Suitable yarns and needles
Your eyes don’t really want to work (anymore)? Are you losing interest in needlework because it’s just too tiring? Here are a few tips for choosing the right tools and yarns for crocheting and knitting.
Easily recognizable contrasts thanks to colored needles
It goes without saying that dark colors are not particularly suitable for people with failing eyesight. But perhaps appropriate needles that create a contrast can help. Do you know the white circular knitting needles or the white stocking knitting needles from the Prym Ergonomics series? They make dark colors a little easier to work with. In addition, the knobbly tip ensures that you don’t prick the yarn so easily.
And accordingly, Prym also offers black carbon circular knitting needles and stocking knitting needles which are perhaps particularly suitable for light-colored yarns.
From ADDI there is the addiMystic Lacea colored anodized aluminum needle that is also well suited as a contrast for light-colored yarns – and also feels almost as warm as wood. This needle is also available as a circular knitting needle and as a needle set
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Particularly suitable yarns
At first glance, thicker yarns seem best suited for crocheting or knitting with impaired vision. But be careful: loosely twisted yarns that are easy to stitch into or fluffy, hairy mohair yarns that produce a blurred stitch pattern are also not very suitable.
Crochet
Crochet is often easier than knitting if you have problems seeing. Personally, I only like crocheted garments if they are loose and light and don’t have that typical board character that solid crochet patterns quickly create. I therefore choose medium-thick yarns that are fluffy but still have a clear, compact thread structure. My absolute favorite, which is also particularly suitable for people with eye problems, is the Lana Grossa Superkid Seta. It is recommended for needle size 5.5mm, but I crochet it with needle 7 or 8mm.
Knitting
When knitting, you should look for a compact yarn that is not too loosely twisted. So-called plaited yarns, i.e. yarns in which several individual threads lie next to each other almost untwisted, are rather unsuitable because it is easy to stitch between the individual threads. You can often buy these kinds of ply yarns very cheaply from spinning mills or from the Hamburg wool factory, for example. Personally, I don’t like these yarns at all because they look kind of flat and lifeless. Therefore no link here.
I am happy to link – unpaid – to some yarn recommendations for people with poor eyesight, which you can order from my friend Dörte’s online store:
Vegan Cashmere from Kremke (oh yes, I founded this brand once):
Pure Tweed from Erika Knight
Or something more summery: Morning Salutation
And if you like it cuddly, the great Kremke baby alpaca:
All of these yarns have a clearly defined thread structure and are top quality and fun to use (I have tested them all extensively myself!)
I hope that you still enjoy knitting, or enjoy it again, despite your visual limitations. I can highly recommend the needlework lamp that some of our community members have tested.
