The BEST Yarn for Crochet Blanket Projects
Choosing the best yarn for your crochet blanket project is a huge task. There are so many different yarns to choose from and it can feel overwhelming. It’s no wonder why you want to make sure the type of yarn you choose is a good choice!
This post is going to break down everything you need to consider when choosing the best yarn for crochet blanket projects in 2022. And, of course, I will also be sharing my favorite yarn (that I’ve actually used) for crochet blankets!
Plus, all of the yarn I’m sharing today is great for any beginner crocheter. And if you’ve never crocheted a blanket before, I created a full post on how to crochet a blanket using any stitch you love!
Things to Consider When Buying Yarn
There are quite a bit of yarn characteristics to consider when choosing the perfect yarn for blankets. You will have to think of:
- yarn weight
- fiber
- affordability
- texture
- and ease of care.
There are lots of different types of yarn! To make things easy to digest, we’re going to dive deeper into each of these categories. Then I’ll share some of my favorite yarns for blankets!
Use the table of contents below to find exactly what you’re looking for.
Yarn Weight
You probably know by now that yarn is categorized by weight.
Remember that “weight” isn’t referring to the weight of the yarn on a scale. Yarn weight refers to the thickness of the strand of yarn.
The weight is important to consider when making blankets because it will, of course, affect the feel of your finished blanket. Learn more about yarn here. This post talks about the 7 weight categories, fibers, flaws, and so much more.
If you choose to use a thick yarn (like bulky or super-bulky yarn) your blanket project will work up faster.
Whereas if you choose to use a lighter weight yarn, it may take you a long time to finish depending on how much time you have to crochet. However, even if it takes a longer amount of time, it’s usually well worth the process!
I think the best yarn for blankets would be a weight 2 to weight 6. But if you’re looking to make a hand crochet blanket, a weight 6 or 7 is the way to go!
Speaking of fiber, let’s talk briefly about that.
Yarn Fiber
Fiber content is what the yarn is made of. It can be made from natural fibers, synthetic fibers, and blended fibers (which is natural and synthetic yarn mixed together). Some common fibers are:
- acrylic
- cotton
- polyester
- bamboo
- wool
- and alpaca wool
Acrylic yarn is the most versatile. You can use it for almost anything.
Wool yarn is a great choice for winter items like hats, scarves, and mittens because that fiber keeps you warm. However, if you or your recipient has sensitive skin, you might want to avoid wool yarn.
Cotton yarn is great for spring and summer crochet projects like picnic blankets, baby blanket, market bags, other home decor projects.
You can dive deeper into learning all about yarn and how to read a yarn label here.
Ease of Care
On every yarn label there are instructions for how that particular yarn should be washed.
Usually it’s best to hand wash animal fibers (like wool and alpaca) and machine wash fibers like cotton and acrylic.
If you are gifting your item, make sure you read the yarn label first and let the recipient know how to wash their blanket when it gets dirty.
Affordability
It takes a large amount of yarn to make blankets. You want to make sure that you’re not breaking the bank with the yarn you choose. Animal fibers usually cost the most, especially if they’re hand dyed.
But just because they’re expensive, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them for blankets. You just have to keep that in mind when you’re choosing your yarn, if you have a budget.
You also want to make sure you calculate your yardage prior to ordering hand dyed yarn.
It can take anywhere from 650 yards to 3500 yards to make a blanket, depending on the size of the blanket you’re making and the yarn weight you choose.
Blankets can be made in all kinds of different sizes! The infographic below shows some of the standard crochet blanket sizes.
You should also keep in mind that bulkier yarns require less yardage while lighter weight yarns require more. For a more in depth look at crocheting blankets, this post is jam-packed with great information.
Another thing to remember is that if you’re using heavily textured stitch like the bobble or waffle stitch, it will require more yarn. These stitches are called yarn eaters.
Here are some of my favorite place to buy yarn online:
- Lovecrafts
- Lion Brand Yarn
- Hobbii (love their yarn, but some is on the pricier side)
- Amazon (but this is usually my last choice because they tend to hike up the prices)
Each of the craft stores I listed above are for ordering online, which is what I do most of the time.
If you want to visit an in-person yarn store, try Joann Fabrics, Michaels, or Hobby Lobby. You can, of course, order yarn from these stores online as well.
