Welcome the Spinning article seriesin which I present to you my experiences with certain yarns. The series essentially contains my yarn experiences, i.e. what yarns I have tried so far, and what kind of experience I had with them. Of course, it depends on the individual, who likes what, but the creation of the series is intended to help, because it is often difficult for our beginner crocheters to decide what, which yarn is the most suitable for what, and what it is worth making with. During the presentations, I describe the positives I experienced and, if there were any negatives, I also illustrate with a few pictures what was/were made of it.
The Yarn Series is not a new idea of mine, as I previously published several posts on my Instagram page about my experiences with yarns. I used to refer to this as yarn criticism, but I felt that criticism does not have a positive meaning for the majority of people, but rather has a negative connotation. For this reason, I renamed this series of articles and gave it the title Spinner.
Photo: Own (Rebeka Novák-Szabó ev)
Crochet needles
My absolute favorite is Prym branded crochet hooks. The first piece I used, I inherited from my grandmother, which was a 5 mm needle. This is how I made my first Snooze Bunny when my son arrived. When I started designing, I invested in a 4.5 mm Prym crochet hook, which has been my favorite tool ever since. It's not a big secret to reveal that I make all my figures made of chenille yarn with this, so I think I use this needle the most. This type of crochet hook is the best for me. I tried several varieties (Pony, DMC, Tulip, Silber, etc.), but this was the absolute winner.
The plastic handle is very comfortable to hold, and the yarn glides easily with the metal hook end. The only problem I had with the Schachenmayr Catania yarn was that I had to get used to the fact that this mercerized yarn really slides on it. I got used to it in a relatively short time and have been crocheting this type of yarn with this brand of crochet hook ever since.
Photo: Own (Rebeka Novák-Szabó ev)
Yarns
My absolute favorite is Himalaya Dolphin Baby chenille yarn. To be honest, since I found it, I haven't tried any other chenille, because it works so well for me, and as I noticed, this is one of the most popular chenille yarns in Hungary (of course, not exclusively). It has a really great material, it also has OEKO TEX Standard 100 certification, so it can also be given safely to babies. Many people do not dare to crochet a toy from it for babies, as it is very fluffy, but I would disagree with that. Maybe compared to an average cotton thread, yes, it sheds lint, but it is the least linty among chenilles according to experience (and I am writing this based on the opinions of others). My little son and even my little girl use the toys made from this yarn, and so after 3.5 years of experience, I can say that they hold up very well. It doesn't come apart, it doesn't fall apart, it doesn't fluff up after crocheting, but it clearly loses its softness after a lot of use, but I think that's the fate of all plush toys that are loved very much. So I can recommend this brand to anyone who wants to try chenille yarn. It is worth knowing that when crocheting with chenille yarn, it is more difficult to see the eyes due to its thickness and fluffiness.
The pabetween mut yarns there are several yarns that I like and many that I am eyeing to try. However, the most 100% cotton yarn called Drops Paris and also popular among Hungarians Schachenmayr Catania 100% mercerized cotton yarn I use. I like to use both types for making amigurumi, because the range of colors is very wide, you can find the right yarn for almost any project. Drops Paris is slightly thicker, I usually crochet it with 3-3.5 mm needles, while Schachenmayr Catania with 2-2.5 mm needles, depending on the project. I really like the finished surface of both, it's soft and silky, perfect for babies and children.
The in making home decors for me the best macramé yarns they got paid. Of these, several brands have fairly high-quality yarn, the ones I have tried so far are YarnArt and Retwisst. I have already made a container from a thicker one and a bag from a thinner one. I think it's more stable and showy than T-shirt yarn, but it cuts your hands a little while crocheting, but I could get over that.
Photo: Own (Rebeka Novák-Szabó ev)
Other tools I still use
I don't know what and how he stuffs his toys, but the one I inherited from my mother always helps me a lot Tunisian crochet hookm. Yes, I don't directly mention it among the crochet needles, because it turned out to be terribly uncomfortable for me to crochet, but it turned out to be an ideal tool for stuffing. The brand of my Tunisian needle is questionable (no writing on it), which must be a pretty solid metal 4mm crochet hook with nothing on the end. I use this blunt end to stuff the thinner parts of the body, where, say, my finger can't fit, and if I want to push filler into the given body part, I use it to help.
If the stuffingwe always have my toys polyester ballsI fill it with whatever is possible antiallergenic, so they can be safely given to babies. This filler category is present on the market in varying quality, you have to find out where the best is found. Some are beautiful white and the quality is felt on them, but during sewing and embroidery, the needle constantly gets caught and the filler material comes out of the figure, some are grayer and of poorer quality (in some you can find small plastic fibers, which honestly does not reassure me), however, there is no problem with it during sewing and embroidery.
In addition, there is one small yellow pliersm, which can be used to pull out the yarn in the figure if it gets stuck while pulling through. I'm sure many of you have already seen this in one of my YouTube videos. Many times I had a problem with this, that I could barely pull it out by hand, or it would just tear, tearing can also happen with this tool, however, the speed of pulling out can save the thread, so it is less likely to tear.
THE sewing needleI use two types of k. Blunt and pointedt. I usually use the blunt tip to do the topstitching with chenille or for my project with Drops Paris yarn, but the sharper type is much better for embroideries, and it works better with Schachenmayr Catania as well. I don't really like playing games with the latter, because I usually play Sleeping Beauty halfway through and poke the end of my finger.
Sland markers I bought the circular, plastic kind, but I don't use it much when crocheting, but only in the picture illustrations of my patterns so that it looks better. Eye markers are clearly very economical and always at hand leftover yarn category worked, I still use this method to this day.
In addition to these tools, what I think is worth buying is a pins (and one more pin cushion, although you can make this too), a good one scissors, pompom maker and one tape measure, although the latter may be worth it only to those for whom size matters, e.g. contractors to determine toy/product dimensions. In addition, it is worth getting a good one for crochet hook storage (any) or one project per box/bag where you can keep your current crochets, so none of them will get lost.
It must have appeared to many I didn't mention the safety eyes and nose. I also used these tools in the beginning, but I stopped using them because of the negative experience. Unfortunately, they are available in very variable quality and my products are usually used by children under the age of 3, so I learned to avoid the danger of suffocation embroider the faces of the toys, about which now you can find more videos that you can watch for free at on my YouTube channel. It is possible that there is a type/type that can be used reliably, however, if it remains permanently inside after being placed (because, say, you melt it there, which I don't think is the most child-friendly solution), there are still many possibilities for it to come out of the figure, and it is almost impossible to put it back impossible without breaking down. Because of that I recommend, if you can, to embroider the eyes of the toys instead, so the solution will definitely be durable, and if it falls apart during use, you can make it again without disassembling it.
Photo: Own (Rebeka Novák-Szabó ev)
Final thoughts
I hope you found my summary of the tools I use when crocheting and designing patterns useful. To avoid misunderstandings this article is about my experiences and insights, not about what to use when crocheting. Everyone has their own favourites, their own experience with the use of yarns and aids, so the lines written above are not set in stone, it is possible that over time I will also gain new experiences and do/use tools differently. If you have any questions about the article, feel free to contact me on my contact details or on my social media platforms.
Cover photo: Own (Rebeka Novák-Szabó ev)
