BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Crochet Another 'frivolous' question

As I was madly working away and getting little done, a question occured to me.

It seems like every time I do much of anything to the yarn (hookovers, pulling it through, etc.) the yarn strands seem to 'unwind' from each other, so I end up having to keep track of four little strands intead of one big twisted-up one.

Is that normal, or do I have poor quality yarn? Or, is it something I'm doing wrong? Because trying to keep track of whether I lost one of the strands I'm supposed to have, or picked up an extra from the strand I was pulling through, is making this take like twice as long as it would if the blasted yarn stayed together....

Make sure you are using the right size hook, you may be using a too small hook for the yarn and that would cause problems. And of course it could just be poor quality yarn, so what type of yarn and what size hook are you using ?

6 oz. Caron Simply Soft
It recommends a 5 mm hook, and I'm using a 5.5 (the smallest yarn-weight hook I have)

That would be an H hook, if you have something larger like an I,J,or K try using that, also make sure you are not doing what I like to refer to as the "death grip" (holding on to the yarn really tight and no I am not making fun of you because I did the same exact thing). Try and relax as your crochet and if this doesn't work, let me know and we will try something else.

I had that problem with simply soft, too. not only that, once I washed the item, it fuzzed really bad, and never looked the same again. That was the last time i used it.

Is is a solid or a variegated yarn? I've found that the variegated yarns tend to separate worse than the solid colors do - especially with Red Heart. Keep at it and you'll have a beautiful project when you are done.

Actually, from playing around a bit as I'm working, I've found *tightening* my grip helps more than loosening it. It keeps the threads stay together better so I don't accidentally pick them up as much.

If SimplySoft isn't much good to use, is there a nice and soft yarn that is better? Preferrably reasonably inexpensive, and preferrably easily found at Walmart (since that's the only place to get yarn I have locally?)

I am not a fan of Caron yarn , try looking over by the baby yarn and touch some of them. I know every Walmart has a different selection of yarn so just start touching the yarn <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

That's how I picked this one out though! >^.^< It was nice and soft without having 'strands' sticking out all over the place to confuse a beginner, lol.

well, the thing is with yarn, especially the cheaper ones, you crochet and learn. Some people LOVE caron simply soft, some dont. some swear by Homespun, some dont like it (me for one). there are people we refer to as "yarn snobs", those that use high end expensive yarns exclusively (and sometimes look down on us that don't. but that's a whole-nuther story) as you grow in experience, you will develope your own taste and preferences. some patterns will scream for one kind of yarn, something else a different one. if your project is a shawl and you want a nice drape, you'll want to use a yarn that will give it the drape. for mittens and hats and afghans, acrylics are the best (red heart for one). my suggestion is, until you get some experience under your belt, stick with the cheapies. that way if something doesnt work out, you're not out a lot of money. you'll learn the yarns as you go. you can pay as little as $3 (for 8oz of Red Heart) to as much as $20 or $30 (or more) for 4oz of Giatto (i think i spelled that right). mostly the project will determine the type of yarn to use, then it's usually up to your budget which yarn of that type you can afford. however, contrary to what i've heard others say, cheap yarn does not mean your project will be mediocre or less "good" than a project made with expensive stuff. there are those who'd like us to believe that cheap yarn automatically demotes any project to the bottom of the barrel.
geez...it must be my time of the month....i seem to be doing nothing but ranting today =/ anyway, you get my point I think. As long as you are happy, your hook will be happy too! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />