I honestly thought that this yarn is a natural fiber, but turns out, it is not. Since I would like to be as environment-friendly as possible even with my hobbies, I stopped using this altogether, after buying it twice. Also, I am not super satisfied with the quality of the ones I bought, so it was not a hard decision for me. As I was reading about this though, I found an article which says that there are pure milk cotton yarns, too, but they are rare and expensive.
There are a lot of crocheters who like using this, though! They use milk cotton yarns for clothes , bags or any other projects. Some even say that this is safe to use for baby wearables since they are soft. I guess it is really important to read store reviews before buying, to be sure that you'll get a good quality milk cotton yarn.
Dyed Cotton
This type of yarn is made out of 100% cotton, being dyed either through machine or by hand. Hand-dyed cottons are more eco-friendly than machine-dyed ones, since they leave less carbon footprint. However, machine-dyed yarns could produce more consistent color shades since they probably already have a set formula/ratio or whatever you call that. Haha
Hand-dyed yarns are being dyed manually, with love. Hihi. But because of this, sellers couldn't guarantee exact same shades of colors for different batches. So if you are planning to make a big project using hand-dyed yarns, it is smart to buy all that you need (or a bit more), especially if you want the color to be exactly the same all throughout. A lot of crocheters use hand-dyed cottons for wearables, bags, scrunchies or pet items, depending on the yarn weight, which I will talk more about later.
Undyed Cotton
As the name suggests, this is the undyed version of the dyed cotton. Hahaha This is honestly one of my fave yarns to use. Aside from being more natural than the colored yarns, it is also soft! I have made different projects with this, such as, headbands, amigurumi, coaster and facial cotton rounds. I made a sling bag, too, using a thicker version of undyed cotton. Just like the dyed cotton yarn, this also comes in different yarn weight. Undyed cotton yarns are cheaper than the dyed yarns, and I like the fact that there are locally-made ones, like the Monaco Undyed Cotton yarn.
Bamboo Cotton
Even before I got into crocheting, I have already been researching about sustainable fabrics and fibers. Yes, cotton is eco-friendly, but honestly, it is not the best choice. Some reasons for this include the fact that cotton plants occupy a laaaaarge size of land and they also need so much water in order to grow. The better choice is linen, but they come out pricey, too.
These days, Bamboo is making a noise, being another sustainable option, as they grow fast. I was honestly surprised to learn that there is a bamboo yarn. There are both 100% bamboo yarn and Bamboo cotton yarn. The latter is made out of both bamboo and cotton fibers, making it more affordable than the pure bamboo yarn.
This is another fave of mine! It is so soft, making it ideal for wearables, headbands or scrunchies. But since they are quite pricey for my frugal self, I bought this only once. Haha. I feel like this yarn type is not very popular among Filipino crocheters, and so far, I found only three online local shops that sell bamboo cotton yarns.
Fine Cotton
A lot have a love-hate relationship with fine cotton yarn. It is breathable and light, which makes it ideal for clothes and scarves. But it is also very thin and has untwisted ply, making it a bit more challenging to work with, especially at first. But once you get the hang of it, working with fine cotton yarn becomes better and less painful. Haha. Actually, this is my most-used yarn. Not only is it cheap, it is also locally-sourced. This is also often referred to as Baguio yarn.
In working with fine cotton yarn, crocheters mostly do double pull to make it thicker. Double pull is when you pull both ends of the yarn cake/skein together. As I mentioned above, this is mostly used for wearables, but I also use this in making scrunchies, headbands, and even amigurmi!!
There are still a lot of different yarn types which I haven't tried yet, but would love to in the future! (funds, please haha) For beginners, I would recommend using undyed cotton yarn 8 ply. Other crocheters also recommend Monaco or Cannon mercerized cotton. They are in the thinner side, but I guess it'll be fine. Those were also the yarns I used to use all the time when I first explored this world of stitches and loops. Hihi
Standard Yarn Weight
Yarn weight refers to the thickness of the yarn, and not its weight in grams. It is divided into 8 categories, from the thinnest to the thickest.When choosing a yarn according to its thickness, check its yarn weight, instead of the number of ply it has. Ply refers to the thin strands that make up a yarn. But just because a yarn has 8 ply, doesn't automatically mean it is thicker than a 4-ply yarn.
Below is a table that shows the Standard Yarn Weight by Craft Yarn Council.
Hooks
Just like the yarns, crochet hooks also have various kinds. One of the first things you would probably notice with them is that they have numbers. But what are they for?Those numbers indicate the thickness of the steel part of the hook. Just like the thickness of your yarn, the hook number you will use will also affect the size of your stitches. The smaller it is, the smaller and tighter your stitches will be. Thicker yarn will also need thicker hook, but you could always go a size down, depending on your project or preference.
It could be quite confusing which ones to purchase, especially if you haven't tried them before. Even I, had no idea which hook number goes with which yarn type. Haha. I kind of got it as I kept on creating. You don't need to buy all the hook numbers in one go. Usually, the yarns have suggested hook numbers on their labels. If none, you could ask the seller!
Of all the hooks that appear in the search result, it can be quite overwhelming, making it harder to choose. Steel hooks? Rubber-handled hooks? Plastic hooks? Bamboo hooks?
Personally, I use the bamboo-handled hooks. I tried the steel ones yeaaaaars ago, but I can't recall my experience with it. Because of this, I don't feel like I am in the position to suggest any hooks to you. Read reviews s or try to reflect which one you think will be best for you.
I chose the bamboo-handled hooks because...bamboo hahaha and they were being sold by a local store. hihi.
With just those two, you are good to go, but there are other tools that I find very helpful, too!
Darning Needle
I honestly thought I wouldn't need this, but man was I wrong! Hahaha These needles are super helpful in hiding/weaving the ends of your yarn! They also come in different sizes. The thinner the yarn, the smaller the needle you will need.
Stitch Markers
This was another crochet tool which was foreign to me before. But then again, I soon learned how helpful these could be, especially when working on round projects. Basically, you attach this on the stitch that you need to "remember." Haha There are plastic versions of this also. Some even use hairpins or lobster lock. You may actually use anything that you can or want. Haha
Scissors
Well, for obvious reasons... to cut. Haha. You may use any pair of scissors, as long as it could cut your yarn. Hahaha
These are the materials and tools that I usually use! I hope you got something from this post. If you use any other useful tools, please let me know! Hihi
Stay sane and safe!
Let's spread happiness!
herkeepsake
❤