Patons Yarn
The Patons Yarn label is the one with that familiar little beehive symbol. Patons is widely available at big-box stores like WalMart, Michaels, and Zellers, and also at many yarn stores, which is nice for shoppers who don't have easy access to the smaller stores. It's also nice for new knitters who might be overwhelmed by high-end yarn choices. Patons Yarns are a good low to mid priced yarn, and are a good choice for beginner knitters and projects for children because most of Patons' yarns are machine washable.
You can see the Patons Shetland Chunky Tweed in the Meep Meep. Robot Hoodie.. This hoodie is machine washed frequently (and I think it's been through the dryer by mistake, but that is NOT recommended) and gets a lot of abuse; it has held up well with minimal pilling. The Tweed effect makes the yarn look a lot woolier than it is, but it's 72% Acrylic, 3% Viscose and 25% Wool. Soft to the skin too. The chunky weight makes it a fast knit.
And although you might associate Patons with acrylic baby wool—I remember an old Patons pamphlet with the standard pink and blue layette patterns— they also have some more contemporary, higher end blends, like the Angora Bamboo and Silk Bamboo. And their Kroy Socks knitting book, Socks in the City is charming.
Check out the Patons Yarns website too for many useful resources. Lots of beginner crochet and knitting patterns, an abbreviation glossary, and instruction pages. There's also a useful Stitch Gallery with photos and written instructions.
