Confessions of a Fledgeling Hooker

If you're a yarn snob, stop reading right now before I offend your delicate sensibilities.


I've discovered that I rather enjoy working with one of the cheapest yarns on the planet. Red Heart Super Saver can be purchased for about $3.00 a skein. Now, in my limited experience, that works out to about 2 hats and maybe a skinny scarf. Depending on how big the hats are and how skinny the scarf is. (or how many times you decide to cut bait on any or all of the aforementioned projects and and start over.)

I purchased a couple of skeins, variegated in shades of muted browns, greens, and oranges. Very earthy colored and perfect for a boy considering that I'd seen those shades before on the knees several boys.

Being new at this crocheting thing, I was loathe to waste money on really good yarn only to have my project not work out and have it end up in the trash. Not only that, the blanket was intended for my son who being 13 and impulsive, would more than likely douse it in cereal milk of a Saturday morning when Spongebob held more of his attention than the list to starboard that his bowl of Rice Chex was taking.

I'd be damned if that would happen on a $18 a skein yarn. For his wedding or my first grandchild, yes. Now - in the age of hot chocolate and fruit punch - oh hell no.


At first glance, and feel (that is touching it while still in it's wrapper in the bin at the store) it tends to set your teeth on edge in the same way that accidentally biting your mitten when you intended to just eat the snow on it does or...er... did. I wasn't looking forward to working with it, to say the least...

However, when it's in your hands and you're working with it feels and looks like it's made of paper. It glides around the hook like Torvill and Dean around an Olympic Icerink, especially on a Clover hook. It's stretchy and forgiving.

Finsihed projects feel substantial and aren't itchy and make you feel like you want to squeeze them in the same way that a sea cucumber makes you want to squeeze it. Okay, maybe that's just me.