How do I know how the yarn feels if I can't feel it........The Squishy Rating System.

As a very tactile, or touchy, person, I have often found it really difficult when buying yarn online as I can't touch and feel the yarn before I take it home.  While most of the time I have done ok because I have chosen yarn based on fibres I know, or I have felt the yarn elsewhere prior to buying it, there has been the odd occasion where I have purchased yarn and hated the feel of it when it arrived.  This has meant that I either haven't used the yarn (and it is still in the back of a cupboard somewhere - don't tell my husband!) or I have made something with it, not completely enjoying the process of creating and have never been totally happy with the end result.  

So when I was thinking about starting Yarn Me Calm and setting up the online store, this was something that I felt I had to take into consideration.  How could I let everyone know what the yarn was like to touch?  Does it feel nice to work with?  Does it give you that nice sense of comfort before and after making something with it?  

As yarn enthusiasts we often refer to our yarn as 'soft and squishy' or 'squishies' in the plural.  For most of us this evokes a clear picture of what we are talking about and I was wondering how I could do this for Yarn Me Calm.........and so the idea for the squishy rating system was born.

The next step was finding ways to describe yarn that made sense to those of you that are tactile too.  I had heaps of fun putting together the descriptions although I do have a bit of a tendency to be a bit 'fluffy' in how I write and had to keep checking with my ever patient husband that I wasn't getting too out of hand!

The Squishy rating system is based on how the yarn feels to us, this can sometimes be an individual thing and yarn can feel different after it has been crocheted or knitted (if we have had a chance to test it) so unless otherwise stated, the rating is in its raw state before being transformed into a beautiful creation!

So here is the Squishy Rating System, you will find a rating for each of the yarns we stock on the main product page.  If you want to know what the squishy rating means you can refer back to the Calming Yarn for a full description or go to the Squishy Rating Page.  Otherwise you can gauge how soft the yarn is from the number.  

Number 1 is the softest through to number 10 being less soft (we aim for all of our yarns to be soft and squishy to varying degrees).

The best way to understand the squishy rating system is to read the description, look at the picture and then imagine how that would feel for you.  That will give you a good indication of how the yarn feels to us!

 

The Squishy Rating System

1. Baby Bunnies

What is softer than a baby bunny?  Nothing that I can think of!  That gorgeous, plush, sumptuous, smooth fur that just glides through your fingers with no resistance and makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside!

 2. Baby Ducklings

A very close second, baby ducklings who are covered with down and have not developed their harder outer feathers yet.  Down doesn't have quills so it is so delicate and light. 

The real name for the fluffy chicken....Silky. I had a Great Aunt with fluffy chickens when I was a small child.  I was, and still am, completely enamoured and fixated on them!

It's feathers are known to feel like a combination of silk and satin.  Their feathers are the same as down rather than a normal feather.  They are very docile and look like cloud puffs wandering around the yard.

4. Feathers

Naturally after baby ducklings and fluffy chickens comes feathers!  However feathers do have quills so they are slightly less soft than baby ducklings and fluffy chickens!  They are however light, soft and move across your skin like a kiss.

5. Puppies

You may ask how can a puppy come in at number 5 on the squishy rating scale? Well, the reason is that every gorgeous, soft, cuddly puppy I have ever known generally has finely pointed little needle teeth.  This is what stops them from being number 1 on the squishy rating scale.  However there is something that is so comforting, soothing and just right about puppies isn't there?

6. Kittens

Newborn kittens have the most amazingly silky fur and its almost as though every part of them is soft and squishy.  You can snuggle up to them and hold them close to your skin although there can be the risk of the occasional little bit of scratchiness!

 7. Rose Petals

Layers of velvety, delicate softness.  Rose petals feel amazing but also evoke thoughts of romance for many.  They are also stunning to look at, smell and enjoy but be wary of the random thorn.

8. Velvet

Plush and smooth fabric, often plain on the back, thick and soft on the front.  The plain side is never as soft as the front is but the front always feels luxurious, decadent and rich.

Fluffy, spun threads of sweetness in pretty colours, also known as sugar cotton wool, cotton candy and candy floss. Fine, wispy threads of happiness that sometimes needs to be handled with care!

 

10. Marshmallows

Lastly, but definitely not least is marshmallows.  Light, fluffy, coated in the thinnest and airiest bit of roughness but exquisitely soft and sweet on the inside.  The least soft on the squishy scale (I did indicate earlier that we aim for varying degrees of squishiness for all of our yarns!).  How does the humble marshmallow rate at the lower end of the scale - probably because from a tactile perspective the fine powdery film that is left behind on your fingers is not as silky smooth as the interior of the marshmallow.

 

So that's it, thats the Squishy Rating System from Yarn Me Calm.  Hopefully this helps when you want to choose a yarn and you want to gauge how soft, tactile and truly squishy it is!

Enjoy :)