Walking into a yarn shop for the first time is overwhelming. Walls of colour, shelves of different textures, labels full of numbers and terms that mean nothing to you yet. The good news is that for your first few projects, the choice is simpler than it looks. Here is what actually matters when you're starting out, and what you can safely ignore until later.
Acrylic yarn is where most beginners start, and for good reason. It is cheap (a 100g ball costs £2-4), machine washable, widely available, and comes in every colour imaginable. It is forgiving to work with because it has a slight stretch that keeps your tension even. The main downside is feel: acrylic can be squeaky against the hook and some people find the texture plasticky compared to natural fibres.
For learning stitches, making practice swatches, and completing your first few projects, acrylic is the right choice. You will make mistakes and you will frog (undo) your work multiple times. Expensive yarn makes those mistakes feel expensive too, which is the last thing you need when you're learning.
Cotton yarn produces a crisp, structured fabric with excellent stitch definition. You can see every stitch clearly, which is helpful when you're learning to count. Cotton doesn't stretch, which means your tension needs to be more consistent. This makes it slightly harder for absolute beginners but excellent once you have basic stitch control.
Cotton is the standard choice for dishcloths, market bags, amigurumi, and summer garments. It handles water well, it doesn't pill, and it softens with washing. Mercerised cotton (cotton that has been treated for a slight sheen) is especially pleasant to crochet with. Scheepjes Catona and Paintbox Cotton DK are both excellent and affordable.
Wool is the traditional crochet and knitting fibre. It is warm, elastic, naturally water-resistant, and has a beautiful drape when worked up. Superwash wool (treated so it can be machine washed without felting) is the practical choice for wearable items. Pure wool that hasn't been superwash-treated will felt if you wash it in a machine, which is either a disaster or a design feature depending on your intentions.
For beginners, wool is a second or third project fibre rather than a first. It costs more than acrylic, it requires more care in washing, and some people find it itchy against their skin. But once you're comfortable with the basics and want to make something that feels genuinely luxurious, wool is worth the step up.
Yarn weight refers to the thickness of the yarn, not how much it weighs on a scale. The system runs from 0 (lace weight, very thin) to 7 (jumbo, very thick). For beginners, two weights are worth knowing:
DK (double knitting), weight category 3: The most common weight in the UK. Versatile, easy to handle, and suitable for nearly everything. Most beginner patterns are written for DK weight. Pairs with a 4mm or 4.5mm crochet hook.
Worsted / Aran, weight category 4: Slightly thicker than DK. Common in American patterns. Works up a bit faster because the yarn is heavier. Pairs with a 5mm or 5.5mm hook. If you're following a pattern from the US, this is probably what it calls for.
Avoid very thin yarns (lace, fingering) and very thick yarns (super bulky, jumbo) when starting out. Thin yarns require small hooks and produce tiny stitches that are hard to see and count. Thick yarns require large hooks and can be unwieldy. The middle range is where you want to be.
Budget (under £3 per 100g): Stylecraft Special DK is the go-to budget acrylic in the UK. Huge colour range, consistent quality, available everywhere. Paintbox Yarns Simply DK is another solid choice at a similar price point.
Mid-range (£3-6 per 100g): Drops Cotton Light and Drops Safran for cotton. Scheepjes Colour Crafter for acrylic with a softer hand. West Yorkshire Spinners ColourLab DK for a wool-acrylic blend that's machine washable.
Treat yourself (£6+ per 50g): Scheepjes Catona for mercerised cotton. Malabrigo Rios for superwash merino wool. These are project yarns, not practice yarns. Save them for when you've got your tension sorted.
Fuzzy yarn (mohair, boucle, eyelash yarn): These yarns look beautiful in the skein but they are a nightmare for beginners. The fuzz hides the stitches, making it nearly impossible to see where to insert your hook. If you make a mistake, frogging fuzzy yarn is a tangled disaster. Save it for later when you can work by feel.
Multicolour / variegated yarn: Yarn that changes colour along its length produces beautiful automatic patterns but makes it very difficult to see individual stitches when you're learning. The colour changes distract the eye. Start with a solid, light colour (cream, pale blue, light grey) so every stitch is clearly visible.
Very cheap mystery fibre yarn: Bargain bins sometimes have unlabelled yarn or yarn with suspiciously vague labels ("fashion blend"). Without knowing the fibre content, you can't wash it properly or predict how it will behave. It's also often inconsistent in thickness, which creates uneven fabric. A known budget brand like Stylecraft is cheap enough without the guesswork.
Silk and bamboo blends: Slippery on the hook. The yarn slides out of stitches easily and doesn't grip the way acrylic or cotton does. Experienced crocheters love these fibres for their drape, but for a beginner they create unnecessary frustration.
For a practice swatch and your first small project (a dishcloth, a coaster set, a simple scarf), two 100g balls in the same colour will be more than enough. For a first garment or blanket project, check the pattern. It will specify the yardage required. Buy one extra ball beyond what the pattern calls for, because beginners tend to use more yarn per stitch than experienced crocheters (tighter tension uses more yarn per inch).
Always buy all the yarn you need for a project at the same time, from the same dye lot. The dye lot number is printed on the label. Balls from different dye lots can look identical in the shop but show a visible colour difference when worked up side by side. This matters less for small projects but is critical for blankets and garments.