Cotton yarn has a varied reputation.

If you’re new to crochet you’d be forgiven for being completely confused by the mixed messages you get when you research crocheting with cotton yarn. You’ll hear people simultaneously calling it soft and hard, tough and prone to splitting, easy to machine wash and likely to leach dye when wet.

It can be hard to push through the conflicting information, to find the truth. But the fact is that there is so much conflict in these pieces of information, because there is a bit of truth to them all. It just depends on a few factors.

There are a number of different cotton yarns on the market, and most are actually better described as cotton blends. They combine cotton fibers with acrylic, silk or even wool fibers. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the percentage of cotton the stronger, but also rougher, the yarn will be.

The DO’s

DO Check the texture

Cotton yarns vary quite a lot in terms of how they feel, but they are more likely to be rough and hard than some other fibers. If you are someone who finds the texture of some yarns offputting like me, then make sure to test the yarn before you buy it.

Run your hands over the skein, and if possible run a strand of yarn back and forth between your fingers. If you already own the yarn, make up a little swatch of a few stitches and rub it gently on your face too. If you don’t like the feel, then it isn’t the cotton yarn for you!

DO Inspect for splitting and fluffy patches

The two main complaints I hear about quality when it comes to cotton yarn regard splitting and fluffing.

Interestingly, for me personally the splitting problem is a much more common one. I get around this by really closely inspecting the yarn, visually and if appropriate with a couple of simple tests. I gently tug the yarn strand a few times, and then rub down the sides of the strand to see if the fibers easily separate.

DO Use an ergonomic hook

Cotton yarns are strong and fairly rigid, which means that they have less give and elasticity. This makes them great for projects that require strength, but it also means that they are harder to work. You’ll need to put more physical effort into your tension, hold and hooking with cotton yarn, so to mitigate this make sure you use an ergonomic hook that supports your hand a little more.

DO Double check your throat

The throat of your hook, I’m sure your own throat is fine!

This is important because a hook that has little burrs in the throat can catch on the yarn and make it more likely to break. It also totally impedes your enjoyment of crocheting with it, because it keeps catching so you need to stop hooking!

DO Use it for structural projects

Because it’s strong and doesn’t stretch, this material is ideal for structured and weight carrying projects. I often use it for bags, and it holds up really well to plenty of practical uses. No dropping your shopping all over the floor or changing the shape of the bag when you carry something a bit heavy!

DO Take account of the yarn’s weight

The flip side of being strong is the weight that comes with it. Cotton yarn is heavier per stitch than acrylic or wool equivalents. This means it is yarn hungry in terms of how many skeins you’ll need, and that your finished project will have some extra weight to it.

I’ve got a beautiful granny square blanket that I made with cotton blend yarn, and it weighs considerably more than any of my equally sized acrylic afghans.

DO Use it for coasters or mats

As yarn fibers go, this one is probably the most likely to stand up well again heat. This makes it ideal for producing coasters, mats or dishcloths.

DO Use if you want good stitch definition

The rigid nature of this yarn makes it ideal for projects where you want good stitch definition. It’s a popular choice for amigurumi for this reason.

DO Check the cotton proportion

I have cotton blends ranging everywhere from 50% to 100% cotton. Most of mine are combined with silk, but others mix with acrylic instead. The balance and type of fibers make a big difference to how the yarn performs when you crochet it.

DO Check and record your dye lot

This matters for every single yarn you’ll ever buy, but it’s always worth mentioning. When you start a project, note down the dye lot of your skein. You’ll be so relieved if you need a little more to know what the exact match needs to be.

DO Consider your budget

Cotton yarn is one of the most expensive fibers to crochet with. Prices vary of course, and some very cheap cotton yarns will be lower cost than some of the most expensive acrylics, but as a general rule you’ll still pay more for cotton.

If you are on a very tight budget, it might be worth considering whether it’s worth the extra cash for cotton or whether a cheaper fiber will do the job just as well for your planned project.

DO Consider bamboo as an alternative

If you are worried about the environmental impact of cotton production then bamboo is probably the closest like for like substitute. However, in my opinion all the bamboo yarns I’ve tried magnify the downsides of cotton in terms of texture.

The DON’T’s

DON’T Assume you can stretch it out

There is very little give to cotton yarn. THis means that if you miss or add a stitch by accident it’ll show more on your finished project than it might if you were working in another fiber. It also means that the shape you crochet is more static. Blocking or stretching won’t go as far as it does for other yarn types.
Be aware of this when making garments especially.

DON’T Forget to check the washing instructions

Cotton yarn usually holds up well to washing, but it can still vary from skein to skein, especially if it’s a cotton acrylic blend. Make sure you are washing it on a heat that is approved by the manufacturer.

DON’T Wash with different colors

And consider washing it only with similar colors, because it is one of the yarn types that is most widely reported as bleeding dye when it’s cleaned.

DON’T Be careless with your tension

Due to the nature of the fibers, you need to have a little more focus and control on your tension than you might with other yarns. Variations in tension show up more, in my experience.

The post Crocheting with Cotton Yarn appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

Poor yarn storage leads to so many missed opportunities, and in the worse case scenario can even damage your yarn too!

The right yarn storage system can totally revolutionize how you experience crocheting as a hobby. Which sounds completely over the top, but stick with me for a moment.

Ever since I started thinking before I store my yarn rather than just chucking it wherever feels convenient in the moment, I’m not only having more of a fun and relaxed time crocheting, but I’m making much quicker and easier progress with my designs for new amigurumi projects too.

The DO’s

DO Have a system

Don’t just throw your yarn into whichever box, drawer or space on the floor is available. Have a firm, decisive system for how you are going to keep your stash under control.

DO Use your system

This subsection is basically the entire story of my life. I am great at making systems, but less adequate when it comes to actually using them. The floor is closer, am I right? But please do as I now try very hard to do as well as say, and use this system once it’s in place.

DO Make sure it’s big enough

Be realistic with yourself. We all love a big clear out and a downsize, but you want your yarn storage to actually fit all the yarn you are realistically going to be ramming into it

DO Use something easily accessible

If you make your storage solution too complicated, you won’t use it. Well, maye you will, but I know I won’t. I have to keep it simple in order for it to actually function. Over complicated storage that involves locks, little doors, perfect accessories for every part, might sound gorgeous. But will you use it? Unlikely.

DO Consider Shelving

After a decade of trying various ways to store my stash, I’m really sold on shelving. It’s so versatile, there are numerous options for different spaces and budgets. But it’s also just really easy to keep tidy and to actually use. You are unlikely to drop your ball of yarn onto the floor or shove it in a corner if all you have to do is pop it onto a shelf.

