#rhss

[journeyman-tier-fibercraft]

Machine washed all my recent swatches. I should've taken a before photo for all of them but I forgor. Most of these have noticeable wrinkling which if I were more patient I would've controlled against. But at the end of the day if I'm going to make either a blanket or a sweater out of an machine dry-able yarn, I'm going to throw it in the dryer and live with whatever comes out.

Since I intend for this to be a master post for these swatches for me to refer back to, I'll update in a couple days with any that noticeably change gauge/get less wrinkled with relaxation. (Which I do expect, the "washed gauge" listed below should be taken with a grain of salt)

Willow Yarns Daily DK in Coffee (left), Willow Yarns Daily Worsted in Pomegranate (right)

Daily Dk swatch; 36 Stitches wide, US 6 (4.0mm) needles Unwashed Gauge; 24 stitches by 33 rows (per 4 inches) Washed Gauge; 24 stitches by 36 rows (per 4 inches)

Daily Worsted swatch; 30 Stitches wide, US 7 (4.5mm) needles Unwashed Gauge; 22 stitches by 29 rows (per 4 inches) Washed Gauge; 22 stitches by 31 rows (per 4 inches)

Notes: These two value wools held up as expected to the washer/dryer. That is, not as well as Wool of the Andes Superwash (WotAS), but not Terribly. Putting WotAS through a cleaning cycle resulted in very little change in how the final product looked, there's a little pilling but the actual stitches are very clearly defined. With the Willow line, it's like the actual yarn is superwash (I'm able to unply the tails on these swatches fairly easily) but there's a halo around the yarn that is non superwash and thus felting. It doesn't seem to effect the actual fabric much, but it does make these swatches look more "aged" in comparison to the socks I knit out of WotAS even tho these swatches have only had one washer cycle and the socks have had multiple + wear. It's very possible that with a wool cycle washer/dryer, the surface felting would be less pronounced.

Premier Basix in Mahogany, Herrschners Supreme Worsted in Carmine

Premier Basix swatch; 30 Stitches wide, US 8 (5.0mm) needles Unwashed Gauge; 18 stitches by 26 rows (per 4 inches) Washed Gauge; 18 stitches by 27 rows (per 4 inches) Notes; The name does not lie, basic as hell value acrylic. Didn't get incredibly softer in the wash and feels very "sturdy" for value acrylic. Good stitch definition tho.

Herrschners Supreme Worsted swatch; 30 Stitches wide, US 8 (5.0mm) needles Unwashed Gauge; 20 stitches by 26 rows (per 4 inches) Washed Gauge; 20 stitches by 26 rows (per 4 inches) Notes; Possibly the most accurate Caron Simply Soft dupe I've ever seen. If I didn't hate that yarn I would be more impressed. Good drape for a worsted acrylic and impressive stitch definition.

Herrschners 2-ply Classic Afghan in Almond, Herrschners Baby Wonder in Sandbox

Herrschners 2-ply Classic Afghan swatch; 40 Stitches wide, US 4 (3.5mm) needles Unwashed Gauge; 26 stitches by 33 rows (per 4 inches) Washed Gauge; 26 stitches by 36 rows (per 4 inches) Notes; This yarn is worse than the Herrschners Afghan yarn in practically every way. It was less pleasant to knit (had a plastic feel), less soft overall, and the scarring from wrinkles is far more pronounced. I would be less negative about this yarn if I didn't buy the superior version in the same lot but it is what it is.

Herrschners Baby Wonder swatch; 36 Stitches wide, US 6 (4.0mm) needles Unwashed Gauge; 23 stitches by 30 rows (per 4 inches) Washed Gauge; 23 stitches by 31 rows (per 4 inches) Notes; The tension change from stockinette to garter really fucked this swatch up, it's rolling up noticeably more than the other swatches. Other than that, this yarn is pretty uneventful? It's not particularly soft nor particularly not soft. It's not something I want to rub my face on but I could wear a garment made from it without issue. The wool blend plays well with the acrylic in this yarn and the stitch definition is nice at this gauge.

