Thursday, February 4, 2021

What Yarn and Thread to Choose for Your Crochet Jewelry


 

When it comes to crocheting jewelry, sport mercerized cotton yarn is my absolute and almost exclusive preference, and I highly recommend it.  The difference between ordinary and mercerized cotton is that mercerized cotton is more luminous, stronger and silkier. It absorbs dyes more readily than conventional cotton, it produces less lint, and it is more resistant to mildew. 

Sport yarn is ideal for making jewelry. It is more durable than lace or super fine weight yarn, and gains an incredibly beautiful texture, especially if intricate patterns are involved. Crochet jewelry made with sport yarn is delicate and luxurious in appearance.
 

However, when designing jewelry, I sometimes like to venture out and work with other weights, such as DK or worsted. When designing wintry pieces, I turn to acrylics. 

 

Heavier weights are used to make statement pieces, but in appearance, these do not posses the elegance achieved with sport yarn. They are bigger, bulkier and much sturdier.

  


Free pattern for the Coral Necklace
 

Jewelry made with crochet thread gains a lace-like quality. Much thinner than yarn, it is of a smaller gauge thus yielding smaller and finer details.  The only negative thing is that it is not as nearly strong as sport yarn, and more susceptible to damages.  Although, mainly used to make home decor like doilies, coasters and ornaments, I like to use it to make unique and eye-catching oya earrings and necklaces. The perfect sizes to work with: #5 - #10. 
Along with crochet threads, I might also mention DMC hand-embroidery thread which I love to combine with ecru. If you don't mind working with extremely small hook sizes, give this a try. 
 
 
 

18 comments:

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

You are very good with creating unique and beautiful jewelry and accessories. I tend to stick with easy projects that can be finished rather quickly or without much concentration. My tension has always been loose so I never get detail in certain projects like some people can. Definitely cannot work with tiny hooks and threads since gripping too tightly gives me major wrist and thumb pain. :/ Take care. Have a good weekend.

Maya Kuzman said...

Thank you Tammy on the sweet comment! The most important thing is that you love what you do and have fun along the way regardless of whether the tension is right enough or the project is simple. I love everything you do, especially crochet, and everything you have shown us so far is simply beautiful and delightful. I cannot tell you the comfort and pleasure I get from taking my hook and indulge in crochet after a long and stressful day, just sitting in my chair, crochet and unwind :) xx

Divya said...

This is a great resource for beginners, thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Julie's Creative Lifestyle said...

Thanks for sharing about all of the different types of yarn to use for crocheting jewelry. Maya, I love all of your jewelry creations.

Maya Kuzman said...

Thank you Divya :)

Maya Kuzman said...

You are welcome Julie! Thank you for the sweet comment!

Michelle said...

What a great idea! I've never crocheted jewelry before but you post has inspired me to try it!

Maya Kuzman said...

Glad to hear that Michelle! Thank you!

Ann said...

Great information and I love the things you make! Thank you for sharing at Party In Your PJ's.

Alhana said...

Although sport yarn is usually a tad too chunky for me, I agree with mercerised cotton. No matter the thickness of the yarn, it is the best! :-)

Kim said...

It was interesting to read of the different yarns you use and why you do so, Maya. I have loved re-visiting some of your gorgeous pretties you have imagined.

Sol said...

They're really pretty :)

Maya Kuzman said...

Thank you Ann!

Maya Kuzman said...

Yes! My all-time favourite and years' long companion :)

Maya Kuzman said...

Thank you so much Kim!

Maya Kuzman said...

Thank you Sol!

Donna @ Modern on Monticello said...

Your work is stunning. I haven't seen anyone else who makes jewelry with crochet. I am so glad you decided to visit over at #HomeMattersParty and share your work. Looking forward to seeing more of what you do.

Maya Kuzman said...

Hi Donna and thank you for your visit and sweet comment. Actually there is a ton of people who crochet jewelry and I am just a small peck of them :)