DO Label opened skeins

When you peel the paper off your new skein of yarn, make a quick note on a scrap of paper to say what the brand and color shades are, and ideally the dye lot too. Use a paper clip, safety pin or stitch marker to peg the note onto the skein so that you can keep track of what it is!

DO Sort by weight

I always sort my yarn by weight first, but it dictates the hook size and has the biggest bearing on what project I use it for. That’s why my yarn is primarily stored by the thickness of the strand before anything else.

THEN sort by fiber

The yarn fiber is my secondary consideration, because this again impacts on the projects I choose it for. I try to loosely keep my acrylics together and my cottons blends together, and this works well for me because I have a few go-to brands that I can keep in the same place.

THEN sort by color

Although I love the look of yarn stored entirely by color, it’s actually not practical to do so as a priority over the thickness and fiber. A gorgeous yarny rainbow is a fabulous thing, but it’s not going to help me put together my designs and that’s why this is a later consideration and not an earlier one despite the happy aesthetics.

DO Store scraps separately

Yarn scraps, in my view, shouldn’t be stored with the rest of your yarn.

By yarn scraps I mean small pieces of yarn that are big enough to make up extra filling in a toy or add a detail to an amigurumi face, but not large enough to make up a partial skein.

I keep my rather embarrassingly large collection of scraps in two big plastic boxes with closed lids. They come in handy a lot, but are never going to look pretty or store neatly on a shelf!

The DON’Ts

DON’T Keep yarn you won’t use

We’ve all bought, or been given, gorgeous skeins or yarn that we will absolutely never use. Either because they are not a yarn weight we have a project for, or they are a texture we don’t get along with. I also have some beautifully home dyed yarns that are gorgeous on the ball, but I have literally no idea what I’d make with. I am predominantly an amigurumi person, these stunning gradiented skeins just don’t fit with my plans.

I understand, and fall prey to, the inclination to keep these balls of yarn, but they take up space and create clutter unnecessarily. Try to donate or sell them, if you know in your heart you’re never going to use them.

DON’T Ignore your own storage system

Once you’ve got a system, then please do use it. Don’t be like me in the past, and slowly slide into ignoring it and dropping things wherever is convenient in the moment.

You’ve got this clever solution, it’s going to make your life easier if you just take an extra few moments to implement it.

DON’T Store yarn with other things

I try really hard to keep yarn storage areas for yarn only. It looks messy so quickly if you include other stuff, and honestly it becomes a bit of a risk for snagging and tangling too if you mix in your other kit or unfinished projects with it.

The post Yarn Storage Do’s and Don’ts appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

I found substituting yarn in crochet patterns a bit intimidating the first few times I did it with someone else’s designs, but it’s always turned out just fine. And now, over a decade into the crochet hobby, I don’t really worry about doing it at all. And that’s because I have a few rules that I follow when making changes, which I’ll share with you today.

So if you don’t have the right yarn at home, or can’t afford to buy the recommended brand – it’s no big deal. And if you don’t like the fiber, or want a different thickness, or even are allergic to the material used, you’ll also be fine swapping in a different yarn entirely. As long as you make sensible choices, and a few tweaks when you do.

DO use a similar yarn if you can

I try to start off by focusing on three main areas – yarn weight, fiber and color. So if my pattern recommends a DK weight, acrylic, pink yarn, that’s what I’ll seek out. But of course, that’s not always possible or practical.

DO use the same yarn weight if you want the same size

The finished size of a crocheted toy, blanket or item of clothing is dictated in a large part by the yarn weight. If you want the outcome of the pattern to be similarly sized to the one you’re following, keep that yarn thickness the same.

DO swap hook sizes if you change yarn weight

It’s tempting to keep the same hook even if you size up or down in yarn weight, because at a basic level it feels like it’ll help keep it consistent, right? Sadly, wrong. Always get your hook to match the yarn, even when following a pattern.

DO check your hook size even if the weight is the same

So variable are hook sizes, that you will find that different brands, fibers or varieties of yarn that are labelled as the same weight will often require slightly different hook measurements. Not all DK yarns need a 3.5mm hook, not all aran yarns need a 5.5mm hook. It ranges more than you might think, so it’s always worth checking.

DO try to use the same fiber

Unless you are subbing out your yarn due to an allergy, try to use the same fiber as is shown in the pattern as this can really influence the texture and elasticity of your finished crocheted item. If you do need to change fiber, away from wool for example, then try to find something that feels quite like it and has a similar amount of stretch.

DO color match before you begin

At the start of each project I lay out my yarns together, in their skeins, on a white sheet or clear table. Then I stare at them and make sure I’m happy with how they look in one place. It sounds a bit over the top, but it genuinely has saved me from some pretty awful color choices in the past.

DO check quantities and your budget

Price doesn’t just go up when you choose a more expensive yarn brand. It can also vary between yarns of the same cost, because the amount that you’ll need varies so much from skein to skein. Two 100g hanks of yarn of the same weight can have quite different yardages, so you’ll need more cakes of one brand than you would of another.

DO make a sample

Whenever you swap yarns, work up a little sample using the stitches you’ll need. Make sure you’re actually happy that it is likely to look and feel how you want it to.

DO check the gauge

The number of stitches per inch for a particular pattern changes based on a few factors. Different humans have varying tension, that’s why gauges exist. But something as simple as switching yarn can have an even bigger impact on the size of the stitches, and therefore how many fit in an inch space. This is particularly important if you’re making clothing to fit.

DO consider doubling up yarn strands

You can use multiple strands of finer yarns, to make up a thicker yarn, if you want the same weight. So say my pattern says use a 5mm hook and aran weight yarn? I could hypothetically use two strands of DK instead of one of aran. However, it’s still important to make up that sample to check you’ve got it right. Because this doesn’t directly translate for all types of yarn.

DON’T assume it will look the same

It never ceases to amaze me how different patterns look when tiny changes are made to the yarn. Just small changes, even with a color swap, can make a world of difference.

DON’T change yarn thickness if you want the same drape

This is a big one for substituting yarn in crochet clothes or wall hanging patterns, anything that dangles! To keep the crocheted product hanging in just the same way as your pattern shows, stick to that same thickness and fiber of yarn.

DON’T mix fibers and weights where they weren’t mixed in the pattern

Unless you like a bumpy, often misshapen look, mixing yarn weights in a pattern designed to use skeins of the same weight is never a good idea.

DON’T be afraid to experiment

All that being said… sometimes it’s great to throw caution to the wind and see what you come up with. I love making bold and different yarn choices, so give yarn substituting a go and see what you can create.