Texture
Lastly, we have textured yarn. When I say textured, I’m talking about novelty yarn.
Novelty yarn is fluffy, spun differently, and hard to count stitches. I don’t recommend using this yarn if you’re a beginner, but eventually you will grow to love it.
That being said, there are some textures you might find that aren’t fun to work with.
For example, I had a Voxer coaching client tell me recently that she does not like working with polyester yarn because it feels weird on her hands. I feel the same way about sherpa yarn. Gross. 😂
But the only way you’ll know what kind of yarn you like is by giving it a try!
Now that you know what to consider when choosing the perfect yarn, we can talk about the best yarn for crochet blankets specifically. But first, let me tell you about my favorite hooks.
Clover Amour Crochet Hooks are the BEST
These crochet hooks are my all time favorite hooks. I’ve been using these and only these for the past 5 years and I highly highly HIGHLY recommend them. They work so well with all fiber types I’ve tried in the past and I’ve tried a great deal of yarn!
Any time I tell someone to try at least one Clover Amour crochet hook, they ALWAYS become hooked. Pun intended. Just read the comments in this thread. Then try them for yourself.
If you’ve tried Clover hooks in the past and you didn’t have the same experience, there’s another option.
Last year someone suggested a set of hooks and I was so set on my Clovers that I doubted they would come close. But I ended up giving them a try because I wanted to test them out for you.
The hooks are called Tulip Etimo and after testing them out, I’ve decided that they are very very close second! Definitely give those a try if you decide not to go the Clover route.
The BEST Yarn for Crochet Blanket Projects in 2022
1. I Love This Yarn! – Hobby Lobby
Worsted weight yarn #4 | $4.99 per skein | 252 yards | 100% Acrylic
If you can get your hands on this yarn I 10/10 recommend. It is my absolute favorite and that is why it is the first on the list. I truly love this yarn.
I used this yarn to make my Forever Blankets and also a few that I have gifted. It washes well, it glides beautifully on my Clover hooks, and it comes with quite a bit of yardage.
I also used this yarn to make Alfred the Cat (pictured below) and it works great for amigurumi too!
The only issue is you can only find it at Hobby Lobby and in-store locations aren’t as popular as Joann Fabrics or Michaels. However, you can always order online!
**PRO TIP – Hobby Lobby has a 30% off sale on yarn every other week. So make sure that when you go, it’s a sale week!
2. Cover Story – Lion Brand Yarn
Super bulky #6 | $51.99 but currently on sale for $36.39 | 547 yards | 100% Polyester
I know what you’re going to say… “Yarn that costs $52?! Why would I buy that?”
Believe it or not, this super bulky yarn has so much yardage, you only need 1 skein of yarn to make an entire blanket! Also, I’m pretty sure you can always find this yarn on sale both on their website and Joann Fabrics.
As a matter of fact, I just checked and you can get it for $27.29 on the Joann website!
To be honest, I didn’t believe it! So I tested it out myself and made this blanket. 1 ball of yarn, this MASSIVE yarn, made a 36″ wide x 46″ long blanket!
And you can see how big this skein is next to my, then, 2 year old 😂
I absolutely loved working with this yarn and my sister (who I gifted the blanket too) tells me all the time how much she loves it.
3. Bernat Blanket Yarn – Yarnspirations
Super bulky #6 | $12.99 | 220 yards | 100% Polyester
Who doesn’t love Bernat Blanket Yarn? It is extremely versatile and there are different lines like:
- Bernat Baby Blanket yarn
- Bernat O’Go
- Bernat Ombre
- and Bernat Extra – which is a weight 7 yarn that’s great for arm knitting!
This yarn is relatively the same as Cover Story, but I tend to favor Cover Story. Although I’m not exactly sure why when they’re made with the same fiber. 🤷🏻♀️
I will say that this yarn is a better choice if you want more color options. There are at least 100 color options for this yarn, which is awesome. It leaves room for mixing colors or just finding the perfect shade to complement your nursery.
I used Bernat Blanket O’Go for my Chunky Granny Square Blanket crochet pattern and loved the way it turned out.
*Note: Some shades of this yarn are cheaper on Amazon!
4. Baby Bee Sweet Delight – Hobby Lobby
Light weight/DK #3 | $5.99 | 377 yards | 60% Acrylic, 40% Polyamide
This is another yarn I’ve used and absolutely adore. Honestly, Hobby Lobby has some of the BEST blanket yarns out there. I love them.
