When picking yarn for a project, what do you choose? How do you choose it? Here are some advantages on one of our favorite types of yarn out there, acrylic.

Acrylic yarn is made from a polymer that is manufactured as a filament, then is cut into strands similar to wool, which is then spun into yarn. DuPont created the first acrylic fibers in the 1940’s and it was named Orlon. There are several different blends of polymers that make acrylic what it is, but it must contain 35-85% of acrylonitrile monomer to be classified as acrylic. When there is just a small to moderate percentage of acrylic it is called a blend. There are many blends out on the market now, the addition of other fibers give it a defining look, wear, and drape.

Acrylic yarn is one of the more affordable yarns you can find because it is man-made and produced in larger volume. Do not be afraid to venture out of the natural fiber box, acrylic yarns are wonderful for new moms, teenagers, and toddlers. Give Mary Maxim’s yarns a try, we pride ourselves on having a superior quality acrylic at a fair price.

Acrylic yarn is easy to take care of. The best way to take care of acrylic yarn projects is to wash on gentle without fabric softener, tumble dry on low for 5 minutes and then lay flat to dry followed by correctly storing the yarns. Tumble dry for 5 minutes helps to relax fibers and helps realign the stitches. Completing the process of drying while it’s flat helps the item retain its shape and drape. Ultimately, it will also help the project last longer and reduce the amount of pilling. DO NOT iron acrylic as it is synthetic and can melt easily. Acrylic yarn is also beneficial to those who suffer from natural fiber allergies like wool.

Older patterns that used wool required blocking and stretching of the piece before and after assembly. There is little to no need to block acrylic yarn.

Matching dye lots with acrylic is easier because it is dyed and produced on a larger scale. There is also a wider range of color choices for acrylic yarn (such as Red Heart Gemstone yarn) versus natural fiber. Sometimes natural fiber does not ‘take’ a color well or the hue is off dye lot to dye lot. Using acrylic will give a great consistency and a better-finished product.

Some of Mary Maxim’s favorite and best-selling yarns are acrylic. Starlette yarn comes in a range of colors, varying from warm and neutral to cool and bright (if you want to add some glitz, check out this Sparkle yarn). This yarn is soft but sturdy. It is so versatile that we use it to design baby blankets, throws, and sweaters. It is a great yarn to have against your skin, it is soft, supple and drapes nicely.

Acrylic yarn is great for beginners. You can practice your stitches repeatedly without ruining the yarn or project. You can stitch and rip over and over again. It will also give you a great stitch definition. It will help with learning how to count stitches and make it easy to see if you missed or have a duplicate stitch.

Check out some of our Customer Favorites below:

Mary Maxim's Baby's Best

Mary Maxim Baby's Best yarn is wonderful for your next gift for baby. Baby's Best is a DK weight yarn that has great drape.  There are a lot of free patterns available for Baby's Best Yarn as well as Mary Maxim Exclusive Kits.

Mary Maxim Ultra Mellowspun DK

Our Prism yarn shows off the amazing color variation. This yarn is acrylic but is a roving yarn that has the feel of hand spun wool, with a natural variance from thick to thin. Once it is worked up it becomes a piece of fabric. The stitches interlock into one another securing themselves next to each other. For some projects, we pair this with another great acrylic yarn we carry, Ultra Mellowspun.

Mary Maxim Prism Yarn

Our Prism yarn shows off the amazing color variation. This yarn is acrylic but is a roving yarn that has the feel of hand spun wool, with a natural variance from thick to thin. Once it is worked up it becomes a piece of fabric. The stitches interlock into one another securing themselves next to each other. For some projects, we pair this with another great acrylic yarn we carry, Ultra Mellowspun.

Mary Maxim Titan Yarn

Mary Maxim Titan Yarn is one of the first yarns we ever brought to market.  Titan is what many of our classic bulky sweaters were designed in and still are to this day.  Titan Yarn is great for beginners and works up quickly.