The post Tips for Substituting Yarn in a Crochet Pattern appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

Acrylic yarn has a bad reputation in some crocheting circles. It’s one of the cheaper options as far as fibers go, and can be prone to snagging and snapping, as well as having some other issues with washing. But I maintain that if you use acrylic yarn right, and choose it carefully, it can be a great yarn for crocheting.

To help you get the most out of your acrylic yarn skeins, here are my do’s and don’ts of crocheting with it.

DO stick to your budget

When something is relatively less expensive it can be tempted to get carried away when making purchasing choices. Buying more than you need, or colors you’ll never actually use, just because the price is low. And then you get to the cash register and realise you’ve spent more than you would on fewer skeins of a less budget friendly yarn. Doh!

DO check the texture

Acrylic yarns vary hugely when it comes to how they feel. You don’t want to spend hours working with something that feels uncomfortable against your hands. Nor do you want to pour your heart into a project that is unusable when it’s complete because no one is willing to wear (or hug!) it.

Take the new skein and rub it gently on the side of your face. If there is a loose strand, run it between your fingers and make sure the texture works for you.

DO check for breaks and burrs

Acrylic yarn is notorious for snagging and snapping. Nothing gets me more worked up than being part way into a project, and repeatedly having to cut off and reattach my yarn because it’s broken. And when I have to repair a finished blanket because the yarn keeps fraying, well, don’t get me started! It always pays to inspect the skein before you buy it, to make sure it’s not one that’s likely to be prone to breaking.

DO use a smooth hook

I find the head of a crochet hook varies hugely in quality, not just from brand to brand but with individual hooks within a set. When I’m working with a more delicate or temperamental yarn like acrylic I always check my hook before I begin. Take a strand of yarn and pull it back and forth through the head, making sure no bits of metal, plastic or wood catch on the yarn and stop it working continuously.

DO read the reviews

We all have different thoughts on yarn quality, texture and use, right? I don’t agree with my bestie about some of our favorite yarns, and neither of us is wrong, that’s just personal preference. However, looking at a range of views like you get in reviews online can give you a sense of whether overall this is a good yarn or one that is likely to get you all knotted up.

DON’T put it on a hot wash

Acrylic yarn is not a fan of the heat. In fact, if you get it too hot it’ll literally melt. It’s plastic after all, isn’t it. Make sure you avoid tumble drying, high temperature washing machine cycles, and ironing.

And I’d avoid using it for anything that might get hot either, like teapot cosies or oven mitts!

DON’T make swimwear with acrylic

I have washed acrylic yarn on occasion, and you wouldn’t believe how sodden the stuff gets. Add that to the natural stretch, and 100% acrylic yarn isn’t something you want holding your modesty in check in a bathing suit…

DON’T buy it just because it’s cheap

I’ve spent a whole bunch of money in my time on yarn that I didn’t need, and haven’t to this day used, because it was cheap. Buying inexpensive yarn as a cost saving measure is a total fallacy if you then don’t actually make use of it.

DON’T be put off acrylic yarn

A lot of people grumble about the downsides of acrylic yarn. And don’t get me wrong, it has plenty. But so do the other yarn fibers, just in different ways.

Acrylic yarn is a great option for plenty of projects, and is bank balance friendly, so it is often worth giving it a go. Who knows, you might just love it!

The post Tips for Crocheting with Acrylic Yarn appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

I have an exciting project planned this year, and I would love it if you’d like to join us on the journey. We are going to be making our very own yarn, from my family’s small flock of sheep.

It’s going to be a huge learning curve, and I’m going to break down the process into the steps that I believe we are going to need to take. I’ll blog as I go, and these are the areas that I think we’ll focus in onto. I will turn them into links as they unfold. So if you’re a bit late to the party click on those that have appeared and you can come along with us.

• Equipment
• Shearing
• Skirting
• Washing
• Drying
• Carding
• Spinning
• Dyeing

Washing

Sadly you can’t bung freshly sheared wool into the washing machine or you’d quickly end up with a gorgeous pile of felt. Fun for sure, but no good for making yarn.

What we’re going to need to do is bag up the wool in nylon sacks, possibly made from old tights or stockings! They will then go into a bath of hot water, get scrubbed, drained and the process repeated until all the dirt is washed away.

Drying

The wool will then be left somewhere clean to dry out. Hopefully we’ll have good weather and can hang it in bags in the yard somehow! I’ll have to investigate whether the tumble drier is a remotely viable option here.

Carding

This bit is where things get really interesting. Carding is a process of brushing out the wool so that all the fibers are smooth and laid in the same direction. We’ll need to decide between hand carding and using a machine, I expect for budgetary reasons we’ll be going with the hand option as it’s our first go.

The post Our Yarn Making Adventure Begins appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

The best yarn to crochet swimwear is often a bamboo or cotton blend. It is soft, absorbent and dries quickly. It doesn’t sag over time, bleed colors when you wash it, and is tolerant to the harsh chemicals of your local pool!

Today I’ll share my top 15 favorite yarns for crocheting swimwear and the material properties to look out for at the yarn store if you want to choose your own!

• 15 best yarns for swimwear.
• What materials to look for in your swimsuit yarn.

Crochet Swimwear

The first book of crochet patterns I ever bought – sometime in the early 2000s – included a pattern for an amazing black and white bikini set. But it included a caveat that obviously you couldn’t actually swim in it. Back then, there simply weren’t any yarns readily available to the average person that could be turned into functional swimwear. These days however, crocheters actually have a choice of yarns for making swimwear – whether for sunbathing, wearing at a festival, or even actually swimming in.

Crochet swimwear is here to stay, but since it all needs to be made by hand it – quite rightly – comes at a price.

The Best Yarn to Crochet Swimwear

The best yarns to crochet functional swimwear from are light weight, fast drying synthetics, with a small proportion of spandex or elastane to make sure they hold their shape. However for non-functional swimwear – for example a decorative bikini top that’s just for looking great in summer – you can worry less about these properties. What you might want to consider instead is a smooth, strong natural material like cotton or bamboo, which really shows off the detail lace or picot stitches.

