Hi, it’s Michelle 👋 

I am loving the cool Fall weather starting to move in and pumpkins are beginning to pop up everywhere.

Subscribers to this newsletter are the first to find out about a brand new tool! I’ve worked hard to bring it to you and I hope you find it useful — read more about it in our Stitch by Stitch section where we find out if Dollar Tree yarn is a good deal or not! 🧡 

In this week’s e-mail:

• Dollar Tree yarn deals

• Introducing, a new Yarn Cost Calculator

• Pumpkin patterns galore!

• Guinness World Record attempted

• Featured Charity

LOOPED IN

Crochet News

🔶 Giant Mandala Awaits Guinness World Record nod. This week, a crochet mandala in Baguio, Philippines was measured at over 96 feet in diameter. (See Pictures: Newsinfo)

🔶 New Local Yarn Store Directory Launched. Yarn stores from across the USA are now documented in a new directory. Great for road trips! (See Directory: TakeAYarnAdventure.com)

🔶 Yarn Brands suspend shipments to the US amid tariff increases. At least a half-dozen European yarn brands have stopped shipping yarns to the USA, leaving crocheters facing higher prices, delivery delays and supply issues. (Read more: Yahoo)

🔶 New Crochet Along from the Crochet Guild of America. CGOA has announced a new crochet-along for the fall, featuring the Forager Cowl designed by Kathleen Berlew. The event will take place from September 8 to October 8, 2025, giving participants a month to complete the project. Crocheters who join in will also have a chance to win prizes. (Read more: CGOA)

YARN OVER HOOK

My Weekly Favorite Finds

A curated selection of useful (mostly) crochet-related articles and tools I’ve come across recently for you to explore. All links have been vetted! 🧡

🧶 Crochet Tips

• How to stop yarn ends from popping out (DIYJoy)

🖼️ Perfect Pictures for Product Listings

• Here’s another background remover tool (Adobe)

🎃 Pumpkin Patterns

• Classic wheat stitch pumpkins (BrianaKDesigns)

• Round-up of free pumpkin patterns (OkieGirlBlingnThings)

• Country Harvest pumpkin patterns (MJsOfftheHookDesigns)

• Three Big Pumpkins patterns (KrissisOvertheMountainCrochet)

• It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (Amazon)

🟨 Advent Calendar

• Choose from a variety of yarn weights to come in your Southern Skeins Advent calendar

 🧡 Featured Crochet Charity

• Crochet for Cancer is a Christian volunteer based non-profit that donates handmade chemo caps to cancer centers for patients coping with hair loss. Find a chapter near you or start one. (CrochetforCancer)

STITCH BY STITCH

🧶 Is That Skein Really a Good Deal?
How to Calculate Yarn Cost

Have you ever stood in the yarn aisle or browsed online and wondered what the best deal really is?

Yarn stores don’t have the same handy unit-price stickers on the shelf like grocery stores. Is a POUND really the best deal? 

Which retailer has the best in-store or online price on the same yarn?

The Dollar Tree has expanded their selection recently adding Yarnspirations Red Heart into the mix, as well as carrying Premier Yarns.

Michaels and Herrschners are both carrying the Joann staple Big Twist.

And if you are following the hype, the 1000g Caron Anniversary Cake has recently been released. Did you know there is also an Anniversary Slice? Which would be a better deal?

👉 The fairest and most basic way is to calculate cost per yard (or meter).
Just divide the price of the skein by the total yards listed on the label.

Let’s look at some comparisons.

Dollar Tree & Yarnspirations Red Heart

I’ve received lots of questions as to whether Dollar Tree yarn is a good deal or not. The answer may surprise you!

Let’s start with Red Heart. I used my all-new Yarn Cost Calculator to figure out the cost per yard.

💡 Takeaway: If you can find it, the $5 one-pound skein (in limited colors and availability) is by far the best deal.

Otherwise, the cost per yard is nearly identical across the other three.

The main difference? At Dollar Tree you’ll need to buy (and join – and weave in ends – on) more little skeins to finish a big project. 

Another key difference: the Dollar Tree skeins aren’t labeled OEKO-TEX certified. Read on to find out what this means and why it matters.

Dollar Tree & Premier

Dollar Tree also carries Premier Just Yarn, again without an OEKO-TEX certification label.

Its sibling, Premier Just Yarn Value, is sold in larger skeins at craft retailers and online. Some Dollar Tree stores also offer the Premier Just Pound skeins for $5 which have gotten great feedback.

💡 Takeaway: As with the Red Heart, the $5 jumbo skein is by far the best deal on cost per yard. If you see them at your local Dollar Tree, it’s worth stocking up.

If you only need a small amount of a color, the $1.25 skeins make sense for quick projects.

For larger quantities, ordering directly from Premier, especially with a sale or free shipping, gives the best overall value.

👉 What does OEKO-TEX certified mean?

As with the Dollar Tree Red Heart, the Dollar Tree Premier yarns don’t carry the OEKO-TEX certification logo.

OEKO-TEX is a global safety standard that ensures textiles are tested for harmful substances.

When yarn is OEKO-TEX certified, it means it has been independently verified safe for human use—especially important for baby projects, gifts, and wearables.

Why Some Yarns Have OEKO-TEX Labels (and Some Don’t)

While the Dollar Tree’s Premier & Red Heart $5 skeins don’t carry the official OEKO-TEX logo, they do have a ✅ check mark with wording like “Tested and approved against 150 harmful substances.”

What’s the difference?

OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 is a global certification. Companies must submit products to an independent OEKO-TEX lab, pay certification and renewal fees, to earn the right to use the OEKO-TEX logo.

Company Testing / Private Labels sometimes perform their own chemical testing or use third-party labs without paying for OEKO-TEX licensing. This keeps costs down so they can keep the price low for the Dollar Tree.

💡  Translation: Even without the official logo, the Premier Pound skein is likely safe for projects, especially since the brand explicitly states testing for 150 harmful substances.

The OEKO-TEX label, however, provides an extra layer of independent verification and global recognition.  If it’s important to you, order directly from the manufacturer.

But That’s So. Much. Math!

I feel ya! 📱 Skip the math and use my free Crochet Current  Yarn Cost Calculator app. Plug in price + yardage, and you’ll get instant cost-per-yard comparisons and a recommendation on the best deal.

I worked hard on this app—so let me know how you like it and what would make it even more useful for you!

Next time you’re at Dollar Tree, Michaels, or perusing yarn online, try the app and compare for yourself—you might be surprised which skein wins! 🧶 

I’d love to hear what surprise deals you discover—hit reply and share your finds.

WEAVING IN THE ENDS

I’m really excited about the Yarn Cost Calculator! I already have ideas for other tools. Please click the “Go-to-Millions” ad below — every click helps me keep building new free tools for you.

See you next week and don’t forget to tell a friend!

—Michelle 🧡

P.S. I’m thinking of splitting the information newsletter into three smaller, easier-to-read issues that would send two or three times a week. Let me know what you think of this idea in the poll below: