Red Heart Super Saver, A Yarn Review

Assorted Red Heart Super Saver yarns in skeins, cakes and balls. Shown are solids, variegates and stripes.

    A classic acrylic yarn for many fiber artists, the main line of Red Heart Super Saver has a vast selection of hues to choose from as well as a few more varied colorways. The solids come in 364 yard (333m) skeins, the prints, variegates, and stripes in 236 yard (215m) skeins, and the flecks and heathers in 260 yard (238m) skeins. This line also comes in a jumbo size, where the skeins are 744 yards (681m) in solids and 482 yards (440m) in variegates and heathers. This yarn is sold at various retailers as well as being available at Yarnspirations.com, since it's under their brand umbrella.

    For reference, the yarns I'm reviewing here are what's on their website as under the line Red Heart Super Saver - the ombrés being listed as their own line.


Texture

   This definitely isn't the softest yarn, but I wouldn't call it coarse either. It usually seems to me like it falls into a sort of neutral zone, not itchy but not notably gentle either. It can be softened, and a fair number of tutorials exist telling you exactly how to achieve this. The ones I've seen generally involve common household substances like vinegar or soap, and of course water, so in all likelihood you can find one suited to what's available to you. Without additional work, though, I think it's good enough for items worn against the skin such as fingerless gloves.


Flexibility

    Again, I feel this yarn is somewhat neutral here. It's not very stiff, and it doesn't drape deliciously like one might expect of a mercerized cotton - which is another part of its appeal. It's a very jack-of-all-trades line, from hats to scarves to shawls to ponchos to socks and even things that require more stiffness - like baskets. I wouldn't recommend it for items like wide-brimmed hats, since it's sort of in the middle and it won't maintain shape very well without support, but it's great for plenty of other stuff.


Absorbency

    RHSS is not suited to absorption. If anything, I think it has a bit of a tendency to repel water, a characteristic that would make it a decent candidate for wet winter weather wear. It is not remotely waterproof, though, so once it gets soaked it will still hold a decent bit of liquid. It dries out fairly quickly, at least - a lot faster than cottons do in my experience.


Weight

    At 1.83 yards per gram, this yarn isn't especially heavy. Of course, in larger projects it will gain some heft, but much more slowly than your average plant fiber. This is another factor that makes it a pretty decent candidate for larger outerwear items, and with it being lighter zippers may not tend to have issues with stretching like on heavier materials. It's not a bad candidate for hanging up to dry depending on the item, so I would heartily recommend you flaunt your fabulous work on an outdoor clothesline if you're comfortable doing so.


    All in all, Red Heart Super Saver is a decent line. The range of colors is suitable for a huge array of projects, it's usually on the inexpensive side, it's fairly durable, and widely available (at least in the US). It's a good yarn for testing ideas on as well as pretty beginner-friendly, lacking a tendency to split in knit or crochet in my experience. Add in machine wash/dry-ability, and it's a winner for general use.

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