Swimwear to Sunbathe in

Despite the name, plenty of us make swimwear without any intention of ever actually swimming in it! Crochet swimwear is perfect for sunbathing in, or making a statement at a party or festival. And if getting wet isn’t a concern, it has to be said that your yarn choices are far greater! So this is the category of recommendations we’re going to start with. Here are some tried and tested favorites, and what makes them such suitable choices:

Lily Sugar’N’Cream

• 100% cotton
• Widely available and easy to get your hands on
• Affordable – great for making a trial version of a new pattern
• Wide range of solid, ombre and self striping colors
• But, it’s not the softest to wear against your skin, and it’s so thick that gaps between your stitches are going to be hard to avoid
• Hook size: H (5mm)
• Buy it here*

Bernat Softee Baby Cotton

• 60% cotton, 40& acrylic
• Acrylic makes the fiber more durable, and machine washable
• It also helps garments hold their shape better
• Widely available in stores, and often available with seasonal discounts
• But, the color palette is limited to soft pastels
• Hook size: G (4mm)
• Buy it here*

Lion Truboo

• 100% rayon from bamboo
• Bamboo is an ultra sustainable and renewable source of fiber
• Extra smooth and gentle on your skin
• But, you might find it’s a bit too soft and supple, if you need your bikini top to give a bit of support
• Hook size: G (4mm)
• Buy it here*

Universal Yarn Bamboo Pop

• 50% bamboo, 50% cotton
• DK/light worsted weight
• Huge range of color options
• Bamboo is a sustainable alternative to cotton, with lots of the same properties
• But, it does split easily and some of the colors are slippery to work with
• Hook size: G (4.5mm)
• Buy it here*

King Cole Bamboo Cotton

• 50% bamboo, 50% cotton
• DK weight yarn
• Lightweight and soft – ultra comfortable to wear
• Washes well
• Hook size: F (4mm)
• Buy it here*

Gazzal Baby Cotton

• 60% cotton, 40% acrylic
• Very durable and resilient to washing
• One of the finest yarns in this list – this can be a good thing or a bad thing!
• On the one hand you use it to show off some beautiful and highly decorative stitching
• But on the other, it’s fiddly and takes much longer to make progress with
• Hook size: B (2mm)
• Buy it here Paid Link

Drops Muscat

• 100% mercerized Egyptian cotton
• Slightly smaller balls than usual – great if you want to incorporate a few colors into your swimwear, but you don’t want to spend extra or end up with lots of leftover yarn
• Machine washable
• Holds the structure of lace work well
• Hook size: G (4mm)
• Buy it here

Best Yarns for Swimwear to Swim in

Next let’s turn to the functional swimwear yarns – the ones you can actually dive into the pool wearing. These all have properties which mean they’re still wearable when they’re wet. They also all tend towards being narrower. This means they’re going to take longer to work up, but the results will be tighter, and the gaps between the stitches will be smaller. This is going to protect you from showing a little too much in your swimsuit, and you’re less likely to need a lining.

Cascade Cotton Fixation

• 98.3% cotton, 1.7% spandex
• Machine washable
• This yarn has the hippy, boho look of cotton, but with a bit of stretch to help it fit better and stay up when wet.
• But, there are some notable gaps in the colors available
• Hook size: F (3.75mm)
• Buy it here

Ice Yarns Swim

• 100% polyamide
• A yarn specifically made for swimwear!
• Doesn’t absorb and hold onto water like natural fibers will
• Fast drying
• But, the color palette is very limited
• Hook size: D (3mm)
• Buy it here

Alize Diva Stretch Bikini

• 92% microfiber, 2% elastane
• Possibly the holy grail of functional yarn to crochet swimwear from
• Holds its shape in water
• Dries fast
• But, it is very fine to work with
• Hook size: B (2mm)
• Buy it here

Alize Diva Plus

• 100% microfiber
• Similar properties to the Dive Stretch Bikini, but thicker and therefore faster to work up
• Huge range of colors
• But, it’s not widely available outside of Europe
• Hook size: G (4mm)
• Buy it here Paid Link

Himalaya Bikini

• 100% polyamide
• Lightweight and fast drying
• Easier to get hold of internationally than Alize brand yarns
• But, it’s another narrow one!
• Hook size: B (2mm)
• Buy it here

Himalaya Celinda Stretch

• 93% Acrylic, 7% elastane
• Added elastane means the garment stretches with your body and holds its shape when wet.
• The fiber has less of a sheen than the Diva Stretch, if that’s something you want to avoid.
• And it’s slightly thicker, making it a bit easier to work with.
• But, it’s not widely stocked, and some colors can be tricky to get hold of.
• Hook size: D (3mm)
• Buy it here

Best Yarn to Crochet Swimwear with

To crochet swimwear, it’s best to leave the fuzzy wools and linens in your stash, and reach for cottons, bamboos, and functional yarn made from materials like polyamide instead. If you want to swim in your crochet swimsuit, choose a specialist functional yarn with added spandex or elastane, so that it doesn’t lose its shape and fall off in the water!

If you’ve crocheted your own swimwear, let us know what yarn you used and whether you’re happy with the results using the comments section down below!

*The products linked in this pattern were carefully selected by Lucy Kate Crochet. If you decide to purchase using the links provided, we may earn a small commission on that sale. This is at no extra cost to you.

The post 15 Best Yarn To Crochet Swimwear With appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

1. Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick

Lion Brand Wool Ease* is one of the best known, most versatile yarns there is. This version is super bulky weight for using on a size M/13 (9mm) crochet hook. So it makes dense, snuggly scarves in next to no time. It’s 80% acrylic, which makes it versatile, super-washable, and affordable, and 20% wool, for warmth. It comes in 59 colors, including irresistible patterns, speckles, metallics and ombres. Since it’s so quick to work with and comes in so many shades, I love this yarn for making crochet scarves and snoods as gifts at Christmas.

2. Caron Simply Soft

Caron Simply Soft yarn* is a budget-friendly staple for lots of crafters. It’s 100% acrylic in worsted (a.k.a. aran) weight, but it’s soft, smooth, and drapes well. It comes in 50 solid colors, which are ideal for mixing and matching to make granny square scarves. It comes in generous 6oz balls, containing over 300yds of crochet potential.

3. Bernat Blanket

Blanket yarns that produce an ultra-tactile, chenille-like fabric are hugely popular right now. Not just for making blankets, but for plush toys with extra cuddle-ability too. And they also make fantastic scarves. The polyester fibers are wonderfully soft, so if you’re sensitive to having itchy or tickly materials next to your neck, this is a comfortable solution. What’s more Bernat’s blanket yarn* is machine washable and tumble dryer safe. It’s worked with a size L/11 (8mm) crochet hook and comes in over 80 colors including self striping rainbows.

4. Paton Classic Wool Worsted

Patons Classic Wool is the stuff of nostalgic knitwear dreams. Think fishermens’ sweaters with lovingly worked cables and ribbing. So it’s also perfect for timeless crochet scarves using dense, warm stitches like bean stitch, linen stitch, and trinity stitch. It’s spun from 100% new wool, meaning it’s breathable, odor- and stain-resistant, non-static, and warm. Even the most ardent natural fiber purist won’t be able to fault it.

