Red Heart Super Saver Starts Smelling Superfluously

I have been using Red Heart Super Saver yarn for years. It is one of the least expensive yarns you will find, barring the bargain bin at Big Lots. However, for general knitting for general type hats and scarves and stuff it has always held up well, felt pretty much OK to wear, and stood up to multiple washings from everything from baby spit up to ketchup to steak sauce. I have always felt for a quick project and especially anything I had to do for the kids' schools, Super Saver was an excellent choice. It is also supposed to be hypoallergenic (I say "supposed to" not because I suspect otherwise, it's just I read it on the label, but do not know first hand if this is true).

In the last two years, however, I have become increasingly disappointed with Red Heart's quality. Often, the dye does not seem to get through to all parts of the yarn and after completing a project I will often see white spots where the yarn was not dyed. This is especially apparent with bright or dark colors. Very often I will also see breaks in the yarn where it broke and they tied it together, sometimes very near the beginning of the skein.

Overall, however, the quality for the price is still pretty good. And, since I rarely use a product like this for a project for which I will receive payment, and usually use it for "disposable" hats and scarves for the kids that I don't mind so much if they get lost or ruined, I don't feel a big sense of disappointment in this yarn. More like a confirmation of this yarn's place in the whole "scheme" of knitting: you have to have some bargain basement yarns out there to buy when you're feeling adventurous and want to try out a new project or technique with little cash on the line. Or, if you're like me, and you want to knit a bunch of hats that will cause you little heartache if something happens to them, this is the yarn.

Even so, I am keeping an eye on Red Heart from now on. Shall they descend further into the depths of smelly-ness, or will they shower off and redeem themselves? Only time will tell.

Red Heart Super Saver yarn gets a rating of 3 out of 5 noses.

*0 noses being best (not smelly!) and 5 being worst (totally gross!).