How to Knit with Acrylic Yarn?

Knitting with acrylic yarn is a pleasure. With any regular knitting needles you can fashion acrylic yarn to make a warm sweater, scarf, home decor and pretty much everything you can do with knitting. Though the yarn does not come from the back of our favorite four-legged creature woolly sheep it does have great benefits. The combination of acyclic yarn and stainless steel knitting needles is the recipe of quick and easy knitting, so smooth that is as easy breathing.

In this blog we’ll take you through everything you need to know about knitting with acyclic yarn.

What is Acrylic Yarn? 

Yarn is the most common discussion in the world of knitting. No knitter or a crocheter ever says they have enough yarn. And, it is not just the shade or weight or fiber. Acrylic yarn is the talk of the town for many reasons. The man-made fibre is developed using polymers created from petroleum products such as crude oil. Its constitution allows both benefits and drawbacks for knitters and the user of the knitted project.

Though man-made the yarn can easily mimic wool and cotton. In fact they are many blends that use natural and man-made fiber equally creating a yarn that has endless shades, is pocket-friendly in cost and easy to knit with. The biggest benefit in comparison to wool, cotton, silk and other natural fabrics is, you do not have to stick to any knitting needle type or material to knit with acrylic yarn. You can easily work with double pointed needles or fixed circulars or interchangeable circular knitting needles for any project. In fact many knitters find knitting with double pointed needles with acrylic yarns easier than others.

Let’s walk you through both.

Perfect for colorwork knitting - As acrylic yarn is a manmade fiber, it can easily be made to various specifications, including its color. In fact, acrylic is known for providing practically endless options in color shades. They dye well (only of properly done) and are color-fast. Acrylic yarns are not prone to bleeding. This particular feature makes it the perfect option for colorwork knitting patterns. While you can simply add colors to knitting with using a self-striping shade or variegated yarns, it is possible to knit with acrylic yarns in different colors or even with wool or cotton. Acrylic works well with all other yarn-fibers and weights to create the desired color effect with knitting styles such as Intarsia, Stranded-colorwork, Mosaic, Fair Isle, etc.

Ideal for Beginners - A good place to start for beginner knitters is acrylic yarn. While you may learn to knit with borrowed knitting needles and yarn for your first projects it is best to work with economical and hassle-free yarn. It is less expensive than other yarns, even when looking at higher-priced, premium acrylic options. So for knitting your first sweater or blanket or anything you desire, it is best to work with the pocket-friendly yarns.

Easy Cleaning - Acrylic yarn is excellent for cleaning. They can be washed in the machine or by hand and quite often. Premium acrylic blend yarns used for knitting sweaters, baby blankets, furnishings, or socks are good to look at and also survive constant washing without shrinking or shedding.

Durable Knitted Fabric - Every knitter would love to make durable projects. Acrylic yarns are excellent for any projects that need to be durable. As a petroleum-based product, it will take many years for it to degrade and since it is synthetic fiber, it is impossible for moth larvae to digest it. In comparison, wool and cotton will require lots of care and maintenance.

Prevents Allergies for Knitters – Many knitters are allergic to lanolin, the oil found in wool or are sensitive to the scaling of wool fibers. In comparison, the synthetic fibers of acrylic yarn prevents allergies from wool yarns. Even if you would want the warmth of wool, an acrylic wool blend will offer the right solution for knitting. Also, as we are discussing about stainless steel needles, they too are the best anti-allergic knitting material.

Makes Clear Stitches - Acrylic yarn has great stitch definition, they hold the stitches well. Many times because of the fuzziness or fiber content of a particular yarn, it becomes very difficult to see the individual stitches as you knit. Knitting with acrylic yarn is really helpful when you are learning to read your knitting. It is of great help in complex knitting patterns where you have a lot going on in a row or round. Also, when you are planning your design and want the knit stitches to pop in a textured or colorwork pattern, acrylic is the best option available. In lace knitting where it’s important to clearly view stitches it’s best to stick to acrylic blends.

Not Suitable for Warm Fabric – If you are looking for a warm sweater, scarf or socks, it is best to avoid acrylic. A blended yarn may work but, the manmade fiber does not hold heat like wool and natural fibers. While this may want you to rule out winter sweaters and cardigans, this certainly makes you plan lighter garments. The double knitting technique that creates two layered reversible patterns will work out for the knitting projects. So, if you want easy summertime knitting projects, get your hands of acrylic yarn.

Non-Absorbent - Acrylic yarns are hydrophobic as they are based on petroleum products. They repel water rather than absorb it. This feature has both positive and negative qualities. It is beneficial as it will wash quickly without absorbing water. When you are knitting washcloths or towels where you would require them to absorb water is the better choice is a hydrophilic fiber such as cotton.

Can Melt - The synthetic fibers based acrylic have a low melting point unlike natural yarns. So, it is better to avoid knitting with synthetic yarn that require extra fire safety, such as kitchen washcloths.

Does not Block well - Acrylic knits are hard to block. The best option is steam blocking. After you’ve finished knitting your gauge swatch or the finished project, lay the fabric down on the blocking mat. Pin with knit blockers or T-pins. Steam with iron without letting the hot surface touch the knitted fabric. Refer to our blog on how to block knitted projects.

What to Knit with Acrylic Yarn? 

Now that you have all information of knitting with acrylic yarn, what to do you want to make? The yarn works for almost all projects. Simply cast on stitches on your knitting to make some home décor such as pot holders, coasters, wall bunting, baskets, etc. You can also plan summer garments and accessories. Blankets for babies or used outdoors require frequent washing and acrylic works best.

We hope with this you’ve everything you needed to know about knitting with acrylic yarn. Enjoy mindful knitting with the stainless steel needles of the Mindful Collection.