What to knit with inexpensive yarn and is it worth using

High-quality yarn is quite expensive, and it's often tempting to choose a cheaper alternative—yarn in hanks or cones.

These can have varying compositions, which, in the absence of labeling, makes working with such material more difficult. To determine what kind of yarn we are dealing with, we can use a proven method.

• Cut off a small piece of yarn about 5 cm long.
• Light the tip with a lighter. Extinguish it quickly.
• Observe the result: if the tip of the thread has melted and hardened, it is most likely acrylic yarn without additives. A slight smell of burnt horn and a tip that crumbles slightly indicates a blend (acrylic with cotton or wool). A strong smell and a tip that turns into ash indicates pure sheep's wool.

Once we have determined the composition, we should carefully examine the quality of the yarn.

In my case, the yarn on the cones is pure wool, but it has uneven thickness and coloring. It is suitable for knitting socks, provided that another thread is added to increase the durability of the fabric. The white yarn in hanks is a fluffy wool blend that easily "sheds" its pile while knitting. I used it for a winter hat and scarf, but after knitting, the item had to be washed immediately so that the fabric would look uniform.

When clarifying what to knit with inexpensive yarn, one should mention the yardage. Since there is no labeling, you will have to knit a swatch, measure it, and after unraveling it, determine the approximate yarn consumption. The same applies to knitting gauge and choosing needles. Experienced knitters will easily cope with this problem, but beginners are better off using factory-made yarn with a label. If you decide to knit a full-fledged item from them, such as a sweater, you should knit it with two strands of a similar shade, which will allow you to achieve a good result.