As we race towards the Christmas knitting deadline, many knitters are under the gun to complete their projects quickly and under budget. So which do you choose for your gift knitting: wool or acrylic?
Acrylic is usually cheaper than wool (although not always) and more easily available than wool (but again, not always). It's not as nice as wool, but it comes in a million different colors, and it has that "easy care" advantage.
Wool is warmer than acrylic, safer (it is self-extinguishing, whereas acrylic is very dangerous in a fire). But it also tends to be more expensive than acrylic, and more difficult for a non-knitter to care for. On the up side, it doesn't have that terrible acrylic squeak and plastic-y feel in hand.
How do you decide?
First of all, consider the recipient. How willing are they to go the extra mile when it comes to laundry? We knitters hand-wash knits without batting an eye, but this process is seen by non-knitters as tedious and time-consuming in the extreme. Think carefully before making something wool for new parents, college students, and people with mobility issues.
When in doubt, ask. Maybe they have one of those newfangled washing machines with a hand-wash cycle! If you're not sure, it may be better to err on the side of caution and knit for them with acrylic.
Also consider the use case. I recently made a pair of fingerless mitts for an aunt who works at a doggy daycare. Her mitts get pretty gross, so I make them out of acrylic yarn so that she can throw them in the laundry.
Of course, someone's going to pipe up and suggest superwash wool as the solution to this dilemma. Personally, I hate superwash wool. It's like the worst of both worlds. It sags terribly, and it always feels strangely clammy. No thank you!
Image courtesy Flickr/justmakeit
0 comments