This yarn is so soft to work with and is perfect for baby blankets. It comes in 33 colors, including both solid and variegated colorways.
I used this yarn for my son’s baby blanket, the Peephole Chevon, and it’s magnificent. I’ve already washed this blanket a few times in the washer and it looks as great as ever.
P.S. How precious is this picture of him?! 🥺 He was so little!
5. Paintbox Yarns Simply Aran – LoveCrafts
Medium weight #4, $3.99 but currently on sale for $2.99, 201 yards | 100% acrylic
This is another yarn that has a large variety of colors available and several different lines that are all amazing. Plus, it’s super affordable! And it’s frequently on sale, too.
You might think that it’s cheap because it’s bad quality, but it’s not! It’s one of those yarns that so many people love and they have lots of great reviews.
As I said, there are a few different yarn lines and I’ve tried most of them actually!
- Paintbox Yarns Simply DK (a lightweight version)
- Simply Chunky (bulky weight)
- Cotton Aran
- Simply Super Chunky (super bulky)
- Wool Mix Aran
- Recycled T-shirt yarn
I’ve tried ALL of these and I’ve never been disappointed.
Another huge perk to this yarn is that they often come in value packs and color packs! You can purchase a 5 ball bundle for only $14 or a 10 ball bundle for only $23!
6. Red Heart Hygge Yarn – Yarnspirations
Bulky weight #5 | $9.99 | 132 yards | 70% Acrylic, 30% Nylon
This is considered a novelty yarn but it’s one of the most beginner friendly novelty yarns out there. It’s not too hard to see your stitches and it’s soft and cozy.
When I use novelty yarn I like to use basic crochet stitches because the yarn basically does all of the work for you! The yarn itself makes you finished crochet blanket beautiful because of the texture and feel of the yarn.
They have a 5 oz option and an 8 oz option. The 8oz option has 212 yards and more color choices. I’m not sure why they did it that way, but either way I love this yarn for blankets.
The label says it’s machine washable but I’ve never personally washed this yarn so I’m not sure how it would hold up.
*Fun fact! Did you know Hygge is actually pronouced “Hoo-gah” 🤪
7. Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek – Hobby Lobby
Medium weight #4 | $4.99 | 232 yards | 100% Acrylic
This yarn is perfect for baby blankets. I used this yarn for my Suzette Baby Blanket and it is so soft and snuggly. I think it falls in the top 5 best acrylic yarn category for me.
I also used this yarn in conjunction with I Love This Yarn! to make Alfred the Cat (under number 1) so it works great with small projects too!
Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek also has lots of different colors to choose from and can be thrown right in the washing machine if there’s ever a spill.
8. Color Theory – Lion Brand Yarn
Medium weight #4 | $6.99 | 246 yards | 100% Acrylic
Color Theory is a pretty new yarn, only being on the market for a few months now.
I absolutely LOVE this yarn.
I haven’t made a blanket with it, but I did use it to make a crocheted top. Because of how soft this acrylic yarn is, I can definitely see it being great for crochet blankets. It’s easy to work with, a great choice for crochet beginners, and has beautiful stitch definition.
I found this free pattern for the Windsor Tassel Throw on the Lion Brand website and I LOVE the color combination.
9. Hue & Me – Lion Brand Yarn
Bulky weight #5 | $6.99 | 137 yards | 80% Acrylic, 20% Wool
If you love thicker yarns and warm blankets this yarn is for you. Because this yarn is an acrylic blend with wool, it makes a warmer blanket that’s quick to work up.
They also recently added a wide range of colors that are earthy and muted, which is perfect for home decor pieces.
I haven’t finished a blanket with this yarn but I’m currently working on one and I’m loving it so far.
Lion Brand has another free blanket pattern on their website using this yarn and again, I love the color choices.
10. Caron Cotton Cakes – Yarnpirations (only in Michaels Craft Stores)
Medium weight #4 | $12.99 | 530 yards | 60% Cotton, 40% Acrylic
Yarnspirations has some of the BEST self-striping yarn in the game.
This one in particular is the best cotton yarn blend for blankets that I’ve come across. A picnic blanket or a summer throw would be a great project for this yarn.
