Northern Lights Beanie: Yarn & Supplies
Choosing the right yarn for this project can be tricky. It’s best if you use the yarn that I recommend in the pattern. If that isn’t an option for you, I’ll go over what to look for to find the perfect yarn for this project.
Before we discuss yarn, let’s go over the other supplies you’ll need.
I’ve linked to certain products within this pattern. If you click and then purchase one of the products, I will earn a small commission. The awesome thing is, the commission doesn’t come out of your pocket, it’s paid to me by a big company. I would never recommend a product to you unless I think it is valuable. Every item I recommend in this tutorial is something I personally use.
I highly recommend the Clover brand Amour hooks that I linked above!
Not only are these hooks ergonomic (easy on the hands), your yarn simply glides over the hook. It makes crocheting so much easier since you don’t need to put as much effort into fighting with each stitch.
Yarn Needle:
For weaving away ends, I recommend using a tapestry (yarn) needle with a bent tip like the Clover one below. The bent tip makes it easier to weave through your stitches.
Pom-Pom Maker:
If you plan on making a lot of pom-poms, a pom-pom maker makes the task so much easier!
To make the size of pom-poms shown in this pattern, I use the 2 1/2” Large size pom-pom maker, linked below.
How to choose the right yarn:
On to the fun stuff! Picking the right yarn for your project!
I designed this pattern using 2 different yarns from Lion Brand Yarn. I used ’Color Made Easy’ for the main hat body and ‘Landscapes’ for the accent colour.
I have the yardage required for the different sizes is listed below. Below that you will find more information about the yarn and how to substitute it.
Yardage Required:
Main Colour:
Sizes 17” (43 cm) & 18” (46 cm): 85 yards (77 m)
Sizes 19” (48 cm) & 20” (51 cm): 110 yards (100 m)
Sizes 21” (53 cm) - 24” (61 cm): 130 yards (120 m)
Accent Colour:
Sizes 17” (43 cm) & 18” (46 cm): 35 yards (32 m)
Sizes 19” (48 cm) & 20” (51 cm): 50 yards (45 m)
Sizes 21” (53 cm) - 24” (61 cm): 60 yards (55 m)
Pom-Pom Colour:
For all hat sizes: approx 45 yards (40 m)
Main Hat Colour:
What to look for:
Bulky 5 weight yarn
Soft and has some stretch
Solid colour
Finding a yarn with some stretch is ideal. To test the stretch, I hold the yarn strand in my hands and pull gently to see how much it stretches and how much it springs back to shape. Look at how many strands are twisted together to make the yarn, usually the more strands the more it will stretch, Loosely twisted yarn tends to stretch less. If you find a soft yarn with some wool in it, that would be ideal.
For a lovely affordable yarn, check out Lion Brand ‘Color Made Easy’ (The yarn I used).
The label for Color Made Easy shows a crochet gauge of 11 sc x 13 r on K-10.5 (6.5mm).
When you are looking for a substitute yarn, look for one with a similar gauge. For example, if another bulky 5 weight shows a gauge that is more stitches and more rows, and is also recommending a larger hook size… then that yarn is too thick and not suitable.
My favourite affordable yarn option is ‘Color Made Easy’. Although it is 100% acrylic, the way the multiple plies are twisted together gives it a nice amount of stretch and spring. It’s smooth and the stitch definition is great!
Since this is a big 200G ball of yarn, you can make multiple hats out of each skein!
Crocheting a gauge swatch will help you know if your yarn is suitable (more info on that on the next page).
Accent Yarn:
Choosing the right yarn for the accent is a bit tricky.
The yarn I recommend is ‘Landscapes’ by Lion Brand Yarn.
Although it’s labeled as a medium 4 weight yarn, because it’s a roving style yarn, it is quite fluffy and when used in this pattern acts more like a bulky 5 weight.
If you are using a different yarn, look for a similar yarn, or a bulky 5 weight. You don’t want the yarn to be thicker than the main hat body, but you also don’t want a thin wimpy looking yarn.
I love the bright vibrant colours of the ‘Landscapes"‘ yarn. It also has a lovely sheen to it.
If you’d like to achieve the same colour changing effect as seen in my hat samples, look for a yarn that blends from one colour to the next, and has relatively short sections of each colour.
And yes! You can make this hat with a solid accent colour if you’d like!
One last tip: If there’s a colour section you don’t like… Simply break your yarn, cut it out, and crochet again using the next colour section.
Pom-Pom:
Feel free to get a little crazy with your pom-poms if you’d like. It doesn’t have to be made with just accent yarn. Pom-poms are a great way to use up scraps of yarn. There are examples of different pom-poms on the next page. When I make poms I’ll usually use the accent yarn and I will also add in other scrap yarns that will complement the hat. I also have a step-by-step tutorial for how to create a beautiful fluffy pom.
I’ve linked to certain products within this pattern. If you click and then purchase one of the products, I will earn a small commission. The awesome thing is, the commission doesn’t come out of your pocket, it’s paid to me by a big company. I would never recommend a product to you unless I think it is valuable. Every item I recommend in this tutorial is something I personally use.
Amanda Foster and This Crochet is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com