Product Review: Red Heart Super Saver Yarn by Coats & Clark
Made from 100% acrylic, each skein is 5 ounces or 244 yards. The thread is medium worsted and made in China for Coats & Clark. If you go to the company's website (www.coatsandclark.com) you will get free patterns for crocheting, knitting, quilting, embroidery, sewing and different types of craft. For this particular thread Coats & Clark recommends that you use "I" crochet hook or "8" knitting needle. I paid $2.59 for each skein, which is a super savings.
I made one crocheted scarf per skein of yarn with a different pattern for each scarf using the "I" crochet hook. One was single stitches with alternating between back post on one row and front post the next row. That made a nice ribbed look. Then I did the same with the half double crochet stitch and it made a striped bar effect. I also did a plain double stitch and a plain single stitch. I honestly don't remember what stitch I did on the last scarf because of all the problems I had with it.
Each skein had a few tangles in it. Four of the skeins were easily fixed with a few minutes of unraveling the yarn and working the knots out, but the fifth and final skein was a dilly. I was on the second to last row when I encountered a tangled mess that reached nightmare proportions in no time. It took me five hours and 15 minutes to untangle all the knots that were at the core of the skein. I have made a solemn vow to never ever buy Red Heart Super Saver yarn again. I'll use
what I have, but that's it.
If the company had anyone checking for quality control that day, they either didn't show up for work or found something better to do like take a nap. The yarn is a medium weight and not soft, but not coarse either. Red Heart Super Save is just a little rough feeling, so even before I found the tangled mess from hell, I wasn't all that impressed with this yarn.
Bottom line: I do not recommend Red Heart Super Saver yarn that has been made in China to anybody for any project. Even if this yarn didn't have problems with knots it would only be average.
Other Yarn Reviews by Genie Walker:
Italia Yarn by Yarn Bee
Lion Brand Homespun Yarn
Bernat's Softee Chunky Yarn
I Love This Yarn by Hobby Lobby
Published by Genie Walker
Genie Walker is an amateur photographer, gardener, philosopher who also needs to write to feel complete. She supports her writing habit by working as a Librarian and a Reiki Master III. Her articles cover... View profile
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19 Comments
Post a CommentI really recommend that people take the skein, pull from the middle and turn it into a ball before knitting/crocheting. I do it by hand and it takes about 5 minutes per skein. I just balled 10 skeins of Red Heart and encountered not one snag or tangle, and now that it's balled up, when I created my projects it won't happen either.
It is rough, but you're right, it softens after washing.
=)
This is actually my go-to yarn for projects because of the amazing range of colors available and the affordable price (I like to combine it with smaller quantities of eyelash yarns or other stuff with more personality, but it's my workhorse). I'm sorry you had a bad experience with it. Possibly the tangling problem and the less-soft feel could both be traced to the same source--the sizing, which may have caused the yarn to snag and tangle by creating too much "grab" inside the skein. As you said, it does wash off, leaving a softer product. Loved your honest review, though!
neither a knitter or chroceter am I but I appreciate the info
This is the yarn I use most frequently!
I wasn't too relaxed while I was untangling those knots. ;)
I wish I knew how to knit or crochet. People who do these seem so relaxed.
Having used this yarn, I have to give you a hearty second on this review....both on the coarseness and the knots. Detangling was frequent and it does NOT feel good to work with. The only advantage to this yarn was the price but then...it's made in China. Nice work on the review.
I used to use Red Heart too, still have some odds and ends laying around, but if I ever get time to crochet again, I'll sure pass this brand up. I really don't have time nor temper to deal with knots!
You are one buys person, crocheting and writing.