Lion Brand Pound of Love in Straw, Herrschners Worsted 8 in Espresso

Lion Brand Pound of Love swatch; 30 Stitches wide, US 8 (5.0mm) needles Unwashed Gauge; 20 stitches by 26 rows (per 4 inches) Washed Gauge; 20 stitches by 29 rows (per 4 inches) Notes; I do not like this yarn but I got it for extremely cheap so I decided to throw it into this swatch mix and it's still the same. Has a rough plasticy texture in comparison to the other value acrylics I tested here. My biggest problem with it continues to be how inconsistent the texture is within the same ball of yarn, in this single ball I've used it's gone from relatively soft to relatively rough and back.

Herrschners Worsted 8 swatch; 30 Stitches wide, US 7 (4.5mm) needles Unwashed Gauge; 20 stitches by 26 rows (per 4 inches) Washed Gauge; 20 stitches by 28 rows (per 4 inches) Notes; I expected to utterly hate this yarn but I'm pleasantly surprised by it. The texture is Odd? I've not used a yarn that felt like this one for a very long time, it feels rather unenjoyable in the ball but knits up wayyy softer. I should've bought a lighter colour for this swatch since it's hard to tell the stitches from each other. I'll definitely consider using this yarn over my beloved Big Twist Value for blankets in the future.

Herrschners Afghan in Bing Cherry, Held Single (left) and Held Double (right)

Held Single swatch; 40 Stitches wide, US 4 (3.5mm) needles Unwashed Gauge; 27 stitches by 35 rows (per 4 inches) Washed Gauge; 27 stitches by 36 rows (per 4 inches)

Held Double swatch; 30 Stitches wide, US 8 (5.0mm) needles Unwashed Gauge; 20 stitches by 28 rows (per 4 inches) Washed Gauge; 20 stitches by 29 rows (per 4 inches)

Notes: The real winner of this whole swatching is Herrschners Afghan held single. There's nothing wrong with it held double really (other than the terrible wrinkle but alas that's my fault) but held single, this yarn has incredible drape, softness, and stitch definition. For a really long time I've really wanted to knit a thin v neck sweater to replace one I had a good decade ago, but I've not found a yarn that would be worth the cost (both currency and labor) to justify knitting a sweater in my size at such small gauge. But This yarn absolutely hits that mark. A few negatives; Mild sheen (personal dislike, tho it's not terrible in this yarn). Had the most knots of any of the yarns I tested (I believe there was 3 total, 2 in one ball, 1 in the other). Center pulling this yarn was NOT fun, had major yarn barf that really wanted to tangle in on itself for one of the balls and the yarn is so light and airy it was hard to untangle.

Herrschners Aran in Heather, Premier Anti Pilling Everyday in Walnut

Herrschners Aran swatch; 30 Stitches wide, US 7 (4.5mm) needles Unwashed Gauge; 20 stitches by 28 rows (per 4 inches) Washed Gauge; 20 stitches by 28 rows (per 4 inches) Notes; Terrible. yarn. The nicest thing I can say about it is that I like the colour and that it holds it's shape well. It feels like the world's scratchiest wool but clearly made out of plastic and broken dreams. I've never had an acrylic yarn make my hands itch before. The only thing I could realistically see using this yarn for is something like baskets/yarn bowls.

Premier Anti Pilling Everyday swatch; 30 Stitches wide, US 8 (5.0mm) needles Unwashed Gauge; 19 stitches by 25 rows (per 4 inches) Washed Gauge; stitches by 27 rows (per 4 inches) Notes; The other yarn that reminded me of Caron Simply Soft but not nearly as impressive as the Herrschners Supreme Worsted. It does feel more sturdy than the Supreme Worsted but is maybe half as soft with a much worse drape. The only way I would buy this yarn again is if it was dirt cheap, otherwise it doesn't bring anything to the table that other yarns don't but better (other than maybe being anti pilling, tho I've never had a real issue with pilling from my value acrylics).

