Crochet guide
Yarn for crochet clothes
For crochet clothes, pick the fiber by the season and by how the garment should hang. Cotton and linen are cool and suit summer tops. Wool and wool blends are warm and suit sweaters. Sock yarn is usually wool with some nylon. Crochet tends to make a thicker fabric than knitting does, so the lighter weights of yarn are common in garments.
On this page 6 parts
What a garment asks of its yarn
A blanket only has to lie flat. A garment has to hang, fit and be worn against the skin. Five things decide whether a yarn suits it.
- Drape. Drape is the way a fabric hangs and moves. Crochet tends to make a thicker fabric than knitting does, and a thick fabric moves less. So a garment often calls for a lighter yarn and a larger hook than the same yarn would take in a blanket.
- Warmth. Wool is the warm fiber. Cotton and linen are cool to wear.
- Stretch. Wool is elastic. Cotton has very little stretch of its own, and a cotton garment can stretch out of shape as it is worn.
- Feel. Some wool is scratchy and some is soft. People who find pure wool itchy may be more comfortable in a blend.
- Washing. Ordinary wool can felt in a washing machine. Wool sold as superwash is treated to resist that. Read the washing instructions on the label before you buy. See washing and care.
The fibers, for clothes
| Fiber | What it gives a garment |
|---|---|
| Cotton | Cool and breathable |
| Linen | Light, strong and cool, with good drape |
| Wool | Warm, breathable and elastic |
| Acrylic | Light, warm and easy to care for |
| Blends | Something of each fiber in the mix |
| Bamboo and silk | Drape |
Three cautions go with the table. Cotton is heavier than acrylic and has little stretch. Some wool is scratchy, and ordinary wool can felt in the wash. Acrylic is less breathable than wool.
Types of yarn describes each fiber in general. This guide looks only at clothes.
By kind of garment
A summer top. Cotton and linen are the usual choices, alone or in a blend, because plant fibers are breathable and light. Bamboo is another, for its drape.
A sweater. Wool, or a blend with wool in it, is the warm choice. Acrylic is light, warm and easy to care for, but it breathes less, and some people find an all-acrylic garment sweaty. A blend of the two is a common middle way.
Socks. Sock yarn is usually wool with nylon added, because socks get hard wear and nylon makes the yarn last. It is a fine yarn: socks are made in the super fine weight.
Which weight of yarn
Garments are made in every weight, but the lighter ones are common: super fine and fine yarns for light sweaters, cardigans and baby clothes, light and medium yarns for everyday sweaters. Bulky yarn makes a thick winter sweater. The yarn weight chart lists the weights, and yarn weights for crochet explains them.
Swatch before you start
A garment has to come out the size the pattern says, so its gauge matters more than a blanket's. Make a swatch in the yarn you chose, measure it, and handle it to see how it hangs. If you have to go down several hook sizes to match the gauge, the fabric will turn dense and stiff, and a lighter yarn may suit the pattern better.
Where to go next
- For every fiber in general, see types of yarn.
- For the thickness of yarn, see the yarn weight chart.
- For looking after the finished piece, see washing and care.