And not only is Caron Cotton Cakes great, but so are all of the other cake yarns in this line. There’s:
- Caron Anniversary Cakes (weight 6 & over 1,000 yards!)
- Skinny Cakes (weight 3)
- Chunky Cakes (weight 6)
- Latte Cakes (weight 5)
- Baby Cakes (weight 4)
- and there’s more if you can even believe it.
They have something for almost all weights on the standard yarn weight system!
This is another yarn that I’m working on a blanket project with, but don’t have one completed that I can show. But here’s a great example of a what a beautiful blanket this yarn would make!
**Note: All of Yarnspiration’s cake yarn is sold exclusively at Michaels. But at least you can find them in store and see how beautiful they are in person!
Cake yarn like this is great for blankets that you want to have a lot of color without having to constantly change color and weave in ends. Which makes cake yarns another great choice for the beginner crocheter.
And now that I’m writing all of this, I’m wishing there was a Michaels in Japan!!
Things to remember
We talked a lot about yarn and all the different things you should consider when buying. But I wanted to remind you of a few more important factors.
Dye lots
Usually when you purchase yarn in bulk online, you will receive the same dye lot for all of them. You usually don’t have to worry about dye lots in that situation.
However, you do need to be careful when you purchase yarn in craft stores.
This post talks more about dye lots if you want to check that out. But all you have to do is make sure when you’re picking up yarn from the store that the dye lot matches on all of them.
That’s why calculating yardage is so important to do when you first start planning crochet blanket projects.
If you grab some yarn from the store to make a blanket and you run out of yarn, the next time you go to the store the dye lot will be different. And if you add a yarn from a different dye lot it could be a completely different shade of the original color you used. And that is super frustrating.
If you want to learn how to calculate how many yards of yarn you need for a project, head over to this post.
Discontinued yarn
Man oh man, I despise discontinued yarn! It seems that every time I find a yarn I love, it gets discontinued!
I don’t know the reasons why yarn gets discontinued.
You would assume it’s because of the lack of demand, but I know several yarn lines that were discontinued even when so many people loved and begged for them not to discontinue the yarn.
Either way, there are two things you need to watch out for.
1. Make sure you calculate your yardage ahead of time.
I’ve said this a few times now but this is yet another reason why it’s so important, especially for large projects like blankets.
Blankets use a lot of yarn. If you guess the amount you need, and then you run out of yarn, and THEN find out it’s been discontinued… Then what? You have to start over with a new yarn.
And the painful part is that I’m speaking from experience. Learn more about calculating yardage in this post.
Save yourself a headache, grab this ebook!
Get access to 5 math formulas that will calculate how much yarn you will need and how to resize ANY stitch multiple with this 29-page ebook!
2. Visit YarnSub.com
Let’s say you find a crochet blanket project you really like and you want to use the same yarn, but you find out it’s been discontinued.
It’s disappointing, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel!
There’s a website called YarnSub.com where you can type in the yarn you’re looking for and it will share the best substitutes for that yarn.
It grades each yarn by weight, fiber, and feel. It’s an AMAZING resource.
You can find even more information on where to find discontinued yarn in this post (and there’s a video tutorial!)
That’s it for my VERY long winded post on the BEST yarn for crochet blanket projects in 2022.
If you think you missed anything, scroll back up to the top and look through the table of contents.
Tell me your thoughts!
Which yarn will you try for your next crochet blanket?
Have you tried any of these yarns?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
I started a baby blanket with Mandala Baby (Rainbow Falls) yarn. I haven’t used DK yarn before, but loved the colors. Using just a single strand it seems so……fragile for a blanket that will be used and abused. Should I use 2 strands held together for a stronger blanket? Thanks!! You’re my favorite go to (I’m a beginner+, but trying to broaden my crochet horizons)
Hi Cathy! I can definitely understand why you feel that a weight 3 would be more of a “fragile” blanket. However, this weight is great for baby blankets! It may be because you’ve never used a DK weight before that you feel it might be too fragile. I’ve made a few blankets using DK weight yarn and they’ve all held up really well. It also depends on the stitch you’re using.
But if you still think you’d like to give it some more weight, you definitely can hold double strands and see if you like that better. I would make a test swatch first to make sure you like how the colors look together and the feel of the fabric based on the hook size you’re using.
Happy crocheting!