https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:01:46 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746715 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 20:18:23 +0000 CocoLion 746715@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I love the light weight of acrylic blends, also the washability. I am wearing my favorite cozy cardi from Nordstrom as I write this, it is 60% cotton 38% acrylic 2% silk. Incredibly soft, can wash and dry. It is large gauge and yes it has pilling but due to the speckled color and chunky knit and patterns, the pilling doesn't show that badly.</p> <p>Diana thank you for the explanation! Also thank you LIsa for the JCrew sweater de-piller suggestion, I will have to pick one up. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746695 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:51:24 +0000 Laurinda 746695@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I really appreciate this thread. I had never really thought about acrylic, but now that you mention it it is not a favorite fiber. Even though I have a couple acrylic sweaters I am really fond of, now I know to watch out for it in the future. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746673 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:13:31 +0000 April 746673@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm going to keep Diana's "no more than 30%" guideline in mind. </p> <p>And high five about knitting with acrylic. Ick. I knitted an afghan -- okay, I started it and my mother finished the final 90% -- when I was expecting my son, out of 100% cotton yarns. It weighs about ten pounds, but I was determined that it should be free of acrylic. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746636 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:20:35 +0000 Scarlet 746636@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh, Mander makes a good point about smells.I am just noticing that about my 100% acrylic sweater. I wash it now every time I wear it. I only wanted it to last a few months and it was cheap, so I am okay with it. Also I have to correct myself. I just double checked and my chunky Mango sweater that wrinkles is 58% cotton, 22% polyester, 20% wool. No acryli there. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746475 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:32:40 +0000 Mander 746475@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I've been purging acrylic sweaters and tops because I have developed an aversion to the texture. Sometimes I find something that is acrylic but feels nice, but they are few and far between.</p> <p>Acrylic also seems to hold on to any sort of smell, whether it be sweat, perfume, cooking odors, smoke, or what have you. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746457 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:22:07 +0000 JR 746457@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting stuff, Diana, thanks.</p> <p>I am probably one of only two people on the continent who has a nasty allergy to acrylic, so I will continue to avoid it like the plague. I have noticed with some dismay that acrylic is working its way into pricier items, which I consider barbaric. It's cheap. What on earth are you charging prices like that for acrylic? And yet at lower price points, where I do most of my shopping, there seems to be less of it, as viscose and rayon and modal shove it aside. Very weird. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746399 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:21:21 +0000 Diana 746399@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I never knit with pure acrylic. It just feels nasty and plasticky and squeaky and makes my hands hurt. It also tends to have that icky, plasticky shine. The really cheap acrylics look and feel *flammable* to me. That said, I do occasionally use acrylic blends (either with cotton or with wool); they are good for things like baby clothes that have to get washed/dried a lot. I do try to avoid buying things (both yarn and ready to wear garments) containing a large percentage (say &gt;30%) of acrylic. </p> <p>I don't really think acrylic pills more than wool, although it is true that many acrylic yarns are cheaper and thus probably not as tightly or carefully spun and knitted. The primary determinants of whether something will pill is the fiber length (merino has short fibers, hence it gets very pilly), how tightly the yarn is spun, and how tightly the yarn is knitted. Softness is unfortunately often an indicator that something will pill since it correlates with short fibers and loose spinning/knitting. (Think about woolen socks, which are made from tightly spun yarn knitted at a very tight gauge, vs. a soft merino sweater). </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746379 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:06:14 +0000 Angie 746379@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What Krish said. An acrylic blend is fine. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746295 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:10:35 +0000 Scarlet 746295@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Well, I can report in as I have recently bought a sweater in pure acrylic (from Zara), acrylic mittens, and a sweater blend from Mango. The sweater from Zara is not pilling after several wears and three washes. It is very soft and I have received compliments on it. The blend sweater from Mango has only a little acrylic in it and it holding up very well after several wears and about three washes, but it wrinkles in a way that pure wool or cotton never would. The mittens are made from under-spun wool and are a pilling disaster waiting to happen. They are warm though and they match my new scarf and hat and have a cute string that goes through the arms of my jacket so that I don't lose them (yes, like for a child). So I love those.<br /> Conclusion: acrylic is okay if you want to try out a new style, but not as nice as expensive wools. I do think it's nice that it's a bit lighter and warm, but not as warm as wool. Some acrylic is itchy; some is soft. Bottom line: just don't pay too much for it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746270 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:44:36 +0000 Jem 746270@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm having the same problem with everything I like being made from acrylic! It's driving me crazy. I don't like the feel of it! Maybe if it was just a small amount I wouldn't mind. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746264 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:42:06 +0000 Lisa 746264@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm not a fan of acrylic and have been slowly phasing those items out of my wardrobe for cashmere instead. I find the sweater comb from JCrew works well for any pills on sweaters, regardless of the fabric. But my acrylic items do not wear or wash well and pill quickly. I find my cashmere items go from season to season while the acrylic one's only last for 1-2. I also have wool blends (100% wool is too itchy for me) and angora items. Both are itchy even as a blend so I have to use them as a top layer only. Like Janet above, I go by touch in the store, if it isn't soft I no longer purchase it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746261 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:41:32 +0000 RoseandJoan 746261@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks for raising this April. I'm curious to know about the blends and what percentage of wool to acrylic is the most durable.</p> <p>I do not do 100% acrylic due to the nasty shine it can produce once steamed. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746214 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:46:29 +0000 Janet 746214@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I admit, I have a couple of acrylic items (I think they're blends but with the majority acrylic) that I like. As for pilling, I've had expensive cashmere that pilled too, so for an inexpensive item that I like and want to try, sometimes an acrylic blend is not such a bad deal. </p> <p>I go by feel. If a fabric feels icky, I won't want to wear it. The other day I tried on a very cute sweater in a wool blend and couldn't get it off my body fast enough because it was so itchy. I don't care so much whether a fabric is manmade or natural if feels and looks decent. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746200 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:07:57 +0000 krishnidoux 746200@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Acrylic does not offer the warmth of wool. I would go for a blend, never 100% acrylic. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746184 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:40:27 +0000 Anonymous 746184@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My main issue with acrylic is that it pills like crazy. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/acrylic-irredeemably-nasty-or-worth-another-look#post-746182 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:27:40 +0000 April 746182@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have to admit that I associate acrylic yarns with holiday-applique sweaters and bottom-of-the-barrel thrift shop offerings. Am I being too dismissive?</p> <p>I notice that many of the current chunky knits incorporate a fair percentage of acrylic, probably to decrease their weight. Does acrylic, like modern-day polyester, deserve another chance, or should I continue to pass? </p>