[thisbibliomaniac]

"oh yeah that yarn softens up in the wash :)" okay but it's leaving blisters on my hands right now :)

[ub-sessed]

This is my first time knitting with Red Heart Super Saver, and I can see why people don't like it: the skin on my right hand is getting irritated where the yarn passes over it. But only on my right hand: my left hand is fine. I may try tensioning the yarn in my right hand the way I tension it with my left so that it doesn't rub as hard.

[rhapsodomancer]

i know caron simply soft has its uses but my god, never again

[quillyfied]

Today on adventures in crochet: found a super cool skull granny square pattern! Also found a super simple bag pattern and thought, I can make a bag from this super cool skull granny square! Spent two and a half hours doing math and color piecing before realizing this granny square is probably not a good thing to use to make a bag with!!! I’m fine!!!! :’)

[dollsonmain]

I was thinking I kind of wished I hadn't thrown out Elphaba's box because the porn link thing is hilarious, but it's sitting right here by my chair.

My desk area is a disaster.

Anyway, the yarn tools will get here tomorrow. I bought a blending board and a winder that can wind bigger cakes. Now that I don't despise RHSS I even more want a winder that can actually handle that much yarn in one cake.

Also some light bulbs. Boring.

Son's pants will get here Thursday, presumably.

A while back I mentioned my heels hurting and I guess my phone heard me so I got lots of posts about plantar fascitis on Instagram. I thought that wasn't the issue because the pain is in the wrong spot, but one day I touched the bottom of one of my feet and could feel one really tight, hard string running from toe pad to heel. Both feet have it. Gave it a squish and had a hell of a lot less heel pain.

So I guess that's what the problem is.

Anyway I don't have a tennis ball to mash but I do have a golf ball and rolling it around under my feet has made a huge difference in my pain levels and ability to move around.

Doesn't solve my calves stiffening up really hard once I sit down, though, but that doesn't HURT hurt, it's just annoying.

My heels were feeling like someone was slicing them with razor blades every time I took a step.

[cassowary-rapture]

Kinda want to make a granny hexagon cardigan

I looked for examples made with my favorite colorway (RHSS Favorite Stripe) and found this and IT'S SO PRETTY

I do have a bad habit of making wearables and then never wearing them. I'll take pictures of them and then shove them into the big laundry hamper where I keep completed projects

But maybe I'd actually wear it??? Idk

[kiefbowl]

If you soak Red Heart Super Saver yarn-made projects in conditioner (like soooo much conditioner, like a whole bottle. You want the project to be the colour of the yarn) and soak it for maybe a couple hours, rinse and wash in washing machine/dry in dryer it will be beyond soft (like unbelievably soft). I made some wedding gift blankets using RHSS using the above (there are more detailed instructions online if you look) and was blown away by the results.

thanks for the tip :)

[0xo]

not the greatest pic but i made a blanket for my grandma <3 she made me an afghan when i was a kid - i wanted to return the favor. i found a vintage patternbook published the year that she was my age, loved the one featured on the cover, and decided to make it for her! it's filet crochet, about 4.5 jumbo skeins of rhss. she loves it and said nobody had ever made her an afghan before 🥹 it's my first time working filet from a chart, and my first twin size afghan, i think it came out great! took maybe two weeks with a few hours a day.

[naritaren]

