The Ultimate Acrylic Yarn Comparison ResultsThe Ultimate Acrylic Yarn Comparison Results
The results of the ultimate acrylic yarn comparison are finally in! After a long journey of swatching, frogging, swatching again and THEN washing…. I have a complete, ranked list of all the yarns I compared.
If you want to learn more about how this comprehensive list was put together – from testing methods to how the yarns were selected – please start with my first blog post, Introducing the Ultimate Acrylic Yarn Comparison. And if you don’t care about this crazy journey and just want to know about my thoughts at the finish line, you can watch the video below:
About the Yarn Comparison Chart
The overall score is a weighted measurement prioritizing softness (30%), durability (30%), and workability (20%) over price (10%) and availability (10%). Each data point is based on a 10 point scale.
All pricing data was collected on May 5th, 2020 and may not reflect current pricing. For current pricing you can always click one of the store links for each yarn (in the Buy column).
Availability rankings prioritize local availability over online availability, with more points for being available at multiple retailers. This puts store brands at a disadvantage, particularly if they are online only store brands (like Paintbox or Knit Pick’s).
Softness rankings are based on post-washing softness, after 10 washes or so.
Workability rankings are an average between my ranking for knitting versus crochet. The highest workability rating I will give to an acrylic yarn is 9 because 10 is reserved for squishy merino wool. 😉
Durability is based on wear after 15 washes.
The Ultimate Acrylic Yarn Comparison Chart
To sort by a particular column, just click on the header of the appropriate name. Want to see which was the softest? Click on the “Softness” column to sort.
For mobile users: rotate your phone to landscape to see the sortable chart titles. Then once it’s sorted as you prefer, switch back to portrait view for the easy to read mobile version!
**Most of the buy links contain affiliate codes which will give me a small commission on any purchases you make when clicking through. This is at no extra charge to you, and it helps pay for my time on this crazy long project. **
| Yarn + Price | Price/yd. | Ply | Care Instructions | Special Features | Availability | Softness | Workability | Durability | Overall Rating | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
King Cole Cherished DK $5.95/3.5oz | $0.022/yd | S on S plied | Machine Wash Gentle. Tumble Dry Normal/Low. | Anti-Pilling | 5 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7.2 | |
Schachenmayr Soft & Easy $4.25/3.5oz | $0.017/yd | S on S plied | Machine Wash Gentle. Do not tumble dry. | Low Pill Dralon | 5 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7.5 | |
Cascade Yarns North Shore $6.00/3.5oz | $0.027/yd | Plied | Machine Wash Warm. Tumble Dry Normal. | Â | 7 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 7.6 | |
Stylecraft Special DK $2.95/3.5oz | $0.009/yd | Plied | Machine wash cold. Tumble dry low. | Wide Color Range | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6.3 | |
Paintbox Yarns Simply Aran $3.00/3.5oz | $0.014/yd | Plied | Machine wash cold. Tumble dry low. | Wide Color Range | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5.6 | |
Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling $4.99/3.5oz | $0.026/yd | Plied | Machine Wash Warm. Tumble Dry. | Anti-Pilling | 7 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8.6 | |
Lion Brand Basic Stitch Premium $4.99/3.5oz | $0.022/yd | Plied | Machine Wash Warm. Tumble Dry. | Â | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7.0 | |
Lion Brand Jeans $4.99/3.5oz | $0.023/yd | S on S plied | Machine Wash Cold. Tumble Dry. | Heathered Colors | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7.9 | |
Caron Simply Soft $4.99/6oz | $0.015/yd | Plied | Machine Wash Cold. Tumble Dry Low. | Â | 10 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7.8 | |
Loops & Threads Joy DK $4.49/3.5oz | $0.016/yd | Plied | Machine Wash Warm. Tumble Dry Low. | Class 1 Oeko-Tex® certification | 6 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8.4 | |
Red Heart Soft $5.79/5oz | $0.022/yd | Plied | Machine Wash Warm. | Â | 9 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6.8 | |
Caron One Pound $10.99/16oz | $0.013/yd | Plied | Machine Wash Warm. Tumble dry low. | Large Value Ball | 10 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6.5 | |
Knit Picks Brava (Worsted) $2.49/3.5oz | $0.011/yd | Plied | Machine wash cold. Tumble dry. | Wide Color Selection | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5.1 | |
Loops & Threads Impeccable $3.49/4.5oz | $0.012/yd | Plied | Machine wash cold. Tumble dry. | Great Yardage | 6 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 6.6 | |
KC Smooth $4.99/3.5oz | $0.023/yd | S on S plied | Machine wash cold. Do not tumble dry. | Micro-Acrylic | 6 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7.9 | Joanns |
Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn! $4.99/5oz | $0.014/yd | Plied | Machine wash warm. Tumble Dry. | Â | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6.2 | |
Willow Wash $3.99/3.5oz | $0.022/yd | Plied | Machine wash warm. | Anti-Pilling | 4 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 7.4 | |
Premier Everyday Anti-Pilling $3.99/3.5oz | $0.025/yd | Plied | Machine Wash Cold. Tumble Dry Low. | Anti-Pilling OKEO-TEX Certified | 7 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8.7 | |
Big Twist Value $3.49/6oz | $0.009/yd | Plied | Machine wash warm. Do not machine dry. | Great Yardage | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 6.1 | Joann’s |
Bernat Softee Chunky $3.99/100g | $0.036/yd | Plied | Machine Wash Cold. Tumble Dry Low. | Affordable Chunky Weight Yarn | 10 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7.1 |
A note on care instructions: many yarns have different care instructions on manufacturer websites, retailer websites and yarn labels. I’ve posted what appears to be correct, but when testing durability I washed it like any old laundry novice – machine wash cold (saves money!) and tumble dry normal. My washing machine does not have an agitator so my loads are probably more gentle than most. But I let the swatches run free like wild beasts, no garment bag.