Bag of Knowledge - Blog 3


Q3 – What draws you to a particular yarn that makes it a “have to have”?


The fibre content first of all. Colour second (I LOVE variegated yarns). I don’t even look at acrylic yarn, but oh boy, the natural fibres! Merino, alpaca, baby camel, silk, bamboo, yak, cashmere and the list goes on. I have such beautiful (and damn) expensive yarn in my stash; I frequently day-dream about a life where I will have time to work them all into something breathtakingly beautiful, and I just can’t seem to reach that stage of my life where things will finally slow down. This decade is fast drawing to a close and I am contemplating some life-changing decisions that will allow me more time to play with beautiful yarn.
≈ Hilda Steyn, designer, blogger and co-author of Hekel en Word Heel is also on Instagram

That is a tough one.  I think most of the times it is the look.  I absolutely LOVE Yama yarn, just for the way it is dyed, meaning how the overall appearance is.  And when I started crafting, just getting to know the yarn and crochet community, I fell in love with Scheepjes Stonewashed XL.   It was then, in my opinion, the ultimate to work with.  Even though it is an acrylic blend, it is still a yarn I will work with, occasionally.  I also developed a love for natural fibres, and apart from the Scheepjes, you will only find natural fibres in my stash.  Oh, and before I forget, it must have something pink in it, or must work with other pink yarn, as I am an absolute pink freak.
≈ Eloise Nel the creator behind MyLove4Crochet 



I'm especially drawn to beautifully hand-dyed yarns: mostly burgundy, greys, blues, turquoise or pastels, preferably tonal or subtly variegated. Fibre content should be real wool or a wool blend with other natural fibres. I have to enjoy knitting or crocheting with it as well!
≈ Adele Marais, founder and creator behind Yarn Creations and presenter on YouTube

My go-to yarn for knitting shawls is sock yarn (100% merino), I love the way it knits up, it has great stitch definition and you can determine the drape of the knitted fabric by changing the needle size recommended on the yarn label.  And of course, the COLOUR determines the "have to have" factor.  I love colours that blend into each other like a solid colour with a variegated or speckled yarn.  My favourite colours are blues, purples, earthy tones and of course anything red! 
≈Juanita Muir, designer at Juaknits and follow her on Instagram

I am a big sucker for hand-dyed natural fibres, especially if it’s merino (I think I might be a yarn snob )  Add some greens, mustards or any autumn colours to the mix, and I can hear that skein calling my name   I am quite patriotic and we are very fortunate to have some seriously talented Indie-dyers in our South African yarn community who produce the most beautiful dyed yarn, so locally produced and indie dyed plays a big role in my yarn purchase as well. 
≈ Nicole Barkhuizen, the creator behind Oumaz, as well as The Crafters Diary. You can find her on Instagram or Ravelry


First, the colour is what would initially draw my attention, then what type it is and the feel! I love cotton and naturals yarns!
≈ Joanita Theron the designer behind Creative Crochet Workshops

No. 1, colour, colour and more colour!! I love colour and I love putting colours together so that draws me first, no. 2 is the weight, I adore lace and would always look at the lace weights first before any other weight, I only buy thicker yarn for specific projects, and no. 3 is fibre, I ONLY buy natural fibres, I would rather go without than having to buy man-made yarn.
≈ Surene Palvie, the photographer behind Nova Photography and amazing colour collaborator and crafter

Once I discovered the wonderful world of natural fibres in Surene's yarn shop I was first drawn to colours - turquoise and purple tones. Adele Marais introduced me (terrified) to marling colours and to break the matching colour tones. Oh my hat, then it got really serious and I have discovered I am a lace fan and occasionally might knit/crochet with fingering but not by choice. Anything thicker I shy away from although I did one design using sock weight and it worked up beautifully. The amazing blends we have available in South Africa is also a big plus (alpaca is divine) and I was over the moon when I got to squish, and of course, buy some skeins of cashmere blend.
≈ Designerhook, designer on Ravelry and Facebook page and blogger

I love the feel of natural wool yarn. It must glide through my hands while I work with it. I hate it when a yarn splits while working with it
≈ Lauren Ackerman, owner of Yarn@ZelLe follow her on Instagram and on Facebook (photos borrowed)


                   

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