Choose a yarn that’s suitable for your project (wool for mittens, for example, or silk for a scarf) and in the correct weight, as dictated in your pattern’s instructions. From lightest to heaviest, yarn is referred to as: fingering, sport, double-knitting, worsted, aran, and bulky.
Wool is rightly one of the most popular yarns, for being natural, traditional, accessibly priced, and easy to handle (even for beginners). It is also utterly beautiful in so many different iterations. Its one weakness is durability, so if that’s a concern, look for a wool blended with other fibers.
Despite being one of the warmest animal fibers, mohair is known for its lightness, soft sheen, and fluffy texture. It is also extremely elastic—stretching and springing back to shape so it resists wrinkling and sagging. It can be hard to knit, however, and will not give you defined stitches.
Natural, inexpensive, and smooth: These are the qualities that recommend cotton for knitting. While this material has great drape, it is inelastic and prone to splitting in the middle of your knitting. Consider yourself warned—but cotton is worth the trouble.
Due to its superb quality, cashmere—so lovely but prone to pilling—is a true luxury yarn. The softness actually improves with wear, though you’ll end up with that trademark, cloudlike halo. It is typically blended with other fibers to make the cost more accessible.
This rabbit fur is light, silky-soft, and incredibly warm—even warmer than wool. Similar to mohair, angora isn’t great for knitting ornate stitches and tends to be slippery, so choose a textured set of needles for grip, and look for yarns blended with an acrylic fiber to counter its elasticity (and make it more affordable).
As a hypoallergenic fiber, alpaca is a good choice for baby knitwear. Because it has a strong tendency to overdrape, it’s usually blended with other natural fibers to strengthen the tension.
This smooth, lustrous fiber costs more than others, though it’s still the standard-bearer for knitting lace. Because it is susceptible to static cling and catching, look for silk that’s spun tightly with a higher ply, or is blended with other fibers.
This man-made fiber has the ability to imitate natural fibers. It is also cool, comfortable, and wicks heat from the body, making it a good choice for summer knitwear. Nylon yarn, a similar synthetic fiber, is more durable against wear and tear.