5. Lion Brand Scarfie

What about a yarn specifically designed for making scarves? Lion Brand reckon they have just the thing in their Scarfie yarn*. It’s 78% acrylic and 22% wool, and one ball has enough yarn to finish one scarf. It’s designed to be worked on a size K/10.5 (6.5mm) crochet hook, so it’s heavier than worsted weight, but not massively chunky. It has a self striping ombre pattern, so it’s best suited to crochet scarves worked from end to end in rows (which also minimizes waste). My only criticism of this yarn is that it’s single plied and very loosely twisted, meaning it will be prone to pilling.

One rewarding possibility about making crochet scarves is that because they generally only require a skein or two of yarn, you might be able to use more luxurious fibers than you would be able to afford for larger projects. So the next three yarns are a little bit extra special.

6. Cascade 220 Superwash Merino

Merino yarns are my absolute favorite fiber to work with for soft and warm accessories like scarves, hats and mittens. This is a Ganni-inspired granny scarf I made recently from leftovers of merino yarn by various brands. Lucy is partial to it too – see which other yarns she recommends here. Cascade’s superwash worsted weight merino* is suitable for all kinds of projects and is both washable and tumble dryer safe. And it comes in 101 (yes 101!) solid colors.

7. Malabrigo Chunky

An alternative 100% merino weight yarn is the heavier Malabrigo Chunky*. It comes in over 50 beautifully hand dyed shades, all with subtle color changes within them that are extremely flattering to wear next your face. This wool is the perfect match for infinity scarves and snoods in simple stitches and styles that allow the beauty of the yarn to take center stage. Work it on a size K/10.5 (6.5mm) to M/13 (9mm) hook, and hand wash it gently.

8. Berocco Ultra Alpaca

Alpaca is a relatively unusual fiber, but it is soft, warm, moisture and flame-resistant, and sustainable. If you’ve never tried using it before, and you’d like to make your next crochet scarf a little bit extra special, give it a go with Berocco’s Ultra Alpaca yarn. It’s a worsted weight yarn made from 50% wool and 50% alpaca fleece. It comes in 30 sophisticated solid and variegated colors that mix and match beautifully together.

9. Malabrigo Caprino

Malabrigo’s Caprino yarn* is a decadent blend of 80% superfine merino and 20% cashmere. It’s hand dyed five skeins at a time, so that every inch is beautifully unique. It’s finer than any of the other yarns in this article – just sport weight. It would make a beautifully stylish crochet scarf to pair with a pea coat or blazer and wear to any occasion. It would also make an extremely special gift.

10. Yarn scraps

Finally, some of the best yarn for crocheting scarves is yarn you already have. Scarves are perfect for using up small quantities of wool which aren’t enough for anything else. Even the shortest scraps can be turned into a center on a granny square scarf. Scarves made with yarn scraps hold memories of all the projects which donated their leftovers to them too, which make them thrifty and extra special.

Best Yarn For Crochet Scarf Projects

There are practically no rules about the best yarn for crochet scarf projects, and even traditional wisdom like sticking to wool and acrylic can be overturned. Slinky silk and bamboo crochet scarves are perfect for practising decorative stitches and keeping the chill out in early autumn, for example. I’ve shown you some reliable favorites that you can’t go wrong with, but I’d love to hear which yarns you’ve made beautiful scarves in too. Share your experiences in the comments box down below!

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The best yarn for crochet cardigan making is washable, gentle on the skin, and beautiful to look at. Cardigan yarn can be synthetic, natural (either wool, cotton or bamboo), or a blend of fibers. Some mills even make recycled yarns that are good enough to wear now, so that your slow fashion cardigan is eco-friendly in more ways than one! In this article, I’m going to help you decide your priorities for a crochet cardigan yarn, and then match you with an example that fits them perfectly.

• Best lightweight (DK) crochet cardigan yarns
• Best worsted weight yarns for crochet cardigans
• Brilliant bulky yarns for extra cozy cardigans

What to look for:

There are some properties that any crochet cardigan yarn needs to have:

• Softness. Above anything else, crochet cardigans need to be comfortable and enjoyable to wear. Itchy cuffs and necklines are the ruination of a carefully made cardigan, so hard, stiff and scratchy yarns are out.
• Washability. Crochet clothes need to be safe to wash, either in the sink, on a gentle machine cycle, or (best of all) in a regular cycle with the rest of the week’s clothes. Washability means being colorfast and resistant to felting or shrinking. Some modern synthetic yarns are even tumble dryer safe.
• Beauty. Who’s going to put hours of work into an ugly cardigan? No one, that’s who.

But there are some decisions about your yarn that you’ll need to make:

• Weight. Most crochet cardigans are made with yarns between DK and bulky weight. Lighter yarns can be used but they take an awfully long time to work up. Heavier yarns can also be used, but they’re impractical if you want to layer a jacket on top. Within the DK to bulky range, your choice really depends on what you’re comfortable using, how much time you want your project to take, and how insulating you want the result to be.
• Fiber. The fiber you choose will greatly affect the properties of your cardigan. Cotton and bamboo yarns are lightweight and best for summer cardigans. Be aware that they also tend to shrink by around 5% the first time you wash them! Acrylic, wool, and acrylic-wool blends are warmer and more suitable for winter cardigans. Of these, wool is more sustainable, breathable, and holds it’s shape better over the long term. But acrylic and blended fibers are more affordable and more likely to be machine washable.

Your failsafe cardigan yarn choosing table

So, what are the best yarns to choose from? Here are 16 of the best yarns for crochet cardigans, organized by weight and fiber. I’ve assumed that everyone wants to be able to wash their clothes, and I’ve tried to pick yarns with generous color choices too. I’ve also tried to find a middle ground price-wise. None are dirt cheap, because there’s an element of ‘you get what you pay for’ with yarn and no one wants a cardi that disintegrates in the first wash. But none of them are eye-wateringly expensive either.

Click the names to find out why they made the cut! Some of the images in this article are affiliate links, which I’ve added primarily so you can see what the yarns look like. We may also earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase through them. However, the yarn suggestions are all my own, and we haven’t received any compensation from the manufacturers for including them.

Best light weight (DK) crochet cardigan yarns

DK yarns are the weight I learned to crochet with, and firmly in the center of my comfort zone. These yarns all work best on G/6 (4mm) to I/9 (5.5mm) crochet hooks. They make cardigans that are ideal for layering in spring and fall, but they work up more slowly than heavier yarns. So it depends how zen you feel about a long term project!

