Red Heart is the cheap yarn of all cheap yarns. It's acrylic, normal 4-ply, and I-T-C-H-Y. Scratchy. Rough 'n tumblin. It's exactly like that afghan from your grandma that you hate using because it's too itchy. But it is cheap, in more ways than one, and highly affordable. Plus, it comes in all sorts of fun colors!
Then there's I Love This Yarn by Hobby Lobby. I love that yarn. Much softer, but a dollar or two more expensive. When you have to buy 4 skeins at a time, those extra dollars add up.
And then there's Caron. Beautifully soft and shiny, but every crocheters nightmare to work with! Splits like you wouldn't believe! Also a dollar or two more expensive.
And there is also I Love This Cotton which I would LOVE to make a blanket in cotton but honestly? $3+/skein for less than what you get for acrylic...it's just hard to justify the purchase. At least if you're someone on a budget.
And so that was my thought process when it came to making a blanket for my sweet sis. What did I choose? The Red Heart.
Halfway done with the blanket and with every row I add on, I think, "Why oh why did I buy the Red Heart???" Maybe the vintage itch goes with the vintage colors. Maybe she won't care because she's not a baby and doesn't need it baby's-bum soft. But now I'm regretting using this yarn and I haven't even told her!
So anyway, back to the point of this post. I found how to soften yarn!! This lovely article on Craft Sauce shared how to do it, and apparently it works wonders! My only problem is, dare I try it on a 4' x 6' blanket?
What do you think??