I've talked about this before, but I want to back up my bitching about pattern prices in the crochet world. Patterns, once you finish all of the testing and tech writing, are basically passive income. The most work you have to do is clarify any mistakes that got through or maybe provide assistance to someone who is stuck. If your pattern is well written, you rarely have to do that. Once the pattern is posted, you can really just let it do it's thing. I don't like when patterns are super expensive because it puts a financial barrier to the hobby. I price my paid patterns at, what I feel, is a reasonable price. All of my patterns except my cardigan pattern, are 2.50. I have the mindset that a person on a limited income (like SSI/SSDI) should be able to go to Walmart and buy a skein of yarn, a cheap hook, and a pattern, all for under 10 dollars. If they already know how to crochet, they likely already have the hooks. So they can pay 4 dollars for a ball of RHSS and 2.50 dollars for a pattern and be able to make a hat or something for under 10 dollars. The only reason my cardigan pattern is 5 dollars is because it is written for sizes XS-5XL with instructions on how to make it bigger to accommodate more sizes. It also has a full video and picture tutorials for the stitches and full assembly pictures. It took considerably more work to make this pattern than my others and I felt with the size inclusivity, it made sense to raise the price on it. I also had no real choice because of how the pattern came about and I was locked into a contract with a yarn company on what I could price it. I negotiated for it to be 5 dollars. But to counter that, I also release a ton of free patterns all the time. I want this to be an accessible hobby and seeing people price shit at 10 dollars for a pdf really pisses me off. I'm just one person trying to make the hobby accessible financially, but it means a lot to me so I'm going to keep trying.

[eva-knits12]

My Current WIP's.

On the bottom in the first photo and in the second photo, the knitting project with the navy blue yarn, is the Easy Fingerless Mitts by Calypso Knits. I'm using size 6 (4 mm) double pointed needles using Loops and Threads Impeccable yarn in navy. Loops and Threads is available at Michaels.

On the to, and in the third photo, is A Simple Headband by Demi Knits.Im using size 9 (5.5 mm) 16" circular needles and the yarn is Red Heart Super Saver in black. RHSS is available at Jo-Ann's, Michaels, and Walmart.

[existentialcrafting]

Finally finished the crochet granny square “quilt” I’ve been working on!! Took me about 6 months but I really like how it turned out given I’ve never made a blanket this big before (It fits a twin bed)

The base squares are the “sunburst” granny square pattern, they’re linked together with a slip stitch through the back loops only, and the border was made with the star stitch. This took 9 skeins of RHSS Aran yarn o_o I ran it through the wash with some fabric softener, then put it in the dryer. It came out pretty soft actually!

[fourohfourlifenotfound]

Facts. I have crochet slippers made with RHSS, and they're comfortable. But I could see where they wouldn't work as well in shoes or if you're on your feet for long periods

Today I found out that yarners think crocheting socks is subversive and controversial and I just…on one hand, why the fuck not, I guess yarners are allowed to have their controversies, but on the other, how much time do you have in your FUCKIN DAY??

[blog-khanhvitran-blog]

Đá nung kết - Sintered Stone phù hợp với nhiều phong cách từ tối giản tới hiện đại, từ sang trọng đến đơn giản, từ hiện đại tới cố điển. Đồng thời đá nung kết Sintered Stone phù hợp với ốp lát ngoài trời

[angelsiren]

still don’t understand how people can crochet clothes with rhss like the granny square yarn is a cool idea but rhss is the roughest scratchiest acrylic yarn out there i hate it

[catboymeowmeow]

people are like 'oh folks that dont like red heart super saver yarn just havent updated their opinions in years' i mean. i get you i guess. i have some rhss blankets my aunt made me ages ago and theyre definitely worse quality than the stuff ive gotten within the last 5 years. but i have gotten new, from a retail store, modern red heart in the last 5 years and im still not impressed. ive felt better acrylics for comparable prices (Caron simply soft, for example)

and i think they updated their yarn again recently, bc my last project with red heart (where i was trying to use up all i had left cuz i had decided i didnt wanna buy red heart anymore) i ran out of yarn close to the end and had to buy more, and it was a different texture entirely. but ive also been to a store since and the red heart on the shelves DIDNT feel like that, so i dunno. either way, just not the brand for me.

i dont buy Caron anymore either but thats because it does NOT agree with my ball winder and always turns into a 7 or 8 hour detangling session, even if i try winding from a brand new unopened skein. Something about the twist i guess. (and ive tried winding it both directions. both turn into tangles.) but the texture of it was pretty nice.

I found that red heart pilled a lot after a wash and dry and that Caron split a lot while i was working with it. But at the end of the day if i had to buy one of them again id go caron, every time. every time.