Bernat Softee Baby

Bernat Softee Baby* is a 100% acrylic yarn designed to withstand vigorous washing and remain gentle against delicate skin. The range of colors is a little limited, but it includes brights, pastels, twisted marls and neutrals to suit most wardrobes. It’s fully machine washable, and tumble dryer safe to boot. Just like Bernat intended, its a reliable yarn for making crochet cardigans for kids and babies.

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Berocco Vintage Baby

This lightweight yarn* is blended from 52% acrylic, 40% wool, and 8% nylon. The wool imbues it with snuggly warmth, whilst the nylon makes it exceptionally hard wearing and washable (lots of sock yarns have between 10 and 25% nylon in for precisely this reason). This yarn also has a slight sheen, which lends itself really well to showcasing the stitch definition in crochet cardigans. It comes in 30 solid colors, and 9 sweet hand-painted shades.

Cascade Superwash 220

Cascade’s hugely popular Superwash 220* is made from 100% Peruvian Highland wool, and it’s named for the length of each ball – a generous 220 yards. It is, of course, also fully machine washable. Best of all, it comes in a staggering 133 shades, which makes it perfect for mixing and matching and turning into cozy granny square cardigans.

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Cascade Superwash 220 Merino

Superwash 220 Merino* is the Superwash 220’s fancy cousin. It has premium-level softness without a hint of a tickle at the neckline. It comes in a slightly more restricted color palette, but there are still 101 shades to play with, so you’re unlikely to be left wanting. Crocheters who have used it already say it’s nice to work with, but one or two have had problems with dark colors bleeding into light colors in the wash, so hand launder it very gently!

Lion Brand Coboo

Coboo yarn is spun from 51% cotton, and 49% rayon fibers from bamboo*. It’s light, breathable and drapes beautifully – perfect for throw-on summer cardigans. It’s also very smooth, meaning it really highlights the detail in special crochet stitches. Bamboo-derived yarns are exceptionally sustainable and less environmentally damaging than cotton to produce too, meaning you’ll be more able to flex your green credentials when wearing a cardigan made in this yarn.

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Best worsted weight yarns for crochet cardigans

Worsted yarns, also known as aran yarns, are usually heavier than DK yarns. But DK and worsted are actually different spinning processes, not a measure of thickness, so some DK yarns and worsted yarns are actually pretty close in weight! These four yarns all work best on I/9 (5.5mm) to K/10.5 (6.5mm) crochet hooks.

Premier Everyday Soft Worsted

Premier’s Everyday Soft Worsted is a 100% acrylic yarn. It comes in 66 solid colors which include fresh pastels, saturated jewel tones, and even neons, plus a further 8 painted yarns which work up with addictive color splashes on an off-white background. It’s budget friendly, and there are even free patterns for crochet cardigans in adult and child sizes using this yarn on the Premier website. It even promises to be anti-pilling.

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Lion Brand Worsted Wool Ease Recycled

Lots of crafters are increasingly interested in the environmental impact of their materials. This sustainable offering from Lion Brand is an eco-conscious version of their flagship Wool Ease yarn*, spun from 80% recycled acrylic and 20% recycled wool. Paid LinkSome people who’ve used it report that it feels finer than other worsted weight yarns, and perhaps unsurprisingly the color range is somewhat limited. But I love the sentiment.

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Mary Maxim Alpaca Tweed

Mary Maxim’s Alpaca Tweed* is perfect if you want a beautiful crochet cardigan, without the hassle of planning and executing color changes. The subtle tonal variations and color flecks in this 77% acrylic, 20% alpaca, 3% viscose blend are so attractive that just one color will make a garment that’s a feast for the eyes. Alpaca fleece is one of my favorite underrated fibers too – it feels like a real treat to wear, and it’s very warm.

Malabrigo Rios

Rios is a cult classic premium worsted weight yarn – Malabrigo describe it as their workhorse yarn* because it’s soft, strong, versatile and machine washable on a gentle cycle. It comes in nearly 180 shades including special color collections themed around the planets and the zodiac constellations. Every skein is hand dyed in small batches, so make sure you buy enough yarn for a whole cardigan before you start, to avoid obvious color changes.

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Lion Brand Pima Cotton

Pima cotton originates from Peru, and it’s spun from longer fiber strands than regular cotton, meaning it has a softer, smoother, superior texture. This pima cotton yarn* is perfect for making mid-weight crochet cardigans with a contemporary feel, that last a lifetime and only look better with age. The 12-color palette is a mix of bold brights, easy-to-wear muted tones, and variegated painted options.

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Brilliant bulky yarns for extra cozy cardigans

Bulky weight crochet cardigans are eye catching and modern. Best of all, they’re quick to finish, because they cover each square inch with fewer stitches! These yarns all work best on K/10.5 (6.5mm) to M/13 (9mm) crochet hooks.

Scheepjes Chunky Monkey

Chunky Monkey yarn is 100% premium acrylic*, meaning the fibers in the yarn are longer than average and wound together in opposite directions (known as S-on-S ply). This reduces pilling, because there are fewer fiber ends sticking out from the surface of the yarn, and the ends it does have are being kept under tight control by the ply structure. It’s also budget-friendly, lightning fast to work up, and comes in 93 colors.

Berocco Comfort Chunky

Berocco Comfort* Chunky is a 50:50 mix of acrylic and nylon. So it’s extremely hard wearing and washable. I think it’s the ideal yarn for kids’ cardigans, because I don’t like to spend too long working on something they’re only going to wear for a limited time before they grow out of it, and my daughter is a total mud-magnet! It comes in 37 colors, mostly mouth watering brights, with a few neutrals thrown in for good measure.

Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick

My fourth Lion Brand recommendation on this list! It’s a lot, even for me. But they’ve been spinning and shipping yarn from New Jersey for 145 years now, so is it any surprise they have absolutely all bases covered? Thick & Quick yarn* is an acrylic and wool blend with a loyal following. It comes in 80 newly-spun shades, which include ombre, flecked and metallic options, plus 7 colors spun from recycled fibers. It’s machine washable and ideal for making ‘coatigans’ – cardigans heavy enough to replace a coat in spring and fall.

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Valley Yarns Superwash Bulky

Yarn Valley is WEBS’ own brand yarn*, and its one of the few collections that includes a 100% wool bulky yarn. Possibly this is because pure wool bulky yarns are inevitably more expensive than lighter natural yarns, and blended bulky yarns. Luckily, Superwash Bulky is so good you won’t miss having more to choose from! It’s 100% merino, and comes in 24 carefully thought out shades. It’s quick to use, and quick to wash too, just pop it in the machine!

Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky

Berkshire bulky is a super soft blend of 80% wool and 15% alpaca*. It’s exceptionally warm and luxurious, for extra special cardigan projects. It comes in 22 sophisticated colors, and people who’ve used it before love how high and consistent the quality is. It is quite loosely spun though, meaning it will be prone to pilling under the arms, and it needs to be hand washed.

Wool & The Gang Big Love Cotton

Bulky weight cotton yarns are really unusual. This one from UK brand Wool & The Gang is certified organic by the Global Organic Textiles Standard, and vegan by The Vegan Society. The color palette is very restrained, but all of the colors in it can be mixed and matched with one another. You’ll also need to hand wash it. But if a crochet cardigan made from bulky cotton yarn is what you’re dreaming of, this is the yarn you’ll need to make those dreams come true.

Best yarns for crochet cardigans

There’s a crochet cardigan to suit everyone’s tastes and aesthetic, and countless yarns you can choose from to realize your creative vision. Yarn for crochet cardigans needs to be gentle enough to wear against your skin, practical and durable enough to wash and wear over and over again, and of course beautiful so that you want to wear it. Other than that, you’ll need to make decisions about what thickness you want the yarn to be, and what fiber it should be made of.

I hope this article has helped you find something suitable for our next project. Let us know which yarns caught your eye in the comments box down below – we’d also love to hear how any yarns you’ve already tried using for cardigans performed!

*The products linked in this pattern were carefully selected by Lucy Kate Crochet. If you decide to purchase using the links provided, we may earn a small commission on that sale. This is at no extra cost to you.

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6 of my favorite bag-making yarns

My top six yarns for making crochet bags, and some of the bags I’ve made with them are:

• Lily Sugar’n Cream Worsted
• Patons 100% Cotton DK
• Premier Ribbon
• Scheepjes Softfun
• Patons Linen
• Malabrigo Worsted

Some of the images in this article are Amazon affiliate links, which I’ve added so you can see what the yarns look like. We may also earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them. This is at no extra cost to you, and the yarn suggestions are still all my own – we haven’t received any compensation from the manufacturers for including them.

Lily Sugar’n Cream Worsted

Lily’s Sugar’n Cream yarns* are icons on the cotton landscape. Made from 100% American grown cotton, they come in a range of weights and dizzying array of solid and variegated colors. This yarn isn’t mercerized, so there’s more friction when you work with it. Which is useful for constructing heavy duty tote bags, or boxy bags that need to hold their shape a bit.

Patons 100% Cotton DK

Patons’ cotton DK* is a light weight mercerized yarn. Since it’s very smooth and relatively fine, it’s perfect for making string grocery bags. This bag is made with Patons 100% cotton DK in the shade ‘nougat’. I think the slight sheen produced by the mercerized yarn combined with the Pepto Bismol pink really enhances the whole retro-kitsch vibe!

A slightly heavier alternative is yarn giant Lion Brand’s 24/7 Cotton*, and ultra-smooth, mercerized, worsted weight cotton.

Premier Ribbon

Premier’s Ribbon yarn is a super bulky blend of 65% cotton and 35% polyester. It’s great for bags because it has minimal stretchiness, and even the roomiest of totes can be worked up relatively quickly. It’s also exceptionally hard wearing and washable, but unfortunately the range of colors is rather limited.

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Scheepjes Softfun

Scheepjes Softfun is a smooth and bouncy blend of 60% cotton and 40% acrylic. It’s the perfect fiber for crochet bags that you want to feel soft enough to use as a pillow at the beach or on the bus! This solid granny square bag is one of my current works in progress. It’s made using one ball each of Softfun in the shades canary, clay, olive, pine, mahogany, wheat and latte.

In fact, Softfun comes in 89 colors from deeply saturated jewel tones to fresh pastels, and it’s really good value. Which makes it the perfect yarn for experimenting and designing your own patterns with.

You can find a full pattern for this style of bag here.

Patons Linen

Patons Linen is a light DK yarn spun from 65% cotton and 35% linen. Linen yarns can be notoriously hard on fingers, but reviewers say this one is soft and comfortable to use. It will age beautifully when used for bags with a boho aesthetic. An alternative is Lion Brand’s Touch of Linen yarn*, which is slightly heavier (worsted weight), and contains 49% linen.

Malabrigo Worsted

Malabrigo is a premium yarn brand, and their worsted yarn is 100% merino wool from Uruguayan sheep herds, hand dyed in a kaleidoscope of mouthwatering shades. Since it’s single plied and pure wool, it’s ideal for making crochet bags that are destined to be felted. If you don’t felt it, be warned that it will pill furiously as soon as you put your bag into use!

Best yarn for crochet bags – summary

Several types of yarn are suitable for making crochet bags. For bags that are going to be felted, choose a single-ply pure wool, so the fibers are as exposed as possible, ready for matting together. For string market bags, lightweight cottons are ideal, because they fold up small in between uses. And for everything else, look at DK or worsted weight cottons, linens, or blends of those fibers. They are hardwearing, and least prone to sagging.

Let us know what yarn has caught your eye, and the pattern you have in mind, in the comments box down below!

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Once upon a time the differences between cotton vs acrylic yarn were huge. Cotton yarns were stiff, heavy and rough, but natural and ultimately biodegradable. Acrylic yarns were light and squashy, but synthetic and sweaty. Fast forward to now and some cotton yarns are silky soft, and some premium acrylic yarns are made from recycled plastics and barely distinguishable from real wool. So how is anyone meant to choose? By reading this article! Here are all the different ways acrylic and cotton yarns compare, and how to pick between them for your next project.

• What is cotton vs acrylic yarn?
• Comparing the two
• Working with acrylic vs cotton yarn
• Making your choice

What is cotton vs acrylic yarn?

There’s no mystery here really: cotton yarns are spun from cotton, a natural fiber harvested from the seed heads of cotton plants. And acrylic yarns are spun from synthetic fibers derived from fossil fuels. Cotton has been used in textile making for millenia, whilst acrylic yarns were developed in the 1940s as a cheaper substitute for wool.

Thanks to these origin stories, cotton is widely perceived as being ‘better’ or more wholesome than acrylic yarn. But what about in your crochet projects? Well, it’s significant that acrylic yarns were created as an alternative to wool, not cotton. So their properties mimic woolen fiber, not cotton fiber. This means you can’t use cotton or acrylic interchangeably in all situations. But, modern yarn making techniques have definitely blurred the a lot of the differences that originally existed between the acrylic and cotton yarns.

Comparing the two

Here are some important fiber properties, and how acrylic vs cotton yarns compare:

• Texture
• Weight
• Water absorbency
• Wearability
• Durability
• Eco credentials
• Price

Texture

Comparing cotton vs acrylic yarn texture is complicated by the fact there’s a lot of variation between the different types of cotton yarn, and from one acrylic yarn to the next as well. Traditionally, cotton yarns were rougher to touch, more rigid, and had little stretch or ‘give’ in them, when compared to wool or acrylic. But these days, many cotton yarns are made smooth and soft through a chemical treatment process called mercerization. And some cottons are spun, or ‘plied’ in a way that makes them more squishy and stretchable than ever before.

On the other hand acrylic yarns have always been stretchier, squashier, and better for crochet projects which need a bit of drape. They’re also inevitably more fuzzy than cottons. In these pictures you can see how the fuzziness of acrylic yarn (bottom square) completely changes how much stitch definition you can see compared to using cotton yarn (top square):

Weight

Cotton yarns are significantly heavier than acrylic yarns. In the photo above, both yarns were labeled as DK weight, and both granny squares were worked on a 4mm crochet hook. But despite the cotton square ending up smaller, it still weighs more than the acrylic square. If you specifically want a light cotton yarn, look out for S-on-S plied cotton yarns such as Bernat Softee Cotton and Caron Cotton Cakes. S-on-S plied yarn structure is more airy than regular twisted yarns, and therefore lighter. But not as light as acrylic.

Water absorbency

Cotton and acrylic yarns respond very differently to water. Cotton yarns absorb water easily, and can hold a surprising volume of it! In fact it takes in water so easily that some crocheters find that working with it even dries the skin on their hands out. Since cotton holds on to water so readily, it also takes longer to dry after washing too.

On the other hand, acrylic yarns are hydrophobic. They hate water. This means they dry quickly after washing, but it also prevents them from wicking moisture away from your body, so they fell less ‘breathable’ and more sweaty.

Wearability

Cotton and acrylic feel very different to wear. Here’s a run down of how clothes made in each yarn compare:

• Cotton is heavier, and acrylic is lighter.
• Despite this, acrylic traps more warm air, so it is cozier for making sweaters and cardigans.
• Cotton is more breathable, and acrylic less so. Some people find acrylic rather sweaty.
• Since cotton fibers are smoother than acrylic, cotton is more comfortable to wear right next to the skin. Even the softest acrylics usually feel pretty itchy without a base layer underneath!
• Acrylic loses its shape more quickly than cotton. Both after each wash, and permanently after several washes.
• Acrylic yarns builds up static charge (the kind that makes your hair start to stand up). Cotton yarns do not.
• And finally under this heading, acrylic is much more flammable than cotton.

Durability

When we put hours of work into a crochet project, we want it to last, right? So how does cotton vs acrylic yarn measure up in this respect? Cotton is generally more hardwearing than acrylic. Acrylic yarns are more prone to wearing through, stretching out of shape and pilling (although specifically developed ‘pill resistant’ acrylic yarns are increasingly available).

Both fibers can be machine washed, which is a big advantage over delicate wools. A lot of cottons shrink by about 5% the first time you wash them though, which is not a problem you’ll have to worry about with acrylic. However, lots of people think that crochet cotton garments improve with washing – getting softer and more worn in, in a charming way – and this makes up for the hassle of factoring shrinkage when you make them.

Lastly, synthetic yarns are more colorfast than organic fibers, meaning the dye is less likely to bleed from one area of color to another in multicolor patterns.

Eco credentials

Once upon a time, a big draw of cotton fibers over acrylic ones was cotton’s naturalness. Plastic-derived acrylic yarns were synthetic, unnatural, and doomed to shed microplastics into the oceans forever. Whereas cotton yarns were natural, organic, and ultimately biodegradable.

These days we’re more aware of the impact cotton production has on the environment, in terms of water consumption, pollution by pesticides and fertilizers, soil erosion and destruction of vital habitats. Whatsmore, the introduction of acrylic yarns recycled from discarded single use plastics like drinks bottles means that this fiber is getting its own eco-friendly makeover. So, it’s no longer true to say that either fiber is unequivocably better for the environment than the other.

Price

Both cotton and acrylic yarns are available at a range of price points, from the premium to the purse-friendly. But cottons remain, on average, more expensive than acrylics. Both of these ball of yarn weighed 3.5oz when I bought them (I’ve already use quite a lot of the acrylic yarn on the left for a blanket!). The acrylic cost less than $3, and the cotton cost just over $7.

Working with acrylic vs cotton yarn

Some cotton and acrylic yarns feel very different to work with, and that means people tend to have strong feelings about working with one or the other. Mercerized cotton yarns are very smooth, making them a bit slippery to work with. But older cottons like Sugar ‘n’ Cream have the opposite problem. They are almost rough, making them a bit tough on your fingers.

Acrylics tend to divide opinion too. Some crafters love them, whilst others say the synthetic texture sets their teeth on edge. Some people also feel that they are a false economy, because they don’t last as well as natural fibers. My own opinion is that there are so many types of cotton yarn available to buy, and so many types of acrylic, that even if you’ve tried one and hated it, it’s worth trying a few others if you get an opportunity. A good way to do this is to look for yarn exchanges on social media, or in local community spaces like libraries.

Making your choice

When you’re working to a pattern that stipulates cotton or acrylic yarn, don’t swap for the other. As you can see in the photos for this article, it’s going to play havoc with your gauge, even if none of the other differences between them matter! For freestyle projects of your own design, consider these things:

Choose cotton for –

• Hardwearing items like storage baskets, purses and pencil cases.
• Items which need to absorb water, like dishcloths and facecloths.
• Clothes you’ll wear right next to your skin, like camisoles.
• Structured garments like boxy sweaters.
• Projects which focus on the sculptural quality of decorative stitches, like mandalas.

Choose acrylics for –

• Warm winter sweaters.
• Garments you can’t risk shrinking in the wash.
• Swimwear which is actually going to get wet (find out about specialist non-itchy synthetic yarns for making swimwear here).
• Items with high contrast color patterns.
• Big blankets, to keep costs down.

Still undecided? Then why not try a cotton acrylic blend, like Patons Cotton Blend 8-ply, or Rico Baby Cotton Soft DK, both of which are 50% cotton and 50% acrylic.

Summary

Acrylic yarns were really designed to work as substitutes for woolen yarns, not cotton ones. So, there are a lot of differences in weight, texture, and durability between cotton and acrylic. And whilst modern production methods have closed the gap between them a lot, you probably won’t mistaken one for the other any time soon! For this reason, think hard about what properties you need your crochet project to have before choosing a cotton vs acrylic yarn. And don’t swap one for the other when following patterns!

Let us know which of the two you prefer working with and why in the comments box down below

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